Household toxin – chemical flame retardant

Chemical flame retardants, technically brominated fire retardants (BFRs), including polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) are found in tons of household goods from kids bedding to electronics to mattresses to furniture and more. PBDEs are meant to prevent the spread of fire in plastic and fabric products but they’re also highly toxic.

The EWG notes that “PBDEs are found in the bodies of nearly every American.” Also they explain that “Laboratory studies show that exposure to minute doses of PBDEs can damage reproductive systems and cause deficits in motor skills, learning, memory and hearing, as well as changes in behavior.“Babies who are rapidly developing are at a serious risk for problems due to PBDEs. Studies have shown that just a single dose of PBDEs at a critical brain development point can cause lasting harm and record numbers of this toxin have been found in breast milk.

One problem is that few studies have been done on humans with regards to this toxin so we can’t know the full scope of the health issues BUT studies with laboratory animals do show that PBDE exposure before and after birth caused problems (some major) with brain development, including problems with learning, memory and behavior. PBDE exposure during development is also linked to problems with thyroid hormone levels and reproduction.

Besides being found in most human bodies at this point, levels of PBDEs in the soil and air have been increasing at a rapid rate.

How to avoid PBDEs

• Most PBDEs are found in polyurethane foam products manufactured before 2005, but just because you have a newer product doesn’t necessarily mean it’s free from PBDEs.
• Go through your home and locate items with PBDEs. Mattresses, mattress pads, couches, easy chairs, foam pillows, breastfeeding pillows, carpet padding, and other foam items purchased before 2005 are most likely to contain PBDEs and the same goes for vehicle seating, car seats, and office furniture. Since you obviously can’t ditch all your products at once think about replacing any baby or kid products that contain PBDEs first, since kids and babies are currently developing.
• When switching out bedding buy organic cotton bedding (cotton fibers aren’t treated with PBDEs).
• Buy mattresses – especially baby mattresses made without PBDEs.
• See a list about companies who are currently phasing out these chemicals AND get more more tips on preventing PBDE exposure at the EWGs PBDE site.

[image via stock.xchng]

Kids & Grandparents’ Holiday Memories

Grandparents have wonderful holiday memories to share with grandchildren if the middle generation (the children) will encourage this rather than considering it simply, “Grandma’s ramblings.“  Even those with Alzheimer’s can contribute to the memory lore.  Sometimes we might say, “especially those with Alzheimer’s”, because those memories become very vivid for them at certain stages of the illness.

 

Grandparents’ memories, and those of other older relatives, contribute to the family heritage.  Record them, write them down, compile them in scrapbooks.  Those help children realize who they truly are and help form a family bond.

If grandchildren can work on Holiday memory projects with grandparents, these have special meaning, too.  My mother and mother-in-law shared their memories with my daughter. I encouraged my daughter to take part in it, or at least be a good listener.  We now reminisce about some of the things they did and said, passing them along to my grandchildren.

These memories are somewhat like the oral histories of various cultures, when stories were passed along through the generations by word of mouth.  However, so they don’t get lost in time, make sure you record them in some fashion.  The holiday memories are especially precious.

Reasons Why You’re Not Getting a 2nd Date

You meet someone…. you hit it off…. and then something happens and the person isn’t interested in you anymore. They don’t ask you out again, or, when you ask they turn you down. All of it leaves you wondering why. Here are a few reasons why you might not be getting a second date.

You Arrived Late
Leaving someone waiting, especially on a first date, can evoke plenty of negative feelings. The whole time the person is waiting for you they might wonder if you really didn’t like them, if you are going to stand them up, if they aren’t attractive enough….

So even if the date went okay, being tardy could be enough to change their mind to “no” when you ask them for a second date.

You Talked About Your Ex Too Much
Chatting about your ex can give off lots of negative vibes, but it can also make someone wonder if you’re over your previous girlfriend or boyfriend. No one wants to be with someone who has a foot in a another relationship or even in the memory of one. Think back over your date, and if you started a few too many sentences with, “My ex thought” or “My ex always…” then be sure to watch it the next time you’re on a first date.

There Just Wasn’t Any Chemistry
It’s true, there has to be something that “clicks” between the two of you. Some people have it instantly, and some just don’t. If you lacked chemistry with someone, never take it personally.

Image: sxc.hu.

Holiday Memory Project for Tots

With Christmas and other holidays coming up, creating memory projects could be a fun project for your youngsters.  There are several ways they could do this.

• Keep a journal and record the various holidays activities that are occurring in the family and at school.
• Take pictures of the various crafts and activities and put these in a slide show on the computer.  So many youngsters are learning how to make slide shows for school projects.  So this could carry over at home
• Print off pictures and put them in an actual scrapbook.
• Make holiday collages with pictures from magazines and write about the holidays on this.  These could be lone collages or be compiled into a scrapbook.
• Find old Christmas cards saved in the family.  Put these in a scrapbook and write something about the memories these evoke.  My grandmother saved hristmas cards for years.  I’m trying to jot down notes about any of the people I know who sent these to her.

What holiday memory projects does your family do?

Thanksgiving Surprises Create Memories

This year’s Thanksgiving surprise will remain in our memories for a long time.

We’d adjusted to the idea that our granddaughter, who attends college 500 miles away, wouldn’t be home for Thanksgiving.  Imagine our surprise with her arrival Tuesday evening.  She’d been able to arrange a ride with a classmate and his parents to their home about 75 miles from us.  Her dad secretly met her and helped with the surprise.

I remember my parents arranging a surprise trip for us to visit my aunt and uncle in another state for Thanksgiving when I was a youngster.  They didn’t tell us children until they knew the weather would be good and Father could get away from the farm tasks for the weekend.  That has remained in my memory for years, especially when I come across pictures taken at my aunt and uncle’s home.

Savor the Thanksgiving memories and blessings, whether they’re surprises or not.  Compile journals and scrapbooks for future generations so they can glimpse your family’s holiday experiences.

How are you saving your Thanksgiving memories and blessings?

Scrapbook Reminders for Thanksgiving

Scrapbooking is sometimes a lot easier if you think about it during the day you’d like to commemorate. Thanksgiving has lots of great scrapbooking opportunities. If you can put a few things aside from the day, you’ll have an easier time with your pages later. Here are a few tips to make your scrapbook pages stand out for Turkey Day.

Turkey Day Envelope
Put aside an 8×11 inch manila envelope labeled “Thanksgiving 2009″ on the outside. Then, as you hear cute things your family says or have ideas for pictures, jot them down and place them inside. Also, if your family has a special type of food or wine, see if you can cut the label off to make as part of your scrapbook page. Then, when you get your pictures developed, put them in the envelope until you’re ready to scrapbook.

Recipes
If you have a special family recipe you use to cook the turkey or make the cranberries, be sure to jot it on your scrapbook page. If you have a photo of someone making the dish, even better. Part of the fun of looking back over your scrapbook is remembering the specifics. Recipes and food are a strong memory spark.

Camera Friendly
Don’t forget the digital camera! Snap away freely and then decide later which photos you will use. But keep it close by. When something really cute or wonderful happens with your family, capture it on film.

Turkey Day Journal
Have your family write in a journal for Thanksgiving. Pass the journal to each person so they can record their thoughts. Tell them they can write whatever they want. You’ll be surprised at what each person comes up with! At the end of the day you’ll have a keepsake to cherish with everyone’s thoughts, and you’ll also have some material for journaling on your scrapbook pages later. You could quote from the book and place the quote next to a picture of that person, for example.

Image: sxc.hu.

Are You Thankful for Your House?

I was wishing that the front porch was a four season room this morning and realized I tend to always look at what I want to change still about my house instead of what I love about it. And then, I started thinking about all the people trying to sell their homes or who want to try and are stuck until the market improves. So, as Thanksgiving approaches in the U.S. and fades into distant memory in Canada, I thought it might be nice to list some things you are thankful for about your house. (I know. It’s a little Pollyannaish, but it really did make me feel happier than wishing my porch was glassed in. I now feel positively blissful about its unenclosed state.)

Here are the things about my house I am most thankful for:

• Plenty of room.
• Cool old fireplace.
• Big, old fashioned front porch instead of a tiny stoop.
• Nice view.
• Good, new roof.
• Claw foot tub for soaking.
• Awesome banister.
• The tops of my kitchen cupboards. (I don’t like those soffits that keep you from displaying cool things on top of your cupboards.)
• Sturdy walls that keep things so cool in summer that I only need air conditioning a few days a year.

What do you love about your house?

Photo of part of my banister by K. Thomas

Healthy Organic Holiday Herbs & Spices

Organic herbs and spices are the perfect accompaniment for your green Thanksgiving feast this November. Herbs and spices not only season your food but can help keep you naturally more healthy during the hectic holiday season. For example…

• Sage used for stuffing, gravy, bread, soup, and more can also help fight upset stomach, reduce depression and even inhibits the development of different bacteria. Some research shows that sage can even help boost insulin action in those with diabetes.
• Rosemary used for potatoes, veggies, and more fights free radicals, relaxes your stomach, and has even been shown to aid memory issues in Alzheimer’s disease.
• Oregano has 20 times more antioxidant power than other herbs and is an anti-inflammatory that is useful in fighting all sorts of baddies from coughs to food-borne pathogens to cancer and more. Plus it seasons your stuffing, veggies and potato dishes nicely.
• Cinnamon, used for pie, cookies, fruit, cider and more is also a tasty way to help fight heart disease and diabetes. This powerful spice also is great for relieving nausea, can support digestion, and more.

Many other herbs and spices have excellent healing properties as well. Visit The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine to learn more.

Why organic?

Why not organic is the better question. Organic farming and organic food keeps pesticides and other nasty chemicals off your Thanksgiving table, supports your health, and supports the planet’s health.

Where to find organic herbs and spices:

• Frontier
• The bulk section at your local natural grocer
• Starwest Botanicals
• Mountain Rose Herbs
• TSP Spices – don’t love the packaging, but organic
• Grow some organic herbs right in your own kitchen!

NOTE: Before using a herb as a medicinal treatment read Herbal Medicine Cabinet Safety.

[image via Frontier]

Projects Using Rust & Relics

After I wrote the post, Crafting with Rust & Relics, a reader asked,  “So what kind of crafts can we do with these old relics?”Since I’ve seen my daughter using these items, I have used them myself, read about relics, and have viewed them at craft fairs, I didn’t think to explain about projects you can undertake. 

• Many can be attached to mixed media pieces.
• Some can be background material for attaching others.
• Use old wood and arrange some of the relics on it.
• Some people attach keys, buttons, watch findings and similar items to quilts and fabric art.
• Glue them together for three dimensional art.
• Create memory shadow boxes of old items belonging to a family member
• String them on mobiles

The possibilities are unlimited; simply use your imagination and creativity.

 

 

Cool Keepsake: Turn Your Blogs into Books

So, you’re best friend is making you feel guilty because you don’t scrap. She’s preserving her family’s memories in pink-and-blue borders with ballooned quotes with catchy subtitles for candid photos taken at every juncture of her children’s lives. Her camera costs more than your car, and her bookcases are filled with scrapbooks categorized by each child’s birth year, vacation destinations, and first-day-of-school photo comparisons.

You, on the other hand, are lucky to print out the photos you take. You lost that cheap digital camera (though it is probably in one of those heaps in the closet and one day you’ll dig in there to find out but it doesn’t matter anyway because it’s probably outdated by now). Hell, if memory serves, that thing is bigger than your head! Summoning up enough creativity to crop those photos (the ones you didn’t print out) and paste them on a page with colorful captions and fringe is enough to make you wince.

No, your mode of preserving family memories is less showy. You just pull out your iPhone and snap your kid playing in that fountain in the park –the one the security guards say you should stay out of. Then you e-mail it to yourself and, when you get home, post it on your personal blog, the one whose address you share with family who are less apt to visit it than some complete strangers who are nice enough to sympathize and comment.

Don’t fret. Those family blogs are just as precious a keepsake as your best friend’s Creative Memories books. And now you can preserve your blog in book form, too! The folks at Blurb.com can pull your blog posts from WordPress, TypePad and a number of other blogging platforms and turn them into a book. Your book can have its own hard cover, dust jacket and even paper choice. And your book can be delivered to your door in just seven to 10 business days for as little as $12.95. You can even place your blog book in Blurb’s bookstore for fans to purchase.

So there, no more feeling less-than-adequate because you don’t scrap. Your blogs can be keepsakes, too.

Photos, www.Blurb.com (lower right) and JWJourney, (upper left)

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