Happy Earth Day
Something quick and easy that you can do to decrease the amount of landfill waste . . . choose eggs in cardboard containers rather than styrofoam . . . there is no difference in the eggs!
And that goes for coffee cups too . . . shame on you Dunkin Donuts!
Styrofoam takes 80 years to disinegrate.
Try New Recycled Aluminum Foil from Reynolds . . . FREE!
Happy Earth Day!
Here is a link to get a free roll of the new Reynolds Recycled Aluminum Foil. We really should all be using biodegradable wax paper instead of plastic or aluminum wrap . . . but sometimes anything but the real thing just won’t do . . .
http://www.reynoldsrecycled.com/index.html
Enjoy!
Scrub that Produce!!
Listen up . . . and you know who you are!!!! Wash your produce! Even if the package says triple washed (the recent bacterial contamination with spinach actually involved spinach in bags that were “triple washed” . . . it absolutely needs to be cleaned! Here is a guideline:
Firm produce (apples, pears, peppers) should be scrubbed with the hands under running water. Fragile fruits such as berries should be rinsed with a sink sprayer, using a colander so the fruit can be tumbled. If a sprayer is not available, berries and soft fruits should be placed in a colander and immersed in warm water and swished three or four times, and the water should be changed twice more or until it runs clean.
Root vegetables and tubers should be sprayed with water first and then scrubbed with a vegetable brush. Produce should be washed just before serving, not before storing; dampness increases spoilage.
Outer leaves of leafy vegetables should be removed before washing. All greens should be washed in the coldest water possible to maintain crispness.
Damaged or bruised areas should be cut away immediately because bacteria thrives in them. The produce should then be refrigerated immediately.
Fruits and vegetables with rinds, like melon and squash, should also be washed. When fruit is cut, bacteria on the surface can be transferred to the flesh.
Pesticides and Arthritis
According to an article in Health magazine (April 2009) – women with the highest levels of pesticides in their blood are one-and-a-half times more likely to suffer from arthritis.
The grass is always “greener”!
Oooh – I came up with that tag line myself . . . pretty cute, huh?
Anyway . . . looking to have an eco-friendly Easter? Skip the plastic grass and make your own! Just put colored paper (old school crafts from the kids) into a shredder – and 10 seconds later – you’re ready to stuff it into the kid’s Easter baskets or a care package for the grandparents!
Informative Web SIte
Do you think that reading food labels is enough? There could be certain chemicals, preservatives and additives in your every day beauty and fragrance products that could be harming your health.
Log onto www.cosmeticsdatabase.com for a comprehensive list of products and their ratings.
Magic Mushrooms
It’s spring . . . and mushrooms are popping up all over! Here are their unexpected health benefits:
1. Safeguard against cancer: they are rich in disease fighting phytochemicals. Lowering breast cancer and prostate risks are their best bets.
2. Supply hard-to-get nutrients: 1 med portobello mushroom supplies 21% of RDA of selenium and 1/3 RDA of copper it also has as much potassium as a banana.
source: Readers Digest
Volunteering as a Family
One of the most satisfying, fun, and productive ways to unite is volunteering for community service projects. Volunteerism also sets a good example for your kids and helps the community.
Reasons to Get Involved
Why should your family lend a helping hand?
It feels good. The satisfaction and pride that come from helping others are important reasons to volunteer. When you commit your time and effort to an organization or a cause you feel strongly about, the feeling of fulfillment can be endless.
It strengthens your community. Organizations and agencies that use volunteers are providing important services at low or no cost to those who need them. When a community is doing well as a whole, its individuals are better off, too.
It can strengthen your family. Volunteerism is a great way for families to have fun and feel closer. But many people say they don’t have the time to volunteer after fulfilling work and family commitments. If that’s the case, try rethinking some of your free time as a family. You could select just one or two projects a year and make them a family tradition (for example, making and donating gift baskets to care facilities for the elderly around the holidays).
What Kids Can Learn From Volunteering
If volunteering begins at an early age, it can become part of kids’ lives — something they might just expect and want to do.
It can teach them:
A sense of responsibility. By volunteering, kids and teens learn what it means to make and keep a commitment. They learn how to be on time for a job, do their best, and be proud of the results. But they also learn that, ultimately, we’re all responsible for the well-being of our communities.
That one person can make a difference. A wonderful, empowering message for kids is that they’re important enough to have an impact on someone or something else.
The benefit of sacrifice. By giving up a toy to a less fortunate child, a child learns that sometimes it’s good to sacrifice. Cutting back on recreation time to help clean up a beach tells kids that there are important things besides ourselves and our immediate needs.
Tolerance. Working in community service can bring kids and teens in touch with people of different backgrounds, abilities, ethnicities, ages, and education and income levels. They’ll learn that even the most diverse individuals can be united by common values.
Job skills. Community service can help young people decide on their future careers. Are they interested in the medical field? Hospitals and clinics often have teenage volunteer programs. Do they love politics? Kids can work on the real campaigns of local political candidates. Learning to work as a team member, taking on leadership roles, setting project goals — these are all skills that can be gained by volunteering and will serve kids well in any future career.
How to fill idle time wisely. If kids aren’t involved in traditional after-school activities, community service can be a wonderful alternative.
Volunteering on Your Own
If you’ve never been involved in community service before, volunteering as an individual may be a good place to start. Want to improve your computer knowledge? You may get free on-the-job training. Have you been out of the workforce raising children? Volunteering may be a painless way for you to get back into the routine of working before taking the plunge into a paid position.
And if you’re looking for a career change, community service is a networker’s dream. You can meet people who may offer opportunities you’ve never thought of. You can sample different workplaces and see how you like various fields. Your volunteering will definitely help others and may help you, too.
Getting Your Family Involved
The Internet offers lots of sites with information about volunteer opportunities. You can also call a favorite charity, hospital, or church directly to see if they have any needs, or look up “Volunteerism” in the phone book in the Human Services section (often in the blue pages).
Or contact a local volunteer clearinghouse, which matches up volunteers and community organizations and can help you find openings at nonprofit organizations in your area.
Be prepared to answer questions such as:
What are your interests?
What are your skills?
Do you have any special needs?
Do you have a method of transportation?
How many hours a week do you have to volunteer?
Why do you want to volunteer?
You’ll probably be interviewed again once the clearinghouse matches you with an appropriate job. Some situations require more information. If you want to work with kids, for instance, you may have to undergo fingerprinting and a criminal background check.
Be sure to be just as thorough when you question the organizations. Find out exactly what’s expected of you before you accept the volunteer position. Be realistic and ask specific questions.
When looking for a volunteer position, remember that it may be difficult to find the perfect volunteer slot. Be flexible, and keep looking if the agency you were referred to doesn’t meet your needs. It may take a while to find a perfect fit, but once you do, it will be worth it.
Once you do become involved, be responsible to those who depend on you. Be on time, dress appropriately, and let the volunteer coordinator know if you can’t make it.
Good Volunteer Jobs for Families and Kids
Families can do many volunteer jobs. Even the smallest child (with adult supervision) can pick up garbage at the park, playground, or beach. You don’t even have to be part of a big effort to do this. Get your family together, find some garbage bags, and head out.
Or become involved in repair and renovation efforts for low-income residents. Younger kids might not be able to do the big jobs, but helping out by fetching a paintbrush or holding the nails involves them just the same.
Work at a community food bank or soup kitchen as a family. Find an organization that serves the elderly. Take food to people who are homebound and visit with them. Your kids can brighten a lonely senior’s day instantly. Offer your family’s help at the local animal shelter. Help plant flowers or trees. The possibilities are endless.
Whatever you choose to do, volunteering and community service can benefit both the community and your family. Get involved today!
Apologize
| Health Tip of the Day |
| Children’s Health Parent Apology Parents should apologize to their children when they make a mistake. Why? For one reason, the parent becomes a good role model for the child in that the child, in turn, will learn to apologize. Secondly, children become more accepting of themselves when they see that even parents can make mistakes. Unfortunately, many parents mistakenly think their authority will decline if they recognize an error. |
Source: American Institute for Preventative Medicine
Swaptree
Hey all -
My sister (the queen of recycling, consigning and everything in between) told me about a site called www.swaptree.com. As spring cleaning approaches, pull out some items and give them a try on this site. Old baby equipment, clothing, furniture . . . it is all welcome on swaptree. It is free to post your item, other members of the swaptree community can see it on-line and then if they want it, they will contact you and pick it up. You cannot charge for your items. This is an excellent way to reuse and recycle things . . . all while helping out someone else! By reusing items, we all reduce that amount of garbage in landfills – and that is a win/win for everyone.
Try it – it works!
