Archive for July, 2008

The People of Haiti

July 22, 2008 · Filed under Politics

I will admit that I do not know much about Haiti. I know where it’s located and that most Haitians have a darker skin tone. That’s really about all I knew until I started reading some of the news feeds recently. I have also began looking at photographs taken. If you have a moment, look at these links. Pray for the men, women, and children of Haiti. They need food, medical supplies, a strong government. They need to be shown compassion and they need our prayers.

An article by The Associated Press. – Gives an update on the lack of food aid.

Pictures by efwhelan. – Pictures of Haitians in their everyday life.

RHFH Rescue Center – Grab a hankie for when you read this, especially the story about Chabina. You will have to scroll all the way down and click to view the previous post.

These people need help. The sad thing is, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what can be done or how it should be done. Not that I think I alone can help this country. Not that I think our country isn’t doing enough. Just that in spreading this message, hopefully something positive will come of it. Even if all I do is make people aware of the situation.

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Klondike Bar Commercial

July 22, 2008 · Filed under myself

I think the good people at Klondike have decided that their target audience is men. Yes, men have probably been their target audience for some time now since their old ads always included the phrase “What would you do for a Klondike bar?” and always had someone performing a great task or challenge. (Yes, I’m aware I’m stereotyping that men prefer challenges over women.) But now it is not just any group of men, the target audience is married men who think that showing common courtesy to their wives earns them a reward. Have you seen the latest ads that have come across your television? I have seen two different ads this week and at the end of both of them all I could muster out was, “What?”.

The first one I saw (video is below) shows a husband and wife sitting down talking. An attractive lady walks by and the husband (like any normal human being) continued his conversation with his wife. Then the announcer guy says, “Dave Howell kept his eyes on his wife. Give that man a Klondike bar.” It’s appalling I know. Then the second commercial shows a couple in their kitchen. The wife is talking to her husband and then he (like a normal person) replies with a question and contributes to the conversation. Then the announcer says, “Dan listened to his wife’s story. Give that guy a Klondike bar.” Are these amazing tasks that have been performed? Because the way this announcer sounded they really must be.

I’m not as disturbed by this commercial as I was the Dixie paper plate commercial, but I should be. Men are not dumb people and they should not be viewed as such in our society. In the same light, the “Hollywood” view of marriage should be an equal task for both parties involved, the husband and the wife. Too many times our movies, television shows and even commercials view women as the household managers and men as the lazy slobs. What is this telling our children? Are our daughters going to grow up thinking they have to be superwoman by being a full-time employee contributing to society, being a great mother who’s involved in her children’s life’s, being a humble and submissive wife, and a full time housekeeper? How in the world would that even be possible? And hopefully our sons won’t grow up thinking they can come home at the end of the day and relax while the little lady tends to children, house, meals, laundry, etc. The media’s view is just not right and that’s what bothers me. That people see time and time again things that aren’t right.

Okay, yes, I have probably taken the Klondike commercial a bit far. It just peaked my interest. Here’s the video feed for the first commercial. If I find the second one I’ll post it too.

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Just for Fun!

July 20, 2008 · Filed under myself, parenting

Just for fun I thought I’d list some recent quotes from our 2 year old.

We were in the living room and my husband did something she did not like. She stood up, pointed at him and said, “No ma’am, that’s a bad choice!”

While cuddled up on the couch, she looked over at me, petted my head like one would typically a dog and said, “You’re so cute.”

When changing a dirty diaper, she often tells us, “I stink bad! That’s gross! Yuck!”

Heard from the back of the van while in heavy traffic, “In Jesus name, Amen.”

When her Nana tried to explain to her that Travis was Taylor’s daddy, but was Nana’s boy, her reply was, “That’s my boy!”

Randomly while walking through the house she put her head down, started shaking it and said, “Ay, yi, yi.”

After watching Swiper on “Dora” she now says, “Oh, man!” when things don’t go her way.

Anytime she eats a meal, she’ll say, “Mmm, that’s good.”

And when she wants us to tickle her, she’ll come up to us and say, “I want tickles.”

Hope you enjoyed! Have a great week everyone!

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Struggles in the Powder Room

July 17, 2008 · Filed under going green

As I mentioned in my last post, I am trying to be as environmentally friendly and ethically minded as I can in purchasing beauty products. I am looking for products that are safe on humans, animals and the environment. This not only includes the ingredients and product itself, but the testing and also the packaging. I have to say that this task is larger than it appears. It sounds easy. Find a company whose goals meet those you’re looking for and select the product that best suits your needs. Yet that doesn’t always work. I’m really not sure why. Personally, I don’t know if it’s my sensitive skin, my fair complexion, my extremely dry hair, or my own particular preferences. Here are some of the products I’ve tried:

Hair Care: For my hair, I thought the best option would be a home-made (not from my home mind you, from a more experienced home) shampoo bar. I had read these wonderful reviews and I thought I had the perfect bar picked out for my hair. Which is exciting because I figured that if it worked for my hair, I would use it on my whole body (including my face). This was going to eliminate all the other containers in my shower and reduce a lot of plastic from my household.

This was a wonderful idea. If this worked it would have filled my need for shampoo, conditioner, face wash, body wash, and shave cream. Wow! And no plastics!!! However when I tried the “moisturizing” shampoo bar, I was not even able to run my fingers through my hair! I couldn’t even get my hair brush through it, I had to get back in the shower and use more shampoo and conditioner to get the soap out! It wasn’t the good experience I had hoped for. However I will say that I love using the shampoo bar as a body bar.

Deodorant: I know, this is one of those departments that people do not want to experiment in. I decided to try out a deodorant that was on the best seller list and that was endorsed by the cancer association. I tried a roll on crystal deodorant and it worked fine the first couple days I used it. I couldn’t smell anything. Then I spent a day outside, in the Florida heat. I was sweating and I realized, this isn’t good deodorant if you’re going to be sweating. So, if it’s a casual indoor day, sure, use the one that’s better for you. But if you’re going to be outside or anywhere that might make you sweat, keep your regular stick close by. And I would opt for your regular deodorant on date nights too!

Face Wash: I actually won a trial size kit of organic face wash, serum, and moisturizer playing pokeno one night. I was really excited because my regular face routine is boring. The packaging on this made it look very energizing and exciting. I first used the wash, it was surprisingly very gentle and just as boring as what I was used to. The serum was nice. I always love serums! And the moisturizer went on smoothly. I just wish it had been a little more moisturizing. I think it was a very good light moisturizer, but my skin is getting a little older now (I’m not joking!) and I need to give it all the moisture it wants. Problem is, I haven’t found a trial size eco moisturizer to try!

Make Up: I keep hearing that mineral make up is the best make up for the environment and for your skin. “So safe you can sleep in it!” (That’s some body’s infomercial quote!) So, I looked at some of the findings online that were not from any of the mineral makeup websites. Yes, the dermatologists interviewed did say they were better for some people who suffer from sensitive skin issues such as dyes, fragrances, preservatives, etc. since mineral makeups do not contain those ingredients. But they also said that it’s all just a publicity hype. Most of the mineral ingredients are the same ingredients that have been used to make makeup for years. And all agreed you shouldn’t sleep in any kind of make up.

Regardless of the research, I thought that getting away from preservatives would be a good thing. So I waited until I saw some good sales ads come in the mail. BINGO! In the same week, I saw an ad that CVS had buy one get one free on all their Maybelline products. The same week, Wal-Mart had an ad about their Maybelline Mineral gift sets. So, I went to CVS and purchased the mineral veil and got the concealer for free. Then I went to Wal-Mart, and they had gift sets already packaged where you got a free blush when you purchased the foundation. So, I picked one up. I know, it’s cheaper mineral makeup, but the higher end counterparts were really “higher end” and I wasn’t going to spend a lot on something I might not like.

I honestly don’t feel like I have that much to “cover up” but I didn’t feel like the foundation covered up anything. I selected the lightest shade and my face just kind of looked dirty. (Well, that’s mean to say. Maybe the shade just wasn’t light enough for me.) The blush was okay, but nothing spectacular. The veil I loved! It’s the best of bunch. And the concealer I really like too. Only I would suggest you use your own brush if you already have one or purchase one if you don’t. The brush that comes with the veil and foundation is very rough.

Overall I think I will stick to my regular makeup routine (after all, they come in glass containers instead of plastic ones anyway) but add the mineral veil as my powder choice and the mineral concealer I’ll keep in my bag for whenever it’s needed.

Lips: I have tried the Burt’s Bees shimmery tints and love it! (I think the shade was watermelon.) I am one of those people who always puts on chapstick underneath their lipstick to get more moisture and this is wonderful! It’s like combining chapstick and lipstick into one tube! Great idea!

Well, those are some of the beauty products I’ve tried recently. I’m to the point now where I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be best for me to just alter my regular routine slightly. For example, if I was to use a good moisturizing shampoo (like Aussie MOIST Shampoo) as my shampoo (conditioner on hand but only use when needed) and used the shampoo on my hair, face, body and as my shave cream….. Would it be better to use one product (even if it comes in plastic and might have animal testing) then use several different products? I’d be contributing to less shipments made on huge trucks, which would cut down on pollution. Who knows!

I hope your endeavors in trying new beauty products turn out better than mine. Oh, and if you come across a great product, pass it along!

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Life

July 8, 2008 · Filed under myself

I am still here. Life has been crazy and good, but still crazy and I’ve let my blogging ball drop. There are several things I should be posting about but it’s late and my friend Courtney and I are taking my daughter to the Ft. Worth Zoo in the morning and then swimming in the afternoon. Yes, she should sleep well tomorrow night! :) Instead, I’ll just do a mini feed of some topics I’ve been thinking about.

1. We have gone vegetarian. I would like to say it’s due to health reasons mainly, but that’s just an added perk. The environmental issues hit me hard and then doing research into animal treatment made it a done deal. Hopefully I will go into detail about this further later on. BUT, if anyone has any vegetarian dishes or suggestions of any kind, pass ‘em on. We’ve created many a delicious dish, but new ideas are always welcome!

2. The Dallas Zoo. I would love to post concern about the Dallas Zoo and other city funded businesses that are going under due to the high price of EVERYTHING. The Dallas Zoo is $25 million dollars in debt and are lacking support (obviously). They have good zoo keepers, several of their animals are some of the oldest in the country (some are among the oldest in the world) and that has to speak volumes of their care. Yet, since their animals are old, they’re dying and since there is no money, they can’t afford new animals. The zoo is hurting, there are empty cages, and I’m afraid they’re about to shut their doors. I just hate that programs like zoos, parks, museums, etc. are the first ones to get the boot when we’re strapped for cash. I really need to do some more research into all this and post about it.

3. Documentaries. I believe Kasey suggested on here that I watch “For the Bible tells me so”.  I have watched it and I think they bring up some really good questions. If I was to summarize it in three words, love thy neighbor. Yes, there is a lot more to it, but the basic principle is there. Also, we have coming to us, “What would Jesus buy?”. If I’m not mistaken it’s by the same people would brought us “Supersize Me”. Once I’ve watched it, I should post on both.

4. Life. I should use this venue as a way of journaling more. I should let you, the reader, into my world. Tell you my struggles, tell you my worries. Sharing those do not make us weak, instead they build us up. I’m not going to lie. Life right now is hard for me. I’m struggling with a lot. We are all in this world together running around doing to best we can. So we have to put up with flaws. Flaws from others and flaws from ourselves. Sometimes life is hard.

5. Being Green. I’ve been trying to switch over all my beauty and makeup items as I run out of them to eco friendly alternatives. This is a challenge!!! I haven’t had problems with anything breaking my very fair and sensitive skin out (praise God!), but I have had issues with soaps drying out my skin and shampoos not being moisturizing enough. Has anyone found a good mineral makeup they like? They are suppose to be better for the planet and your skin from what I’ve read so far. More on this subject will have to come later.

OK, I’m going to bed. My little one will be up bright and early in the morning ready to go to Barney’s Zoo. (In the “Barney Goes to the Zoo” video, the zoo he goes to is indeed the Ft. Worth Zoo. How exciting!) Have a great week everyone!

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