When I saw this commercial I just had to post it. It is quite disgusting but really funny. I hope you enjoy!
Archive for Uncategorized
Joe the Plumber
Matt Elliott shared this link on Facebook. It’s an article about everyone’s favorite plumber, who by the way is unlicensed…what? Enjoy!
Hercules the Gorilla
If you are a patron to the Dallas Zoo then you knew Hercules. He always sat in the front window of the first gorilla exhibit and watched the kids who were looking at him. I think he liked them or thought of them as silent company. Sometimes he’d even lean up against the window or put his hand up there. He put many a smile on the faces of little kids and I’m sure he was in his share of picture memories of their day at the zoo. He was fun for the kids and was very dependable. You could always count on him to be right there next to that front window. My daughter and I were at the zoo Tuesday and when we got to the gorilla exhibit I thought it was a little strange that “Hercules” was looking straight at us. He seemed a little more caring and gentle (that’s hard to explain, but it was all in the eyes). It wasn’t the hard look he usually gave, it was much calmer. I also thought it was strange that Jenny wasn’t in her usual place. At the age of 55, Jenny is the world’s oldest documented gorilla. So, you can see why I was concerned she wasn’t in her usual place. We went on to also noticed that Patrick wasn’t in the second exhibit with his two new girlfriends. Once we got home I read online that Patrick’s new girlfriends, Tufani and Makena, weren’t quite ready to be joined by Patrick. Not full time at least. I also read about Jenny’s birthday celebration at the zoo. I don’t know how we missed that! But these articles eased my mind about the gorillas not being out.
Yesterday I heard the news that Hercules had passed away due to a heart attack. That saddened me. I know, I’m not a zookeeper or a gorilla expert. I’m just someone who enjoys taking her daughter to the zoo. But when you go to the zoo on a regular basis, you start to at least feel like you know the animals. You start to become familiar with their habits and learn their names. You learn about what they eat and how they like to spend thier time. All of that makes the experience personal.
Turns out that we did not see Hercules Tuesday. I’m not sure who was sitting in Hercules’ favorite spot. I would lean toward Jenny since she wasn’t in her usual place and we rarely see Timbo, but Jenny’s getting old and doesn’t like to come out everyday, so who knows? Hercules has had so many problems with arthritis, especially in his back, that he hadn’t been on exhibit for the last week. It’s sad, but he lived to be 43 which for a male gorilla really isn’t bad. And since he was in so much pain, it’s for the best. Hercules will be remembered and will be missed each time we look through that front window in the first exhibit at the Dallas Zoo.
What ever happened to…?
What ever happened to integrity? What ever happened to a good work ethic? What ever happened to a good moral conscience? What ever happened to doing something because it was the “right” thing to do? I have found that these are the questions I ask myself almost on a daily basis. When I turn on the television, when I go to the store, even when I step into a church building, these are the questions I end up asking myself. Why has our society pushed these and other core values to the side?
I am a mother, a mother who is trying to teach her child from an early age about what it means to be a good person. I have found that in all our talks I end up saying the same thing to her. “If you have nothing else in this world, have integrity. Have a good moral and ethical conscience. Do what is right even if it costs you something else. Have integrity. Love and passion will come naturally. Money is worthless. Have integrity. Do what is right and stand for justice. Love all you meet and don’t ever fear doing what’s right. Have integrity. Don’t fear those who are different from you. We each have our own strengths. United we form one body. Above all, have integrity.”
She’s only two so she hasn’t quite comprehended all of it yet. But she’s familiar with the routine and likes it when mommy gets worked up and passionate about her. She smiles and laughs and loves the bonding that comes with it. I just hope that with enough of these talks she will truly hear and understand, and that one day she’ll follow through with having her own integrity. I have to say, she’s off to a great start. She’s a happy and friendly child who, as of right now, doesn’t see the color of someone’s skin, or their economic status, or their sexual orientation, or their lack of integrity. She sees people. She waves to all she meets in the store. She says “Hi” and smiles. She makes her parents very proud and sets the example for them.
In a way, my talks to her remind me of what I tell her daddy whenever he is writing a message for our congregation. If he knows how he should preach a text yet is reserved to preach it because of the reaction he might get from the congregation. I always tell him, “Remember, there’s only one person you’ll ever have to answer to.” And just between you and me, I believe that if we keep our integrity intact, we won’t have any problems with doing what’s right at any cost. And we won’t ever have to worry if those questions ever do come.
Our society is messed up enough with corporations running everything and all the social injustice that occurs. It’s 2008 and what has changed? People are still racist, they still want things their way and right away, they are still judgmental of others unlike themselves and they’re so selfishly money hungry that they can’t wait to run up the corporate ladder stepping on everyone and everything that gets in their way. If only those were our only concerns…but they aren’t.
Why are there so many people in this country who can’t afford medical care? Why are there so many people in this country who can’t find a job? Why are there so many people losing their homes? Why is the separation between rich and poor so far? Why is there so much red tape involved in doing something good for needy people in our communities? Where is the integrity of this country? Where is the integrity of this world? And when is it coming back? Yes, I blame the lack of integrity on the downfall of society. If our integrity was first on our agenda, the world would be a much different place. A much better place, a place where all are loved and cherished and respected regardless of who they are. A place where all are educated and given medical treatment. A place where violence ceased and acceptance was abundant.
We’re all people. We all need the same things. We need food, water, sunlight, shelter, personal relationships. We need someone to love and care for us. We need someone who stands for what’s right. We need a change. We need integrity incorporated back into our government, in our schools, in our churches, in our homes. We need to take good care of people. Invest in people. Invest in good medical care and good quality education, both of which need to be “free”. Then, if that education has incorporated integrity and values in it, then maybe, we’ll get the change we all so desperately seek.
Have integrity! Live for justice! Do what is right! Love all! Good work ethic and moral conscience say a lot about a person and a community. Have a good weekend everyone!
Girl’s Weekend (Recycling and Ammonia-Free Hair Dye)
Last weekend I had a girl’s weekend with one of my closest friends. I had a blast watching chick flicks, eating chewy chips ahoy cookies and just relaxing. We hit a few of the fun outside activities such as the Abilene Zoo, Fort Imagination, and two parks. One of the parks was built in 1979 and has a three foot brick wall that encases a natural prairie dog habitat. It was really neat! The other one has a bunch of ducks, geese, and one lone pelican you can try to feed.
During our girl’s weekend, we also made an outing to a local recycling drop-off spot. The city of Abilene does not have curb side recycling, so they have designated drop-off spots for people in the community to bring their recyclables. I was surprised by a couple things first off. When we pulled up (in the middle of the afternoon) we were not the only people there. There were a couple other vehicles dropping off their recyclables. I don’t know why that surprised me, but it did. The second was how easy the process was. The drop-off site had a few long depositing bins. Each door was labeled clearly so you knew what you were allowed to put inside it. It was easy and it didn’t take people long to drop-off their goods and be on their way. It was so simple and effective, it was impressive!
When we were leaving, my friend said something to me that has really stuck in my head. She said, “People really don’t have any excuse not to do this. This is so easy. And they certainly don’t have any excuse with curbside pick-up. If they don’t do it when that’s available they just don’t care.” That statement made me do three things. On Wednesday I looked at the streets in the neighborhood beside us. This neighborhood is made up of mostly upper class retired couples. There are a few “yuppies” but for the most part, they are upper class retiree’s. Almost every house had a recycling bag out on the curb. I was very impressed and very happy to see that. (If older people can squint their eyes enough to see the recyclable number on their food containers, so can we!) Then on Thursday, our neighborhood’s recycling day, I looked down the street to see how many bags were on the curb. There were several, but it did not look like the neighborhood next to us. (Please don’t take this the wrong way, I am not one for comparing people, I’m just stating what I saw this week.) There was a lot more trash and a lot less recycling on our street.
I don’t think that recycling has to do with how much money you earn, I don’t think it’s an economic issue. A whole roll of recycling bags only costs $7.70 after tax and even if you recycle most of the items you use, it will last you for months. I don’t know if it’s a lack of understanding and knowledge. Or if people really are so lazy they just don’t care. Our city has a very easy to learn system for recycling and it’s available in several forms, so I am unfortunately leaning toward people really not caring enough to make the effort. The third thing her words inspired me to do is start collecting the one recyclable number our community doesn’t collect at the curbside. In curbside recycling bags here in the city of Irving, you are allowed to put all paper recyclables, glass, aluminum, steel, aerosol cans, and all recyclable plastics #1-#7 (excluding #6) in one convenient bag. VERY CONVENIENT!!! So, I am now collecting my #6 plastic recyclables (Styrofoam) to take to a drop-off bin just down the street. Who knew there was one so close? Now I have no excuse not to recycle everything that is recyclable. Now if only the rest of the street would start increasing their recyclables and decreasing their trash.
Also during our girl’s weekend both my friend and I dyed our hair brown! Two blonde’s with brunette power, watch out world! Just kidding. She did it for fun, but I had other intentions in mind. After all this research on what goes into making hair dye I did not want to continue my platinum reign. But never dying my hair again would cause one problem I wasn’t okay with, two toned hair!!! Scary, I know. I am nearing the big 30 in another year and I really don’t feel that two toned hair is acceptable on someone my age. Mid to late teens, it’s expected. Early twenties, you’re pushing it. Past that, you really should know better. So I had to dye my hair one more time and dye it a more natural color. With the help of my friend, I discovered L’Oreal’s Natural Match hair dying system. It is an ammonia-free formula. (Yay, less of the bad stuff is always good.) We tried to find a shade that would match my roots and eyebrows. I think we did pretty good (shade 6C). I really like it and feel that if I do decide not to dye my hair again, I won’t go through any grow out phase. Whew, what a relief! And that was our girl’s weekend.
That’s all, recycling and ammonia-free hair dye. Have a great weekend everyone!
Klondike Bar Commercial
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.
Diaper Prices Expected To Rise
This is from today’s Dallas Morning News.
Kimberly-Clark to raise prices on diapers, other products
01:58 PM CDT on Friday, May 23, 2008
Kimberly-Clark Corp., which saw its first-quarter profit slip due to rising raw material expenses and energy costs, said Friday it will raise prices on some diapers and tissue products during the third quarter.
Net selling prices for Huggies diapers, Pull-Ups training pants, Cottonelle and Scott bathroom tissue, Viva towels and Kleenex facial tissue will increase on average between 6 and 8 percent.
The increases will take effect between July 20 and Aug. 31. Kimberly-Clark noted that the price changes vary by brand and in some cases by package count.
Net sales for the affected U.S. consumer products amounted to about $4.5 billion in 2007.
How To Cloth Diaper
I have had several hits on my past cloth diaper reviews and thought it was time for an update. I’m going to give a basic overview on “how to” cloth diaper as well as some basic information on different styles of diapers. If you’ve researched cloth diapers you’ve noticed that there are literally hundreds of brands and various styles on the market. Selecting the right cloth diaper for your family can be a daunting task without a little help and encouragement.
First, let’s look at the various styles of diapers. I will list the basic diaper styles and the abbreviations will be in parenthesis. Most cloth diaper websites will use the abbreviation to describe diapers. Some have “keys” that help explain abbreviations, but most do not. Knowing this will help greatly.
Prefolds (PF) – Prefolds come in two forms, bleached and unbleached. Bleached means simply that, they have been bleached. They are white in color and will require only a few washings before the initial use. Unbleached means they are “raw” and still have all the natural oils of cotton. They are beige in color and they will require several washings in very hot water to strip the oils from the diapers. Once the oils are stripped they are said to be more absorbent than an identical bleached diaper. Prefolds require minimal folding, fastening by either pins or a snappi, and a waterproof cover. (Snappi’s are a fun pin-less way of fastening the diaper. Personally, it’s my favorite way to fasten PFs.) There are four popular kinds of PFs, Chinese Prefolds (CPF), Indian Prefolds (IPF), Diaper Service Quality Prefolds (DSQ), Green Mountain Diaper Prefolds (GMD). Most DSQ PFs are CPFs or IPFs. CPF and IPF are very similar in the fact that they are both very absorbent and last forever. In my opinion IPFs are softer on the skin. GMD PFs are said to have a better cut for most babies than the typical rectangular shape of most PFs. Prefolds are the most economical choice for cloth diapering. Using only prefolds from birth to potty training could run you under $300 total. That is including the fasteners, covers and diaper sprayer too!
Fitteds – Fitted diapers are diapers that require a cover. They are simply a cloth diaper without a waterproof outer layer. Fitteds allow more air flow into the region and are said to be excellent at holding in newborn breastfed poo.
Pockets – Pocket diapers are the most popular on the market. When ready to use, it looks just like a disposable (known in the cloth diapering world as sposies). There is a waterproof outer layer and usually a fleece inner layer to keep that stay dry feeling. In the back of the diaper is a pocket and inside the pocket lies an insert. The insert is the absorbent layer inside the diaper. When it is time for washing the diaper the insert is removed and after drying it is replaced for use again, commonly called “stuffing” the diaper. One cool thing about Pockets are that several of them come as One Size Diapers (OS). This means that the diapers will fit your child from 7-35 pounds.
All-In-Ones (AIO) – AIOs are just like disposables. They are the simplest cloth diapers on the market. They have the absorbent layer and waterproof layer sewn together and require nothing else, not even stuffing.
Price: When looking at cloth diapering price does place a factor for most of us. It is wonderful that once they are purchased you don’t have to worry about any other expenses (unless you become addicted to trying different dipes!). But the upfront cost does hit you hard. Prefolds are by far the cheapest way to cloth diaper. Even after purchasing covers and fasteners, from birth to potty learning (PL) cost under $300 which is the most cost economical choice. Pocket diapers are probably the second most cost economical choice. If you get a OS Pocket that takes you all the way practically from birth (depends on the size at birth) to potty training (depends on the size there too), the cost would be around $400-$500 total. Fitteds typically come next, but after purchasing covers to go with them are about the same price if not the same as most AIOs. AIOs are the most expensive, you are paying for convenience. And these vary greatly in price. Having your child in fitteds with covers or AIOs from birth till they’re potty trained could cost from $700 all the way to $1200. I know, that seems like a lot of money, and it is. Yet even the costliest cloth diaper is still cheaper than purchasing sposies from birth up. I have estimated the cost of sposies at 25 cents per diaper from birth up would be around $1845. That is if your child uses the same amount of diapers per day mine does and is potty trained by 2-1/2 years. And mind you that is not the price of an expensive pampers or huggies diaper and it is not including the cost of disposable wipes.
*Side note: Most people have a variety of cloth diapers. Some use prefolds at home and pockets or AIOs when they go out or have a sitter come over. Others just like having choices of different styles to use. The choice is up to you. The prices used above were estimates washing every 2-3 days at package rates.
Wipes: For wipes, I recommend picking up three dozen infant washcloths and using those as reusable wipes. Use the solid colors on their bum and the prints on their hands and face or however you choose to do it. At home, keep a small container of wipes on the back of the toilet (it can be a decorative container) and when your child poops simply go to the bathroom grab two wipes and run them under some running water (I always use cold water). Then you’re ready to change the dirty dipe. When you get ready to go out on the town, simply pack two wipes per diaper and wet them, ring them out and fold them to fit into a container (I use one of the travel disposable wipe containers, it’s a good size to fit eight wet washcloths). Then you are ready to go out! Using reusable wipes will save you money too. And it’s funny, after using these terry wipes, it seems disgusting to me to use a thin disposable wipe!
*Side Note: You will need a wetbag. A wetbag is simply a waterproof bag you can put your used diapers in while out on the town. (Most cloth diaper stores carry them).
Laundering: Let me first say that everyone who cloth diapers has their own method of laundering their diapers. There is no perfect system. Each city has a different type of water whether it’s hard of soft and each child has different reactions to different detergents, so take this as just a guide you could tweak to fit your personal needs. I run all my diapers in a hot wash/cold rinse cycle with high water level and a double rinse. I use 1/2 the recommended amount of detergent for a small load (even if it’s a full 24 diapers plus wipes) and a 1/2 cup White Vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser. (If your washer, like mine, doesn’t have an automatic double rinse option just turn it to the rinse and spin section one more time without adding anything. And if your washer does not have a fabric softener dispenser you can use a downy ball.) Then dry. You can use a clothes line or a dryer. (Never use fabric softener on your dipes, it will make them less absorbent). If you experience staining, simply hang them or lay them outside to dry in the sun. The sun will remove the stains, it has bleaching effects! [washing instruction were edited in March 2009.]
Diaper Ointments: Make sure you use diaper rash ointments that say they are safe for cloth diapers. Otherwise you might use an ointment like Desitin which contains fish oil and yes, your diapers will all come out of the washer and dryer smelling like fish oil. My favorite cloth diaper safe rash ointments are from Northern Essence. They have a rash salve for minor irritants and a better butt(er) cream for more severe cases. They are excellent! [Diaper ointment section added March 2009.]
*Side Note: For a diaper pail, you can use a trash can with a lid or a purchase a large wetbag. It doesn’t have to be anything special, whatever you currently use, unless it’s a diaper genie, will probably work.
So what does it look like? That’s a good question, what would cloth diapering look like in your home? Well, that depends one what style works best for your family. But I think you really want to know what you’re going to do when your kid poops! It’s not a scary thing, I promise. If your kiddo is strictly breastfed, there is no need to rinse or dunk a diaper. Breastfed poo is water soluble. Once your kiddo is getting some other nourishment into their system, I suggest you purchase a Mini Shower (aka diaper sprayer). They are about $30, which is a lot, but they are wonderful!!!! I could not sing their praises loud enough, but they are a must IMO. With a diaper sprayer, you hold the diaper above the water in the toilet and spray the poop off. That’s it! It’s done! If done properly you won’t ever touch any of the poop and nothing else in the bathroom will get wet.
My advice: If you are serious about cloth diapering, look at various styles online or at a local cloth diapering store and try to decide which would work best for your family. Once you have it narrowed down, purchase one of few styles and try them out.
Here are some websites that might be useful:
www.diaperpin.com Gives basic info, has diaper reviews, has forums, this is a HUGE resource.
www.clothdiaper.com Has really great prices on basic diapers (no fancy colors or prints, but good prices).
www.abbyslane.com Has great package deals available.
www.diaperjungle.com Has a detergent chart for laundering your dipes.
www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com Has a diaper ointment chart which tells you which ointments are safe for cloth diapers.
www.jilliansdrawers.com Has a gently used selection (when available) which could be really great for someone starting out who doesn’t want to invest a lot on trying things out.
www.mtdiaperstore.com Has good unbleached Indian Prefolds.
www.greenmountaindiapers.com Has the GMD PFs.
Also there are companies who allow you to try different diapers and there is always ebay or craigslist. Also, if you think you have found the diaper for you, google it and make sure you’re getting the best price and shipping charge for it.
I know that’s a lot of info to absorb, but it really is not a complicated process at all. Once you get the hang of it, it will become second nature and everything else will seem weird. So don’t get discouraged if at first you do not succeed. Try, try again!!!
*Warning: Once you begin cloth diapering you will slowly but surely become more and more aware of environmental issues and become more and more GREEN in all areas of your life. (It’s a fun experience!)
Health Insurance
Hopefully I will get back to “green” ideas after this post. I just have to get out one more frustration.
We for the first time in our married life now (last 5 1/2 years) have health insurance. It will allow us to have another child, even though it will probably still cost us around $5,000, it will allow us to have another child. (And yes, that is with maternity coverage under a group policy!) We sat down months ago with the health care representative. We asked all kinds of questions, every possible question we could think of. And whenever we thought of another question we either called or emailed. We were excited to finally be covered and it appeared to be a reasonable coverage.
Yet, in today’s mail, we received a letter informing us that there is a 12 to 18 month pre-existing conditions clause on anything you have been diagnosed or seen about this past year. We asked about this beforehand and were told we did not have to worry about pre-existing conditions, (that didn’t apply to us). Nothing we had was anything they were worried about (no red flags). Yet, after being covered, we receive this letter. Now, only one of us has a pre-existing condition, and it doesn’t cost a lot to get those appointments or prescriptions, so we are fortunate in that area. It’s just that we were lied to. Flat out lied to. That is our health care system.
The things we need, the things our doctors have diagnosed that we NEED, those are the items our health care providers will not pay for. What kind of system is this? Why are the treatments needed never covered? What good are all our technical and medical advances if nobody has access to them? Why don’t we have a government funded true universal health care system in play? Can you tell I’m frustrated?
OK. No more negative frustrations. I will try to write a “green” post later this week. I have started composting!
Politics
OK, if you are like me and you hate politics, you might want to skip this post. I am just writing this to vent my frustrations.
I have to say that I am very disappointed in all the presidential candidates. I believe that health care should be first one everyone’s list. True universal health care. Meaning, no health care companies. NO CANDIDATE has a good health care plan. Our government already does a good job at Medicaid, Medicare and some of their other government funded health programs. Why don’t we learn from those, expand on those and create a true universal health care system where people are able to go to any doctor or hospital and get free health care?!?!!!
Secondly I believe education should be at the top of the list directly underneath health care. We need to get rid of programs like no child left behind and fund school systems that really need the money and support. If we don’t educate our children, what future does our world have? Thirdly, I think we need to get serious about world issues. That means environmental concerns, helping aid poor countries with medications, stop wasting our talents (money, able bodies, time) on killing people, bettering our economy (mortgage rates), etc.
I think we as people, not just Americans, but as human beings should take care of each other first. Heal the body (health care), the mind (education) and the soul (being neighborly/Christ-like). Showing neighborly love to the world instead of hatred would be a great change for our planet.
OK, that’s my bandwagon for today.
