L & C Plus Three

New blog name

2010-10-19T11:18:00.002-04:00

Well, in another 3 months we will no longer be L & C Plus Three, but we will be Plus Four... so any ideas for a new blog name, let me know!

News!

2010-09-03T08:32:00.004-04:00

NEW House:

And soon to be NEW Baby:

That's all the news I have for now. Between the house and the baby on the way and school starting, it has been busy, but all very good!

July

2010-07-14T17:35:00.009-04:00

Why is summer going so fast?? We thought it would be a fairly quiet, relaxing summer... and instead we have been incredibly busy. We've had a great time and the weather has been beautiful. The girls really enjoyed the 4th of July, fireworks, and the re-introduction of cheese and milk this month. It was a good experience to try to go vegan, but definitely not something we are going to try permanently at this point in our lives.

Here are some new pictures, and we will be posting some exciting news soon... !!

Calcium

2010-06-12T21:10:00.000-04:00

The next most common question we get is in regards to Calcium. Oh my! Without MILK, how on earth can you get calcium? The milk-calcium connection that everyone has learned is drilled into our heads every day. Got Milk? I can assure you that we are not giving up milk permanently, but even in doing so for 30 days really changes the way that I view it.

Surprisingly there are many healthier options for getting Calcium.

Calcium Requirements:

Toddler: 500mg
Preschool Age: 800mg
Older Children: 1300 mg
Adults: 1,000mg per day

These are very rough numbers. The requirements are much debated. I've also heard that as a society, Americans consume the most amount of calcium, but also have tons of problems being deficient. How can that be? When your body is highly acidic, it leaches calcium from your bones. So, for example if you drink pop I've heard you can almost never get enough calcium. I've also heard that osteoporosis is a made up disease that does not really exist.... More on that later.

Other shockers:

1 cup rice milk has the EXACT SAME amount of calcium as cows milk! 300 mg per cup

Other good sources: White beans, Oatmeal, Broccoli, Oranges, Sweet Potatoes

Protein

2010-06-07T09:02:00.000-04:00

The most common concern we got when we originally went vegetarian was about how we would get enough protein. I definitely did a lot of research before we changed our diet to make sure we could easily get enough nutrients.

I have always been tempted, but never had the nerve to reply by asking "where do you get your protein?" "Where do you get your vitamin A or iron?". What nutrients are in that fast food burger you are eating? What chemicals are in that so-called nutrition drink? Etc., etc., etc.

Apparently when people make changes for the better it really opens doors for attack, but if I did the opposite and really questioned people directly about their diet, that would be rude, right? I very commonly state my opinions about health & wellness issues, but I never have asked another parent directly about a specific nutrient or vitamin source for their children. I find it very interesting... I guess the obvious reason for this is that if you go with the flow, even if the "flow" is toxic sludge, then you are fine... but do something different than the norm and be prepared for the onslaught of questions.

To talk about protein sources specifically, here are some facts:

Protein Requirements:

Baby: 13-14 grams
Toddler: 16 grams
School Age: 24-45 grams
Adult: 50-60 grams

Sources for protein:
Quinoa: 24 grams
2 TB Peanut Butter: 8 grams
Kidney Beans: 8 grams
Lentils: 9 grams
Chickpeas: 10 grams
Split peas: 8 grams
Brown rice: 5 grams
Pasta: 7 grams
Avocado: 3 grams

Veganism, Day 1

2010-06-02T08:11:00.004-04:00

Day 1 Success! It really is more of a mental battle then anything else. The kids addiction to cheese is going to be difficult to break. We did completely cheat for breakfast because I had breakfast with my sisters and Dad and we had pancakes. Okay, so we started the day with what surely contained some milk & eggs... BUT, we did not have a glass of milk or scrambled eggs. Our goal is 75% vegan, we are not trying to drive ourselves crazy. I don't want to cheat like that again due to lack of planning!

Elise had a few requests for dinner- Mac & Cheese or Pizza. lol! She also REALLY wanted some ice cream. This is going to be a long 30 days with requests like this everyday coming from the kids.

Our new item for the day: vegan ice cream. We tried some rice dream "ice cream" a few weeks ago and the kids weren't too keen on it (I wasn't either). In order to try something different, we bought coconut milk ice cream sandwiches and they were YUMMY! They were delicious and tiny, yet surprisingly satisfying.

Laughs for Lilly

2010-05-24T16:55:00.010-04:00

If you live in the Columbus area, please mark your calendars!!

Life Community Church is holding a family fundraising event on June 5, 2010.

Hours: 10am-7pm

Lots of SHOPPING!
Door Prizes!
Face Painting
Snacks
Visit from Norwich Township Fire Station
All Day Scrapbooking Event! (9am-9pm)
Bouncy House
Visit the Chick-fil-A cow!
Clippers Mascots!
Make a get well card for Lilly!

There is something for everyone at this event and it is all to support a good cause! The money raised will go to the Webb family, and they will donate 10% to Kids 'n Kamp. Lilly is doing great, but the family needs help to cover the cost of missing work during her times of treatment. She was diagnosed in March with Leukemia (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) at the young age of four. She goes to our church and I decided I wanted to help and organize a fundraiser for the family.

Kids 'n Kamp supports children with cancer and their families with counseling, family outings and activities, tutoring and more. To visit their website go to: www.KidsnKamp.org.

For updates on Lilly, please visit:
www.CaringBridge.com/visit/lillywebb

For more info on the fundraiser, please email me at: lyndsiobrien@sbcglobal.net

Vegan Challenge

2010-05-14T05:31:00.004-04:00

Our family has decided to challenge ourselves this summer, similar to what we did in 2009. Last summer we chose to do a 7-day technology free week. No tv. No cell phones. No internet. I think I like depriving myself of things, it is fun. :)

This summer, we are again canceling our cable indefinitely. I can't do without all technology due to my business, but I want to stay off facebook and not watch tv, etc. There really is no need for these things anyways, and summer is a perfect time to cut back or give it up entirely and spend more time with family!

Our big challenge for the summer is to try to go vegan for 30 days. Now that we feel it has been fairly simple to go vegetarian (giving up all meat), we are going to take that one step further and cut out dairy and eggs too. This might have to be a 90/10 situation where if we are eating something one time and it has one teeny tiny ingredient we are not going to stress about it. But, for the majority of the month we are going to try to avoid all animal products. Plus, to make it even more challenging, we also avoid soy in all products. This is an ingredient I've been staying away from for a while. If you pick up any processed food in your house, it probably contains soy. If it is a conventional product then the soy is most likely genetically modified. Also, soy can mimic estrogen in your body. Did you know that soy formula is banned in some countries? I have read that a baby that drinks soy formula is taking in the equivalent of several birth control pills every day! I do not like to eat things that mess with my hormones, just like I don't put things on my skin that mess with my hormones. A lot of "fake" meat, cheese and milk products contain soy.

I do not want to replace animal products with processed junk food products. The goal is to find healthier options, eat more vegetables, grains and nuts. Whole, raw, organic food is always our goal!

You are probably wondering why. Yes, we all care about animals and that is a great reason! My main reason is to see how we all feel! I have heard that if you go vegan, even for a few weeks you won't want to go back. Maybe we will feel so fabulous getting all that cheese and butter out of our systems that we will want to incorporate more vegan meals into our normal routine. We'll see.

The Standard American Diet (SAD) is not working out very well for most people. We are striving to try something different.

It is a challenge.
It is an experiment.

Wish us luck!

Easter with the O'Brien's

2010-04-10T10:57:00.005-04:00

Food Revolution

2010-03-22T10:01:00.003-04:00

Before we cancel our cable again, I decided I had to check out this new show- Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.

"Welcome to the world of American school food, it's shocking!"

Jamie Oliver is a british chef who has decided to come to the US to try to change some of our eating habits. This first episode was focused on children and school lunches. He visited Huntington, West Virginia, the "unhealthiest" city in the US.

When he arrived and went to a local Elementary school he was met with some very defensive and offended lunch ladies and some students who were being served PIZZA and CHOCOLATE MILK for breakfast!

Everything the school served was processed. His message to the parents of these children: "If I were you, I would be really pissed off!"

The head cook Alice Gue said "He's thinking we should do more 'fresh', there's no way".

Jamie went to a local church to finally find one person in the city who was on his side.
"How we treat our bodies matters to God... Honor God with your body". The pastor Steve Willis explains to his congregation that the CDC reports Huntington as the most obese city in the world. he can go through the church directory and point out person after person who has diabetes, other diseases, recently had heart attacks, etc.

The end of the show cut off due to the breaking news on the healthcare bill, but I set the DVR to record the entire show on Friday on ABC.

Spring is here!!

2010-03-22T09:52:00.001-04:00

Amy Butler

2010-02-24T14:22:00.004-05:00

I had the pleasure of meeting the very famous Amy Butler!

She is an artist who designs fabrics and sewing patterns. She just so happens to be from right here in Central Ohio, but her fabric is sold worldwide.

She visited a local fabric store and I was able to go with my mom and meet her! I even bought one of her books to have her sign it!

Snow Days!

2010-02-16T11:19:00.003-05:00

We are enjoying our FOURTH snow day of the year today!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2010-02-14T17:05:00.003-05:00

Happy V-Day!

The girls have "crazy" hair for Awana tonight!

Corey's craft project! :)

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Corey and I celebrated on Saturday by going to the #1 ranked vegetarian friendly restaurant in Columbus. It is called Dragonfly and we went for their lunch buffet. Really, the buffet was the bread, soup and salad, then you still pick your entree. It was very good, and I was pleasantly surprised at how good the vegan items were also. Corey tried the "Mac & Cheese" which was actually couscous. I tried the Vegetable Risotto. It was Yummy!! Very expensive for just lunch, but we really enjoyed it and it was nice to have a quiet meal, just the two of us!

Corey at Dragonfly

New blog

2010-01-28T11:49:00.004-05:00

Since I am overloading this "family" blog with a lot of articles, I decided to create a new blog!
It is still under construction, but here is the info-

It is called: HarmLESS Beauty
LESS toxins
LESS carcinogens
LESS hormone altering chemicals

Beauty should be harmless not harmful!

www.harmLESSbeauty.blogspot.com

Scientists 'hide formula risk'

2010-01-26T13:10:00.005-05:00

In case 100 reasons to breastfeed are not enough, here is another one.
This article below says that researchers often "shy" away from talking about the health risks associated with formula.

The article states "“This is not helping properly informed health professionals and mothers,” Dr Smith said. “We looked at the findings of nearly 80 authoritative studies, all of which highlighted that formula-fed babies tend to be at higher risk of poor health than children fed on breast milk.""

For the full article see:

http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20091003-18890.html

"Safe for Kids" ???

2010-01-14T19:22:00.007-05:00

"Wouldn't it be nice to relieve your child's itchy skin without a prescription?"

Yes, it would, but it would also be nice to relieve it WITHOUT subjecting your child to dangerous chemicals that cause cancer, reproductive problems & neurological problems!!

Please excuse my messy handwriting on this ad, but I got out my permanent marker to write down the overall score off the Cosmetics Database, and it was such a new product I had to look up individual ingredients. Here is the full list, straight from Curel's website- (http://www.curel.com/itch_defense.asp)

Water, glycerin, petrolatum, tapioca starch, cetearyl alcohol, peg/ppg-17/6 copolymer, behentrimonium chloride, dimethicone, isopropyl palmitate, propylene glycol isostearate, cyclopentasiloxane, ppg-15 stearyl ether, cetyl-pg hydroxyethyl palmitamide, bis-methoxypropylamido isodocosane, panthenol, tocopheryl acetate, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, methylparaben, propylparaben, benzalkonium chloride.

Pretty disturbing to say the least. How on earth is this product given the "Seal of Acceptance"?

I guess the National Eczema Association does not care if a product marketed to children contains ingredients that are banned in other countries!!

Tips for Safe Water

2010-01-05T17:50:00.005-05:00

You can look up your tap water and see what pollutants are in it, and how it compares to the national average!

Here is the link for the City of Columbus water supply:

http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/whatsinyourwater/OH/City-of-Columbus-Department-of-Public-Utilities/2504412/

What is so amazing to me is how many of the chemicals listed in a lot of our tap water are common ingredients in our products such as forms of pthalates from plastic or "fragrance", or pesticides from farming. We could all do a small part in helping this situation. Think about the chemicals you dump down your sink every day while you shower, wash your face, and wash your clothes & dishes. If we all used non-toxic products think of how much of a difference that would make!

EWG found 38 contaminants in 10 popular brands of bottled water. It is best to drink filtered tap water.

Use stainless steel water bottles

Check your city's water

Make sure to use fluoride-free, filtered water for your baby bottles if you use formula

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T08:34:00.003-05:00

I wish you all a safe, happy and healthy new year! 2009 has been an amazing year, and I am so excited to see what this next year brings!

A year in (blog)words from 2009

My goals for 2010

Surround myself with positive people!
GIVE more!
Continue to detox our household
Expand our recycling efforts
Juice at least once a day
Eat 50% of our food raw and 90% Organic
Try a vegan diet for at least 30 days
Continue to spread the word about the "toxic" issue by writing letters and holding Ava Anderson Non-Toxic seminars
Continue with the Dave Ramsey plan and be on Step # 5 by the end of the year

Letter to Snopes.com regarding Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

2009-12-31T08:25:00.008-05:00

I read this on the snopes.com website and felt compelled to respond about SLS.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/shampoo.asp

Here is my comment:

Regarding your response for "Sodium Lauryl Sulfate", I URGE you to reconsider your response and check the following sources:

www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
This site lists this ingredient IS linked with cancer, and gives several sources. The website is run by the Environmental Working Group.
Also, another good source is the book "Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry", by Stacy Malkan. Or, the book "Toxic Beauty" by Samuel Epstein, MD.

There are numerous other sources on the subject.

The "Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List" needs to be mentioned in your response. Studies done in Canada have linked this ingredient with cancer.

If you research further you will also find that there are still contamination concerns for this ingredient.

Contamination concerns - ETHYLENE OXIDE, 1,4-DIOXANE

1,4-Dioxane is a KNOWN carcinogen

To simply site that the FDA and our government is protecting us from such substances is completely false.
In the US there are absolutely no independent studies being done on ingredients such as Sodium Laryl Sulfate before they hit the market. It is the cosmetic industry itself, not the FDA that makes determinations on ingredients. Cosmetics are a self-policing industry that the FDA does NOT oversee.

Your response gives full trust to our government and FDA, which seems irresponsible. Why does the European Union ban over 1,100 chemicals from their products, and the U.S. only NINE?! Please read the 1938 FDA mandate where industry lobbying succeeded in blocking the FDA from requiring testing of cosmetics.

I have used the snopes.com site for years as a trusted source, I would hate to now view it as being inaccurate. I urge you to look into further studies on the subjects of toxins in products.

Thank you,

Lyndsi

Shopping Ideas

2009-12-30T22:48:00.004-05:00

Were you given any gift cards for Christmas to Amazon or a book store?

Here are three amazing books that I highly recommend.

Toxic Beauty
by Samuel Epstein, MD

Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry
by Stacy Malkan

Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power by Mark Schapiro

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T06:51:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to our friends and family!

We hope you have a great Christmas and safe travels :)

Happy Birthday Mom!!

2009-12-16T14:40:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday to my Mom today!!!

The TRUE meaning of Christmas

2009-12-15T06:44:00.001-05:00

Are you stressed this week and forgetting what this season is all about?

I love the messages in this video clip, it is only 3 minutes long --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqqj1v-ZBU&feature=player_embedded

What if we bought fewer gifts and instead gave our time to our family instead?

Spend less on gifts and more on relationships with our God, our Family, our Neighbors!

I pray that my family and friends can truly enjoy these last 10 days before Christmas arrives. I know it is something that I am struggling with!

WORSHIP FULLY, SPEND LESS, GIVE MORE

Less Paper!

2009-12-14T06:22:00.004-05:00

On an average day I could use up almost an entire roll of paper towels...

Cleaning the kitchen

Wiping down the table

Sopping up spills

Cleaning off toys

I was feeling like this was one area where we were being pretty wasteful, and I wanted to switch to cloth. I found these great bamboo cloths at Whole Foods, and so far they are working great! I just throw it into the laundry at the end of the day.

I think it's small changes that can add up to making a huge difference!
My next project is to finally finish sewing the cloth napkins I've
been working on...

Sewing Projects

2009-12-10T13:38:00.006-05:00

In preparation for Corey's craft show at his High School, I have been sewing a LOT. I should be working on Christmas gifts, but instead I am making bags for the craft show.

Here is Corinne modeling one of my bags...

* Update*

Some pictures from the craft show-

Johnson & Johnson.... These products are made for BABIES??

2009-12-08T07:06:00.001-05:00

Are you kidding me??

How does this product sound?

Johnson's Baby Nourishing Milk Lotion

Sounds pretty safe, right?
WRONG!

This product is rated "7" on the Skin Deep website (10 being the worst score).

11 of the ingredients in this baby product are linked with causing Cancer
7 of the ingredients are linked with Developmental/Reproductive Toxicity
Contains ingredients, such as parabens that are banned in Europe
Contains many other ingredients under the word "fragrance" that they do not disclose on the label.

What is going ON? It makes me sad that innocent babies out there are being slathered in this product several times a week. Their parents might trust Johnson & Johnson. Or, they might think that the government tests and regulates these products, which is not true. Or, they might be busy working parents that just haven't had time to look into it. Well, I urge you to make the time to look up your own products, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have children.

Here are a few other companies and the ranges of products that they have -

Avalon Organics: 0-5

Avon: 1-10

Bareminerals: 2-5

Cetaphil: 3-7

Dove: 2-9

Johnson & Johnson: 0-10

Caspar Babypants

2009-12-07T13:19:00.005-05:00

Here is our favorite CD!! If you want to watch your kids dance around to something that you can actually enjoy too, this is the perfect CD!

Our children all love the songs on this and I am so excited that they just came out with a 2nd CD just in time for Christmas. I ordered several copies today to give to all the kids on my shopping list. Remember the awesome band "Presidents of the United States of America"? The lead singer, Chris Ballew started writing these songs once he had children.

Order your CD at www.babypantsmusic.com

Thanks Chris for sending me this photo to use!

Ava Anderson Non-Toxic

2009-12-04T14:51:00.011-05:00

Ava Anderson Non-Toxic is the very first line of skin care and cosmetics in the country with ingredients that are ALL "0" on the cosmetics database website (run by Environmental Working Group). Not only are they safe and non-toxic, but also:

Vegan

Organic

No Animal Testing

This week they came out with their skin care line. Next month they will have their cosmetics available, and soon after will be men's products, baby products and even household cleaners!

There really is nothing else like it! Check it out and let me know what you think! This is not sold in stores, but only on their website and you need to have a consultant and I just so happen to be one! I would love to hear your feedback & comments.

For the story on how this company was started (by a 15 year old girl in Rhode Island!), check out this article-

http://www.eastbayri.com/detail/132655.html

Here is my website:

www.avaandersonnontoxic.com/lyndsiandcoreyobrien

Thank you!!

Lyndsi
Independent Consultant
Ava Anderson Non-Toxic

Vitamin D & Questions about the Flu Vaccine

2009-11-30T15:43:00.008-05:00

Why don't doctors recommend vitamin D for flu protection, especially when vitamin D activates the immune response far better than a vaccine?

(http://www.naturalnews.com/027231_V...)

Answer: Because vitamin D can't be patented and sold as "medicine." You can make it yourself. If you want more vitamin D, you don't even need a doctor, and doctors tend not to recommend things that put them out of business.

For more articles, check out-

http://www.ehow.com/how_5343048_use-vitamin-flu-medicine.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/026770_Vitamin_D_health_health_care.html

** Update 1/21/10***

Drug companies have LIED about the H1N1 vaccine.. See the following article-

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/21/European-Parliament-to-Investigate-WHO-and-Pandemic-Scandal.aspx

WHO and Big Pharma: Guilty of Blackmail and Extortion in Swine Flu Fiasco?

Food, Inc

2009-11-30T09:39:00.006-05:00

Have you ever watched a movie or documentary that you wish you could FORCE others to watch?
This is one of those movies that I think everyone should see as soon as possible!
It was only released in select theaters over the summer, but it just came out on DVD.

Amazing information that everyone NEEDS to know!! If you live in the US and eat food (anything!) then you need to see this, PLEASE!!

I would love to loan my copy to friends or family members that are interested in watching, so please let me know if you would like to see it!!

FDA

2009-11-30T09:38:00.010-05:00

Did you know that the European Union bans over 1,100 chemicals from cosmetics, and the US only NINE!!??

The FDA permits toxins in cosmetics! Most people assume their products are safe, when really there are many dangerous ingredients. Check out this article:

http://www.naturalnews.com/025531.html

And of course the FDA also allows many toxic and harmful chemicals to be in our food! Our family tries to avoid all food dye (Red 40, Yellow 5, etc.), among other things, and here is why-

"Pigments from animal, plant, and synthetic sources used to color foods, cosmetics, and other products. Cochineal is from insects. Widely used FD&C and D&C colors are coaltar (bituminous coal) derivatives that are continously tested on animals due to their carcinogenic properties. Alternatives: grapes, beets, turmeric, saffron, carrots, chlorophyll, annatto, alkanet." (from PETA's Caring Consumer).

My husband has told me several times to stay away from bituminous coal substances (used in construction) that we've encountered while taking walks. He kept telling me that it causes cancer. So WHY is it in our food??

If you would like to read up more on the FDA, let me know I have a list of great books!!

PEG's and 1,4-Dioxane

2009-11-30T08:45:00.009-05:00

If the chemicals in this title sound unfamiliar to you, please know that they are in products that you might use everyday!!

PEG's (or Polyethylene glycol) are also known as: PEG-100 Stearate, PEG-6, PEG-11 or Octoxynol-11, PEG - 3 Sorbitan Oleate, PEG-4 Dimethacrylate, Ceteareth-20, PEG-8 Laurate, etc...

PEG's:

are linked to causing cancer

Suspected to be environmental toxins

are a skin irritant

PEG's are often contaminated with 1,4 Dioxane a carcinogen.

Check out this article regarding PEG's and increased risk of breast cancer:
http://www.phend.co.za/health/Chemical5.htm

Would you like to find products that do not contain any of these chemicals??

Check out www.avaandersonnontoxic.com/lyndsiandcoreyobrien

Letter to Mary Kay

2009-11-25T12:58:00.016-05:00

Here it is!

I'll let you know how/if they respond.
Also, some very exciting news! I've found a cosmetics company that has all "0" products!! ZERO! Non-Toxic!! I am so excited!! More to come on that later...

_____________________________________________________________

Mary Kay Customer Service,

This letter is in regards to numerous Mary Kay products I have used over the years. I have recently discovered that many of the chemicals in your products are very dangerous.

The information below is from www.costmeticsdatabase.com. On this website products are given a score of 0-10. Ten being the most toxic and harmful, zero being perfectly safe.

Just to name a few specifically-

Mary Kay Waterproof Mascara (SCORE=6)

Mary Kay Eye Color (SCORE=8)

Mary Kay Signature Lip Gloss (SCORE=7)

These products all contain ingredients linked with:

1) Cancer

2) Developmental/reproductive toxicity

3) Violations, restrictions & warnings

4) Allergies/immunotoxicity and several other problems.

I would like to return my products immediately for full refund. It is my goal to rid my house of these very toxic products and start using all “0” or “1” rated products. I have 3 children and the oldest is starting to use more personal care products and cosmetics and I would like for our family to have safe choices.

Please send me the contact information for someone in your customer service department that I would be able to personally send a list to. Since I have purchased from 3 different Mary Kay Independent Sales consultants in the past few years I would like to deal directly with the company rather than harm their business. You are doing your consultants a disservice by using ingredients that are known to harm people and are banned in many other countries.

I URGE you to reconsider the ingredients your company uses. There are less toxic options available. Please sign the “Compact for Safe Cosmetics”.

I would also like to disclose to you that I am recording my letters and all responses on my personal blog and on Facebook.

Thank you,

Lyndsi

Mary Kay Customer and past consultant

____________________________________________

WE'RE DEBT FREE!!

2009-11-24T08:02:00.011-05:00

We are super excited to share with all of our family and friends that we are finally debt free (besides our house)!!

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us or even joined us along this journey to financial freedom! A special thanks to our friends Megan, Jenna & Mark!!

Our reason for sharing is not to disclose personal financial information or to brag. We want everyone to know that you can do it too! We paid off over $85,000 in less than 3 years by sticking to a written budget, living within our means, and doing everything we could do to earn extra money. We sold things, and worked extra hours and extra jobs (especially my husband who worked 2 or 3 jobs for most of this time!).

I first heard Dave Ramsey by accident, just flipping stations and listening to lots of talk radio on my drives to and from work. After listening for several weeks, I finally told Corey that he had to listen too and that we should look into reading his book. We decided to get his book on CD from the library and one day we had a long drive and decided to listen. We would pause, discuss, take notes, and make lists.
That day changed our lives.

A few more specific examples of changes we made immediately- we stopped eating out, we stopped buying new clothes, we put an end to all frivolous spending such as cable tv, magazine subscriptions, cd's, etc. We cut back our cell phone plans, got videos and books at the library, sold everything but the kids on craigslist, made homemade gifts, etc. We also used E-Mealz for the first two years to help us with the grocery budget...

It actually went rather fast! Of course, that is easy to say now that we are finished. But, we still have steps 3 through 6 to complete on the Dave Ramsey plan. It really does work! Check out www.daveramsey.com or start listening to his radio show.
Or, if you have Fox Business Channel you can even watch Dave on TV. But, if you are in debt you really should cancel that cable plan!! ;)

Dave's plan is all about working the "debt snowball" with gazelle intensity. Our snowball order from smallest to largest looked like this:

1) my student loan
2) credit card
3) car
4) mini-van
5) my husband's student loan

Our kids might have missed out on wearing the fanciest clothes or having private dance lessons... but these 3 years of small sacrifices will provide them with a more stable future and hopefully an awesome college fund soon (baby step 5).
It is SO worth it and it really is an awesome feeling!

LAKE-iversary

2009-11-23T13:34:00.007-05:00

Celebrating 6 years of marriage...

My amazing husband surprised me with a trip to the Lake!
Champagne.... couples massage... wine tastings... nice dinner... LOTS of relaxation and quiet!

Happy Anniversary honey, I love you!

Just Peachy!

2009-11-18T07:51:00.006-05:00

Until recently, I really loved the whole pink ribbon madness! I thought the fundraising and awareness it brought on was great. Then, I started reading more about it's roots and now I'm pretty angry!! I've shared this with several people and no one has really heard this, so I'd like to share the story of the original breast cancer ribbon, which was actually PEACH...

In the early 90's a woman named Charlotte Haley started making peach ribbons in her home. She had seen several family members battle the disease and she was trying to spread awareness. Each peach ribbon she handed out (at local stores) had a note attached that said "The National Cancer Institute annual budget is $1.8 billion; only 5 percent goes for cancer prevention. Help us wake up our legislators and America by wearing this ribbon". Later she was contacted by Estee Lauder and Self Magazine. Estee Lauder wanted her ribbon to be on all their products as a marketing tool and Charlotte turned them down. In order to not be sued, they changed the color to pink and proceeded with their marketing plan and the rest is history.

We've all heard a story here or there about a company that joined a cause for the publicity of it and not with the sole intention of helping people. But, what really is maddening is that some of the same companies that sport the pink ribbon on their packages, actually use chemicals in their products that CAUSE breast cancer!

These companies should make a decision!
Either 1) you remove the pink ribbon or 2) remove the cancer causing chemicals from your products!

I would love if there was a movement to bring back the original peach ribbon. It is so important to keep researching for cures and treatments, but we also need more funding going towards PREVENTION!

www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org

Happy Birthday

2009-11-12T14:30:00.004-05:00

Happy 4th Birthday Elise!!

Small Changes

2009-11-10T09:55:00.007-05:00

Check out the following numbers on these products.

Any guesses as to what they mean?

The number represents how TOXIC these products are!!

Shocked? So was I when I sat down to look them up. This is a scale of 0 (being perfectly safe and non-toxic) to 10 (being very toxic/hazardous). This is all from the website called Skin Deep www.cosmeticsdatabase.com.

I first used this website over the summer when I heard that you could look up sunscreen. I have always had a feeling that some skin cancer is maybe caused by the chemicals in sunscreen. We used the website to try to purchase a few less toxic sunscreens for our beach vacation. When you are slathering your children and babies in sunscreen all day you start to really wonder what is in these products!

The website tells you about the ingredients and if they have been linked to causing cancer, immune problems, if they disrupt hormones, cause allergies, etc.

The good news is that there ARE safer products in almost every category! If we all refused to buy these toxic products, eventually they would stop making them!

I challenge you to look up your most common products- deodorant, soap, baby wash, perfume... Then leave me a comment here and let me know what your NUMBERS are!

I must warn you that once you start, you will not like what you find. I am trying to not only buy safer products, but write letters to some of the companies I have been buying from over the years... More to come later and I will be blogging about my letters and all responses!

Chemical Overload

2009-11-05T12:02:00.003-05:00

I've been very busy lately trying to detox our household. First we started a few years ago with buying mostly organic, then almost all organic, then targeting avoiding chemicals, preservatives, soy, GMO food, food dye... It has really expanded recently and my latest quest is to find safer cleaning and personal care products.

Just like the food industry, I am finding time and time again these chemicals are KNOWN to cause cancer, and they are banned in several other countries. WHY are Americans still subjected to these things, despite our ever growing cancer rates? WHY is no one doing anything about it? I urge you to get involved, spread the word and contact your local legislators!

Please watch this video!

And then look up your own personal care products on http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/.

BPA Found in Canned Food! Yikes!

2009-11-03T10:06:00.005-05:00

Just another reason why we need stricter testing and labeling in the U.S!!

BPA has been found in canned food and baby formula!

Click on my title to read the full article.

Canned tomatoes are especially a problem and right now there are no canned tomatoes for sale in the US that are BPA free. Since tomatoes are so acidic it takes special packaging to put them in cans. Even the glass jars of tomatoes have lids that are lined with a substance that contains BPA.

BPA is a problem because it is a known hormone disruptor, similar to phthalates. They have been linked with causing low sperm count, infertility, and genital malformation. In studies, women with high amounts of phthalates had babies with high amounts... the baby boys were also more likely to have smaller penises and undescended testicles. (Study done in 2005 by University of Rochester).

Phthalates leach out of products and end up contaminating our food and environment. They are found in many products such as COSMETICS (anything that says "fragrance"), vinyl shower curtains, toys, and now we find out they are in canned food as well! The question is, with this many products containing the chemical, how much is inside our bodies?

The European Union has already banned some phthalates from toys & cosmetics. When the City of San Francisco banned several phthalates & BPA from children's toys (in 2006), they were then SUED by the chemical industry trade association!! It is easy to see why it is such a struggle in this country to protect ourselves and our kids. As consumers, we have very little rights compared to powerful industries. Instead of waiting and hoping that someone else does something, try contacting your local legislators and telling them that this issue is very important to you!

Mommy Milk

2009-11-01T06:39:00.001-05:00

Many people are starting to ask me when I will wean my youngest daughter who is now over 18 months old.

I was thinking about it a few weeks ago, but my instincts told me that I should wait out this flu season just so that she has the added benefits of the immunities from the milk. I found many articles supporting that thought --

http://breastfeeding.suite.101.com/article.cfm/cdc_advises_breastfeeding_during_h1n1_pandemic

www.marchofdimes.com/aboutus/49267_59646.asp

18 Months

2009-10-27T13:21:00.001-04:00

Now that Corinne is 18 months old, here are some updates. She is growing up too fast!

She weighs 26 lbs, only 4 lbs less than Elise!

She sleeps through the night in her crib and takes only one nap a day, usually from about 1:00-3:00pm.

She loves to brush her teeth!

Her favorite animals are cows, monkeys and of course dogs. She is a little scared of cats, and small dogs that she sometimes mistakenly calls cats. She recently said "No cat! No cat!" to a yorkie.

She loves to climb!

She loves to swing!

She will eat almost anything - any vegetables, jalapeno's, hot salsa,... Her favorite foods are bananas, apples, cheese, raisins, and avocado.

If any music is on she HAS to dance. She is learning new moves all the time.

She is a very sweet, loving toddler!

October 22nd

2009-10-23T11:32:00.000-04:00

Two exciting things on October 22nd...

My little pumpkin turned 1 and a 1/2 today!!

and...

we visited the Circleville Pumkin Show!

It was VERY, VERY crowded, but we had a good time. We did not wait in line to get any pumkin pie or donuts, but we had some pumkin ice cream and saw the largest pumkin- 1636 pounds!

We also checked out the largest pumpkin pie at Lindsey's bakery!

Juicing

2009-10-07T11:14:00.001-04:00

Drink your Veggies!!

The girls LOVE carrot juice! Corey said last night he is scared we are all going to turn orange. Who knew that the girls would be so excited about fresh juice? Our awesome next door neighbor, Jeff loaned us his juicer. It was brand new, still in the box. We've had our eye on a Breville Multi-Speed Ikon juicer for about 2 years. Instead of waiting any longer, I took Jeff up on his offer and we finally started juicing!

Elise was a little worried about the apple juice because it looks so different from the normal processed/ from concentrate kind sold in stores, but once she took a sip I did not have to convince her to try many other combinations.

Here is our favorite (with all organic ingredients of course):

1 large carrot

1/2 apple

1/3 lemon

Next we tried adding celery & cucumber too. Easy and so healthy! I only wish we hadn't put this off. I've been reading about organic food, juicing, and cancer prevention for a long time and I feel confident that we are headed in the right direction. This is one huge step for our family!

Milk

2009-10-01T10:47:00.000-04:00

If you drink milk, you HAVE to watch this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL1pKlnhvg0&feature=player_embedded

I know some of you reading this have already heard me going on and on about Monsanto and GMO food, etc. I am sure I'll have many postings on this topic in the future. For those of you that aren't as familiar, Monsanto is a huge company that is responsible for the creation of things like Agent Orange, RoundUp & rBGH. They created and have patents to almost all genetically modified seeds and have purchased countless seed companies.

They basically have way too much control over our food supply!

Corey

2009-10-01T09:24:00.000-04:00

What can I say about my wonderful husband? He's been hard at work lately, but still makes time for his family. Between teaching three different science classes, tutoring, and coaching soccer, he doesn't get a whole lot of sleep! He enjoys it, but I am looking forward to us returning to a normal schedule soon! In the midst of his craziness he still takes the time to listen to me at the end of the day and he is very supportive!

CORINNE!

2009-09-28T11:59:00.002-04:00

Our happy little kissy climber!

Corinne is now 17 months old! . She loves to do everything with her big sisters! She can say so many words now, we can't even keep up, but here are a few new ones- pumpkin, monkey, poop, welcome...

She loves pointing at airplanes, swinging at the park, climbing onto our kitchen table, and giving everyone dozens of hugs and kisses. She is the loviest (I know that's not a word) and most polite baby ever! Her most common words are "please" and "thank you". Also, she is our little baby dancer! Put on some music, especially her Caspar Babypants CD and she breaks it down! Hopefully I will figure out how to post a video on here soon of her dancing. It is hilarious!

ELISE!

2009-09-28T11:23:00.001-04:00

The many faces of Elise Colleen!

Elise after her 2nd night at Awana. Classic Elise face! 9/27/09

The much talked about caterpillar that she found at preschool!

First day at preschool! 9/2/09

Sweet sisters!

The face I got when I asked her for a "normal" smile!

Bungee jumping at the Irish Festival 8/2/09

Elise is 3 1/2 going on 10. She wants to do everything that Mary does! She is just at that age where I want to write down everything she says! Some funny recent quotes-

"Do they talk? Why are they English?" Asking about English muffins.

"Daddy, why did you beep your honker?" Commenting on Corey's driving.

Her hair keeps getting curlier and we get endless comments about it. No, I do not use a curling iron on her, and yes, she gets her curly hair me (for the most part).

Her main activities are Awana & Preschool, but I can't wait to get her into some other lessons. She loves to dance, do gymnastics and swim. Most of all she is our little runner! She loves to run and run fast! We predict a future track star!

MARY!

2009-09-28T11:05:00.000-04:00

Picture day and open house at Mary's new school. 8/19/09

First Day of school! 8/25/09

Cake from Mary's hippy birthday party! Made by my friend, Molly Fenby.

At the party everyone was given a headband, cool shades, and a peace necklace. They made tie-dye shirts and danced to groovy music!

Cake from Mary's Massillon birthday celebration!

Mary is growing up fast! She is now 11 years old and in 6th grade! So far she has straight A's and is loving school. She has a locker and everything! Her fall schedule includes- Girl Scouts, Awana, Yearbook, Co-ed Volleyball, and Running & Fitness Club. Overscheduled? Maybe a little.

Shekinah Festival

2009-09-28T10:34:00.000-04:00

Corinne's first pony ride!

This is the closest we got to seeing a hot air balloon. Unfortunately it was a really foggy morning!

The reason we came - DONUTS!

The Shekinah Festival has been a tradition for a few years, thanks to Papa Bill. We jokingly call it the "Shelfoah" festival. The reason for this is because a few years ago Mallori was trying to send a text message and her phone guessed that she was trying to type shelfoah instead of shekinah.

The Shekinah Festival is in Plain City, OH which is about 20 minutes from here. There is a small mennonite school that has a hot air ballon festival and auction every year to raise money. We got up REALLY early in the hopes of seeing the balloons launch. When we got into the van Elise said "mommy, where are we driving in the middle of the night?"

The balloons could not launch due to the fog, but we still enjoyed ourselves with yummy donuts, the barrel ride, face painting, and of course the petting zoo and pony rides!

Blog Ideas

2009-09-28T10:28:00.000-04:00

Already I have forgotten about my blog and I haven't had time to post anything. I even forgot to tell Corey about it until recently. Oops! My main problem is that I have so many ideas that I can't decide what to focus on. I think I will start out very random, posting about my favorite topics, books, etc.

PLEASE leave comments and let me know what you think!

The start of a family blog!

2009-08-19T16:24:00.000-04:00

I've always wanted to start a family blog to post pictures and updates about our family. It's just one of those things on my long to-do list that I never thought I would get to. I don't know how this works, but thought I would give it a try! Wish me luck!