Category: Family

Understanding PLU codes for produce! Did you know……

- Amaritday

When you go shopping , we make a list try to find the best deal & still feed our families the most nutritious foods we can. Guess what though? We really need to pay attention now more than ever especially to our produce! Did you know that those little number’s on the produce they don’t just tell you the item # of the produce it also tells you how it grown. Depending on where the produce comes from, sometimes the PLU sticker will also tell you variety, country of origin, grower & logo

ALWAYS REMEMBER!
8 0r 3 isn’t from the tree(GMO)usually the cheapest of all fruit too!!
4 is a bore regular(conventional)
9 is divine (organic)

Now For The Technical
the code is determined by Int’l Federation of produce standards www.plucodes.com. The produce has either a 4 or 5 digit code that tells you whether it is convential gmo or organic & it makes check out easier for everyone!

The ONLY food you can be certain that isn’t genetically modified is marked cleared “Certified Organic” as there as strict regulation these producers must follow but go figure the GMO producers have no restrictions what a world!

Check this out:
www.foodrenegade.com/gmos-and-pharmaceuticals
www.NonGMOShoppingGuide.com
www.HealthierEating.org
www.fruitsticker.com

XOXO MarMon

I forgot about this. Someone brought it back to my attention! TY, CC

- Amaritday

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.
Desiderata (Latin for “desired things”, plural of desideratum) is a poem about attaining happiness in life.

Am I co-dependent?

- Amaritday

These patterns and characteristics are offered as a tool to aid in self-evaluation. They may be particularly helpful to newcomers.

Denial Patterns:
I have difficulty identifying what I am feeling.
I minimize, alter or deny how I truly feel.
I perceive myself as completely unselfish and dedicated to the well being of others.

Low Self Esteem Patterns:
I have difficulty making decisions.
I judge everything I think, say or do harshly, as never “good enough.”
I am embarrassed to receive recognition and praise or gifts.
I do not ask others to meet my needs or desires.
I value others’ approval of my thinking, feelings and behavior over my own.
I do not perceive myself as a lovable or worthwhile person.

Compliance Patterns:
I compromise my own values and integrity to avoid rejection or others’ anger.
I am very sensitive to how others are feeling and feel the same.
I am extremely loyal, remaining in harmful situations too long.
I value others’ opinions and feelings more than my own and am afraid to express differing opinions and feelings of my own.
I put aside my own interests and hobbies in order to do what others want.
I accept sex when I want love.

Control Patterns:
I believe most other people are incapable of taking care of themselves.
I attempt to convince others of what they “should” think and how they “truly” feel.
I become resentful when others will not let me help them.
I freely offer others advice and directions without being asked.
I lavish gifts and favors on those I care about.
I use sex to gain approval and acceptance.
I have to be “needed” in order to have a relationship with others.


Recovery Patterns

http://www.codependents.org/tools4recovery/patterns2.php

Patterns and Characteristics of Codependance is reprinted from the website www.CoDA.org with permission of Co-Dependents Anonymous, Inc. (CoDA). Permission to reprint this material does not mean that CoDA has reviewed or approved the contents of this publication, or that CoDA agrees with the views expressed herein. CoDA is a fellowship of men and women whose common purpose is to develop healthy relationships and is not affiliated with any other 12 step program.

Copyright © 1998 Co-Dependents Anonymous, Inc. and its licensors – All Rights Reserved

Whole House Healthy Checklist

- Amaritday

Clean Sweep!

Dont get sick of me! ILY!

Click the links for list –

EWG Action Fund’s Healthy Home Checklist

Healthy Home Tips: Checklist | EWG

Healing Lifestyles & Spas – Search Results

Cleaning List MUST HAVES

Chlorine bleach, while effective at killing germs and whitening clothes, is highly toxic and corrosive, causing respiratory problems, skin and eye irritation and nausea. These harmful effects are largely due to the fumes, not just contact with the liquid.

Take control of your environment by banishing those harsh chemical cleaners that make it difficult to breathe, cause your eyes to water, and require protective gloves to handle. Check out our list of must haves and must dos for a whole new generation of cleaning products that offer safe, environmentally responsible options for keeping your home clean. Created with non-toxic, biodegradable ingredients and gentle formulas, they’ll leave your home fresh without harming you, your children, your pets, or the environment.

If you choose to mix your own, stock your kitchen with these basics: lemon juice, baking soda, white distilled vinegar, biodegradable liquid soap (such as castile), borax, tea tree oil, cream of tartar, and a selection of antiseptic essential oils. Good choices are pine, sweet orange, lemongrass, rose, clove, birch, thyme, cinnamon, rosemary, and eucalyptus.

Try these tips to get started today:
Swap out your chlorinated products – think toilet cleaners, dishwashing detergents and chlorine based disinfectants – with natural alternatives. Hydrogen peroxide, for example, is an excellent and truly safe, stain remover. Just blot or spray, allow to sit for five to ten minutes and wash normally.

Lemon and sunlight are other awesome choices for removing stains on clothes, as is oxygen bleach (like Oxi-Clean), which is also effective as an all-purpose cleaner and all-around laundry booster.

Living Life From A Healthy Stand Point – The Basics!

- Amaritday

Choosing to eat good healthy food is something we choose. It’s a CHOICE.

How do we really challenge ourselves? Starting in the your cabinets ~ purge the unhealthy foods (high in sodium sugar fat preservatives & food colorings) know your ingredients and re-learn (or learn for the first time) how to cook from scratch. Every time I do this the results are so pleasing to the palate, so why do I struggle?

If I really think about it, It all just comes down to planning. Yep good old time fashioned management and prepping ahead makes this healthy lifestyle a bit more simple. As I look back on the past three years, the items I make on a regular basis used to elude me but now have become second nature.

It’s the dinner menu that gets me most often…as a self proclaimed “Domestic Eco Goddess or DEG” my duties include but are not limited to; keep house, laundry, food, pets, and most of all, our children on point. By the end of my day I am whipped and the thought of creating a healthy delicious meal sends me- wanting to ring up the nearest take out joint.

If only I had thought ahead!

Thankfully this doesn’t happen much anymore, so we are definitely cooking with gas.(pun intended)

WTG Moi!

When I do plan ahead I feel more tranquil and my home runs without a hiccup. So if you are like me and struggle sometimes, pick yourself up and start again.

At least we are heading in the right direction~forward not back.

Bon Appetite!!!

Smelling Good & Feeling Fresh but Look out! What they dont tell you about your personal care products.

- Amaritday

Are you a product worshiping junkie? Who doesn’t enjoy a luxurious, invigorating shower/bath using lotions & potions of all kinds, deodorant that helps us smell clean & fresh, hair products for shiny hair and manageability – unless you are blessed by the hair goddesses. That’s even before serums moisturizers & makeup ever kiss our face.

Let’s face it unless you’re using the purest products made on Earth, then you’re most likely absorbing a barrage of health deterring & disease causing chemicals in the effort to look and feel gorgeous.

Here are some of the very scary facts about the average number of chemicals found in everyday beauty products, including some of the worst offenders:

Product Chemicals Most worrying chemicals & some of their effects
Shampoo: 15 Sodium Lauryl Sulphate; Tetrasodium and Propbylene Glycol – possible eye damage
Eye Shadow: 26 Polythylene terephthalate – linked to cancer
Lipstick: 33 Polymenthyl methacrylate – also linked to cancer
Nail Varnish: 31 Phthalates – linked to fertility issues and problems in developing babies
Perfume: 250 Benzaldehyde – linked to kidney damage
Fake Tan: 22 Ethyl/Methyl/Propylparabens – possible hormonal disruption
Hairspray: 11 Octinoxate, Isophthalates – possible hormonal disruption, linked to change in cell structure
Blusher: 16 Ethyl/Methyl/Propylparabens – possible hormonal disruptions
Foundation: 24 Polymethyl methacrylates – possibly disrupts immune system, linked to cancer
Deodorant: 15 Isopropyl Myristate, ‘Parfum’ – possible respiratory problems
Body Lotion: 32 Methyl/Propylparabens, Polyethylene Glycol, also found in oven cleaners – possible hormonal disruption

After adding this all up, you realized that post toilette that was supposed to cleanse you of waste, dirt and environmental toxins, you could be adding up to 475 toxic chemicals to your body! Remember, everything you use, you absorb everything through your skin.. That’s after just one shower/bath.

Most of us apply all kinds of products throughout the day, and wash it all off at the end of the day, and then reapply them all over again. Sadly enough, many of the absorbed, potentially toxic chemicals aren’t flushed out of the body, so they build up daily and as the years pass, compromise your health.