Skip the Anti-bacterial Soap

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According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the U.S. FDA Advisory Committee reports that washing hands with plain soap and water kills bacteria just as well as anti-bacterial soaps. I read about anti-bacterial soaps causing bacteria to be resistant to antibiotics several years ago.  We have not used these types of soaps since then.

Here are several good reasons not to use anti-bacterial soap:

  • The active ingredient is triclosan (and the related triclocarbon) which is linked to liver toxicity.
  • Low levels of the above active ingredient may disrupt thyroid function.
  • The American Medical Association recommended not to use triclosan at home because it may end up causing bacteria to be resistant to antibiotics.
  • This chemical ends up in our water sources because wastewater treatment does not remove all of the chemical.
  • Triclosan is very toxic to aquatic life.

So which soaps should we use?  The EWG recommends looking for soaps that do NOT contain these three things:

  1. Triclosan
  2. Triclocarbon
  3. “Fragrance” (which can open the door to all sorts of chemicals)

We do use the instant hand sanitizer which is alcohol based.  That is good to use when hand washing with plain soap and water is not available.

Lemon Cake

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This is a delicious recipe from someone very dear to me:

INGREDIENTS:

  • Lemon cake mix
  • 1 small package lemon Jello
  • 2/3 cup oil
  • 3/4 cup boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar, approximately
  • 1/4 – 1/3 cup lemon juice, approximately

Cake:  Mix lemon Jello with boiling water.  Add oil and lemon juice.  Add lemon cake mix and then add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.  Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13-inch pan.  Bake at 300 degrees for about one hour.  Let cool for 10 minutes and then ice with glaze.

Glaze:  Add sugar and lemon juice.  Mix together to your desired consistency.  Pour on top of the cake.

Vacations!

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We haven’t taken a vacation for the last three years, but we do take trips to see relatives which are great.  In the past, we’ve taken a couple of orlando vacations, several trips to Colorado, and when our daughter graduated from high school we went to Hawaii.  It was always great to visit another part of the country, experience the local culture and just get away from the usual day to day routine!

Acne

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When I was a teenager, I had trouble with acne and had to go to a dermatologist.   I remember taking vitamin A and maybe another vitamin for a while, but something with a storehouse of vitamins and herbs like Acneticin was not available.  I think the most natural approach is best, and I know herbs have been very beneficial for me so it seems they would be helpful for acne as well.

Four Foods On Friday 93

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1. Name one bad habit you have in the kitchen.

I’m sure I have several, but one I have in common with Val is turning the heat up too high.  I’ve been working on turning the heat to medium to begin with and then adjusting as necessary.  I’ve also been trying to remember to put the lid on the pan ASAP to help things heat up faster.
2. Do you have a TV in the kitchen?

No, we never have had one in the kitchen.  I can hear the TV, though, if my husband is watching TV while I’m cooking.
3. What’s one food you can’t stand cold?

Again, I agree with Val.  I do not like cold french fries!  (I also cannot stand cold bread rolls.  Years ago, we ate at a really nice restaurant, and they served cold rolls – like they had been in the fridge.  I should have asked the waiter if he could warm our bread, but it was a special dinner so I just didn’t eat my roll.)
4. What’s your favorite juice?

Definitely fresh squeezed orange juice or grapefruit juice!

(To my fellow bloggers:  I’m having a problem.  Somehow, comments that are left on my blog are not emailed to me like they used to be.  On my admin page under settings, it shows that they are.  Have any of you had this problem?)

Fall Festival & Trick-or-treating

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We will be helping with the Fall Festival where we go to church.  It is open to the community, and we will dress up and hand out candy from the back of our decorated van.  I don’t know what I will wear for a costume, though.  I certainly will not be wearing any certified diamonds. I will have to put on my thinking cap and figure out what I can wear.

Are any of you going trick-or-treating?  I miss doing that with my kids when they were young.  I think one thing that made it so fun was their excitement.  It was contagious!  Now they’re grown and our grandbabies live too far away to go with them.  I will have to be content with seeing pictures of them in their costumes.

Online Degrees From Home

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I know several people who have gotten an online degree and are glad they did.  If I didn’t have a degree, I would consider getting one online.   For someone who had young children at home and wanted to get an online teaching degree, I think that would be great to be able to get a degree from home and be able to study at one’s convenience.

One online site that received attention from TIME Magazine and NBC is Western Governors Online University, founded by 19 U.S. governors to help working adults.  I like the fact that it is nonprofit, is competency based, and emphasizes that each student masters the necessary skills in order to receive a quality education and succeed.  If I were getting an online degree, I would consider WGU considering all of the positive things I’ve read.

Washing Hands Removes More Than Sick Germs

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When I think of cleaning a baby’s or toddler’s hands, I think of cleaning off dirt and germs that could make them sick with a cold or the flu.  But washing their hands cleans off more than that according to the Environmental Working Group.  It also prevents the transfer of toxic chemicals from their little hands to their mouths.  These toxins can be found many places such as some electronic equipment, older wooden swing sets, or some items with fire retardants.

IMPORTANT:  Hand sanitizers are convenient, but they do not remove dust and dirt which are how the chemicals are transferred.  Old-fashioned hand washing removes not only bacteria but also the grime.

November is Almost Here!

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This month has gone by so fast!  Just a couple more days and then November will be here.  Starting around Thanksgiving until after New Year’s is the time when all the tempting goodies and desserts start appearing.  Some people rely on weight loss pills to help them lose the weight they gain during the holidays, but my goal is to stay at an even weight and not gain more than a pound or two at the most. So, we’ll see!

Shopping Lists

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Shopping Lists are great to help remind me what I need to buy in the way of groceries, toiletries, household items, etc.  I wouldn’t need anything like spring plungers but I might need a bathroom plunger.  I don’t like to have to make a special trip out for one certain item but like to buy it in advance when I’m shopping for several items.  That’s where lists come in very handy!

Organic Cotton Tea Towels

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Cotton towels do the best job drying dishes, or at least I think so.  I saw towels from Ecokitchen, and they reminded me of ones we had when I was growing up, only ours were a lot thinner.  I remember my grandmother had 100% cotton dish towels, homemade from flour sacks many years ago.  I had a couple of  store bought ones that were OK  but not quite as good as my grandmother’s. She had so many towels through the years that by the time I came along, she still had some left.   I wish I had some of them.  Her towels were awesome for drying dishes or maybe it’s just the memory that’s so awesome!