NATURAL WAY TO KILL FIRE ANTS

Yesterday I needed a natural way to kill fire ants, preferably without the use of chemicals. After all the rain I could look out over the yard and see ant mounds everywhere! Before you recommend that I pick up some fire ant poison at the discount store I feel that I should remind you that I have four little girls who play in this same yard where those mounds have popped up like mushrooms and I don't like the idea of their running through chemical pesticide residue in their bare feet.

I knew from the start that their extermination would be a delicate balancing act. Fire ant stings could be deadly to my youngest and I will protect her at all cost but I don't want my babies exposed to pesticides in order to do so. What I needed was a fire ant mound destroyer that would leave no poisonous residue once the job was done. Because not only have they built mounds out in the yard but there are piles of ant dirt right next to the patio where we spend a lot of time as a family. These suckers have to go and if at all possible I was determined to make it happen using the most natural means available to me.


In my search of a natural way to kill fire ants, I came across some suggestions that seemed reasonable and some...not so much. And then there was one that looked like it would be downright fun! Would you care to guess which method I decided to try first? Being such a fan of family fun and all, you just had to know I'd choose the lighthearted way of bug extermination.

I'm going to use baking soda and vinegar to kill these red devil fire ants.

A NATURAL WAY TO KILL FIRE ANTS


The instructions I found said to pour baking soda all over the mound and poke as much as possible deep into the mound using a stick. EXTREME CAUTION is necessary to avoid attacking ants while you are poking soda into their mound. In fact, I recommend wearing tall, rubber boots for protection. I tried a skinny, wooden dowel rod first but ended up using my backup which was a straightened wire coat hanger but your experience may vary depending on your soil.

After the baking soda was in place the next step was to pour a gallon of vinegar over the mound making sure that it comes into contact with the soda to facilitate the desired reaction. That mound started to crackle and fizz like crazy. I saw dead fire ants everywhere. It seems that your elementary school science project would have done better to educate us on a natural way to kill fire ants without chemicals rather than be just a lame volcano spewing on the table for a minute. Did this kill the fire ant queen or will the mounds pop back up again?

Return to Family Recipes, Babies and Parenting Issues to find out!

MUSCADINE PIE RECIPE

My grandmother's muscadine pie recipe may be the most delicious way I know to get your daily allotment of the trendy, anti-aging flavonoid known as resveratrol. Who would have dreamed that muscadines, or scuppernongs as we always called them, are supposed to be loaded with the same stuff that has red wine flying off the shelves of your local liquor store! Another added benefit of this pie is that I know that the muscadines I pick myself have never been treated with any pesticides!

MUSCADINE PIE

4 pounds ripe scuppernongs (muscadine grapes)
3/4 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch (or plain white flour)
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Teaspoon of Lemon Juice

1 Recipe of your favorite double crust pie crust

Wash the scuppernongs then pull the hulls off off the pulp over a bowl to save the juice.

Pour the hulls, half of the saved juice in a heavy boiler and cook till tender. If the hulls are tough, it could take a while.

In a separate container, combine the remaining juice and the pulp until the seeds come loose, stirring constantly. Then run this mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds.

In a large pot, combine pulp mixture and hull mixture and stir until mixed.

Remove 2 cups (freeze leftovers for later or make another pie) with sugar, cornstarch, butter and lemon juice stirring well.

Pour into a pie plate lined with crust, top with remaining portion of crust. Trim and seal the edges. Flute the edges and cut slits in the top of the crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees or until crust is brown.


As for me, I don’t like the taste of wine. Fermented beverages of any kind have never held much appeal for me. I’ve tried it and not only did I fail to appreciate the bouquet and flavor; the stuff makes me sleepy and gives me a headache. Dessert has yet to produce those side effects so I think I’ll stick with getting my flavonoids the old fashioned way.

Lucky for me that this old, southern muscadine pie recipe has (reportedly) many times the amount of resveratrol than is supposed to be packed in a bottle of Bordeaux. And I can cook it for a fraction of the price unless you count the time that I spend picking them off the vine and the time I’ll be scratching the redbug bites after the fact. Why do I always forget to spray before I head out the door to the woods with bucket in hand?

Return to Muscadine Pie Recipes to find more easy dessert recipes using old fashioned ingredients.

MAMA'S QUICK RECIPE FOR PEAR COBBLER

I call this Mama’s Quick recipe for pear cobbler because this was the dessert that was served when fresh pears were coming in by the bushel basket full and quick family meals were to be expected. After the crops were in and jars of canned fruit were lining the shelves, when a more relaxed pace fell in place we could look forward to pastries that took more time to produce. Another good thing about these pears is that I know they have never been treated with pesticide.

MAMA’S QUICK RECIPE FOR PEAR COBBLER


2 cups of peeled, sliced fresh pears 2 cups of sugar (1 ½ if using canned pears)
4 ounces of unsalted butter
¾ cup of plain flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sweet milk
1 whole egg

Pour 1 cup of sugar over sliced pears in a bowl and set aside (if using canned pears, half the sugar and use a little syrup out of the jar). Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt your butter in a 2 qt oven proof baking dish either by placing dish in the oven or microwaving for a few seconds.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining sugar with the rest of your dry ingredients including spices and salt (less a half cup of sugar if you chose to use canned pears) and mix well.

Beat the egg and sweet milk together with a spoon, pour over the dry ingredients and blend until a batter forms. Pour this batter over the butter that you melted WITHOUT STIRRING. Then pour your pears including syrup on top of your butter and batter, AGAIN WITHOUT STIRRING.

Bake your preheated oven for about an hour at 325 watching to see when batter (which has now miraculously risen to form the top crust) begins to brown.

Most cooks would leave it at this, but Mama would brush the top of the crust lightly with butter and sprinkle it with sugar which gave it better flavor. In my traditional southern home, more butter and sugar were added to practically every recipe.

Pies with rolled pastry were more time consuming than Mama’s quick recipe for pear cobbler and more visually showy but it would be impossible to find fault with the sweet, buttery filling of this easy pear dessert no matter whether what!

Return to Oooh Baby Parenting, Family and Environmental Issues to find more frugal southern recipes that include fresh fruit and produce.

PEAR HONEY RECIPE with PINEAPPLE

From as early as I can remember, August was the month mama made her pear honey recipe with pineapple. My favorite pear tree, the one that my daddy planted the day I was born, could be depended on to deliver many bushels of firm cooking pears around the first of August and this treat was just one of the many delightful dishes made from its bountiful harvest.

MAMA’S PEAR HONEY RECIPE with PINEAPPLE

12 cups of firm, peeled, sliced pears
12 cups of white sugar
1 (20 oz) can of crushed pineapple undrained
1 washed, thinly sliced lemon including the peel

After you wash the pears and cut them up, keep them covered in cold water until you have twelve cups. Drain the water from the pears and run them through the coarse blade of your food processor or thinly slice them. Put pears and sugar in a large pot and heat over very low heat (to give the juice a chance) stirring occasionally and don’t worry about crushing the pears. Simmer until the pears are cooked clear (I’m not going to put a time here because pears in different stages of ripeness take different amounts of time to get the right honey- like consistency) stir in the crushed pineapple and lemon and cook 5 to 10 minutes more. Pour the Pear Honey recipe with pineapple into hot, sterilized jars and seal. The results should be 6 to 8 pints of a delicious treat that is wonderful on a hot biscuit and makes an attractive gift.

Tips:
1. Some cooks drop a cherry in each jar for a little added color if you want to dress it up to give as a gift

2. If you have some over ripe pears. Half the amount of sugar recommended for crisp pears

3. Try using Pear Honey on your kids peanut butter sandwiches instead of jelly

Some cooks use pineapple juice instead of crushed pineapple in their recipe. But Mama’s pear honey recipe with pineapple just tasted better to me, had a better texture and was easy to make with less cooking time than when juice was substituted. There were times when frugal cooking was a necessity that the juice from a can of sliced pineapple was substituted for the crushed pineapple. Many reading this may be thinking that a can of crushed pineapple is so cheap that they could not imagine altering the taste and appearance of the pear honey recipe to save a dollar. And I pray that those ladies never have the need to watch every cent like our family had to when times were bad.

FAMILY PEAR RECIPES

I have more favorite pear recipes than for apple, peaches or most any other fruit. The reason for this might be that my daddy thought of an old family tradition to commemorate the birth of his baby girl. He headed right out to that pretty, field right beyond the pasture and planted a pear tree. Actually, he planted a bunch of pear trees, but I always knew which one he planted on the day I was born because he pointed it out to me regularly every time we took a walk in that direction. So, we have always had lots of canned pears on hand.

But that’s not the only reason my childhood memories are packed with every kind of pear recipe from pear cobbler to Pear Butter most of which were cooked for our family by my grandmother who says that she did her best to duplicate her mother’s recipes in spite of the fact that the only directions she was ever able to pry out of her was, "Oh, I throw in a little of this and a little of that and never have used a measuring cup or spoon".

I do not want my girls in the very distant future to have to guess at how I made their favorite old fashioned southern pear recipes like Pear Honey with Pineapple, pear preserves and mama's famous recipe for pear cobbler. My plans are to leave them with detailed recipes so that long after I’m gone they can enjoy natural goodies that they had when they were at home.

At the moment I’m looking at a bushel basket full of pears that need peeling. But right after I get through canning them I’m going to start typing out all those old fashioned, family pear recipes and if you make it back to Oh Baby Green Living, Family and Parenting Issues I'll share them with you and yours. There are lots of pear recipes on the net, but I may have a few old southern recipes that you might like better.

HOW TO TIE A TIE THE QUICK AND EASY WAY

With my family consisting largely of females one might wonder why I’d need to know how to tie a tie. Over the past few years I have devoted a world of time to learning how to make baby girls’ hair bows and embellishing hair bands and barrettes with doodads and decorations. However, learning how to tie a necktie knot fell further on my to do list with every baby girl that popped out of the oven, so to speak but as we know life can throw you a curve when you least expect it and, no pun intended, tie you in knots.

At one of the birthday celebrations that my devoted husband attended with two of our daughters yesterday he volunteered to catch the littlest kids and be sure they had good footing in the blow up pool at the bottom of the big blue monster slide. To make a long story short, one of the kids flew down that slide like a rocket and dear husband jammed two of his fingers trying to catch the child. The hostess fetched a bag of ice and iced the swollen fingers immediately but hubby arrived home with throbbing digits that resembled stuffed sausages. Among all the other things I had to take care of due to his debilitated hand, I was informed if he was going to go to church with the family this morning, I had to learn how to tie a tie because there was no way that he could do it himself and as he is an usher, my husband always wears a suit and tie to Sunday services.

Thinking he was just trying to play hooky from church I stayed up after everyone else had gone to bed thinking that I would head him off at the pass and surprise him with my amazing ability to tie his tie in a perfect knot. Imagine my surprise to find that there are more than a few knots that are used for this purpose and I didn’t have a clue which one I needed to learn. What was the difference in a half-Windsor and a plain Windsor? Or did he use the Shelby also known as the Pratt? What I needed was to find the easiest way possible to get us (hopefully) through one tying so I did a search for the EASIEST way to tie a tie and found that I was not the only person that need help in learning how to tie a tie as there are not only colored pictures and diagrams with instructions but (God bless them) videos teaching us the fine art of tying a gentleman’s necktie in many, many ways. For simplicity’s sake I decided on the half-Windsor knot because the steps seemed to me to be the easiest.

About an hour ago, I laid out hubby’s shirt and tie like I always do and when he came out of the shower, he paused when he saw the familiar scene wondering how this was going to work. Before he could ask any questions, I said, "When you’re ready for your tie, I’ll take care of it for you". He hasn’t gotten around to asking me how or when I learned how to tie a tie so for now it’s our little secret and just one of those things you do for family.

Return to Oooh Baby Parenting, Family and Environmental Issues to see if he ever asks me whose tie I tied before his because I know that it will bug him until he asks.

QUALITY FAMILY TIME

I'm having trouble figuring out how to squeeze in quality family time this holiday weekend. I was not aware that September was a big baby delivery month but if the number of birthday parties that my kids were in invited to attend today alone, there must have been a premature ice storm or something four or five years ago if you catch my drift.

With such a busy schedule and dear daddy taking half the kids in one direction with mommy (yours truly) heading in the other with the remainder of our little crew in tow I had to ponder if trying to attend every get together was the best plan. The girls were so tired that they took a short, unsatisfying nap in the car on the way home and are now half-heartedly splashing in the bath while I'm heating spaghetti sauce and boiling noodles for supper.

Tomorrow we are going to have some quality family time, together, as a unit barring some unseen disaster. My goal is to pull the plug on the television and the football games (sorry, Honey) and to turn on the telephone. Mom, dad and the kids are going to play and laugh and spend some time making memories.

Return to Oooh Baby Baby Parenting, Family and Environmental Issues to see if I make good on my promise.

OLD MAN SLAPS CHILD IN WALMART

Ok, it's one of those mornings when baby is fussy but you have to go to the store and an old man walks up and slaps your child in Walmart. Not exactly a great way to kick off the day. This might seem like a fictional report of a friend's bad dream or perhaps a nightmare of your own. However, this scenario played itself out in a Walmart store in Georgia.

A 61 year old guy named Roger Stephens apparently got enough of a little 2 year old girl's crying and (alledgedly) told her to shut the child up or he would do it.

As kids are so prone to do, the little girl kept crying which reportedly prompted Stephens to make good on his threat. It was reported that he (as gran used to say) rared back and slapped her not once but four times. He then had the brass to tell her mom, who was no doubt standing there gaping in shock, "See, I told you I could (or would?) shut her up". To quote Whoopie Goldberg, "WHAT THE HELL"?!

To follow up, Mr. Stephens was picked up, arrested and charged on Monday on a first degree cruelty to children charge. Before his arrest (or perhaps because of the impending?) he apologized to the mother for slapping her little girl. My questions is what kind of man slaps a child in Walmart or anywhere for that matter?

I tried to get a mental picture of my husband slapping one of our girls and I couldn't. We just don't discipline our children in that way. The image of anybody hitting a child in the face or anywhere is appalling to me because. It's my belief that violence never solves anything but creates bigger problems for the long haul. I'm not a fan of violence, but you better know that any man who slaps my child in Walmart or anywhere else better be expecting it. This peaceful mama would break out a big can of ass whipping like you wouldn't believe!

Return to Oooh Baby Baby Parenting, Family and Environmental Issues

THE I PLEDGE VIDEO - HOW SHOULD WE FEEL?

Frankly, I can’t say how I feel about the I PLEDGE video until I study it and give it a lot of thought. There is more work to do for a parent than to analyze the actual content of the video. First, let me go on the record as saying that I don’t like the idea of political messages being directed at my children while they are at school.

The question was brought up at a play date this morning whether or not the video had a political agenda. I'm not usually concerned with politics but I like to be informed on current events so I figured I had better check out some of the opinions on the I Pledge video posted by people who are more involved and intelligent than yours truly.
My findings were that President Obama’s speech seemed to be standard political fare asking the viewers to be more patriotic, responsible and helpful in nature. Then the celebrities are seen making pledges about how they plan to support the president and do their part in helping the world and that’s where the film became problematic and at times kind of goofy.

Some of the celebrity pledges shown in the I Pledge video concerned helping out in food banks, being more cheerful and helping the elderly population which I can jump on board with in a big way. And then there was the pledge not to shoot the bird to our fellow travelers on the roads which is a small contribution to world peace, but I’m not sure I want my kids to hear about adults giving the finger at school as I exercise restraint when I’m driving to keep them innocent as long as possible.

And then there are the more leading pledges that leave me scratching my head namely the one about the celeb promoting stem cell research and selling their old gas burner to buy a more fuel efficient hybrid. For one thing most kids know very little if anything about stem cell research and beyond being told they can’t use the car could not possibly care less about fuel efficient transportation.
Many pledges, such as supporting local food banks, smiling more, and caring for the elderly are not controversial. But other pledges, such as "to never give anyone the finger when I’m driving again", "to sell my obnoxious car and buy a hybrid" and to advance stem cell research some say cross the line. The question at hand is not whether these pledges or statements are harmful, because most of the stuff that I’ve read was in the I Pledge video is pretty mundane stuff other than the subject of stem cell research. The bigger issue is whether the children should be politically influenced at school.

Return to Oooh Baby Baby Parenting, Family and Environmental Issues to see what ladies in my neighborhood think about this video being shown in public schools.

Swine Flu, Babies and Asthma

The word is that Swine flu and asthma is a nasty combination. But then every illness is further complicated when breathing problems exist. The numbers of reported cases of confirmed cases are increasing with every newspaper that hits my driveway. And my anxiety is spreading through my body faster than the virus is mutating because I have children who are in the high risk group that have allergies and can't take the regular flu vaccine much less the H1N1 vaccination.

It depends on how I’m feeling at the moment but I’m waffling between being worried about the actual illness and what might happen if one of my girls catches it which would be bad enough under any set of circumstances but even more so given their existing breathing problems and fear of the girls being a guinea pig. The reports that this vaccine has not been put to the test and could possibly be more dangerous than the swine flu in and of itself.

What’s a mother to do when put between a rock and a hard place? Should I roll the dice, keep my fingers crossed and pray that the H1N1 bypasses our family or trust the medical talking heads and put these little souls in line to get a vaccination that some doctors are on record as stating that in their opinions the swine flu vaccine is not ready for use in humans?

Return to Oooh Baby Baby Parenting, Family and Environmental Issues to find out whether we decide to vaccinate or not.

Dear Kid Saturday - My Hyper Tired Baby

Dear Cass, my poor, sweet, hyper tired baby,

I should have known when I had to wake you up earlier than usual this morning that today was not going to be the day that we would win the "Peaceful, Organized Family" award. Did the absence of carbs that were kept to a bare minimum at breakfast make you feel deprived? You seemed to enjoy the turkey bacon and scrambled eggs so much that missing a bowl of your favorite cereal should not have been an issue. My hopes were that what I cooked would stabilize your and your sisters' energy levels so that our day would be easy going and pleasant even with the shortage of sleep last night. But lack of energy has not been your problem today has it?

I'm so very sorry that you are having a difficult time enjoying your day. Your sisters are honestly not trying to be aggravating, at least no more than usual. And you should know better than expect me to allow you to break rules just because you got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. You know that all rules are there for a reason and a bad mood is no excuse to rethink or to bend them.

Maybe after naptime, my hyper tired baby will be in a better humor and I will see your sunny smile once again. My apologies for passing on my genetic predisposition towards grumpiness due to lack of sleep. I wish I could tell you that you will outgrow it but your mommy never has. This is just another one of those instances where we must learn to play the hand we've been dealt. And there will be an earlier than usual bedtime tonight.

Love, Mommy

HOW TO CLEAN GLASS SHOWER DOORS

Can somebody please tell me how to clean glass shower doors the quick and easy way? If you can share a tip or two and tell me how to KEEP them from getting covered in spots caused by hard water that would be ever so helpful as well.

The story behind my dilemma goes like this. A few months ago we went house shopping and after looking at over a hundred or so homes on the market we narrowed it down and bought a home that had many positive features (which you will probably get to hear about in the coming days, months or even years as the mortgage stretches before me for quite a way) one of which was the very roomy custom glass shower.

There are shower heads coming at you every which way (I’ll probably need advice on how to clean a clogged shower head before too long) and it was so modern looking with three walls of white (manmade) marble and one long wall of, at the time of purchase, squeaky clean glass. A few wash jobs later, I now see that I better learn how to clean glass shower doors FAST or they are going to look like an old coffee pot pretty quick.

I had some spray cleaner but my mom tells me that she heard it will pit the glass, so I barely escaped doing some irreparable damage by the skin of my teeth. Always believing it’s best to use recipes for green household cleaners and pesticides whenever possible, I’m going to start with vinegar and go from there. I’m off to fill my trusty spray bottle I will keep you posted on how the vinegar does on cutting the build-up using a soft cloth.

Meanwhile, if any of you have ideas on how to clean glass shower doors without scratching them and how to keep them from getting water spots immediately after said cleaning will you please return to hit the comments section below and help me out?

KIDS and SPORTS INJURIES

Kids and sports injuries have always fit like a hand in glove. In my neighborhood there is always a child getting hit by a ball, breaking an arm at football practice or spraining an ankle. As the mother of four girls who love to play cheerleader and tumble, the news that school gym injuries are jumping in numbers gives me cause for concern. The reason given for the increase is that schools are pushing kids to get up off their butts and get some exercise in an effort to DECREASE the numbers of obese children. And I’m all for getting kids off the couch and away from too much television not to mention preventing them from wearing out their little hands playing video games but get a load of these numbers and wait for it because there’s a shocker in the numbers.


In a recent study the numbers from a study on kids and sports injuries from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (is that a mouthful?) were the big tip off. For the period that covered eleven years, over four hundred thousand kids were injured during PE (physical education or Phys ed as we used to call it in the dark ages) and taken for treatment at the emergency room. This number increased 150% over the course of the study. The largest number of injuries was associated with six school activities. Not surprisingly, the usual contact sports were culprits. Of course, football and basketball are on the list and I would have been amazed if they were absent. And there were a few of the less physical sports on the list like soccer, gymnastics and volleyball. But then, hold on… RUNNING is on the list.


I ran junior high track and then went on to high school so I paid my dues as did many of my friends and frankly I can’t remember an injury or sprain that couldn’t be iced down on the spot with the athlete sent limping to the sidelines to rest up. My question is this, have kids gotten so out of shape that they can’t even run without having to hit the ER?

Please leave your comments or experiences regarding Parenting Kids and Sports Injuries before my oldest leaves for kindergarten!

BIRD DROPPINGS – DISEASE, HEALTH RISKS and AGGRAVATION

I love birds but the feeling that I had while having to clean up bird droppings off my back doorstep this morning was about as far from love and affection as one chick could get. The problem is that recently birds have taken a liking to the portion of our patio that is covered. They regard the ceiling fans as their own personal merry go round as you can see from the pictures. This is bad enough as they are pooping all over the patio floor as well as the fan’s blades but the worst of the situation is that they have built a nest on top of the audio speakers that are unfortunately mounted directly above the back door to our house and the pile of bird poop on the steps is getting bigger by the minute.

The whole time I’m removing the poop I’m recounting all that I know about bird droppings, disease and health risks that might I might be exposing myself to. It struck me that by having to remove the droppings that I was probably sending no telling what kind of microbes into the air (and breathing them into my lungs) by stirring the mess up to get it swept up and in some cases where it was still fresh, scooped up.

And did I mention the swooping and pecking problem? It’s not enough that the birds have turned my patio into their personal toilet, first they started dive bombing us if we wanted to go into the backyard. To show respect to what I thought might be nesting season, I relocated the kids’ playtime to the front yard and they followed us there. Now the little buggers are attacking the windows of our home whenever they spot any movement indoors.

Can anyone tell me how to rid myself of these aggressive little suckers? We can’t enjoy our home and need to send the bird droppings, the disease, health risks and the aggravation down the road. Please help, I’m beginning to feel like I’m living in an Alfred Hitchcock movie and with my kids’ allergies and existing illnesses it’s not something I want to deal with. Please leave your suggestions on how to lesson my exposure to hostile birds and bird droppings in the comment form on Oooh Baby Parenting and Family Issues.

ASTHMA IN CHILDREN

Why I was so dumb to think that asthma in children had become an illness of the past much the same as polio and red measles would strike me as funny except that dealing with asthma is anything but fun. My older brother had asthma as a child but I was too little to remember anything about it except that my mother accused my father of being the cause of it because he smoked his pipe in the house.

As you can imagine, when my daughter starting presenting symptoms of asthma, the most noticeable being a persistent cough at night it came as a shock. Of course, that was before I did my homework and found that asthma in children was not only alive and well but very common in babies with allergies and eczema which made my infant a prime candidate for RAD (reactive airway disease which is a fancy, modern name for asthma) in spite of my diligent reading of vacuum cleaner reviews to see which models got the best consumer product ratings and reviews .

Her uncontrolled (and misdiagnosed) allergies early on made it impossible to manage her asthma symptoms and along with her MRSA and frequent upper respiratory infections kept me on edge to the point of exhaustion. I’m glad to report that as she has gotten older and her allergy triggers have been pinpointed, treatment has gotten more effective.

And the support network for parents with a child who suffers from this condition is fantastic! There are online screening quizzes to help parents identify the symptoms of asthma in children and information on asthma treatments for children so that you will be well educated and prepared to discuss whether or not your baby’s allergies and asthma symptoms with your doctor during your next visit.

HOW TO CLEAN A TOILET

Modern homemakers don’t just need to know how to clean a toilet. They should educate themselves as to the environmentally friendly way to clean tough toilet stains that won’t unnecessarily pollute our water supply or accidentally poison the family pet or even worse, the kids! I'm not the only person whose baby has mistaken the commode for a water park, am I?

TANK CLEANERS

Tank cleaners that come in the form of tablets or hanging capsules were all the rage for awhile. The belief was that if you properly cleaned the reservoir tank that those stubborn toilet rings would never show up in the first place. Now we know that this is wrong thinking in that we found out that this was not the magic cure it was held up to be. Plus, if you had a dog or a cat that enjoyed a refreshing drink from the commode from time to time we realized that toilet cleaner did little to enhance this experience. Even if you don’t have an animal to worry with, why do we think it is a good thing to pour an unending supply of chemicals in our water? We should be more concerned with REMOVING chemicals from water rather than dumping more in.

HOW TO CLEAN A TOILET THE GREEN WAY

The facts are that there is no magic cleaner or tip that I can share with you for how to clean your toilet while never having to go into the bathroom. I CAN tell you how to clean the commode and never get your hands dirty; wear gloves! Ok, I know that was cruel but let’s get real.

NO HARSH CHEMICALS NECESSARY

Cleaning the toilet is an unpleasant task that takes some elbow grease and a cleaner helps. But chemical toilet cleaners are not part of how to clean a toilet in a safe, green and environmentally friendly fashion.

DISINFECTING

Did you know that plain soap and water do a very good job of killing germs? The only problem here is that pesky ring in the toilet bowl. That is a little harder to get rid of so here are some safe toilet cleaners that might make the job a little easier.

(1. Reduce the water level in the bowl and sprinkle it liberally with baking soda. Dash some (cheap) vinegar in the bowl and scrub with one of those green scrub pads or the toilet brush of your choice.

(2. Take one cup of Borax and add enough lemon juice or vinegar to make a paste. (I prefer lemon juice for its safe bleaching properties) Smear the recipe on that ugly toilet bowl ring and let it sit for two hours then scrub.

(3. Drop two denture cleaning tablets in the bowl when you go to bed at night. Scrub the bowl first thing the next morning.


So, that is how to clean a toilet without poisoning the family pet or our planet. If you use any of our green household cleaner recipes, please come back and give us a review as to how they performed.

Return to Home and Baby Parenting and Family Issues to find more tips on how to clean a toilet and green household cleaner recipes.

INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS IMPROVEMENTS

Recently there has been an increased focus of national attention on the improvement of industrial environmental standards. As the USA attempts to rebuild its economy, we must be focused on not only restoring industry, but restore it in such a way that is not environmentally destructive. Perhaps the economic slowdown could give us an opportunity to improve all aspects of industry, including hazards among workers in their place of work and the health hazards affecting citizens residing in the surrounding areas that in the past were all too common.


What many do not realize is that not only does the health of our planet earth depend on improved industrial environmental standards, but the health of humans as well. The far reaching health complications caused by irresponsible industrial practices can essentially be divided into two categories, namely the direct and the indirect.

DIRECT

Direct health conditions have been documents to be on the rise as a direct result of the use of fossil fuels. A perfect example of this may be the increased asthmas rates in areas with high smog indices. Even the mildest case of asthma can deteriorate respiratory capacity over time and leave breathing seriously diminished with unimproved air quality. The continuous release of chlorofluorocarbons into the atmosphere has shown to increase ultraviolet light exposure by lowering our filtered sunlight. And as we are aware, this same ultraviolet light has been conclusively linked to skin cancer. It should come as no surprise that skin cancer cases in countries like South Africa and Australia, where the atmosphere is most affected is much higher than in other areas of our planet.

INDIRECT

Indirect industrial health consequences include those which can be attributed to old industrial infrastructure, including toxin exposure to employees. Workers in oil refineries, for instance, have been proven to have a much higher chance of developing mesothelioma, which is a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure, than those fortunate enough to work in cleaner industries. Even though asbestos was banned in the 1970s for most uses there are several refineries and factories that continue to use equipment manufactured in the pre-ban years which expose workers to cancer causing asbestos fibers.
We see then, that there is a clear advantage to improvement of industrial environmental standards, implementation of sustainable energy policies and healthier environmental attitudes for the health of the planet and of the world’s population.

Return to Oooh Baby Green Living and Parenting Ideas to read more about the need for improvement of industrial environmental standards.

Dangers of Baby Slings

I am announcing my intentions to ignore the dangers of baby slings that I have seen mentioned in various consumer reports recently. Being a cautious person by nature, I take each and every study that comes out very seriously and have the utmost respect for the integrity of said reports and the professionals who oversee and conduct them. However, this time I’m taking a few grains of salt with the results of the baby sling report.

For those who are considering this valuable attachment parenting device, the study states that in a time frame of the past five years there have been at least four babies who died from being carried in baby slings. And there are even more reported incidences of injuries to babies’ heads, skull fractures and bruises and contusions.

Most of the problems occurred when the babies tumbled out of the sling. To that, I have to reply that I have carried three (soon to be four) newborns in ring slings and have not had one fall out of the carrier yet! I do not jog, cook or do aerobics while carrying an infant in a sling. The moments are rare when my arms have not been wrapped around my babies when they are inside the sling carrier or wrap. It is my opinion that perhaps the dangers of baby slings have more to do with learning the lack of skill and common sense of the user than the danger of using a sling.

The study goes on to say that there are no safety standards for baby slings and I agree that since many moms believe it's alright to make your own baby sling using free patterns that they find on the internet that there is room for error. But again, in my opinion, that fact alone doesn’t make them dangerous.

The truth is that any squirming baby can wiggle out of your arms if you are not careful. I’m not telling anybody to take risks when parenting their babies. But, a little common sense goes a long way when assessing the dangers of baby slings.

By all means pick a safe baby carrier with a good track record and before you put your baby in any stroller, carrier or swing; learn how to use the thing. The same dangers of baby slings apply to any kind of baby gear, gadget or seat. Practice with a baby doll, read the owner’s manual and learn how to use the belts, straps and restraints before using the product with a real infant. And perhaps the best advice I can give to new mothers is to never allow yourself to become distracted by anything when caring for your baby. Make a solemn vow to not let anything short of a nuclear explosion pull your attention away because in my experience, the little sweethearts know the exact moment that you are not watching and will take that opportunity to injure themselves or their siblings. And nothing is worth sacrificing the safety of your precious child.

Return to Oooh Baby Baby Parenting and Environmental Issues to see more of my opinions on expert studies.

OPINIONS ON HOUSEHOLD NECESSITIES POLL

I saw a story about how American families’ opinions of what they considered to be basic household necessities had change significantly since the year 2006. The report seemed to focus on appliances and a few h not so necessary household items atellite television and microwaves, not the bare essentials.

Some of the report’s findings were encouraging to me as they indicated a rise in green living practices. As an example, 16% (or somewhere close to that number) of the people polled said they didn’t’ consider clothes dryers to a necessity. This number is considerably higher than the number reported in 2006.

The most disturbing and probably misleading number was associated with dishwashers. The number of people who consider dishwashers to be unimportant rose significantly. People, the reason dishwashers have fallen off of the list of household necessities is not because of a rise in green living practices and above all it does not indicate that family members have suddenly taken a shine to washing and drying dishes the old fashioned way.

What this finding may indicate is the amount of junk and fast food that families are eating. If you shop for meals at the local drive-through restaurant, there’s no need to wash the dishes or the environmentally unfriendly Styrofoam containers. I admit to feeling a tingle of excitement over the number of moms hanging their organic cotton baby diapers on an outdoor clothesline, but the thought of losing the happy chuckle of the dishwasher filled with dirty dishes after a home cooked family dinner is disturbing.

Return to Oooh Baby Family, Parenting and Environmental Issues to see more opinionated rants and raves from Claire.

THE GOOD SIDE OF RECESSION

Don’t attack me when I tell you that there is a good side of a recession. And no, I’m not one of the executives of AIG that got a huge bonus for poor performance. I’m just a frugal stay at home mother who has watched families buy carloads of unnecessary stuff that was bought on credit for years and who is now watching those same people drowning in debt with a FOR SALE or a FORECLOSED sign in the front yard of their homes.

The upside of hard times is that it brings out the "we can do it" attitude that makes America such a great place. Excess has made us fat, lazy and according to the rest of the world, very difficult to love and respect. Oh, and let’s not ignore that many resorted to less than admirable tactics to mound up cash to float their unrealistic, wasteful lifestyles. I wonder if this is the reason that I hear some say that we needed a recession?

Whether it was needed or not, there are difficult times ahead. Anybody who thinks that the economy is going to be fixed overnight is delusional or may be privy to a method of debt reduction that probably would not hold up under close legal scrutiny. For those of us who like to live on the right side of the law, difficult times call for tightening the belt, trimming the fat and working on a frugal household budget or under the worst of conditions, asking for assistance.

One good side of recession is not only the fact that an economic slowdown might give our planet a much needed cooling off period, but that many libraries are reporting a 30 percent and better increase in their book circulation and an approximate 20 percent increase in patrons overall. Nobody wants to lose a job, their home or be without sufficient food and clothing. But when searching for positives in a sea of negative news the fact that our children may be reading more might produce a generation of kids who are competitive in the world’s job market of the future and if we had to suffer a recession to get the job done maybe we will have learned a valuable lesson.

Return to Oooh Baby Baby Parenting and Environmental Issues for more comments on the positive side of recessions.