bubbelcat's Xanga

And this is why I don't trust big corporations...

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:06:22 GMT

when they claim to be "green" or environmentally friendly. This update is from the farm we buy our meat from.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT from JOEL If it looks like a duck . . . When industrial food magnates hire the best clever-speak grads, things may not be what they seem. In May 2007 Tyson received praise from foodies and launched a $70 million ad campaign touting its antibiotic-free chicken. Sounded like real progress for our side . . . NOT.

What the label actually said was "Raised Without Antibiotics." Under pressure from chicken competitors Perdue and Sanderson Farms, the USDA told Tyson in June 2008 it couldn't use the label anymore. Tyson was injecting the embryos before hatching with antibiotics, thus claiming the birds were "raised" without antibiotics.

Tyson has now sued the USDA for "arbitrarily and capriciously" calling its hand, arguing that "raised" means post-hatching, not pre-hatching. Tyson says the embryo is not part of the "raising" process. USDA says it is. Interesting ramifications. Does"raising" a child include pre-natal care? And if so, when does life begin? "Oh what a clever web we weave . . . ."

No doubt they charged extra for this "antibiotic free" chicken. I also recently learned that over 25% of nutritional supplements contain lead or mercury.

My daughter is going to bankrupt me

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:37:15 GMT

I swear that child can't EVER wait until the end of a season to have a growth spurt. So it is July 22. For all practical purposes it is mid-summer here and my darling 7 year old has outgrown both of her swim suits, the nice swim suits from LL Bean that we just bought in March when we went to Great Wolf Lodge. As my husband likes to remind me, it's not like we don't have 3 more daughters that can wear them.

Luckily it is swim wear sale time so I went on Lands End today and ordered her new swim shorts, a tankini top and a long sleeve rash guard for when it gets a little chillier. I also got her a cute Fair Isle sweater vest for less than $10, which breaks my 2008 rule of not buying any clothes new (for both environmental and monetary purposes) and which I have only broken for really, really, really great deals (like the $3 shirts and pants I got on sale at Sears for the kiddos). Oh, and the colonial outfits of course, but I wasn't likely to find that at the thrift store, lol!

I'm thinking maybe for Lent we will try not buying anything new (except underwear and bathing suits and food). I know people have done this before and it's a pretty cool experiment. Between Freecycle and thrift shops there really isn't much you can't get that you might actually need. Judging by people's trash (my neighbor just got an AWESOME sofa table "dumpster diving"!) I figure we have pretty much enough stuff in America that we could all probably go a full year without buying anything and just trading off (which come to think of it IS pretty much the point of Freecycle ) I guess I have a few months to think about this.

PS- Did you all know Lands End is owned by Sears? I discovered this when I went to return some clothes to Sears and noticed they have an in-store Lands End shop. I would have just driven out there to buy Ellie's new swim suit but it's not all that close and I figure with the price of gas I come out better just paying for shipping. I am a little annoyed that I couldn't find a free shipping code online. Just a hint: You should NEVER, EVER buy something on-line without googling for a free shipping code before you place your order!

My husband is the bomb!

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:27:06 GMT

While I'm waiting for the Harris Teeter list on The Grocery Game to update I thought I'd blog about my awesome DH!

We moved into our house 3 years ago. When we unpacked I noticed that some of CDs I had in the kitchen at the old house were missing. For 3 years I have looked for these CDs and refused to re-buy them because I just knew they would show up. What made it even more frustrating is that all of these CDs were new. I can't tell you how many boxes I've been through over the last 3 years. Well this morning Chris finally found them in a box with a bunch of computer stuff!

For the curious the missing CDs were:

Lionel Richie: The Definitive Collection

Smokey Robinson and The Miracles: 20th Century Masters

Stevie Wonder: The Definitive Collection

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: Best Of

Catholic Latin Classics: The Cathedral Singers and Richard Proulx

I have so many other things to blog about. My BFF and her family were here all last week and we had a blast. I will blog about that this week with pictures from DC and the Marine Corps Museum!

Another blog worthy event, yesterday we took the kids to the market fair at Claude Moore Colonial Farm. Ellie loved it so much she insisted on having a colonial dress and apron. Now I can't get her out of it, lol! Catherine got one too and they are both so precious in them. Now I need to find the American Girl book about the colonial period, it's Felicity I think. So I will blog about that later this week too with pictures.

Who knew Urgent Care could be so interesting!

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:00:24 GMT

The background: About a week ago I discovered what appeared to be a small pimple on my foot. I ignored it and it became 2 "pimples". I put Lotrimin on it for 3 days and it became 4 "pimples". Next I tried hydrocortisone for a few days, no help and my foot was becoming increasingly sore and hard to walk on. This morning I had convinced myself absolutely that I had contracted MRSA so when I went to see my mom I decided it was time to go to the Urgent Care clinic. Turns out I have planters warts, ewww! But that is not the interesting part.

My doctor was an Indian man, probably in his 50s or so. When I told him I had 5 children he said, "Good. You're doing your part." Later after giving me my diagnosis he said, "I want to explain what I meant when I said you're doing your part". He then began by telling me that America is a great country, the greatest country in the world and that I should be proud to be an American and I should be proud of my culture. He said he doesn't understand self hating American liberals (his description) who love people in Guantanemo Bay who would like to kill them more than they love their own country. He said it makes him happy to see Americans and immigrants in America who believe in democracy and freedom having large families because America is the ONLY western country that is currently still at or above population replacement rate and that will be, in his opinion, what keeps us from eventually becoming an Islamo-Facist nation. He strongly recommended that I read America Alone, which I will look for at the library next time I go.

So, that was much more than I expected from a trip to Urgent Care! And while I don't disagree with him, just look at where Europe is headed, it definitely caught me off guard, lol!

Prayers please

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:31:09 GMT

A friend and fellow mom of twins needs your prayers today. Her mother just passed away after a brief but devestating bout with a chronic illness. Even though they knew she was ill they had been told she would likely live for years so this was quite a shock. I'm sure any prayers you can spare for comfort and strength will be greatly appreciated.

I just had to post this because quite frankly....

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:49:27 GMT

this attitude scares the crap out of me. This is exactly what terrifies me about the prospect of an Obama presidency.

Background: This post is not my own. It is in response to an article in The Economist by a journalist named Reich.

Reich is a different story. I think you "have his number", Leslie. He
actually argues that since the interests of the child are separable from
those of the parents ( a premise worthy of lots of discussion), they (children)
should be a shared responsibility of the parents and the state. He
argues that no child should be the victim of despotism, even benign
despotism. I'd like to ask him, whose ethics does he want the state to
impose? Is it moral to initiate force against parents? To what extent
are children's interests separable? Maybe it increases with age?
Does letting the state represent children's interests sound like it
would even work? It hasn't so far, to the extent it exists.

The part in red should truly concern every parent in America. I am utterly gobsmacked that people actually believe this garbage. Thank the Lord for the HSLDA, truly.

HELP! Opinions needed please!

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:25:25 GMT

Is this dress appropriate for First Communion?

I like it because it is cotton and simple but pretty and not over the top, just my style, but I don't want Ellie to look like the class pauper either. I know her First Communion is nearly a year away but no loss in planning ahead.

All my Catholic peeps with kiddos 5+ y.o.

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:09:01 GMT

go to this site and order copies of this awesome resource for your kids, godkids, nieces, nephews and anyone other Catholic child you know. There needs to be at least 2000 orders for them to do a print run so spread the word! I've already ordered 5 for my kids and godkids. The best part is you don't have to pay now!

If you don't read this blog....

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:54:29 GMT

you HAVE to read this article.

Prayers please

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:08:10 GMT

for a friend of mine who is probably the most loving, giving, kindest spirited person I know. She just miscarried her baby at 14 weeks. This baby was a surprise blessing and just as they'd overcome the shock and morning sickness this.....

Also, MrsBigT's xanga just reminded me that we are rapidly approaching the 2 year anniversary of the death of Catholic author Regina Doman's little boy so if you could remember to throw in some prayers for her family too that would be great!