Change of pace, folks...
I'm taking a small mini-break from saving the world, and attacking huge chemical companies, like an Erin Brokovich wannabe, to take part in the Blog This Challenge. (I'm still working on Part 2, I promise.) I know you are all waiting with baited breath ;-)
So, the Blog This challenge is to list 50 things....whatever you want, really. So, just for fun, here's 50 things about Yours Truly, that may surprise you...Or may not.
1. I used to be a bouncer. Yes, really! No, I'm not big and butch. No, I'm not a black belt, although people assumed I was. I did not correct their assumptions. Naturally!! I survived for 2 years, in one of the roughest areas of NSW (according to the crime stats), and only got punched in the face once, by accident. But after two years, I was pretty much over dealing with drunk people, and dropkicks trying to hit on me at 4am in the morning.
2. I am multi-lingual. Alright, maybe I'm stretching it a teensy little bit. I figure multi-lingual is way more impressive than saying "I can speak basic Spanish, and conversational Tongan".
3. My birthday is on New Years Eve. It's not as glamourous as it sounds.
4. As a child, I lived in a tin shed. Yep. Really. A true-blue, fair dinkum Aussie tin shed, with curtains for doors, and a cement floor. In the beginning we had no power, no telephone, and no hot water. But before you start feeling sorry for me, what I remember about that tin shed, is how cosy and warm it was in Winter with a wood fireplace. How the rain sounded on the roof. How my mum used to warm up the water in the old copper for our bath. And the time my Nanna came to visit and almost died with fright when she discovered a mouse in her bed.
5. When I was small, I was a tomboy. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm still a tomboy. I would much rather scream myself hoarse at the football, then giggle over coffee.
6. I come from convict stock. There are a couple in the family tree, but the one I know most about - John Tough Finch, was in the English army. His wife was having their first baby, and the army wouldn't let him have leave to go to her, so he ran away. They charged him with stealing an army uniform.
He never got to see his wife or the baby son again. After he earned his freedom in Australia, he eventually re-married, and had several children.
No-one has ever been able to find out what happened to the wife, or the baby boy that was left behind.
7. As a kid, my ambition was to be a waitress. I cannot think why. I found out it wasn't that much fun after all, when I was getting paid $5 an hour, complained at by cranky customers, and being lectured to, in Greek, by my boss.
8. I am a thief. When I was in Year 3, I stole this purple and pink heart-shaped eraser from the girl that was sitting next to me in class. I had coveted that eraser for ages. I still have it. And I still feel bad about it.
9. I play the piano by ear. I can read music, but my best music comes when I just make it up as I go along.
10. I absolutely, completely, unreservedly detest peas. My mum tried in vain to make me like them. When I was visiting other people's houses I flicked them under the table when no-one was looking. But my mum was onto me. I couldn't do that at home. I wasn't allowed to leave the table until I ate them. Sometimes I sat there all afternoon, trying various methods, like putting them inside bread, or mashing them into my potato, to make them edible.
It goes without saying that peas are not allowed in my home.
11. I got my first marriage proposal (of sorts) when I was 16. It didn't live up to my girlhood fantasies. The proposer was an Iraqi guy, in his early 30's, that worked in the kitchen of the takeaway shop, where I also worked. I may have flirted with him, on occasion, because I was sixteen and stupid...
It went something like this:
Him: I go and talk to your father.
Me: Why?
Him: I tell your father we get married.
Me (in shock): What?!?!?!?!
Him: Yes, we get married.
Me: Noooooooo. I'm only 16!!
Him: No matter. My sister back home is same age. She already married with two babies.
Me (starting to panic): But...I can't. My dad won't let me...
Him: It's alright. I talk to your dad.
Me (panicking even more. All I could think about was that I'd be in trouble off my dad): No! Don't talk to my dad! Please!
I thought it was my fault, because I had flirted with him, so I was too scared to tell anyone.
What I know now, that I didn't back then, is that my dad is a wise man, and would have quickly put that whippersnapper in his place.
Nevertheless, I lived in terror, until the day, my boss sacked him, when he found out he'd been harrassing me.
12. I have been chased by an emu. Twice actually. It sounds funny, but it's not. They have big, beady eyes, and sharp beaks, and they make this angry drumming noise in the back of their throat. I have never run/ridden my bike, so fast in all my life.
13. My brother is a paraplegic. He was an adventurous spirit. Travelled the Simpson Desert. Rode the top end on a motorbike, and worked as a wild bull-catcher in the Kimberleys. But it wasn't until he came home to the farm, that he had a motorbike accident, in which he broke his back, and had to be airlifted to Sydney. I'll never forget that time. He spent months and months in physiotherapy learning how to do things that you and I take for granted.
He had just turned 22. That was nearly 9 years ago, and he is just as humorous and get-up-and-go as he's always been. He invented a device so he could drive the tractor with his hands, built a lifter so he could get up into the tractor, bought his own farm, got married, and now has a little boy. I love him to bits.
14. My first crush was on a boy called Brook. It lasted about 3 years (What can I say? I'm stubborn. I don't give up easily.) At the time, I analysed every glance, and every movement. But looking back, I'm pretty sure he was blissfully unaware of my very existence. He still is.
15. I can sing harmonies.
16. I personally know the Princess of Tonga. True story! Her husband is next in line to the throne. This is my one claim to fame. Unless you count the fact that I have met Adam Brand. And Wendell Sailor. Do they count???
17. I never played with dolls. Except for when my cousin came to visit. She always wanted to play "Mothers and Fathers". I had to be the father, because I was taller. (Naturally.)
18. I ran away when I was 16. (This was some time before the marriage proposal incident). I met a boy. I fell in love. Madly, madly head over heels in love. I could not be without him. When he moved away to start a new job, I went too.
I travelled 700 kms before my parents managed to track me down, and take me home. It was a traumatic and life-changing experience for me, and it broke my heart. It broke my mum and dad's hearts, too.
19. I have never had a bleeding nose. Not even a trickle.
20. It has taken me 28 years to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
21. I cannot stand snakes. They petrify me. I regularly have nightmares, mostly involving a snake chasing me, or a pit of writhing snakes surrounding my bed. Ugggghhhhh.
22. I used to play rugby. I know. You totally think I'm big and butch. I'm totally not. But I can run fast. I played winger and blind-side flanker, and loved it. I hope to play again when my boys get a bit older.
I was lucky enough to have a fantastic coach, that taught all of us women how to tackle so you'll bring down even the biggest of opponents. I'm pleased to say that I can tackle as well as any bloke. I could teach some of these young whippersnappers a thing or two...
23. I think too much. It's a blessing and it's a curse. I always have lots of ideas. Some great. Some not so much. I often have trouble sleeping because I'm busy thinking about stuff. Sometimes it would be nice to flip the "Off" switch.
24. I was Dux of Year 12. I trust that you are all suitably impressed.
25. I want to be a healer. I dream of studying herbalism, homeopathy, kinesiology, and naturopathy, so I can heal people. I realise this means I will probably spend the rest of my life studying, but that's ok, because I love learning things. (I have an over-active brain, remember...)
26. I learnt to drive when I was about 10 years old. ( I lived on a farm remember. Farm kids practically start driving when they get out of nappies.) I learnt in an old bomb of a ute, with a sticky clutch and and a clunky gearbox. My dad - smart man that he is - told me that if I learnt to drive on that old ute, I'd be able to drive anything.
27. I hope I grow old like my Nanna. She's 82 years young, and still going strong. And my Grandad, whose also 82, refuses to retire from farming. Bless their cotton socks.
28. My first car was a 1976 Chrysler Galant. My friends promptly nicknamed her Poo, but I always maintain that she was bronze. She had real style, that girl. Wish I'd kept her...
29. I have not the slightest interest, whatsoever, in A.) golf B.) the fantasy or horror genres C.) designer fashion - I'm an op-shop kind of girl. D.) the technical side of computers.
30. My favourite colours are green and blue. Together.
31. I've had a vast amount of pets in my lifetime. They include: cats, dogs, fish, birds, kangaroos, pigs, a horse, lambs, calves, guinea pigs, and a mouse whose time on earth was rather shortlived, due to the aforementioned cats.
32. I hardly ever drink alcohol. Even when I was young and cutting up the dancefloors, I rarely drank. It's just not something I've ever been into. And even less so, now that I've become more health-conscious.
33. I hardly ever watch TV. I don't have time.
34. Being late makes me feel stressed. When I'm stressed I start to raise my voice.
35. I run my own small house and office cleaning business. It used to be a full-time business with 2 employees, but since I've had my youngest son, I've cut it waaaaaay back. I have learnt SO many things by going into business for myself.
36. I have a little crush on Denzel Washington. My favourite-est actor ever. Married (to the same woman!!) for 27 years....some kind of Hollywood record, maybe?? Son of a preacher man, to boot. Mind you, I felt slightly weird, when I realised recently, that he is old enough to be my father....but that quickly passed. Now I'm back to thinking....there's just something so spunky about him.
The only spunkier person is my husband. Of course :-)
37. As a child, I dreamed of adopting children, or fostering them. I still dream of doing just that.
38. I have been to Tonga four times. It is the most relaxing place on earth, and I adore it, and I adore the Tongan people.
39. I have struggled with depression. Especially in my late teens. I do not know where I would be, if I did not have writing, and two good friends who would not allow me to shut myself completely off from life.
40. I am a Christian. I was, and then I wasn't. But now I am. And I aint never going back. Because life without God in it, is not something I want to experience ever again. A life without faith, is unfinished.
41. I never drink coffee. And I rarely drink tea or hot chocolate.
42. I am a stepmother. I have 4 stepchildren, aged 17, 13, 12 and 10. And yes, I'm wicked. I make them eat broccoli, and take pocket money off them when they fight. I have found step-motherhood extremely challenging, and I have wrote about my experiences here.
43. I am an introvert. I do have my moments where I am loudmouthed and sociable, especially when in the presence of my family, but on the whole, I keep to myself. Mostly, I like my own company better than anyone elses. I like me!
44. I am naturally disorganised. I have great intentions, but my organising efforts always seem to go by the wayside after a while, and things end up all over the house. I blame my kids...
45. I once walked into a pole while checking out a cute guy in high school. My friends thought it was hilarious.
46. I am good at being creative, and coming up with ideas. I am not good at being organised. I am not good at working in a team - I like to get in and get things done, and I don't like having to rely on others. I am not good with fiddly, time-consuming jobs - they peeve me off, no end.
47. I was a nerd in high school. My mum made my clothes, and she made my pleated uniform skirt to finish just below the knee, when everyone elses finished above the knee. This was soon remedied by rolling the waistband up a couple of times.
48. I am a Sunday School teacher. I don't really feel this is my "calling", but I do the best I can.
49. I believe in spirits. I am convinced that I can feel the presence of my son Isaac, and my grandmother, sometimes.
The night I brought baby Judah home from hospital, the wind-chime thingy that hangs above his cot, was tinkling for about an hour. I thought it was strange, as the room was closed up and no air was circulating. In the morning, my four year old said that he had seen a ghost during the night. I asked him where, and he pointed to the wind-chime.
I like to think it was my first son Isaac, watching down over his new baby brother.
50. My commerce teacher was convinced that I would be Australia's first female PM. Sigh. Julia's beaten me to it.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The Sickness Industry. (Part 1)
This is one of the most important blog posts that I will ever write. It's a long one, but I beg you to read the whole lot. It could save your life one day, or that of your children.
I know I may lose followers over this, and may get all manner of criticism. I don't care. I know I'm doing the right thing. I can feel it in my gut.
Recently I wrote about an issue that had me so fired up, that I committed myself to taking it on as my mission. I am so angry about this, and by the time you're finished reading this post, I hope that you'll be just as angry...
I mentioned multi-national companies who were making outrageous profits, by making people unhealthy and keeping them sick, and you're about to find out how..
This first post is going to focus on our food, water, and personal care products.
Junk Food. Literally. Most people have no idea what they're eating. There are hundreds of preservatives, artificial colours, flavours, and additives polluting our bodies, but here's a couple that deserve an especially dishonourable mention:
MSG: If you think that MSG is only found in Asian food. Think again. This nasty stuff is in just about every aisle of the supermarket. Not just the 2-minute noodle flavour satchets, but in all savoury flavoured chips and crackers. Anything "chicken-flavoured" or "cheese-flavoured" or "BBQ flavoured", you can be sure it's in them. Those ready-made pasta mixes where you just add milk and water. Packet soup, and some tinned soup. Yep, did you know that? Go and check in your pantry. You're looking for any numbers between 621 and 627, on the ingredients list.
MSG is what's called an excitotoxin, because it causes excessive stimulation in the brain, and can lead to serious diseases. It has been shown to either cause, contribute to, or exacerbate: Parkinson's Disease, Cancer, Seizures, Vertigo, AIDS, Dementia, Brain Tumours, MS, Infections, Birth Defects, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Obesity, Lymphoma, Alzheimers Disease, Depression, Blindness, Epstein Barr Syndrome, Insomnia, PMS, Memory Loss, Diabetes, Asthma....just to name a few!!!
But it gets worse.
MSG is also in many other sources, so it doesn't show up on the ingredients list. For example, MSG is in yeast extract, Plant protein extracts( or hydrolyzed vegetable protein), often found in malt extract, bouillon broth,and the very ambiguous "seasoning", or "spices" or "natural flavouring". It's everywhere.
Aspartame. Found in "diet" drinks, chewing gum, "zero sugar" products, supplements, children's aspirin, and artificial sweeteners "NutraSweet", "Equal" or "Spoonful". May also be referred to as Additive 951.
Aspartame is one of those evil excitotoxins like MSG, but perhaps even worse. Some researchers labelled it's use in our foods as "one of the greatest public health scandals of the 20th century".
Each molecule of aspartame consumed, releases one molecule of methanole into the bloodstream, which converts into formaldehyde. Methanole is a cumulative toxin in the body, which means we don't excrete all of it, some of it stays in our body and continues to poison the nervous system. The symptoms can be very similar to Multiple Sclerosis, lupus, Alzheimers Disease, brain tumour, and some people are actually misdiagnosed with these diseases, when in fact, they have chronic methanol toxicity, from drinking too much Diet Coke, or similar.
It's ironic, that this insidious stuff is found in so-called "diet" food, when it is well-known that the formaldehyde, ends up being stored in fat cells, making it almost impossible to lose weight.
And to top it all off, it's addictive! Many people find it difficult, if not impossible to quit it, because of withdrawal effects.
If you are still not convinced that excito-toxins like MSG and aspartame are deadly, then have a read of "Sweet Poison" by Janet Starr-Hull.
Soy and it's by-products: What the?!?! Bet you weren't expecting that! Isn't soy supposed to be the healthy alternative? Well, Monsanto (the largest, richest chemical company in the world, which controls vast amounts of the world seed stock, much of which is either genetically modified, or they are trying to get permission to genetically modify it), and it's well-oiled marketing machine (or should that be propaganda-machine) would like you to believe it...Because they have millions of acres of soy crops growing, in the US alone, and they have to sell it somehow, don't they?
They have succeeded in making everyone believe that it is healthy, off the back of it's use in Asian cultures for centuries. What they conveniently forget to tell you, is that the Asian cultures have only ever eaten small amounts of soy, and most of what they do eat, has been fermented to remove the toxins.
(It may surprise you to learn that Westerners consume more soy than Asians do, because soy by-products are found in almost all of our packaged or processed food, and bread.)
Here's just a few reasons why soy is not all it's cracked up to be: Soy contains high levels of phytic acid, which prevents your body from assimilating essential nutrients, calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc and iron.
-Contains high levels of aluminium.
- Contains phytoestrogens, which mimic the female eostrogen hormone.
Please do not give your baby soy formula. A day's supply of formula is the eostrogenic equivalent of giving your child 5 birth control pills. Soy has been linked to early puberty in girls (sometimes as young as 5 years old), and slower development in boys, and increased levels of ADHD because of the high levels of manganese (it contains 80 times more manganese than breast milk).
Do you want to know how they make soy milk? First the beans are ground at high temperature, then any remaining oil is extracted using solvents. The ground meal is then mixed with alkaline, and sugar to remove fibre. Then it's separated using an acid wash. Government regulators say it's safe because only small amounts of the chemicals remain in the milk....But small amounts turn into large amounts if you're drinking soy all the time!!!
And as if that's not bad enough. Soy Lecithin, which is a by-product of soy processing (extracted from the toxic sludge that is left over, after extracting the oil from the bean) is put into so much of our food, including so called health foods, because it is cheaper than disposing of it properly.
For a truly frightening article on Monsanto and their GM soy, have a read here, and again here (Make sure you read all the way down, to the part about conflicting interests...)
Still not convinced? You can read more here, and here, and here.
Why is all this stuff allowed in our food???
Your guess is as good as mine, but it might have something to do with gutless governments letting multi-billion dollar industries do whatever they like (maybe in exchange, for some good old-fasioned "donations" to their political campaigns...) at our expense.
It's no wonder that experts are predicting the current generation of children will be the first generation to be outlived by their parents.
There's a great little book called "The Chemical Maze" by Bill Statham that has a comprehensive list of food additives, and cosmetic ingredients, and whether they are safe or not.
The fluoride in our water. "Yes, but we need that to keep our teeth healthy" I hear you cry. Pffft!!!!! That's what the chemical companies want you to believe...
Why is it that many elderly people living in remote islands where they still live on fish and plants, have beautiful white teeth, yet they have never even used a toothbrush in their life, let alone fluoride toothpaste or flouridated water???
Here's the really shocking secret: Before they started dumping it into our water supplies, sodium fluoride was used as an insecticide, a rodenticide (rat poison), herbicide (weed killer), and fungicide, used in nerve gas, and used in frosting and etching glass because of it's scouring ability.
This stuff is a poison, and it should not be in our water! It is KNOWN to cause cancer, genetic damage, neurological impairment, osteoporosis, fatigue, headaches, chronic fatigue, hair loss, depression, SIDS, Down's Syndrome, Thyroid dysfunction, learning disabilities, violence, eczema, urinary tract infections, and the list goes on and on.
In some parts of the world, calcium fluoride occurs naturally in the water, and it causes teeth to be extremely strong. But what they put into the water in most Western countries is not calcium fluoride, but silicofluorides which are toxic.
Some researchers claim that these silicofluorides come from the pollution scrubbers (used to control pollution) of industries. Instead of disposing of it properly, which would cost too much money, they sell it to cities to put into their water supplies. Clever, huh? Always got their eye on the bottom line...
For more reading, have a look here. I wish I lived in this guys electorate, so I could vote for him.
And lets not forget the fluoride in our toothpaste. One adult-size tube of toothpaste, has enough fluoride to kill a 12.5 kilogram child. I tell you, this stuff is toxic. How dare they put it into our water, without our consent.
IS ANYONE ELSE GETTING ANGRY YET???
The Ugly Side of the Beauty Trade: Did you know, that 89% of ingredients in personal care products have NOT been properly tested for safety? And yet, these same ingredients can be found in 99% of the products we are using on our skin, and therefore absorbing into our bloodstreams and our lungs.
Take Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), found in nearly all products that foam, including baby bath products and childrens shampoos, even though it is known to be a skin irritant, but even more disturbing - it is easily absorbed, and retained in the brain, heart, liver and eyes. It is otherwise used as an engine degreaser, garage floor cleaner, and in auto cleaning products, which just goes to show how harsh it is. It has no business being around our babies!!!
This degreasing action in shampoos, is what gives your hair that "squeaky-clean" feeling, because it strips away all the natural oils from your scalp and hair. Your scalp then works overtime to produce more oil, until you wash it again, and the whole process starts over.
This is the reason why, when many people try all-natural shampoos that do not contain chemicals and do not foam, they think that they're not working, because their hair still feels greasy. This is because your scalp has become used to over-producing oil because of the harsh chemicals found in most off-the-shelf shampoos. It can take up to 6 weeks for the scalp to adjust, and then you'll find the greasiness subsides.
But SLS is just one ingredient. There are more than 10,000 ingredients, and how do you know which is safe? For a list of common ingredients and their side-effects, see here. Or you can purchase the little book titled "The Chemical Maze" that I mentioned before.
I realise this is all a rude shock, if you are like me, and have always naturally assumed that government regulations would protect us from dangerous products, and ingredients that would harm us. Sad to say, this is not the case.
Labelling laws in Australia are so ineffective, that manufacturers are allowed to put "natural" on the label, because the ingredients started out as being natural. Never mind that they have been bleached, soaked, processed, preserved, so they are now toxic, and don't even remotely resemble anything natural at all.
And here's something for the ladies to think about. Those tampons and sanitary pads that look so white and pure. They look like that because they have been bleached in dioxin.
Dioxin is a carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemical, and has been linked to endometriosis, and other reproductive disorders.
My advice: pay extra for organic cotton personal care products, or invest in cloth pads or a diva cup.
The rule for cosmetics and personal care products is: If it's not safe to eat, then it's not safe to use on your skin...How many of the products in your beauty cabinet pass the test???
Manufacturers get away with it, by claiming that the amounts of chemicals are so small that they are harmless. That may be so, BY THEMSELF, but what happens when you add together all the chemicals in all your food, and water, and make-up, and hair products, and tanning products, and anti-perspirants, and suddenly the amount is not small at all. Add to that, possible dangerous interactions between chemicals, and your poor body is working itself to death (literally) trying to deal with all the toxins and poisons that are bombarding it.
***
Basically we are living in a chemical soup.
Is it any wonder then, that:
- Breast cancer rates have jumped by 50% in the last 25 years.
- Worldwide, an estimated 12.7 million new cancer cases are recorded each year. By the year 2030, that figure is expected to have risen to a whopping 21.4 million cases of cancer. The lowest rates are in Asia and Africa (Hardly surprising, really)
- Excema has increased by 40% in just four years (Excema is a sure sign that the body is struggling with toxins, and the liver cannot handle them. The body tries to push the toxins out through the skin.)
- Obesity is at epidemic levels. (If you are struggling with a weight problem - you cannot seem to lose weight no matter how hard you try, you may be interested to learn that the body, if it cannot excrete toxins, will store them in fat cells. Your body will also retain fluid to try and dilute those toxins, which further adds to your weight woes.
It is important to add here, that because everyone is different, not everyone that is overloaded with toxins, will have a weight problem. It may affect others differently: someone else might have acne, another person might sweat excessively, and his neighbour might suffer from high blood pressure, and so on, as the body tries to protect itself from toxic overload.)
I wonder how much violence, how many mental health issues, how much pain, how much suffering and heartache could be avoided if our governments did what they were meant to do, and protected their citizens. People should come before profits!!
So what are we to do about all this? First, educate yourself. Don't just assume that if it's on the shelf, then it must be safe. Become an ingredient detective. Even better, shun processed food, as much as humanly possible. Grow your own veggies. Learn how to cook from scratch. Buy a rain-water tank. Make your own beauty products.
Yes, it's time-consuming and inconvenient. But not as inconvenient as being sick and tired all the time. Not as inconvenient as cancer. Not as inconvenient as being dead before you get to meet your grandchildren.
If you are a parent (and even if you're not), I strongly recommend you take a read of this article: The Top 20 Things That are More Dangerous to Children, Than Lead Paint.
Educate yourself. It is the best health insurance that you'll ever get.
Stay tuned while I work on Part 2, which is possibly even more disturbing.
UPDATE: Part 2 is now available here. Please do have a read.
And Part 3 is now available here.
I know I may lose followers over this, and may get all manner of criticism. I don't care. I know I'm doing the right thing. I can feel it in my gut.
Recently I wrote about an issue that had me so fired up, that I committed myself to taking it on as my mission. I am so angry about this, and by the time you're finished reading this post, I hope that you'll be just as angry...
I mentioned multi-national companies who were making outrageous profits, by making people unhealthy and keeping them sick, and you're about to find out how..
This first post is going to focus on our food, water, and personal care products.
Junk Food. Literally. Most people have no idea what they're eating. There are hundreds of preservatives, artificial colours, flavours, and additives polluting our bodies, but here's a couple that deserve an especially dishonourable mention:
MSG: If you think that MSG is only found in Asian food. Think again. This nasty stuff is in just about every aisle of the supermarket. Not just the 2-minute noodle flavour satchets, but in all savoury flavoured chips and crackers. Anything "chicken-flavoured" or "cheese-flavoured" or "BBQ flavoured", you can be sure it's in them. Those ready-made pasta mixes where you just add milk and water. Packet soup, and some tinned soup. Yep, did you know that? Go and check in your pantry. You're looking for any numbers between 621 and 627, on the ingredients list.
MSG is what's called an excitotoxin, because it causes excessive stimulation in the brain, and can lead to serious diseases. It has been shown to either cause, contribute to, or exacerbate: Parkinson's Disease, Cancer, Seizures, Vertigo, AIDS, Dementia, Brain Tumours, MS, Infections, Birth Defects, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Obesity, Lymphoma, Alzheimers Disease, Depression, Blindness, Epstein Barr Syndrome, Insomnia, PMS, Memory Loss, Diabetes, Asthma....just to name a few!!!
But it gets worse.
MSG is also in many other sources, so it doesn't show up on the ingredients list. For example, MSG is in yeast extract, Plant protein extracts( or hydrolyzed vegetable protein), often found in malt extract, bouillon broth,and the very ambiguous "seasoning", or "spices" or "natural flavouring". It's everywhere.
Aspartame. Found in "diet" drinks, chewing gum, "zero sugar" products, supplements, children's aspirin, and artificial sweeteners "NutraSweet", "Equal" or "Spoonful". May also be referred to as Additive 951.
Aspartame is one of those evil excitotoxins like MSG, but perhaps even worse. Some researchers labelled it's use in our foods as "one of the greatest public health scandals of the 20th century".
Each molecule of aspartame consumed, releases one molecule of methanole into the bloodstream, which converts into formaldehyde. Methanole is a cumulative toxin in the body, which means we don't excrete all of it, some of it stays in our body and continues to poison the nervous system. The symptoms can be very similar to Multiple Sclerosis, lupus, Alzheimers Disease, brain tumour, and some people are actually misdiagnosed with these diseases, when in fact, they have chronic methanol toxicity, from drinking too much Diet Coke, or similar.
It's ironic, that this insidious stuff is found in so-called "diet" food, when it is well-known that the formaldehyde, ends up being stored in fat cells, making it almost impossible to lose weight.
And to top it all off, it's addictive! Many people find it difficult, if not impossible to quit it, because of withdrawal effects.
If you are still not convinced that excito-toxins like MSG and aspartame are deadly, then have a read of "Sweet Poison" by Janet Starr-Hull.
Soy and it's by-products: What the?!?! Bet you weren't expecting that! Isn't soy supposed to be the healthy alternative? Well, Monsanto (the largest, richest chemical company in the world, which controls vast amounts of the world seed stock, much of which is either genetically modified, or they are trying to get permission to genetically modify it), and it's well-oiled marketing machine (or should that be propaganda-machine) would like you to believe it...Because they have millions of acres of soy crops growing, in the US alone, and they have to sell it somehow, don't they?
They have succeeded in making everyone believe that it is healthy, off the back of it's use in Asian cultures for centuries. What they conveniently forget to tell you, is that the Asian cultures have only ever eaten small amounts of soy, and most of what they do eat, has been fermented to remove the toxins.
(It may surprise you to learn that Westerners consume more soy than Asians do, because soy by-products are found in almost all of our packaged or processed food, and bread.)
Here's just a few reasons why soy is not all it's cracked up to be: Soy contains high levels of phytic acid, which prevents your body from assimilating essential nutrients, calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc and iron.
-Contains high levels of aluminium.
- Contains phytoestrogens, which mimic the female eostrogen hormone.
Please do not give your baby soy formula. A day's supply of formula is the eostrogenic equivalent of giving your child 5 birth control pills. Soy has been linked to early puberty in girls (sometimes as young as 5 years old), and slower development in boys, and increased levels of ADHD because of the high levels of manganese (it contains 80 times more manganese than breast milk).
Do you want to know how they make soy milk? First the beans are ground at high temperature, then any remaining oil is extracted using solvents. The ground meal is then mixed with alkaline, and sugar to remove fibre. Then it's separated using an acid wash. Government regulators say it's safe because only small amounts of the chemicals remain in the milk....But small amounts turn into large amounts if you're drinking soy all the time!!!
And as if that's not bad enough. Soy Lecithin, which is a by-product of soy processing (extracted from the toxic sludge that is left over, after extracting the oil from the bean) is put into so much of our food, including so called health foods, because it is cheaper than disposing of it properly.
For a truly frightening article on Monsanto and their GM soy, have a read here, and again here (Make sure you read all the way down, to the part about conflicting interests...)
Still not convinced? You can read more here, and here, and here.
Why is all this stuff allowed in our food???
Your guess is as good as mine, but it might have something to do with gutless governments letting multi-billion dollar industries do whatever they like (maybe in exchange, for some good old-fasioned "donations" to their political campaigns...) at our expense.
It's no wonder that experts are predicting the current generation of children will be the first generation to be outlived by their parents.
There's a great little book called "The Chemical Maze" by Bill Statham that has a comprehensive list of food additives, and cosmetic ingredients, and whether they are safe or not.
The fluoride in our water. "Yes, but we need that to keep our teeth healthy" I hear you cry. Pffft!!!!! That's what the chemical companies want you to believe...
Why is it that many elderly people living in remote islands where they still live on fish and plants, have beautiful white teeth, yet they have never even used a toothbrush in their life, let alone fluoride toothpaste or flouridated water???
Here's the really shocking secret: Before they started dumping it into our water supplies, sodium fluoride was used as an insecticide, a rodenticide (rat poison), herbicide (weed killer), and fungicide, used in nerve gas, and used in frosting and etching glass because of it's scouring ability.
This stuff is a poison, and it should not be in our water! It is KNOWN to cause cancer, genetic damage, neurological impairment, osteoporosis, fatigue, headaches, chronic fatigue, hair loss, depression, SIDS, Down's Syndrome, Thyroid dysfunction, learning disabilities, violence, eczema, urinary tract infections, and the list goes on and on.
In some parts of the world, calcium fluoride occurs naturally in the water, and it causes teeth to be extremely strong. But what they put into the water in most Western countries is not calcium fluoride, but silicofluorides which are toxic.
Some researchers claim that these silicofluorides come from the pollution scrubbers (used to control pollution) of industries. Instead of disposing of it properly, which would cost too much money, they sell it to cities to put into their water supplies. Clever, huh? Always got their eye on the bottom line...
For more reading, have a look here. I wish I lived in this guys electorate, so I could vote for him.
And lets not forget the fluoride in our toothpaste. One adult-size tube of toothpaste, has enough fluoride to kill a 12.5 kilogram child. I tell you, this stuff is toxic. How dare they put it into our water, without our consent.
IS ANYONE ELSE GETTING ANGRY YET???
The Ugly Side of the Beauty Trade: Did you know, that 89% of ingredients in personal care products have NOT been properly tested for safety? And yet, these same ingredients can be found in 99% of the products we are using on our skin, and therefore absorbing into our bloodstreams and our lungs.
Take Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), found in nearly all products that foam, including baby bath products and childrens shampoos, even though it is known to be a skin irritant, but even more disturbing - it is easily absorbed, and retained in the brain, heart, liver and eyes. It is otherwise used as an engine degreaser, garage floor cleaner, and in auto cleaning products, which just goes to show how harsh it is. It has no business being around our babies!!!
This degreasing action in shampoos, is what gives your hair that "squeaky-clean" feeling, because it strips away all the natural oils from your scalp and hair. Your scalp then works overtime to produce more oil, until you wash it again, and the whole process starts over.
This is the reason why, when many people try all-natural shampoos that do not contain chemicals and do not foam, they think that they're not working, because their hair still feels greasy. This is because your scalp has become used to over-producing oil because of the harsh chemicals found in most off-the-shelf shampoos. It can take up to 6 weeks for the scalp to adjust, and then you'll find the greasiness subsides.
But SLS is just one ingredient. There are more than 10,000 ingredients, and how do you know which is safe? For a list of common ingredients and their side-effects, see here. Or you can purchase the little book titled "The Chemical Maze" that I mentioned before.
I realise this is all a rude shock, if you are like me, and have always naturally assumed that government regulations would protect us from dangerous products, and ingredients that would harm us. Sad to say, this is not the case.
Labelling laws in Australia are so ineffective, that manufacturers are allowed to put "natural" on the label, because the ingredients started out as being natural. Never mind that they have been bleached, soaked, processed, preserved, so they are now toxic, and don't even remotely resemble anything natural at all.
And here's something for the ladies to think about. Those tampons and sanitary pads that look so white and pure. They look like that because they have been bleached in dioxin.
Dioxin is a carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemical, and has been linked to endometriosis, and other reproductive disorders.
My advice: pay extra for organic cotton personal care products, or invest in cloth pads or a diva cup.
The rule for cosmetics and personal care products is: If it's not safe to eat, then it's not safe to use on your skin...How many of the products in your beauty cabinet pass the test???
Manufacturers get away with it, by claiming that the amounts of chemicals are so small that they are harmless. That may be so, BY THEMSELF, but what happens when you add together all the chemicals in all your food, and water, and make-up, and hair products, and tanning products, and anti-perspirants, and suddenly the amount is not small at all. Add to that, possible dangerous interactions between chemicals, and your poor body is working itself to death (literally) trying to deal with all the toxins and poisons that are bombarding it.
***
Basically we are living in a chemical soup.
Is it any wonder then, that:
- Breast cancer rates have jumped by 50% in the last 25 years.
- Worldwide, an estimated 12.7 million new cancer cases are recorded each year. By the year 2030, that figure is expected to have risen to a whopping 21.4 million cases of cancer. The lowest rates are in Asia and Africa (Hardly surprising, really)
- Excema has increased by 40% in just four years (Excema is a sure sign that the body is struggling with toxins, and the liver cannot handle them. The body tries to push the toxins out through the skin.)
- Obesity is at epidemic levels. (If you are struggling with a weight problem - you cannot seem to lose weight no matter how hard you try, you may be interested to learn that the body, if it cannot excrete toxins, will store them in fat cells. Your body will also retain fluid to try and dilute those toxins, which further adds to your weight woes.
It is important to add here, that because everyone is different, not everyone that is overloaded with toxins, will have a weight problem. It may affect others differently: someone else might have acne, another person might sweat excessively, and his neighbour might suffer from high blood pressure, and so on, as the body tries to protect itself from toxic overload.)
I wonder how much violence, how many mental health issues, how much pain, how much suffering and heartache could be avoided if our governments did what they were meant to do, and protected their citizens. People should come before profits!!
So what are we to do about all this? First, educate yourself. Don't just assume that if it's on the shelf, then it must be safe. Become an ingredient detective. Even better, shun processed food, as much as humanly possible. Grow your own veggies. Learn how to cook from scratch. Buy a rain-water tank. Make your own beauty products.
Yes, it's time-consuming and inconvenient. But not as inconvenient as being sick and tired all the time. Not as inconvenient as cancer. Not as inconvenient as being dead before you get to meet your grandchildren.
If you are a parent (and even if you're not), I strongly recommend you take a read of this article: The Top 20 Things That are More Dangerous to Children, Than Lead Paint.
Educate yourself. It is the best health insurance that you'll ever get.
Stay tuned while I work on Part 2, which is possibly even more disturbing.
UPDATE: Part 2 is now available here. Please do have a read.
And Part 3 is now available here.
Friday, June 18, 2010
How to Get Kids to Eat Their Vegetables...
I know all you switched-on mamas out there will already have this down pat. But silly me! I'm a bit of a slow learner, and I've only just figured it out.
And no, it doesn't involve making cauliflower puree to hide in my cheesy macaroni. It's so much easier!! In fact, it's so easy it's almost laughable...
For quite a while now, I've suspected that my four-year-old son might be reacting to certain things in foods. MSG for one. And possibly artificial colourings. And sugar. My husband assured me that his boisterous-ness and noisiness were all normal for a boy. (But he would say that, because he wasn't at home all day, trying to deal with said boisterousness, and noisiness. And besides, the kid has a remarkable way of behaving himself in the presence of Dad.....Funny that.)
Every week, I set off to the grocery store with great intentions, thinking this would be the week we would really cut out all the junk from our diet. But then there would be a great deal on crackers, or biscuits, or frozen pizza and I would think "I better get some, just in case I don't have time to cook, and I don't have anything for snacks, or dinner". (Just what their marketing department wanted me to think, I imagine.)
And of course...the "just in case" snacks, and convenience food all got eaten first, because they looked so much better than mum's cooking, and because, well...because it's easy to jib out of cooking dinner sometimes, when you know you can pull out a box of frozen fish fingers.
So, every week, I had to stock up on more "just in case" food, because my last stash of "just in case" food had been devoured during the week.
But last week, I got to reading about some of the things that go into our food, and truly, it's frightening. I decided I just had to go cold turkey. No more irresistable junk in the cupboard.
My son was horrified when he discovered that the only things that were going into the trolley, were fresh fruit and veg, and meat, and some staples. I think he started having withdrawals, at the mere thought of having to live off mum's cooking.
The first few days, there were a lot of complaints and general whining, about there being "nothing to eat". But I started to notice that he'd settled down a lot. He started to look through my cookbooks, picking out things he wanted me to cook. AND he started to eat his vegetables. He's not silly. He knew there was nothing else coming, if he didn't eat them.
The change has been so dramatic, that a couple of days ago when he was bouncing off the walls, I knew immediately he'd eaten something he shouldn't have. The hubby had a guilty look on his face, and confessed he'd given him some lollies at the shops.
It makes me wonder how much bad behaviour at school, and at home, making parents tear their hair out, is, in fact, caused by the food they're eating. I recently volunteered at my son's preschool, and at morning snack time, every single child in that class had packaged food, full of sugar and other unmentionable stuff. Including my son. Despite the school having a "Healthy Eating Policy".
That poor teacher. No doubt, for the next hour she was run ragged dealing with hyperactive kids.
Anyway, the moral to the story is....if you want your kids to eat vegetables, just get rid of all the other (more appealing) options, and they'll soon come around :-)
And no, it doesn't involve making cauliflower puree to hide in my cheesy macaroni. It's so much easier!! In fact, it's so easy it's almost laughable...
For quite a while now, I've suspected that my four-year-old son might be reacting to certain things in foods. MSG for one. And possibly artificial colourings. And sugar. My husband assured me that his boisterous-ness and noisiness were all normal for a boy. (But he would say that, because he wasn't at home all day, trying to deal with said boisterousness, and noisiness. And besides, the kid has a remarkable way of behaving himself in the presence of Dad.....Funny that.)
Every week, I set off to the grocery store with great intentions, thinking this would be the week we would really cut out all the junk from our diet. But then there would be a great deal on crackers, or biscuits, or frozen pizza and I would think "I better get some, just in case I don't have time to cook, and I don't have anything for snacks, or dinner". (Just what their marketing department wanted me to think, I imagine.)
And of course...the "just in case" snacks, and convenience food all got eaten first, because they looked so much better than mum's cooking, and because, well...because it's easy to jib out of cooking dinner sometimes, when you know you can pull out a box of frozen fish fingers.
So, every week, I had to stock up on more "just in case" food, because my last stash of "just in case" food had been devoured during the week.
But last week, I got to reading about some of the things that go into our food, and truly, it's frightening. I decided I just had to go cold turkey. No more irresistable junk in the cupboard.
My son was horrified when he discovered that the only things that were going into the trolley, were fresh fruit and veg, and meat, and some staples. I think he started having withdrawals, at the mere thought of having to live off mum's cooking.
The first few days, there were a lot of complaints and general whining, about there being "nothing to eat". But I started to notice that he'd settled down a lot. He started to look through my cookbooks, picking out things he wanted me to cook. AND he started to eat his vegetables. He's not silly. He knew there was nothing else coming, if he didn't eat them.
The change has been so dramatic, that a couple of days ago when he was bouncing off the walls, I knew immediately he'd eaten something he shouldn't have. The hubby had a guilty look on his face, and confessed he'd given him some lollies at the shops.
It makes me wonder how much bad behaviour at school, and at home, making parents tear their hair out, is, in fact, caused by the food they're eating. I recently volunteered at my son's preschool, and at morning snack time, every single child in that class had packaged food, full of sugar and other unmentionable stuff. Including my son. Despite the school having a "Healthy Eating Policy".
That poor teacher. No doubt, for the next hour she was run ragged dealing with hyperactive kids.
Anyway, the moral to the story is....if you want your kids to eat vegetables, just get rid of all the other (more appealing) options, and they'll soon come around :-)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
90 Days of Kindness
I was reading about the 90 Days of Kindness Challenge over at Along for The Ride, and was trying to think what area in my life could use some kindness.
Then I read this post on marriage, and it got me to thinking...
When was the last time I publicly complimented my husband or spoke glowingly about him in front of others?
Answer: I can't remember when. Actually I can't think of the last time I complimented him. Period.
When was the last time I went out of my way to show kindness (love) to my husband?
Answer: I was pregnant with our youngest son. I wrote him a letter, listing all the things that I loved about him, and put it in the pocket of his work-jacket. That was a year ago.
See how life gets busy, and you keep thinking that tomorrow, you'll make time for the people you love? They know you love them already, right? They know that you would, if you could, don't they?
Of course. I have a myriad of excuses. (Don't we all?) Looking after small kids is tiring. I don't have the energy. I'm busy trying to do right by my family, and cooking all my own food. That's time-consuming. Then there's my important mission that I'm terribly fired up over. And lets not forget the all-important blogging.
So much to do, so little time!
The thing is...sometimes the way we spend our time, doesnt always match what we say is important to us...
I believe that a healthy, loving, stable marriage is one of the greatest gifts I can give to my children.
But do my actions reflect that belief?
I guess not.
But all that's about to change! I'm taking on this 90 Days of Kindness challenge, and my husband is going to be thepoor sod, er, lucky recipient of my attentions.
Every day, for 90 days, I will go out of my way to show kindness to my husband. Every day I will write down in my diary what I have done.
There's no point in my complaining about how un-romantic my husband is, when I am making no effort myself. It's time for me to be the change I want to see, in my marriage.
Then I read this post on marriage, and it got me to thinking...
When was the last time I publicly complimented my husband or spoke glowingly about him in front of others?
Answer: I can't remember when. Actually I can't think of the last time I complimented him. Period.
When was the last time I went out of my way to show kindness (love) to my husband?
Answer: I was pregnant with our youngest son. I wrote him a letter, listing all the things that I loved about him, and put it in the pocket of his work-jacket. That was a year ago.
See how life gets busy, and you keep thinking that tomorrow, you'll make time for the people you love? They know you love them already, right? They know that you would, if you could, don't they?
Of course. I have a myriad of excuses. (Don't we all?) Looking after small kids is tiring. I don't have the energy. I'm busy trying to do right by my family, and cooking all my own food. That's time-consuming. Then there's my important mission that I'm terribly fired up over. And lets not forget the all-important blogging.
So much to do, so little time!
The thing is...sometimes the way we spend our time, doesnt always match what we say is important to us...
I believe that a healthy, loving, stable marriage is one of the greatest gifts I can give to my children.
But do my actions reflect that belief?
I guess not.
But all that's about to change! I'm taking on this 90 Days of Kindness challenge, and my husband is going to be the
Every day, for 90 days, I will go out of my way to show kindness to my husband. Every day I will write down in my diary what I have done.
There's no point in my complaining about how un-romantic my husband is, when I am making no effort myself. It's time for me to be the change I want to see, in my marriage.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Conquering the Jelly Slice
So, in honour of my Creative Cooking Challenge, I dug out a packet of jelly crystals, and decided to have a go at making jelly slice.
But first there's a story behind the jelly slice.
My very first real boyfriend dumped me after 6 months of "going out" (I was a pimply, opinionated 15 year old at the time), and before I had dried my eyes, he had hooked up with some other girl, slightly older, whose family happened to know my family. It all seems slightly dodgy to me, but let us not get side-tracked from the real story.
This other girl did not even have one pimple, and to top it off, she was an absolute whizzkid in the kitchen. She churned out upside-down-pineapple cakes, and, her crowning glory - jelly slice. I had never even managed to make jelly, let alone jelly slice. At every social occasion, there she was, basking in the compliments about how her jelly slice was just the most delicious thing ever. And I was sitting in the corner, feeling as big as an ant. Eating jelly slice.
It goes without saying, that, until I set my affections onto another member of the male species, I was beside myself, with pimple-envy, and culinary-envy.
Ever since then, I have coveted that jelly slice. Not the boyfriend, you understand. The jelly slice. Just so we're clear.
So, I thought it was high time to break the spell of the jelly slice. It was time for me to take back my power, regain my self-esteem....blah, blah, blah.
And, to my delight, the jelly slice actually turned out.
Okay. So perhaps not quite as perfect as the-whizzkid-with-no-pimples, but still...Not too shabby for a first attempt.
(And there's more....This slice is special. I even made the condensed milk from scratch! So there.)
I was so excited by this culinary triumph, I almost considered not letting anyone eat it, just so as I could continue to admire my handiwork, but then I relented.
Hubby said: "Mmmm. This is the best thing you've ever made".
Four year old said: "This is so delicious Mum! I want some more".
Bless their little hearts.
And in other domestic news, this evening I attempted to do my first iron-on patch to mend hubby's clothes. It didn't really go to plan. (Have I mentioned I'm not very domesticated?)
I was busy imagining how hubby would be feeling some pleased with himself, after getting jelly slice, and his clothes mended, all in the one day(!!), that I forgot to read the instructions properly. The bit where it says "Not suitable for nylon material".
Oh, well. Guess you can't win 'em all....
But first there's a story behind the jelly slice.
My very first real boyfriend dumped me after 6 months of "going out" (I was a pimply, opinionated 15 year old at the time), and before I had dried my eyes, he had hooked up with some other girl, slightly older, whose family happened to know my family. It all seems slightly dodgy to me, but let us not get side-tracked from the real story.
This other girl did not even have one pimple, and to top it off, she was an absolute whizzkid in the kitchen. She churned out upside-down-pineapple cakes, and, her crowning glory - jelly slice. I had never even managed to make jelly, let alone jelly slice. At every social occasion, there she was, basking in the compliments about how her jelly slice was just the most delicious thing ever. And I was sitting in the corner, feeling as big as an ant. Eating jelly slice.
It goes without saying, that, until I set my affections onto another member of the male species, I was beside myself, with pimple-envy, and culinary-envy.
Ever since then, I have coveted that jelly slice. Not the boyfriend, you understand. The jelly slice. Just so we're clear.
So, I thought it was high time to break the spell of the jelly slice. It was time for me to take back my power, regain my self-esteem....blah, blah, blah.
And, to my delight, the jelly slice actually turned out.
Okay. So perhaps not quite as perfect as the-whizzkid-with-no-pimples, but still...Not too shabby for a first attempt.
(And there's more....This slice is special. I even made the condensed milk from scratch! So there.)
I was so excited by this culinary triumph, I almost considered not letting anyone eat it, just so as I could continue to admire my handiwork, but then I relented.
Hubby said: "Mmmm. This is the best thing you've ever made".
Four year old said: "This is so delicious Mum! I want some more".
Bless their little hearts.
And in other domestic news, this evening I attempted to do my first iron-on patch to mend hubby's clothes. It didn't really go to plan. (Have I mentioned I'm not very domesticated?)
I was busy imagining how hubby would be feeling some pleased with himself, after getting jelly slice, and his clothes mended, all in the one day(!!), that I forgot to read the instructions properly. The bit where it says "Not suitable for nylon material".
Oh, well. Guess you can't win 'em all....
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Courage and Conviction
This is going to be a very long and difficult post, while I try to sort myself out. And terrifying. Because once I "say" it, I can't take it back.
Over the last year, or so, I've had these vague feelings that there is something I'm meant to do. A mission. Something important.
This feeling would come and go, and tug on my conscience, but I could not work out, what it is I'm meant to do.
I wondered about it, I prayed about it, but still no answer seemed to come. I even sat up for hours one night, doing Steve Pavlina's How to Discover Your Life Purpose exercise. I felt like I came close a few times, but never really nailed it.
I told myself, that I am a mother, and what could be more important, than being a mother. Isn't that enough?
But still this feeling persisted.
In recent weeks, there have been so many signs, and the answer has become very, very obvious.
And it's so utterly, overwhelmingly, terrifyingly big. Thistask mission undertaking calling. Mind-boggling.
I hardly know where to start.
After doing some digging around, and listening to people who are far wiser than I, it has become obvious, that there are unspeakable injustices going on, in our world, and the vast majority of people have no idea it's happening.
Everywhere I look, people are suffering, and as always, children are suffering the most, while their mothers agonise over what they've done wrong. It breaks my heart, every time I think about it.
Somebody has to do something!!
I have struggled over this. Why not leave it up to people who are more educated and have more connections than I do? Why me?? But the answer always comes back: Why not me???
Evil prevails when good men do nothing.
So. This gigantic, monumental task. It involves campaigning for reforms. Pushing for people to come before profits. That sounds easy enough. Right? Right. Except that there are parties who don't want these reforms to see the light of day. And these parties, happen to be giant multi-national companies, with budgets that are bigger than some countries have. And if that's not enough to contend with, these hulking great monstrosities, also control nearly all the media. And that's not all. They "donate" billions of dollars every year, to universities and research programs, to further their own agendas, and have their "evidence" taught as truth.
It involves asking society to see things differently, when we have been conditioned to see it only one way.
It may also involve taking on studies. In fact, it may mean, spending the rest of my life studying, so that I can help people on a more personal level.
It will put me in direct opposition with the industry I used to work in.
At some point I may be referred to, as the crazy cat lady (which by the way, is my description for being slightly loony. I'm not overly fond of cats.). And if being loony means caring enough to put myself out there, then so be it.
It all seems so...impossible, but I have to believe. I have to believe, that if this conviction, this passion, was put in me, then somehow I'll be able to see it through. I have to believe that the right people will come across my path. If they haven't already...
Do I believe that those giant multi-national companies can be brought to justice? Maybe. But probably not. Money speaks all languages, and they have too many friends in high places. But thats not the point. I am not interested in revenge. I am interested in healing. I am interested in spreading awareness. I am interested in pushing for change in the "system".
I realise this all sounds very confusing. I promise it will make sense, in time. I may not post about this issue for a while, until I have something concrete to show you. Meanwhile, I will be trying to link up with others who are speaking out about these things.
And just for an extra shot of courage, here's something to cheer myself up. From that courageous man, who stood by his convictions, and managed to topple an evil regime, otherwise known as Apartheid:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves: who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure about you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." (Nelson Mandela)
Over the last year, or so, I've had these vague feelings that there is something I'm meant to do. A mission. Something important.
This feeling would come and go, and tug on my conscience, but I could not work out, what it is I'm meant to do.
I wondered about it, I prayed about it, but still no answer seemed to come. I even sat up for hours one night, doing Steve Pavlina's How to Discover Your Life Purpose exercise. I felt like I came close a few times, but never really nailed it.
I told myself, that I am a mother, and what could be more important, than being a mother. Isn't that enough?
But still this feeling persisted.
In recent weeks, there have been so many signs, and the answer has become very, very obvious.
And it's so utterly, overwhelmingly, terrifyingly big. This
I hardly know where to start.
After doing some digging around, and listening to people who are far wiser than I, it has become obvious, that there are unspeakable injustices going on, in our world, and the vast majority of people have no idea it's happening.
Everywhere I look, people are suffering, and as always, children are suffering the most, while their mothers agonise over what they've done wrong. It breaks my heart, every time I think about it.
Somebody has to do something!!
I have struggled over this. Why not leave it up to people who are more educated and have more connections than I do? Why me?? But the answer always comes back: Why not me???
Evil prevails when good men do nothing.
So. This gigantic, monumental task. It involves campaigning for reforms. Pushing for people to come before profits. That sounds easy enough. Right? Right. Except that there are parties who don't want these reforms to see the light of day. And these parties, happen to be giant multi-national companies, with budgets that are bigger than some countries have. And if that's not enough to contend with, these hulking great monstrosities, also control nearly all the media. And that's not all. They "donate" billions of dollars every year, to universities and research programs, to further their own agendas, and have their "evidence" taught as truth.
It involves asking society to see things differently, when we have been conditioned to see it only one way.
It may also involve taking on studies. In fact, it may mean, spending the rest of my life studying, so that I can help people on a more personal level.
It will put me in direct opposition with the industry I used to work in.
At some point I may be referred to, as the crazy cat lady (which by the way, is my description for being slightly loony. I'm not overly fond of cats.). And if being loony means caring enough to put myself out there, then so be it.
It all seems so...impossible, but I have to believe. I have to believe, that if this conviction, this passion, was put in me, then somehow I'll be able to see it through. I have to believe that the right people will come across my path. If they haven't already...
Do I believe that those giant multi-national companies can be brought to justice? Maybe. But probably not. Money speaks all languages, and they have too many friends in high places. But thats not the point. I am not interested in revenge. I am interested in healing. I am interested in spreading awareness. I am interested in pushing for change in the "system".
I realise this all sounds very confusing. I promise it will make sense, in time. I may not post about this issue for a while, until I have something concrete to show you. Meanwhile, I will be trying to link up with others who are speaking out about these things.
And just for an extra shot of courage, here's something to cheer myself up. From that courageous man, who stood by his convictions, and managed to topple an evil regime, otherwise known as Apartheid:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves: who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure about you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." (Nelson Mandela)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
9 Things I've Had to Learn The Hard Way
Three days ago, I didn't even know what a "meme" was. And now, here I am, starting one on my own blog. Cheeky little upstart, that I am...
Anyway. Whatever.
This meme is titled "Things I've Learnt the Hard Way". At the bottom of this post, I'm going to tag 3 people, to carry on the meme on their blogs. And hopefully they'll marvel over what a clever creature I am, and write their own post on the subject, then tag another 3 people to go next.
That's the theory, anyway.
(If you don't know what on earth a meme is; Google it, silly!! That's what I did...)
Anyhoo....this is a list of things I've had to learn the hard way. As in, reading-it-in-a-book-just-doesn't-cut-it. Lessons I've actually had to experience, before I could appreciate them for myself.
1. Women can't have it all. Forget that rubbish about women doing it all. You cannot work, be a sweet, kind mother, cook delightful meals, be on every committee, keep a spotless house, stay fit and healthy, AND keep your sanity. You simply cannot do it!!
I believe that women can do anything, if they set their mind to it. I just don't believe they can do everything.
You will either a.) turn into a stressed-out old hag, with no friends or B) turn into a stressed-out old hag with no friends.
End of story.
2. Motherhood is painful. No. I don't mean giving birth. Well, I mean that was painful. But...oh you know what I mean!! Motherhood hurts. It hurts your heart. It hurts to see your children hurting. It hurts when someone doesn't want to be friends with your child. It feels like someone has their big hands around your heart, and squeezing it for dear life. Even when it's in the best interests of your child, it still hurts.
And that's not all! It doesn't even have to be your own child. Any kid in pain will do it!!
3. It's okay to be ordinary. When I was young and thought I knew everything, I had great plans, of how I would change the world, be a super-successful businesswoman, save the orphans. I scoffed at the idea of marrying, having children, and settling into the suburbs. Boring!!
Now, I find myself married, with children, and living in the suburbs....and I'm okay with it. I am ordinary, and I'm okay with that, too.
I'm never going to be the smartest, the richest, the prettiest, or the fastest. But I'll always be trying-my-bestest!!
There are ordinary people all over the world, raising their children and teaching them well, spreading kindness, helping others less fortunate, and never getting their name up in lights for their troubles.
Forget money, it's ordinary people who make this world go 'round.
5. Credit cards are not for the faint-hearted. Hubby and I thought we were being really smart, by setting up an interest offset account, then living off our credit cards, and paying them off at the end of each month. That was the theory, anyway.
What was not very smart, was failing to do up a very thorough budget, first. Zero balance, quickly turned into a $9000 balance, and somehow that ended up as a $19,000 balance. Duh!!!! Expensive lesson learnt....
6. Marriage is not all beer and skittles. My parents never argued in front of their kids. I just assumed I would do the same...Turns out, it's one tough gig!! Despite my husband being one of the good guys, there are occasions when he makes me soooo mad, I want to kick a hole in the wall.
Hubbster recently confessed that sometimes, when he is watching tv, and I am rattling around in the kitchen, he wonders if he should put his helmet on...
In my defense...I have never been so undignified as to throw plates around. However, I do find bashing and clashing the dishes as loudly as possible, to be quite satisfying. Sort of like a Mum's-not-happy alert.
7. Computers and kids doth not a good combination make... Leaving a glass of water on top of the computer desk was not my brightest idea. Especially since a two year old terror, could reach it, if he climbed onto the bed first. Therein was the demise of my first laptop.
Luckily, I took it to some whizzkid, who was able to salvage all the files off it.
Less than 12 months later, I agreed to let me stepson use my computer. Unbeknownst to me, he was visiting some questionable "free games" sites. You know this is going to end badly, don't you?
The next time I went to use my computer, I turned it on. Nothing. Blank screen. Restarted. Still nothing. Twiddled with it. Shook it. Thumped it. Cursed it.
Still nothing.
That was the demise of my second computer.
And worse, much worse than that. I had not bothered to back anything up. Everything was lost. Ten months of MYOB business book-keeping, 60 hours of music, hundreds of photos, and countless other documents, were wiped out, and this time, no whizzkid could salvage anything.
8. You can't put an old head onto young shoulders. I always thought it was strange to hear my dad, in his 50's, say that he would never go back to being 21 again. I wondered if he was really just trying to convince himself, that aging is not so bad after all.
But I actually think I know what he means. And more than that. I agree!!! Lord, don't never send me back to 21 again, please. Oh, the stupid things I have done. Mind you, they didn't seem stupid at the time. They seemed like the height of wisdom.
What was I thinking?!?!
All those losers that I dated.....What was I thinking??!?!
Paying for everything, because the aforesaid losers had "forgotten" their wallets.....What was I thinking?!?!?
Running away with a boy I barely knew.....What was I thinking?!?!?
The list goes on. And on. And ON....What in the blazes was I thinking?
9. God loves me. You're thinking, what a strange thing to add. This has been one of the toughest lessons to learn.
I was brought up to believe that God loved me. My head knew it, but my heart did not.
Then I went through some hard, hard experiences. One after the other. Painful and bitter. And I railed against God. Who did He think He was? I questioned Him. Why, why, why???
I fought with Him. I fought against Him.
And finally. When all the anger, and frustration, and bitterness, and grief, had passed. Finally He answered my question.
Why? Because He loves me.
Not because I am a sinner and I needed to be punished. Not because He didn't care. Not because I wasn't good enough.
No, because He loves me. Because He wanted me to grow wiser, stronger, kinder, gentler. He wanted me to become more than I was.
And I did.
The worst experiences of my life, have been some of the best things that have ever happened to me.
***
After much deliberation, I've chosen to tag: 1 Million Dollar Challenge: the journey of a SAHM, with a goal of becoming a millionaire before she turns 30, Give Love. Get Love; This is one of my more recent discoveries. A creative soul, trying to be the change she wants to see in the world. And Brenda at Mummy Time because she's awesome :-) I love how she is "almost grown-up". Kind of like me really. (Check out her FlogYoBlog Fridays, and Aussie Mummy Bloggers network).
Make it funny. Make it serious. You don't have to list 9. Do as many or as little as you like. It's all yours...
Anyway. Whatever.
This meme is titled "Things I've Learnt the Hard Way". At the bottom of this post, I'm going to tag 3 people, to carry on the meme on their blogs. And hopefully they'll marvel over what a clever creature I am, and write their own post on the subject, then tag another 3 people to go next.
That's the theory, anyway.
(If you don't know what on earth a meme is; Google it, silly!! That's what I did...)
Anyhoo....this is a list of things I've had to learn the hard way. As in, reading-it-in-a-book-just-doesn't-cut-it. Lessons I've actually had to experience, before I could appreciate them for myself.
1. Women can't have it all. Forget that rubbish about women doing it all. You cannot work, be a sweet, kind mother, cook delightful meals, be on every committee, keep a spotless house, stay fit and healthy, AND keep your sanity. You simply cannot do it!!
I believe that women can do anything, if they set their mind to it. I just don't believe they can do everything.
You will either a.) turn into a stressed-out old hag, with no friends or B) turn into a stressed-out old hag with no friends.
End of story.
2. Motherhood is painful. No. I don't mean giving birth. Well, I mean that was painful. But...oh you know what I mean!! Motherhood hurts. It hurts your heart. It hurts to see your children hurting. It hurts when someone doesn't want to be friends with your child. It feels like someone has their big hands around your heart, and squeezing it for dear life. Even when it's in the best interests of your child, it still hurts.
And that's not all! It doesn't even have to be your own child. Any kid in pain will do it!!
3. It's okay to be ordinary. When I was young and thought I knew everything, I had great plans, of how I would change the world, be a super-successful businesswoman, save the orphans. I scoffed at the idea of marrying, having children, and settling into the suburbs. Boring!!
Now, I find myself married, with children, and living in the suburbs....and I'm okay with it. I am ordinary, and I'm okay with that, too.
I'm never going to be the smartest, the richest, the prettiest, or the fastest. But I'll always be trying-my-bestest!!
There are ordinary people all over the world, raising their children and teaching them well, spreading kindness, helping others less fortunate, and never getting their name up in lights for their troubles.
Forget money, it's ordinary people who make this world go 'round.
5. Credit cards are not for the faint-hearted. Hubby and I thought we were being really smart, by setting up an interest offset account, then living off our credit cards, and paying them off at the end of each month. That was the theory, anyway.
What was not very smart, was failing to do up a very thorough budget, first. Zero balance, quickly turned into a $9000 balance, and somehow that ended up as a $19,000 balance. Duh!!!! Expensive lesson learnt....
6. Marriage is not all beer and skittles. My parents never argued in front of their kids. I just assumed I would do the same...Turns out, it's one tough gig!! Despite my husband being one of the good guys, there are occasions when he makes me soooo mad, I want to kick a hole in the wall.
Hubbster recently confessed that sometimes, when he is watching tv, and I am rattling around in the kitchen, he wonders if he should put his helmet on...
In my defense...I have never been so undignified as to throw plates around. However, I do find bashing and clashing the dishes as loudly as possible, to be quite satisfying. Sort of like a Mum's-not-happy alert.
7. Computers and kids doth not a good combination make... Leaving a glass of water on top of the computer desk was not my brightest idea. Especially since a two year old terror, could reach it, if he climbed onto the bed first. Therein was the demise of my first laptop.
Luckily, I took it to some whizzkid, who was able to salvage all the files off it.
Less than 12 months later, I agreed to let me stepson use my computer. Unbeknownst to me, he was visiting some questionable "free games" sites. You know this is going to end badly, don't you?
The next time I went to use my computer, I turned it on. Nothing. Blank screen. Restarted. Still nothing. Twiddled with it. Shook it. Thumped it. Cursed it.
Still nothing.
That was the demise of my second computer.
And worse, much worse than that. I had not bothered to back anything up. Everything was lost. Ten months of MYOB business book-keeping, 60 hours of music, hundreds of photos, and countless other documents, were wiped out, and this time, no whizzkid could salvage anything.
8. You can't put an old head onto young shoulders. I always thought it was strange to hear my dad, in his 50's, say that he would never go back to being 21 again. I wondered if he was really just trying to convince himself, that aging is not so bad after all.
But I actually think I know what he means. And more than that. I agree!!! Lord, don't never send me back to 21 again, please. Oh, the stupid things I have done. Mind you, they didn't seem stupid at the time. They seemed like the height of wisdom.
What was I thinking?!?!
All those losers that I dated.....What was I thinking??!?!
Paying for everything, because the aforesaid losers had "forgotten" their wallets.....What was I thinking?!?!?
Running away with a boy I barely knew.....What was I thinking?!?!?
The list goes on. And on. And ON....What in the blazes was I thinking?
9. God loves me. You're thinking, what a strange thing to add. This has been one of the toughest lessons to learn.
I was brought up to believe that God loved me. My head knew it, but my heart did not.
Then I went through some hard, hard experiences. One after the other. Painful and bitter. And I railed against God. Who did He think He was? I questioned Him. Why, why, why???
I fought with Him. I fought against Him.
And finally. When all the anger, and frustration, and bitterness, and grief, had passed. Finally He answered my question.
Why? Because He loves me.
Not because I am a sinner and I needed to be punished. Not because He didn't care. Not because I wasn't good enough.
No, because He loves me. Because He wanted me to grow wiser, stronger, kinder, gentler. He wanted me to become more than I was.
And I did.
The worst experiences of my life, have been some of the best things that have ever happened to me.
***
After much deliberation, I've chosen to tag: 1 Million Dollar Challenge: the journey of a SAHM, with a goal of becoming a millionaire before she turns 30, Give Love. Get Love; This is one of my more recent discoveries. A creative soul, trying to be the change she wants to see in the world. And Brenda at Mummy Time because she's awesome :-) I love how she is "almost grown-up". Kind of like me really. (Check out her FlogYoBlog Fridays, and Aussie Mummy Bloggers network).
Make it funny. Make it serious. You don't have to list 9. Do as many or as little as you like. It's all yours...
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