Compare the price

As I said in the previous post, Shaklee has saved me a ton of money with their cleaning system. Here is a price comparison of a major in-store brand, a well known "enviromentally friendly" company, and Shaklee. You'll see why I say I save money. What's great about it is that I get the power and performance of the major brands minus the harsh perfumes and chemicals that irritate my skin, lungs, and eys, and I get the great and wonderful feel-good satisfaction of enviromental "activism"--if you will--as with the "Green" companies; with Shaklee it's all combined.

Click on the graphic to enlarge it.

Another Reason I ONLY use SHAKLEE!!!

Here we go: ANOTHER reason for my friends (you know, ANYone reading this) to join me in using SHAKLEE products. The "cleaners" I use have saved me tons of money, but this expense is one I hadn't thought too much about--the cost of a hospital trip and all the pain killers this poor little guy had to use. I have enjoyed the lack of obnoxious fumes that attack my lungs as with the average in-store products, I've liked the fact that one bottle of Basic H and Basic G lasts practically "forever", and I've had the comfort of knowing that when ingested Poisen Control said it was nothing to worry about (lets not be silly and decided to start serving it for a favorite beverage or anything though, ya know; however, you CAN wash your fruits and veggies with it), but I hadn't really put much thought on in not burning my children...BASIC H would have saved this poor little guy all the pain and agony he's suffered.

After reading this email I feel I need to take this opportunity to suggest, almost IMPLORE you to take a look at SHAKLEE's "GET CLEAN" system. http://www.shaklee.net/reginagarcia

There's a lot to be said for a company who has become the world's first Climate Neutral certified company, a company dedicated to the health of the enviroment as well as thier customers to the extent of ending production of a top selling product due to possible abuse by purchasers, a company willing to put its money where the CEO's mouth is by going without the profits of any product for a year because a crop of needed plants doesn't stand up to its high scrutiny even when other competing companies who buy from the same agricultural supplier continued to produce from that same crop...there's something to be said for SHAKLEE, go find out what it is.

You can read what happened to KOBY below and why I'm happy to know that I don't have to worry...I have nothing I need to through out.

The photo is of Kolby - 24 hours after being burned by a Magic Eraser sponge.. It was much worse the day before. Here is the email we received -one of my five year old's favorite chores around the house is cleaning scuff marks off the walls, doors, and baseboards with either an Easy Eraser pad, or the real deal, a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I rememberreading the box, wondering what the "Magic" component was that cleanedcrayon off my walls with ease. No ingredients were listed and absolutely no warnings were on the box, other than "Do not ingest."My package of the Scotchbrite Easy Erasers didn't have a warning either;and since my child knew not to eat the sponges and keep them out of reach of his little brother and sister, it was a chore I happily let him do. If I had known that both brands (and others like them) contain a harmful alkaline or "base" chemical (opposite of acid on the pH scale) that can burn your skin, I never would have let my little boy handle them. As you can see from the picture, when the Scotchbrite Easy Eraser was rubbed against his face and chin, he received severe chemical burns. At first, I thought he was being dramatic. I picked him up, put him on the counter top and washed his face with soap and water. He was screaming in pain. I put some lotion on his face - more agony. I had used a Magic Eraser to remove magic marker from my own knuckles a while back and I couldn't understand why he was suddenly in pain. Then, almost immediately, the large, shiny, blistering red marks started to spread across his cheeks and chin. I quickly searched Google.com for "Magic Eraser Burn" and turned up several results. I was shocked. These completely innocent looking white foam sponges can burn you? I called our pediatrician, and of course got sent to voice mail. I hung up and called the hospital and spoke to an emergency room nurse. She told me to call Poison Control. The woman at Poison Control said she was surprised nobody had sued these companies yet and walked me through the process of neutralizing the alkaline to stop my son's face from continually burning more every second. I had already, during my frantic phone calling, tried patting some numbing antibiotic cream on his cheeks, and later some Aloe Vera gel -both resulted in screams of pain. The Poison Control tech had me fill a bathtub with warm water, lay my son into it, cover him with a towel to keep him warm and then use a soft washcloth to rinse his face and chin with cool water for a continuous 20 minutes. My son calmed down immediately. He told me how good it felt. I gave him a dose of Tylenol and after the twenty minutes was up, he got dressed in his Emergency Room doctor Halloween costume and off we went to the hospital. They needed to make sure the chemical burn had stopped burning, and examine his face to determine if the burn would need to be debrided (from my fuzzy recollection of hospital work, this means removing loose tissue from a burn location). My son was pretty happy at the hospital, they were very nice and called him "Doctor" and let him examine some of their equipment. The water had successfully stopped the burning and helped soothe a lot of the pain. I'm sure Tylenol was helping too. They sent us home with more Aloe Vera gel, Polysporin antibiotic cream, and some other numbing creams. By the time we got home, my son was crying again. I tried applying some of the creams but he cried out in pain. Water seemed to be what worked the best. After a rough night, I took the above photo in the morning. He was swollen and wouldn't move his lips very much. The skin on his cheeks was taut.Today he is doing much better. The burns have started to scab over, and in place of red, raw, angry, skin we have a deeper red, rough healing layer. I can touch his skin now, without it stinging. If you are a parent or grandparent, this post is meant to save your loved ones from the horror these parents went through. Please share it with other parents, grandparents, babysitters, aunts and uncles ~ anyone you know who spends time with kids.

Movie Woes

OK, can ANYone tell me WHY exactly it's so dang important to edify fornication and adultery, ignorant expressions filled with profanity, mockery of respectful and generalized good manners, and applause the intolerance of normal behavior as defined by the author and creator of this world and all the creatures herein? Why must I watch an otherwise decent movie with a nice story--maybe even a message of value, buried under a quagmire of filth and immorality? Is it really all that necessary for me to sit down with my children ready to enjoy a cute story and be assaulted with nudity and simulations of sexual encounters? Movies supposedly rated judiciously and cautiously to protect young viewers are filled with “just a bit” of violence, “just a little” profanity, and “only a few” scenes of sex or nudity. It’s utterly frustrating. Why are we advertising for our children the ridiculous notion that “free love”, openly uncommitted body bouncing is the best we can do, why the mockery o f self-respect and value, why the celebration of degradation??? I don’t understand it!!!

I watched a moving the other night where a young man brings home the woman he thinks he wants to marry, she chooses not the sleep in the same bed with him under his mother’s roof, and is jeered BY THE MOTHER who’s character claims the choice to be RIDICULOUS…yes, ridiculous. No, this girl isn’t coming to dinner wearing her great-grandmother’s underwear on her head holding tightly to the worn and torn fuzzy blanket she had growing up and sucking her thumb…no, it isn’t something “ridiculous” at all…it was the minimal thing this woman could do to show an ounce of respect to self and the family; however, instead of any type of approval, this action is shunned and ridiculed.

Today, I watched a movie that appeared to be a great movie about mother/daughter relationship wrapped in comedy. Yes, well, it was laughable alright! Mother and daughters comparing sexual exploitation, belittlement of a young woman NOT mopping up the town with her undergarments, and then the scintillating adoration of her moving along with TWO intimate relationships at the same time…the only redeeming thing about the movie is the credits. I was so disappointed. This story could have been told, with most of the same jokes, minus devaluing virtue. We did not need to see a beautiful young woman act like her otherwise high standard for life had little or no worth for her body…she, in essence, became a tourist site…she, being a rare and beautiful work of art was reduced to a piece of cheap costume jewelry one would find carelessly thrown into an old box and placed on a folding table to be rifled through in a yard sale…for what purpose?? She was hurt and left alone due to the actions so celebrated by society’s clamoring self-indulgent 30-second microwave dogma.

It’s just so tiring.

This weekend we brought home a beautiful movie, well written, well executed; yet, even this children’s movie honored the heresy of non-committed unfiltered idealization of fornication. Why in the world do we portray for children the wonderful happiness and bliss of things study after study have proven do NOT bring lasting joy, do NOT bring security, and only mockingly falsify love?

Let me clear here; this isn’t the ranting of a prude. I have no problem openly and blatantly talking about sexual relations, intimacy, body parts, etc…I’ve been known to talk about sex, say the words: uterus, vagina, and penis in church; however, it’s never with utter or ignorant disrespect.

I’m not shuttered or shut down by the mere placement of the subjects within a storyline; it’s the irreverence, the recklessness, the bold-faced deception of it all. The worst part of it all was that in two of these movies it was the MOTHER who was encouraging the foolishness…and sadly, the mother in both movies was played by a woman I had once held high regard for.

There really isn’t much a family can watch together, the standards are barely higher for entertainment of families than it is for wanton degenerates.

September 11

Today is a very heavy, yet hopeful, day. My mind is set on remembering the horrific scenes my eyes witnessed on the television of the attack on America in New York City, the visions of the Pentagon, and the stories of the Flight in Pennsylvania. My heart aches again for the families of all those amazing people who died...and my mind ponders the obvious miracle having had taken place by the intended numbers of death in the two targeted areas being substantially lower by thousands. How could anyone forget?

I've watched memorials on DVD of the Healing Fields all over the country where flags are flying, standing upright and boldly waving for freedom in the name of each and every American brother and sister who past through the veil of life into the eternities with their maker.

Today, I'm humbled to think that my husband, knowing the battle ahead, still felt led to stand up for our country, for freedom, for the people under the terrible and oppressed leadership of terroristic and lasciviousness, and for goodness when he could have understandably held back and changed his mind. I am SO PROUD of him! From the beginning 18 years ago in high school I have always considered him my hero...yeah, he really is my HERO...he’s a hero for you, too!

I am also humbled at the marvelous and compelling time and service of all the military wives, husbands, and families who unconditionally support their soldiers, airmen, marines, and seamen. I'm not as put together and selfless as they are...they are also heroes and heroines to me.

If you have the ability to visit a Healing Field near you, I HIGHLY encourage you to do so with your whole family.
Go.
Remember.
Feel.
Have Gratitude.
Become Edified.
Share in the Conviction.
Pick up the Cause.
Leave with Peace and Hope.
If you cannot visit one, go out to the Healing Field website and view the many photos...you'll be glad you did! www.healingfield.org

God Bless America!!!

BIG Lessons from Little Kids

Look what I found on MSN (ok, so I altered it a little bit and its mostly for "boys" but, in general, I think its a bunch of things we could all benefit from):

Big Lessons from Little Kids – MSN Lifestyle:Men

1. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Even when there's not a prize in the bottom of the box.
2. Sometimes it's best to be completely blunt with people, as you used to be with relatives who wanted you to do something embarrassing or tedious for a shiny quarter.
3. Asking questions is how you figure things out. Lots and lots of questions.
4. An older, wiser Gordie Lachance says in Stand By Me, "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12." Lachance is right. The trick is to try to be the friend you were when you were 12: fun-loving and loyal, with no strings attached.
5. Playing is work. Approach your downtime with all the seriousness of a 5-year-old with a secret treasure map.
6. Real guys don't dip their toes in the water. They jump right in.
7. Girls have cooties. Well, the ones you meet in certain bars do, anyway.
8. You hated it when a grown-up told you, "We'll see." It's still unacceptable. Don't say it yourself.
9. The only way to know how something works is to completely disassemble it. (This is still good advice when tackling a complex problem. Your plasma TV? Not so much).
10. There's a reason they don't give credit cards to 8-year-olds. You're supposed to save up money before you buy a new toy.
11. Your body was designed for throwing baseballs, shooting hoops, and jumping off diving boards and stuff. In the secret language of children, the word "fitness" doesn't exist. It's called "having fun."
12. Your world can be half-real and half-imaginary.
13. Homework blows. Bring work home with you and it'll ruin your night. And your marriage. And your family. And your life.
14. Too much of anything will give you a tummy ache.
15. If there's even the slightest doubt, hit the potty before you leave.
16. The coolest adults were the ones who took the time to listen to you. You still want to grow up to be a cool adult, right?
17. Treasure Island, Dracula: The best books are consumed after dark with a flashlight.
18. Use adrenaline as your drug of choice. You don't need beer, pot, or cigarettes to have a good time.
19. Kissing a girl on the cheek is a big deal. Kissing her lips is an even bigger deal.
20. Going after a target in the urinal makes the time whiz by.
21. Seeing a thunderstorm roll in is better than watching HDTV. And rain isn't something to curse, but to enjoy. Hurry up, before it clears.

Visitation Woes

So, there's a perk--or a positive--if you will, about children having visitation with another parent when you're remarried: time alone with your new spouse. It's sort of like having a long date every other weekend. But, it isn't so nice when it becomes an almost painful experience due to the fact the children do not want to go. My children want more than anything to spend time with their father, they've always looked forward to time with him--as they should. The problem is that their father lives with his parents and though my children love their grandparents very, very much, they just want time with their daddy. The trouble is that grandma and grandpa have kinda gotten the impression that the visitation is for THEM just as much as it is for daddy; not so. So, the children are frustrated becuase the fun grandparents have become something more of "step-parents" complete with lectures, consequences, and whatnot to degrees even more severe than daddy. This is a HUGE issue. I cannot seem to get grandma to understand that the children need their daddy to assure them of things, to give them the feeling of inclusion, the attention they're needing and seeking; grandma insists that they simply need to accept whatever daddy can do--or will do--whichever the case may be. True...this is true, BUT it isn't for HER to say. It's our job as parents to make sure our children feel our dedication to them, it's OUR job as parents to help our children understand the things that impede upon our time together and make a plan that they can count on to show our commitment. Children are little scientists: the proof is in the pudding and talk is cheap--just theories. Anyway, the children are a little torn--a lot torn; they want to go see dad but would rather stay here if they thnk the majority of their visit is going to be about grandma and grandpa rather than daddy.

Yesterday, it became clear that my children's grandparents think this whole visitation is equally about THEM as it is about parent and child. They are becoming hurt and offended with the children expressing a desire to be in DADDY'S focus and to have uninterupted time with ONLY daddy. In their inability to see past their own disappointment in NOT being the end-goal of the children's trek to their home, they--especially grandma--continue to push and talk and scold and lecture and on and on and on...about how dishonest they are in saying they don't get enough time with daddy and how terrible they're being.

Why can't they understand? Is there anyone who doen't know that an actual MOTHER and FATHER are THE MOST important two people in a child's life and that everyone else; including aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc..., pales in comparison? Why must they get angry? How can they not see that these children are craving their daddy and need to be supported? Why not meet the children where they are in their feelings, validate their feelings, and comfort them for their PERCEIVED losses espousing a sense of security and alligience and therefore conceiving a renewed desire to be them? I just don't get what's so dang hard about being an adult and seeing past you're own selfish feelings and do what the children need--they're children. It isn't a child's job to protect an adult's feelings, it's an adults duty to protect the child!

Every other weekend we go through this little song and dance about one or more of the children not wanting to go visit dad...not because they don't want to see dad but because if dad wants/needs to do something, grandma's all too available AND she simply cannot leave well enough alone; I guess she doesn't trust that her son can do a well enough job being a parent so she always has to put her 2 cents in--more like 5 million, but whatever.

This experience is difficult for Mark and I. Each Thursday and Friday of daddy's weekend we have to manuver through several requests not to take them. It's so hard. I don't want to force my children to be with people they don't want to be with. I know their father's family loves them to pieces. I can have some time alone with Mark...but with the knowledge of the love the other half has, the experience of seeing sad, disappointed, frustrated, sometimes angry faces; the only "perk" having my children away for 2 days is dramatically deminished.

A New Beginning

For the longest time I've been a Doula--professional childbirth support and education before, during, and after birth under the name, "TENDER MOMENTS Birth and Labor Support". I have taken time away due to the twists and turns life has thrown my way; many good, some not-so-much. I've decided to come back and really get into the business of serving women: after a ton of consideration, lots of thinking, lots of writing, thinking and praying I've decided to change my business name...it's still a tender moment, but now when a client hires any of my services she'll be coming to: A New Beginning with Regina. This suits me better for several reasons: it is a new beginning for me--Now and each time I serve; it's a new beginning for each client--good, bad, or indifferent, it's a new beginning; it can include my other love and passion--SHAKLEE, helping others find the freedom, the health, the chemical free cleaners, the savings of money, the life that I've found is truly a blessling and it lifts me up much like helping women to find their voice in childbith!

Mark has been helping my create a website...he's truly a blessing; a wonderful, fabulous, supportive partner!

I've also decided to launch a support group for Mothers: We'll be meeting in the Main Weber County library downtown Ogden on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 10:30am in the "CLASSROOM" downstairs beginning Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 AND we'll be meeting in the Southwest branch of the Weber County Library in Roy on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays at 10:30am in the "AUDITORIUM" beginning Saturday, September 22nd.

It's a support group, not a class...the goal is to be a place new moms--whether it's their firstborn or the 10th or any other number, can come had offer their experience and frustrations to help others and to receive hope and a network of friends. Ogden Regional once had a group like this; however, they ended it and now I feel the pull to offer something like to to the women in our community.