Pilkerriffic!Musings, ideas, and juicy links from a DEN STAR and MD LC member…

This is somewhat random, but I’ve been thinking- isn’t it funny that some of the progress we’ve made in the past 50 years or so is now being reversed?  Now, I’m not talking about everything.  Just some little things that I’ve noticed.  For example: Plastic bags.  Oh, they were so cool!  So convenient!  And now we are going back to using totes or sacks instead (or at least we should be!  I’m talking to you, lady at the grocery store with 20 plastic bags that you are going to throw out!).

When it comes to washing clothes, did you know that some estimates state that about 1/4 of our household energy usage comes from doing laundry?  Much of that is used to heat the water in the washing machine.  So now many people are going back to washing in cold water and hanging clothes out to dry.

With the recent emphasis on greener living, what other ways are you going “old school” to help our environment?  And how do we reconcile progress with environmental responsibility? 

Finally, I have found an article that confirms what I have said all along regarding allergies and diseases: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27brod.html?_r=1&em

We are TOO CLEAN!  All this antibiotic, antiseptic, antibacterial nonsense is doing us more harm than good!  Our bodies NEED to be exposed to viruses, germs, and bacteria so that we can build resistance to them.  But there are so many people out there telling us to wash, wash, wash; boil, avoid, sanitize!  I personally, think it has become a little crazy.

When I was pregnant with my first child, my former boss actually told me to avoid eating peanut butter while pregnant because the baby might become allergic.  Well, guess what I craved?  I couldn’t stomach lunchmeat, so I had a PB&J almost every day for lunch.  My doctor told me that was ridiculous- he said, “You drink water- is the baby going to be allergic to water?”  Yes, a simplistic argument, but he made his point.  Then, after she was born, everyone said, “Make people wash their hands before they touch her!  Don’t let other kids touch her!  Don’t take her out of the house until she’s 6 weeks old!”  RIDICULOUS!  I was encouraged, by all well meaning friends and relatives, to wash her clothes separately in special detergent, and boil her baby bottles, and boil water for her bottles, and boil any toys that fell on the floor, and wipe other toys with sanitizing wipes, and for gosh sake keep her away from other babies and kids.  Meh.  I basically ignored all that.  I used (gasp!) tap water to make her bottles, and let her crawl around on the ground, and took no special measures when it came to cleaning her toys or washing her clothes.  And the same goes for my second child as well.  And you know what?  May God bless them, they are two of the most healthy kids I know.  They both had some mild “allergy-type” issues when they were little- they both had reflux and were on Soy formula for a few months, but they grew out of it.

Now, what would I have done if they had major allergies?  I guess I would have different opinions, but as far as our experience goes, their exposure to everyday germs and possible allergens has made them healthier.  I think we need to rethink as a society our need for “extreme clean.”  I think a little dirt just might make us all a little healthier.

It’s that time of year again… the doldrum days after Christmas.  At least on the 26th you can joke around and say “Merry Day After Christmas!” and it’s mildly funny (okay, maybe not).  But when you hit the 27, 28th, 29th… it’s just sad. 

I had a fairly good Christmas this year, relatively speaking.  There is quite a bit of personal turmoil going on in my life, but at least for a few moments I was able to experience the joy of the season.  One of the highlights for me was the candlelight mass at the church where I work.  After communion, they turned out all the lights, and we all lit our candles, and sang “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night.”  The beautiful setting, the glow of the candles, looking around the church at the sea of lights and hearing one of my favorite songs… it was pure magic.  I think that was my Christmas “moment” this year.  You know when you think back to Christmases past, the memories that stand out in your mind?  Those are your Christmas “moments,” the things that make it really special for you.  (Note to self: Start keeping track of these moments; maybe I can gather enough of them and create the ultimate Christmas including every one…)

And then Christmas day is over, and the magic starts to fade.  At least it’s not as bad for me this year as in previous years.  I don’t know if it’s having two active children keeping me busy that keeps my mind off of it, or if I just wasn’t expecting that much out of this Christmas, so having a good one was enough to sustain me for a few extra days.

Each year, I wonder why this happens.  Why do we feel so bad?  Do other people feel this way, too?  I’m sure they must.  I can’t think of any other time of year filled with so much anticipation- and I guess all that buildup has to turn into letdown when the buildup is over.  I feel like we are at the bottom of a hill on a great roller coaster.  Right now, we are kinda stuck in a valley.  We need to do something fun to start pushing us up the hill, or we’ll never get enough momentum to get us through the dull, dreary days of January and February.

Merry day after day after day after Christmas! 

Yep, sad.