Profanity doesn't actually bother me much, and i think it can be used to express oneself at times in a way that is more challenging with less colourful language. But when people use a lot of profanity, to me it is often a sign of low socioeconomic status, perhaps lack of education, because it is a poor way to communicate one's feelings to use a lot, and it does portray one as rather illiterate in some way. But I have never had much of a problem with normal speech being peppered with ocasional swear words. Dh went through a phase a few months back where a friend who is a Franciscan monk mentioned to him that he swears a lot. Dh decided to stop swearing so much and he has, which has probably been better for the kids.

I dont even use soap, let alone hand sanitiser. We have one bar of soap for when we really need it, but none of us use soap usually. Dh does have a bottle of liquid soap he likes to use sometimes, but he is by far the most germ phobic of us all. I think exposure to germs is healthy, generally speaking- how else do our immunse systems get strong? However, if you have the flu, please don't come and cough and sneeze on me or in my vicinity- that's just rude. And if you have a stomach bug, let me know before sharing my lunch. But generally speaking? No, we don't disinfect anything much at all. Not even surfaces or floors. I use vinegar for the toilets. I guess it's due to all the swine flu hype. It all becomes government policy and common sense flies out the window.

I have also never found a forum as active as this one- it is quite unique. If these boards no longer existed, I guess I would find other online places to play, or do more housework, as others have said! Maybe both?

This just came in my inbox- cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20015982-10391695.html Family to Receive $1.5M+ in First-Ever Vaccine-Autism Court Award

~Raw yummilicious MILK chocolate (with no dairy)~ 2/3 cup cashews 2/3 cup agave (I use ½ a cup) 2/3 cup cacao butter 1-2 Tbsp mesquite powder 1 tsp. vanilla 4 Tbsp. pure raw cacao powder Liquify cacao butter in sun (it's hot enough today) or dehydrator or double boiler. In vitamix blend all of the above, and pour into molds or onto wax paper in dish or into ice cube trays. Freeze ,cut, and enjoy! The recipe is flexible- I added a bit of coconut oil last batch. I use ice cube trays. It could be made without a blender if you left out the cashews, but it would have a much stronger, less “milky†flavour. Here is another that I have used, but it is stronger and darker and too bitter for my kids, although I love it. Truly Raw Chocolate Ingredients for simple truly raw chocolate: 1/2 C whole peeled cacao beans, ground 1/4 C raw honey or raw agave syrup 1/8 C melted cacao butter (use coconut oil if not available) 1/8 C coconut oil Optional ingredients: 1 T almonds, finely chopped 1/4 cup raisins Celtic sea salt to taste 1 drop orange, lemon, clove, lavender or other essential oil Cinnamon to taste Preparation: Grind cacao until it is very fine. The cacao will have a consistency like raw almond butter and will stick to the sides of the grinder. Mix ground cacao with coconut oil or cacao butter in grinder. Remove mixture and add honey and other ingredients. Stir well with a fork. The mixture should be able to be poured. If not, add more coconut oil. Pour into ice cube trays or other forms and freeze for 45 minutes. Serve immediately after removing from the freezer.

I find the TV an invasion of my space. I like quiet.

I am one of those people who eat most things and I answer most "would you eat this?" threads with, sure, I would eat it. However...chicken that smells off? No. I would not eat meat that smelled off.

I dont live in the U.S. where people are quite protective in that way...but if I lived in a relatively safe place, I think I would just make the effort to introduce myself to the neighbours the kids want to play at. In the street I live- in a quiet suburb in a city- the kids all go to each others' homes. One kid was banned from all our homes for stealing. Other than that, it is a very sweet gang of kids and my son is the oldest and the other parents trust him. It makes homeschooling so much easier when there are kids in the street to play with after school. Your kids are young...its natural to be protective. For myself...I have checked out the other parents- just by saying hello and connecting as I walk past and they happen to be out front...and I feel fine about it all. My son spends half his life at one place and teases me that Rosie, his friends' mum, is his "other mum". I am one who prefers to allow my kids a more free range childhood as much as possible....I wouldnt allow them anywhere I felt uncomfortable about, but I would allow visiting other homes, especially if they are with a group.

As my kids get older I need to drive them around less...they are capable of getting places on their own. For many years, we had some sort of activity on every day. Now...we attend no specific homeschooling activities, but do have piano lessons, gymnastics and Scouting activities. That is far less than ever before but the kids now have such active social lives that they don't need the activities to socialise. So...I do generally get out of the house most days...but there are often 2 or 3 days a week where I don't have anything much on and can stay at home if I choose. I love it. I did suffer burn out from too many out of the house activities...but it was the price we paid for the kids to get the socialising they needed over those years and I dont regret it for a moment. It was great. Many good memories. ANd now...I am slowly getting my time back to myself and choosing to put it elsewhere. Ds14 works one day a week, dd works several afternoons, both go off on the weekends to meet with friends. Lots of free time. So the years of driving them to this and that activity have almost passed...it is but a season in our lives.

I don't know if it's what anyone is actually hoping for.....but as a foreigner I wasn't going to bring up the subject of all the money that goes to fighting wars...but it does rather stick out like a sore thumb. Its one thing to have a defence force to defend the homeland...and quite another to do what we western countries have been doing. The thing that seems obvious to many of us is that the whole system needs restructuring from the ground up. If they keep putting bandaids on it, propping it up here and there....it is postponing the inevitable and making it worse. Lets hope you are correct, but it seems to me that actually, famine is a distinct possibility right across western nations. The land is burned out, and if we insist of trucking our food all over the place, once we lose access to cheap fuel....that will be a luxury of the past. Not that it HAS to be. We have the resources to change it...but until people realise the degree to which we are going to need to sacrifice our present lifestyles for the greater good.....the necessary changes wont be put into place. Until we start thinking 7 generations ahead, like the Native Americans teach, instead of the small minded, short term gains our so called civilisation now considers "progress", we will simply be passing on the problems to the next generation, and each generation, they get worse. However, I do think if one looks beyond the newspapers, there is a LOT of good happening on a grass roots level. Fighting "the system" is the right thing for some people to do...and thank goodness for them....for many of us, we are called to buy local food, grow our gardens, downsize, live more simply....and it is what the masses end up doing that will matter as much as any government policy. Getting upset at governments and welfare cheats is an ineffective use of our energy. Seeing how we ourselves can make a difference is what will make the difference. Carrying resentment is also a waste of energy and we dont make healthy judgements when we come from that place.

It is called the Black Market, and it was huge even during the Great Depression. It still exists, and it would certainly grow again if there was a need. Survival is primal, and I would certainly work under the law to trade or sell my chickens' eggs or my excess tomatoes if I needed to...certainly long before I would smash shop windows to get food.

I have a vegetable garden. We live well within our means. The preparation I am making is mostly psychological. Living more simply, letting go of a consumer mindset. I am getting rid of stuff, selling of excess possessions, because I just feel its time to live more lightly. We dont need as much as we think we do. We have been 2nd hand buffs for 18 years now (ever since I taught dh how to dumpster dive!) and we already live differently to most, in that we rarely buy anything new and we enjoy finding bargains. We never just go out and buy something we want without really checking out prices (but we also dont go without what we want). We have a motorhome that we could put on a patch of land if we needed to. We think about it. But we are really just getting through these next few years with the kids and don't want to do anything too radical till they are older. Then we might move to the country.

In Perth Australia the median house price is something like $450K Au, which is probably $420 U.S.. That sounds a lot more than what it is over there. And what you get for that is a basic 3X1 in a poorer suburb. So when you talk about houses for 100K, I am thinking, wow, that's so cheap- houses that cheap don't exist here anymore. You can't even get a unit that cheap. The cost of living here seems to be higher. I don't know how it compares to the wages but hourly rates seem comparable. So, I guess it's all what you are used to- we can't afford to buy in Perth.

I think it is hitting the States harder than here...in fact I think our economy is still doing well. However the cost of living is rising steeply and basics are getting more expensive. It is affecting us (our own income has dropped and costs have risen- we are not as well off as we were a year ago and I have taken on extra work)...but nothing like what it seems to be getting like over there. Our economy is in better shape. The way I see it is that it is inevitable that there be a rebalancing because the middle class generally live unsustainable lifestyles anyway. Unsustainable personally, and unsustainable for the planet. Reading Dave Ramsey these last months has put some things in perspective for me....many, perhaps most, "middle class" people are living middle class lifestyles because of the amount of debt they are in ...not because they are actually wealthy. (It has given me a different perspective on the people in the mansions in my street). If one is actually wealthy, one can sell up or cut back and live more sensibly for the times...if one is in debt to the eyeballs, I am not sure that a struggling economy can afford to feed us while we pay our extravagent mortgages etc. I think we have unrealistic expectations- those of us who identify with being middle class. Dh and I live in a wealthy area, rent, live well...but no debt apart from 2 investment properties that we would sell if we could, but at this stage, its not worth trying. We are in a situation where we could sell our possessions and move to the bush if it came to that. We are in touch with the fact that things might get bad, and we discuss it and our options. I think we (as Westerners) have built our lifestyles too out of touch with a very grounded reality- too much debt, too much sense of entitlement, way too much consumerism. Yes, I do think there will be a rebalancing and it will be difficult for many. No one deserves it, but that won't stop it from happening. I know many people who are building food gardens where there used to be lawn, planting fruit trees, and trying to live more sustainably. It just seems to be the way things are heading and it seems wise to get in there before it gets to the point where we need them for our very survival, and there are people roaming the streets hungry and willing to commit crimes just to eat. It seems sensible to plan for a future than involves food shortages and basically, difficult times. At the very least, if it doesnt occur, we will be better off anyway. If welfare dries up? It could happen. But if the sun is shining and there is water and fertile earth (a big if in many places), we can grow food. We can grow food now. Why are we so dependent on food being grown by huge farms anyway? Dh and I discuss it quite often. How we could go bush and hunt and survive - if it really came to that. I think it is highly likely that there will be famine in the future. It already exists in many parts of the planet- why would be in the western countries be immune? We havent shown a lot of common sense in so many areas. We put a lot of things before taking good care of ourselves and making sure our food is healthy and our water is clean. We poison our water and put poisons on the food and treat the animals badly. If there is such a thing as karma...we in the west have a bit coming our way. So yes...it could happen. Its worth considering, for all of us.

I am impressed. I forget to take my liver...I like your frozen idea, and I might try it...at the moment I have several small packages of frozen liver, each with a piece of bacon in it as well, in my freezer. I like liver and bacon fried up together- yum. But it sounds like I need to get that liver into me somehow or other. I am also very impressed, Dancer67, with your blackstrap molasses success. I have some of that in my cupboard too. Thansk for the thread...its good to read what works for different people.

Sure, and I can't see why focusing on the small percentage of people who commit welfare fraud or even milk the system legally, is productive. They are not sending the system broke, at all...as Melanie below says....there are far bigger leaks than welfare fraud. :iagree: All in all...on a personal level....the best we can do is get out of debt, stop overspending, learn to live simply including grow our own food in our own yard, and build healthy communities. I know there are many, many people who have stockpiled food and supplies, many who are living off the grid on their acres of homestead etc It could happen. It has happened in other countries. I just think its futile to direct negativity toward a small subclass of desperate people who are only a small part of the bigger picture.

I would agree you need to dig deeper to find the cause, because that which is named 'adrenal fatigue' is a symptom, or rather a set of symptoms. Don't underestimate how much stress we tend to live in, in our culture. We often are under such chronic stress, and everyone around us is the same...we think it's normal...but our bodies don't. So..it's often a lifestyle change needed, as well as an overhaul in how we manage our time and stress. We cannot be everything to everyone. I studied the condition a few years ago and one herb that is often used is licorice...but that is a classic one for masking the symptoms and "boosting" the adrenals, which isn't what you want, because ultimately that is like taking caffeine....which by the way is something you really need to avoid, as well as sugar. Siberian Ginseng is a herb of benefit...or a mixture of ginsengs (Siberian ginseng is not officially a ginseng but acts like one) and other adaptogenic herbs. Basically you need "tonics"- adaptogenic tonics, to help your body cope with stress. Also, many people are magnesium deficient- magnesium is the "let go" mineral and many people benefit from taking a supplement. I try to keep things simple- when I get stressed- and I have a tendency to the symptoms of "adrenal fatigue"- I boost my iron, I take ginseng, I take magnesium, and I take spirulina and other green supplements, as well as fresh vegetable juices. And.....I give myself permission to take naps and sleep and not be busy.

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I am chronically anaemic and am in burn out mode today so it may not be a good day to talk to me! I have had a bit of an emotional collapse- I feel exhausted. So- you are lucky you are not tired with such low levels! I am- and I do not absorb iron well at all, from anything. I have never had a transfusion though and don't intend to. Many, many women do just fine on natural supplements like Floradix. When I take it, I double or triple the dose. At the moment I am on high dose iron tablets again because they dont seem to upset my stomach and I take precautions against the constipating factor (prunes, extra water). BUT, I have to say I have never managed to get my iron levels very high. Its always been a bit of an issue for me and I havent found what really works well for me. I would prefer to be vegetarian but need to eat meat because of this issue. I find things like raisins are virtualyl useless for me. I do take spirulina - 5-10gms a day, which is a lot- and I stopped a month ago and now feel run down, so back I go to swallowing 20 spirulina tablets again! Plus my iron tablet. I find Floradix too expensive to take the doses I need, all the time. But as you see many women do just fine on taking "something"- even though it may take a while, so why not give yourself 2 months of an oral supplement, get tested again, and if its not steadily getting better, get the transfusion. Meanwhile, go for the giving up smoking.

Really strong chocolate, whether raw or not (though raw is much healthier) gives me a buzz, so it woudl be better than nothing. I do have a recipe if you are interested. I have tried the coffee thing with my son, who is more spacey/unfocused than hyper, and I think it has helped him to concentrate. He makes his own iced coffees, and also his sister, who is a coffee addict with no excuse except she is not a morning person:001_rolleyes:, will often make him a cafe latte in the mornings. Its hard to say what works around here. Ds14 seems to be maturing rapidly and I am beginning to think he might turn out ok after all :001_smile:. We also moved him into the dining room for school, where he is not as distracted by dd16 and I...that seems to have helped...I keep tweaking his structure and program, and sometimes that helps....he doesnt have coffee every day any more but it was one thing of many we have tried and who knows, maybe its still a key and I haven't noticed. He does like those terrible energy drinks though...but he tends to buy them at the local deli when he has friends over. They don't seem to hype him up though he doesnt sleep well after one (unsurprisingly).

Love some aspects of Nourishing Traditions....never felt comfortable eating lots of meat, though, so we don't. We do raw milk (at least, dd and I do), soaked grains and nuts...but our diet is based on vegetables and fruit. I am inclined more towards raw foodism nowadays but we are just coming out of winter here and I have been more NT than raw food over winter. Now that the weather is warming up, I want to go back towards a more raw food diet. It makes me feel awesome.

At that age- they dont get sweaty and smelly so much so I wouldnt worry about it. You will know...when you have a boy, and he starts perspiring....you kind of have to force them into the shower once, even twice a day. The girls though. you cant get them OUT of the shower. But thats a few years away for you yet :) I say, enjoy your low hot water bills while you can :)

Allan Carr's Easy Way to Give up Smoking. I smoked into my mid twenties (dh and I loved our rollies). That book was going around my friends and they were giving up, just like that, so I read it....and gave up just like that, too. Then dh did the same. You literally just read the book. And....it literally is easy. If I explain it too much, I might spoil it.

Ultimately.....we are responsible for doing this to ourselves. I know, I have felt it many times myself. I try to take responsibility and do something for myself- skip making dinner and go visit a girlfriend instead and let the family cope without me. They always do! ANd i am recharged and better able to cope. It's up to us, ladies. No one else is going to take care of us...if we dont prioritise self care, we can become embittered, disempowered and exhausted. Do whatever you need to do to take care of yourself. Being a martyr for the family is of no benefit to anyone. (And i know its harder with babies and little children but it's almost always possible to do something).

Dd wanted to be a gardener. I think ds has always just wanted to be rich. :001_smile: