I don't have much to add to this discussion. I am certainly no expert but we've been dealing with drain flies on and off lately. I've tried apple cider vinegar+dish soap (it doesn't need to be covered with plastic wrap) in a saucer on the counter. I've tried vinegar, vinegar/salt/baking soda, some "natural" product I bought on amazon, and boiling water down the drain. I haven't been that successful. But, I also now have 2 types of brushes to clean out the drains now - one for the smaller drains and one for the larger drains. I've added it to my monthly cleaning routine. Maybe weekly drain cleaning and vinegar would be helpful, but I can't get myself to do it on a weekly basis. There are 7 drains in our house. I am not sure if I should treat all of them each time. I can't seem to make myself do that.

My guess is Classical Conversations.

Thanks for sharing. I've finished 5 episodes so far. Fascinating.

What is your child doing now? It's been 3 years since my original post and since ds's graduation. I hesitate to post because it's not all roses. I'm grateful for those who have shared the ups and downs. On the positive side, ds is employed and seems to enjoy his work. He works for a consulting company and, at first, he did more traveling than he liked. He has recently transitioned to another area of the company that needs less travel so that's good. But, he complains about the expectations from both company and clients, and I understand bc I've worked for a consulting company and would not choose it for myself again. TBH, I am very cynical about the US corporate world altogether. But, that's another thread. The traveling, the pandemic, and ds's introverted nature took a toll on his 3.5yr relationship with his gf about 9mo ago, and ds has not yet recovered. Not sure if/when he will. I assume he will bc most people do, but it's hard to witness. Kareni, I hope you revive this thread again in a few more years and I have better news to report.

I bought a Pampered Chef food chopper at a thrift shop for $1 recently. I used to have an OXO mini food chopper that I loved but it was old and broke and they don't make the mini anymore. I just looked it up and the one I bought cost $43 new. It's not as nice as my OXO one and their similar size one is half the cost. I was not impressed. My nephew got involved with Amway years ago. My sister says they make most money by selling motivational material to their own consultants. My boss pitched Amway to me once. Awkward. I dislike MLMs. I remember a mom at a park striking up a great conversation with me only to figure out after a while that she wanted to recruit me. Ugh. It felt dirty. I stopped going to parties bc I felt obligated to buy something I did not want. At the same time, I am fascinated by MLMs. I watched Lu Lu Rich. It was fascinating. There was a part about how they were taught a 3 step process to engage potential buyers/underlings. Ask them about their family. Ask them about their hobbies. Ask them about their hopes and dreams. Very calculated.

This describes me as well. I have tried on and off to improve some things. For example, I used Ban antiperspirant for decades. Eventually, I figured out that maybe it wasn't so good to be spreading aluminum on my skin and decided to live with the perspiration and switch to deodorant. I've tried a number of different kinds. For a while, I really, really liked pit paste. The ingredients are so clean. But, I wear a lot of sleeveless shirts and it was staining the armpits of my shirts. So, I've switched to something I buy at Sprouts that I like but the ingredients are not all familiar to me. I love Dr Bronners liquid soap. I think it's "good". Then there's toothpaste. I dunno. I get confused about what's good and what's bad. I use shampoo and conditioner from Trader Joes. Not sure if it's "good" or "bad". I don't use makeup or moisturizer regularly. I've been thinking lately about how to reduce my plastic use. Seems like everything comes in plastic. Haven't come up with many ideas. I am blessed to live near a bulk food store where I can bring in my own containers and I'm happy for that. Of course, I use my own fabric shopping bags. I have never heard of Environmental Working Group.

Sounds very awkward for a teenage girl, imo. My 17yo gdd is going to Disney with her bf and his family next week. She'll be sharing a hotel room with his mom. She wants to go but thinks it will be awkward sharing a room with his mom.

I make Berbere Stew on a regular basis. I got the recipe from fatfreevegan. It is delicious. There is a link in the recipe to Ethiopian Greens Beans and Potatoes. I make them together. They are both delicious. I make injera too.

Thanks for the female voices. I love Pam Popper. I am familiar with Chef AJ and have used some of her recipes. I used to be on an E2L yahoo group. It's probably gone now. I'm one of those dinosaurs who is not on facebook. 🙄

I admire you, Selkie. I just don't think I could do it 100% long-term. I do eat a wide variety of plant food. I once made a list. asparagus apple black beans peanuts brown rice banana pepper avocado chickpeas cashews wild rice beet banana kidney beans pistachios black rice brocolli blackberries pinto beans almonds red rice brussel sprouts blueberries great northern beans walnuts quinoa cabbage cherries black eyed peas pecans black quinoa carrot grapes cannellini beans pumpkin seeds buckwheat cauliflower kiwi cranberry beans flax seeds oats celery mango fava beans pine nuts corn chard orange red lentils chia seeds teff cilantro pineapple brown lentils millet cucumber pomegranate black lentils eggplant raspberries yellow split peas garlic strawberries green split peas ginger tangerine moong dal green bean green bell pepper green onion jalapeno kale leek lettuce okra onion parsley potato red bell pepper red onion romaine serrano chile spinach sweet potato tomato yellow squash zucchini

When I weighed 165#, I ate dessert 2x a day. I still want dessert 2x a day. The best I can manage is 3x per week. One is a frozen banana whipped with 1T cocoa. One is 2oz of dark chocolate raisins or cherries. One is 1 scoop of chocolate peanut butter ice cream. That's the best I can do, but I want more. I like your crackers. I buy flax and millet chips made locally. Here are the ingredients.

This is a quote from Selkie in this thread: I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this (the bolded part of the quote) or not. I have definitely not! I love Fuhrman but I never understood what he is talking about when he talks about wrt true hunger vs toxic hunger. I think it's BS. I have read this theory of losing cravings over and over in many of the WFPB books (all written by men) and figured it was just BS. My main cravings are chocolate and crackers. They were probably my only cravings before eating a WFPB diet and they remain my only cravings after eating a WFPB diet for 10+ years. I limit my consumption, but they still call to me. I wish they didn't. I suspect these cravings have to do with the fact that I am a child of an alcoholic. I believe all 8 of us siblings are chocoholics. I'd love to hear other WFPB eaters experience with this. I am on vacation right now, so responding is going to be hit and miss. That thread/quote just inspired me to post. Thanks.

I wanted to point out one thing earlier but got distracted by life. The Blue Zones are not oil free. I don't know about the research. OTOH, I learned 1 fact from Eat to Live about oil. Oil is the most calorically dense food on the planet. Since my goal 10 years ago when I read and followed Eat to Live was to lose weight (I used E2L to go from overweight 165# to mid-range weight 140#), it made sense to eliminate oil. Now, in order to maintain a healthy weight, it makes sense to limit oil. I have been overweight 2x in my life (61yo now). The 1st time I used WW to lose the weight. and kept it off for 10 years. The 2nd time I used E2L. I discovered, for myself, using WW, that eliminating a food that I enjoyed (quality chocolate ice cream) came with a backlash after a while. I found myself bingeing later on because I had deprived myself for too long. Oil adds a depth of flavor to food that give me more satisfaction and enjoyment. I prepare many meals without oil, but I also use 1T oil (or less) for some meals. Mostly, I use cold pressed olive oil. Sometimes I use coconut oil. I get the majority of my fats from nuts, seeds, and avocado.

My first introduction to a WFPB diet was Fuhrman's Eat to Live. I call it my nutrition bible. I am travelling right now, otherwise, I'd quote the page where he says something to the effect of "if you are slim it's okay to have 1 T. oil per day". I tried for a while to go completely without salt, sugar, oil, but I find that it's too restrictive for me to do 100% willingly. My personal rule of thumb is that 1 T. oil in a recipe that is good for 6 or more servings is fine. I eat healthier than 99% of the people I meet. I don't need to drive myself crazy on this one.

I make 2 salad dressings regularly. One has 2 roma tomatoes, 1 red bell pepper, 1/3 c. sun dried tomatoes, 1/3 c. red wine vinegar, 2 T. lemon juice, and 6-8 basil leaves. I process it in a blender food processor. I use this on green salads and I add nuts, seeds, or avocado to the salad. The other is Hale to the Kale Salad.

Ds loved team sports - he played soccer, baseball, basketball, and flag football until high school. He never ever complained about going to practice. He played basketball in high school and college (Div 2). He never ever practiced anything on his own. Gotta admit I'm the same way, though not with sports. I have sung in church and community choirs for years and years. I hate practicing on my own.

I liked the article. It was her response to the “TRY BREASTFEEEDING! It’s free and available on demand.” “God literally designed mothers to feed their babies.” ideas. I liked the article because it's a dose of reality. I wish I had understood the reality of breastfeeding beforehand. I think I would have been better prepared and less disappointed/discouraged. I don't know if I had "low" supply or if ds was just a slow nurser. I spent 30min nursing every hour for months and months. I went back to work 2 days/wk at 8 weeks post partum. Pumping was a total drag. I did it for 1 year. I could never get more than 2oz at a time. I pumped 7 days/wk in order to get enough for those 2 days/wk I worked. Some formula was used, and I felt like a failure because of it. OTOH, I loved not having to worry about bringing formula with me anywhere. I breastfed anywhere and everywhere as discreetly as I possibly could. Breastfeeding and pumping takes time and that's not a job that can be given to someone else like formula feeding can. Before reality hit me, I thought it would be wonderful bonding with my baby time, not bored again sitting on the couch time.

This may not be what you are looking for but maybe you can pilfer something from it. My choir director used to give this out each year. Choral Music as Education MUSIC IS A SCIENCE It is exact, specific; it demands precise acoustics. A conductor's score is a chart, a graph which indicates frequencies, intensities, volume variations, linear melody, and harmonic density all at once within the most structured parameters of time. MUSIC IS MATHEMATICAL It is rhythmically based upon the subdivisions of time into fractions which must be executed instantaneously and extemporaneously, without benefit of calculations on paper. MUSIC IS COMMUNICATIONS AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE Most of the terms and instructive symbolism are in Italian, German, or French, and the notation itself is certainly not in English but a highly-developed kind of shorthand which uses abstract symbols to represent ideas. The semantics of music is the most complex and universal of languages. MUSIC IS HISTORY Music usually reflects the influence of the environment and time of its creation, and speaks of the country and/or ethnicity of its composer, text, or feeling. MUSIC IS PHYSICAL It requires fantastic co-ordination of fingers, hands, arms, lips, cheeks and facial muscles - in addition to extraordinary control of the diaphragmatic, back, stomach, and chest muscles which must respond instantly to the sound the ear hears and the mind interprets. MUSIC IS ALL THESE THINGS, BUT MOST OF ALL MUSIC IS ART It allows a human being to apply all these dry, technically boring (but difficult) techniques and use them to create emotion. These are things which technology and science cannot duplicate: humanism, feeling, emotion, soul; call it what you will. I want to teach YOU music... Not because I expect you to major in music, or to sing in choruses all your life; Not just so you can relax and have fun... but, so you will be more human, so you will recognize and embrace beauty, so you will be more sensitive, so you will be closer to an infinite beyond this world, so you will have something to cling to, have more compassion, more gentleness, more good... in short - more life. Of what real value is it to make a prosperous living, unless you know how to live?

Swimsters Swim Stars

Is this what you are talking about? Government Pension Offset at ssa.gov

More TMI. I have been eating a whole food plant based diet for 10 years now. I followed Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live book. He says 'the salad is the main dish'. In the beginning, I would eat 2 large salads a day. My poops were so large, I regularly had to use a toilet plunger to unstop the toilet. PITA on vacation. I think it was too much fiber. I eventually reduced to 1 large salad a day and no longer have that problem. FTR, I am rarely constipated.

Do you have a dial-a-nurse line through your health insurance company?

This is probably not going to be particularly helpful and especially because I have no specifics to go along with my experience, but here goes. I planned a home birth with a midwife. My water broke first and we tried several things to get the contractions to start on their own. The last ditch effort was castor oil. I don't remember how much I drank but I can tell you that it cleaned me out real good and fairly quickly because 24hrs after my water broke, we headed to the hospital. TMI back at ya. Doc visit sounds like a good idea. Good for you for increasing your fiber intake naturally 2 years ago. Fiber is essential but not discussed likely because it's typically not a product to be sold for profit in general.

Thanks. I bought their starter kit years ago and enjoyed it, but found that rinsing 2x a day wasn't possible long-term for me. However, dh has been making alfalfa sprouts and he's better (now that he's retired) at rinsing 2x a day. I'll ask him to mix it up some.

Tell me more. How do you get broccoli sprouts? At the grocery store? Make them yourself? Where do you get the seeds?