Does he mind that I am going to borrow this line? :lol: And, yes, same thing here. Apparently, we have some sort of short-term memory issues, so everything is new. Every. Day.

How come? I mean, I get cutting their lowest volume day (and if that's Tuesday...) but why would it be not a good idea to not get mail for two days? Netflix aside, of course. ;)

No, I think what she's saying is that it's not hypocritical to not push your food preferences on someone else, by providing a meal that you know they would enjoy, while it is absolutely not something you would provide for your own family. Rather like the bacon-wrapped weiners. You're not preaching about somebody bringing something you find ghastly to a potluck, just choosing not to eat it. (And, I think we're married to the same guy)

I think most businesses are not open on Saturday, and those that are (retail, restaurants) wouldn't be too put out by M-F mail delivery. As the only self-funded department of government, I tend to cut the PS a lot of slack. And, from an economic standpoint, it is not unreasonable to cut services to match demand.

I agree with you about not being healed. I'm just not sure about, say, the apparent multitude of priests who have been outed as pedophiles in recent years. It seems to me that, if I were a man of faith and struggling with this, the priesthood would probably be an obvious choice for me to seek healing through dedication to serving God and a relatively cloistered life. I don't know anything about this case in particular, other than the news article posted, but it doesn't seem to have a similar path. Or maybe it does. He seems to be a very confused person, though. And he's pastoring again?? What church would think that was a good idea?

Yes, that is where my pondering was leading. I was born in the 70s. 1971, to be exact. At that time (speaking of HFCS in baby formula, thanks for the reminder joannqn) my mother was instructed by the pediatrician that nursing was not good for children (breast milk was too fatty and some other reasons) and I should, instead, be fed a formula of non-fat powdered milk and Karo syrup. Can you imagine?? Between that and the lead, it's amazing our entire generation is not just a gelatinous, babbling mass. And, yes, farm-raised fish... brrrrrr. I take exception to feeding animals things they don't actually eat. Like, gee, is it any wonder about the mad-cow problem? I mean, cows don't naturally eat OTHER COWS! But, of course, if you're not going to let them out on the pasture, where they get protein from the bugs and stuff in the grasses they're eating, you have to add it in from some source, right? That's disgusting.

Mine would be something similar 1) family 2) community 3) global community 4) earth 5) hmmmm? There are items that fall within one or more of those categories - for instance, taking care of my family also involves taking care of myself, which also includes spiritual development and education, education would fall into all of those - so the aren't listed separately.

Heehee. When I was vegetarian, I used to cook meat for other people, too. It was always strange for me, though, because I could never be sure how it tasted and serving a meal not knowing how it tastes is... weird for me.

My take: we eat almost exclusively organic, and try to stick to locally raised meat and veggies, and buy raw dairy. Most families that I have cooked for also eat similar diets, though they've had their own peculiarities that I have kept in mind (vegetarian, poultry allergic, etc.), so it's probably not as much of a question in my mind as yours. Anyway, I cook from my pantry, as Penelope said. So, yes, anything I make would probably be mainly organic. That wouldn't stop me from making chicken and dumplings and a pan of brownies, though. If I had to go out and buy something for whatever I was making, it would probably be a dilemma. In the end, though, I do not wish to support conventional farming with my purchase. (The only exception to the above is the raw milk, which I would not serve to others without asking first. But my milk is less expensive than a gallon of regular grocery store milk.)

Hmmm... Interesting to know about the liquids. I've always wondered. My boys like the A+ Kids Smart Squirts, chewable capsules (orange flavor) but they have been unavailable through our food co-op of late.

That is so unfortunate. I know people assume they're predators looking for positions of trust to hide behind, but I always wonder if these men enter the clergy as a way of reaching out for help, out of the hope that their faith will heal them. :confused: And what damage! It has to be demoralizing for the entire body that looked to him for spiritual guidance, let alone the victims!

I agree, Carol. There certainly is earlier evaluation and screening for neurologic disorders, they are picking up on much more subtle cues now than they ever were before, and our society is more generally accepting of such diagnoses than in previous generations, when the odd relatives were hidden away from public view. Still, with the statistics they're putting out, we should be running into adults on the spectrum all the time, and I just don't see it. Given that early intervention is a relatively new thing, I don't think that would be a factor, as it will be with the new generation. Clearly, there has to be some predisposition or tendency that is realized through a catalyst. I also wonder if anyone has found a correlation between estrogen-linked cancers and other problems (such as early development, increase in endometriosos and PCOS and resultant infertility, etc.) and the rise of hormonal birth control, as well as injecting cattle with hormones. I know they have found detectable levels of synthetic hormones in municipal water supplies. Ditto antibiotics, and the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria. (Though there is the whole issue of over-prescribing there, too) It is interesting to me that our "food security" (including access to "clean" water) is doing little for our "health security". It would seem counter-intuitive.

I understand where you're coming from... In my view, though, the Duggar children are being lovingly raised to fulfill their roles as men and women in the tradition their family embraces, part of which is definite gender roles and making a home in those roles. When they were building the house, the boys were all there, working on it, even the littlest ones, to the best of their abilities. All of the kids have younger "buddies" that they look out for. Parenting is about preparing your children to leave your home and create one for themselves. In my home, that means that the children, regardless of gender, learn how to cook and clean, handle the finances, and pursue knowledge. I want them to have the tools to choose whatever role they feel compelled to as adults. So, I have a less traditional approach than the Duggars. That doesn't make either of us wrong, though, nor should it be cause to wonder about abuse. It simply means our long-range vision for our children is different. Now, I don't think I could live with a man with high-maintenance hair... :D

We did, too. I also grew up in the 70s, when there was lead paint in our houses and exhaust from leaded gasoline landing on every outdoor surface I touched. I was vaccinated with a much higher concentration of thimerosal, I would bet. And, no, I do not have any signs of lead or mercury poisoning. I'm pretty sure that this is not the same level of heavy metal exposure as detectable mercury (or lead, or arsenic) in a substance that is used in nearly every packaged food product in a country that eats from packages at the rate of Americans. As the abundance of cheap processed food has increased, our overall health has dramatically decreased, particularly in the areas of chronic disease. Autism spectrum disorders, even accounting for non-diagnosis of kids of our generation, who we just thought were a little eccentric, are on the rise, as are other neurological disorders, such as ADD/ADHD and bipolar disorder in children. Some of this started about the time that large, cold-water fish became all the rage. Now we know that these fish are more prone to contain heavy metals than the mild, small, white fish that our parents and grand-parents ate. Now it also appears that mercury, in the vehicle of HFCS (which is disgusting enough in itself), has been injected into just about every facet of the American diet. Dairy?!?! What business does HFCS have in DAIRY?? (Yes, I am aware that there are whole societies who essentially subsist on large, cold-water, oily fish. Perhaps they have some genetic ability to filter out heavy metals, just as some ethnic groups have the ability to process lactose as adults. Perhaps there is something else in their diet that mitigates the ingestion of heavy metals and prevents them from being absorbed. Perhaps they, too, are having the same issues, but they have a lower birth rate and less scientific observation. ) I realize that there is a much more complex phenomenon at work here, but I find the correlation intriguing, and can't wait to see if anyone makes a scientific case for causation.

Honestly.

I am inclined to agree with Bill (imagine that). I would also add that, as an adult woman, I would be mortified to find that, having confided a personal struggle to a friend, I had become the Bible study project of a church body to which I did not belong. And, frankly, the context in which this whole thing came about would make me completely closed to listening to them, no matter what their point of view or how honorable the intention. That's just my two cents.

I know. Isn't it vulgar?

My 8 year old (on Sunday) has this issue every year. Frankly, I resent having to plan my child's birthday celebration around football. I think it's rude for people to arrive late (because my husband's extended family are always at least an hour late) and then run out early. Or, worse, turn on the television so they don't miss the pre-game c-r-a-p while <gasp> present for a party. :glare: We'll just invite friends over for cake during the week. Your son will have a good time. No worries.

Really, Alana? How weird. I was actually under the impression that Canada is a little more fastidious about not sliding HFCS into things than the US. I know friends have commented that they prefer Canadian Coke because it has cane sugar... has that changed? Indeed, Perry. I wasn't supporting that thimerosal is an absolute link, just that it is a direction that has been looked into and embraced as a sole culprit by many people... and now look, mercury is in "nutritionally the same as sugar" high-fructose corn syrup.

Herbal Healing for Women The Male Herbal Herbal Antibiotics The Herbal Medicine Maker's Handbook Sacred and Healing Beers Nutritional Herbology (huh. there seems to be a pattern forming. :D) Oh, and the Financial Peace workbook.

Interesting, in light of the discussion on speech delays, autism spectrum disorders, et al. A friend posted this to our natural foods buying club earlier. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-01-27-corn-syrup_N.htm?csp=34 Maybe thimerosal is just the tip of the iceburg. My thoughts here are that mercury in vaccines is not a new phenomenon, but HFCS hidden in everything we eat is... and I am not even going to ask about HFCS in dairy. Dairy?? :ack2:

I don't know about that. I know there is something to the increased diagnoses - and certainly looking for ASD in infants and toddlers would increase the diagnosis of isolated issues that also tend to be associated with ASDs - but, if we follow the math, I should run into a couple of adults on the spectrum every single time I leave the house. I think this is probably much closer to reality. There are any number of factors at play here but, I think there is a rise and, in an attempt to get to intervention as early as possible, the screenings are "catching" things that would otherwise self correct. FWIW, we have friends with three children. The two who were home births and not vaccinated are the two with significant speech problems. I'm not saying there is a correlation, just that there is more in play than a simple answer, like vaccination injury, can explain.

I have a couple of those silicone pot holders. I burn myself every single time I try to use them. So, they've been sitting in the silverware drawer with me hating on them every time I open it... meanwhile, I use a dish towel to handle hot stuff. I also have one of those notched wood things for, apparently, maneuvering the oven racks? I don't get it. Nor do I know where it came from, but it's been in my cooking utensil crock for probably 15 years... :001_huh:

Maybe - and I'm being obvious here, I know - she has a sore throat. Or post-nasal drip. Dogs get colds, too. Mine had a cold that ended in pink eye not too long ago. I don't know if she was thirstier than normal, but she would periodically do this snorting thing which seemed to indicate that she had some sinus drainage going on...

Indeed. I can't help but wonder why our society that has determined that we should be going strong from x to y, except for economic purposes. I don't understand the obsession and the implication that, if you have energy swells and troughs, it is abnormal and clearly something you've done wrong. Everyone I know has a definite energy rhythm during the day. Even dogs, as a species, have an observable energy rhythm. Do not even get me started on all the "techniques" to employ so you can live on less sleep. Ugh! It's not uncommon for other cultures to break up the business day to accommodate that lull. We, being fortunate to not be governed by the time clock, can simply plan according to our natural rhythm. As Peela alluded to, our schedule is built around doing focused, technical activities in the morning, when we are most alert. We reserve quiet reading activities for the mid-afternoon, after a quiet rest period. In late afternoon / early evening, we have another energy rise, and use that time for other things. That seems, in my experience, to be the "normal" way of things.