Hurt: Flowers

Only ONE Politcal party responded to my emails about GMOs

This is from Jack Layton of the federal NDP. The ONLY response I received...hmmmm....grrrr........


Thank you for informing me of your concerns about Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMOs).
Over the years I have heard from many people who are concerned about the
impact of GMOs on our health and natural environment. They want their
government to act on the need for proper labeling, farmers' rights
against patents, and copyrights along with greater control over the
activities of large corporations. New Democrats share these concerns.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said of all parties in Parliament. On
February 9th, Conservative and Liberal MPs joined together to defeat
Bill C-474, An Act respecting the Seeds Regulations (analysis of
potential harm) introduced by New Democrat Agriculture Critic Alex
Atamanenko. The legislation sought to require that an analysis of
potential harm to export markets be conducted before the sale of any new
genetically engineered seed was permitted. It is disappointing that the
Conservatives and Liberals are placing big business interests ahead of
the needs of farmers and families.
Looking forward, Mr. Atamanenko continues to take the lead on GMOs for
our party. He has introduced several pieces of legislation to tackle
these technologies. For more information about his work, please visit:
http://alexatamanenko.ndp.ca/news.
In addition, you may be interested in the following initiatives that our
team of New Democrats are promoting:
Bill C-370: mandatory labelling for genetically modified foods -
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/LEGISINFO/index.asp?Language=E&query=58
02&Session=22&List=toc
Bill C-353: ban on the use of "terminator seeds" -
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/LEGISINFO/index.asp?Language=E&query=57
77&Session=22&List=toc
http://www.ndp.ca/press/genetically-engineered-seeds-harming-farmers-exp
orts
http://alexatamanenko.ndp.ca/node/429
http://www.ndp.ca/press/canada-blocking-consensus-international-seed-tre
aty-meeting
http://www.ndp.ca/press/conservatives-must-pull-approval-for-genetically
-modified-alfalfa
http://www.ndp.ca/press/ndp-rights-canadian-farmers-should-come-first
http://www.ndp.ca/press/new-democrats-press-harper-to-reassess-gmo-regul
ations
http://www.ndp.ca/press/new-democrat-food-for-thought-tour-kicks-off-in-
ontario
Again, I appreciate knowing of your concerns with GMO products. Please
visit our website at http://www.ndp.ca/ to learn the latest about our team of
New Democrats. All the best.
Sincerely,

Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth)
Leader, Canada's New Democrats

How to care for our elders?

This is my 91 year old Grandma. We call her Poi Poi..lol...yes that's right...Poi Poi! When we were babies she thought it was Haiwain for Grandma...and didn't realize that poi was actually a porridge...LOL! This is the days before the internet....when you had 12 channels and no remote....you get the picture...lol...So the name stuck and I LOVE IT! It's a term of endearment for our dearest Grandma. One of the greatest influences to me as a woman. She and my Grandpa would take us kids on vacations. We went to Victoria and Seattle and cruised Vancouver. My parents didn't have the money to so my Grandma made sure we travelled, went to the "Theatre". I saw the Nutcracker at age 8 at the QE and was mesmerized! I kept holding her hand and looking at her smiling. I remember it like it was yesterday. Ballet, plays, orchestras, operas....I got to see it all! When I graduated high school she and my aunt took me to Europe for 3 weeks and we went everywhere! I couldn't keep up to my then 68 year old Grandma even at age 18! HA! It's a gift to a young person without means....it opens your heart! Your mind! It gives you the ability to DREAM!

Grandma believes in working hard and enjoying as much as you can. She is kind and generous and an advocate for the poor and the elderly. She has always volunteered to raise money for various charities and was instrumental in getting blanket warmers in the maternity wards in the local hospitals. Even at age 91 she went every week to the BC Tel Pioneers Charity. Joan worked for BC Tel for 40 years. She was on the old fashioned switch boards and worked the coastal lines and heard men drowning on fish boats and could only pray with them.

And on November 27, 2010 she fell and broke her hip in 6 places. It broke our HEARTS to see her in a HALLWAY at Surrey Memorial for 18 HOURS....and transferred to Orthopedics to endure 4 days of waiting for surgery and then having that surgery with many plates and pins put in. After a month she was transferred to a rehabilitation centre and has been there for just over 2 months. They are sending her home in 3 weeks and she cannot get out of BED! She needs assistance to go to the bathroom and shower and move.

So here we are! Our dearest loved one in a position of needing 24 care and now we have to decide what to do. My Aunt Di that was living with her is close to 70 so she cannot look after her. My other Aunt Val works full time and my Dad was just diagnosed with prostate cancer (stage 1) so they are out. I live an hour a way and have 4 kids. I HATE the thought of Poi Poi in a home.....I weep as I type. My strong, kind, funny, giving Grandma...the light of our lives.....now requiring our greatest love to give her Peace in the end. So I looked into a full-time live in caregiver. Found 3 really terrific candidates in 2 hours. Two are from the Philippines and their English is not great but their skill level is fantastic! One is from England and older but has more in common with Grandma and has a louder voice!...Grandma is hearing impaired to the point where if the hearing aids are not in and on high she is NOT listening...lol...

So here we go...What is BEST for Grandma...being in her own home with a full-time companion and family coming and going OR going to a facility where she will receive 24 hour care but be surrounded by strangers...though she will have access to social activities she would not have otherwise. I fear if we get her home care she may become a recluse which is NOT her. If we get her a live in will it cause her more stress? Fear of a stranger? Keep in mind this a very vulnerable, mobility challenged, hearing challenged elderly person. So I ask for your advice. Which would you choose? And why?

On a funnier note...hubby had his 50th Bday and yes I bought the CHEESY decorations. How could I not? Surprised him with 24 friends and family at a restaurant...tee hee....He LOVED it! Which makes us 52/55 days without retail. I'll take the hit...it was worth it to see his face when he saw the blow up walker and 50's sun glasses. :):)

Big Momma Tough Decision Love to you all! XO

Debussy, Clair de lune, guitar solo, James Edwards

http://www.organicconsumers.org/btc.cfm

http://www.organicconsumers.org/btc.cfm

A link to see what chemicals are used in skin/hair/makeup products..SCARY!

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cosmeticsdatabase.com%2F&h=477dc

Alumina is in my foundation...NICE! NOT!

A letter from Change.org - SIGN THE PETITIONS - THEY DO WORK!

Dear Susan,
We are blown away by the incredible impact Change.org members have made around the world by starting, joining, and winning dozens of meaningful campaigns over the past few weeks. So we wanted to drop you a quick note to say thank you. And congratulations. And let's keep fighting.
Here are a few of the top victories and successes we’ve had together:

Late last week, the largest florist in the world, 1-800-Flowers, responded to 54,000 Change.org members and agreed to begin selling Fair Trade flowers and insist on a strong code of conduct for all their suppliers to counteract the deplorable working conditions that thousands of female flower workers face in South America. They’ve promised to offer Fair Trade flowers in time for Mother's Day, making 1-800-Flowers a leader in the industry. (Click here to write a thank you message on 1-800-Flowers' Facebook wall.)

After a devastating clothing factory fire in Bangladesh took the lives of 27 workers, you asked seven clothing companies, including Abercrombie, the Gap, and Target to compensate the victims' families and revamp safety standards in their affiliated factories. After 65,000 of us spoke up, a spokesperson from Target said this to us: "I want to understand what we have to do to get our brand off the Change.org petition … Tell me what we need to do, and we will try to do it." All seven companies met your demands.

An Ohio mom named Kelley Williams-Bolar was sentenced to jail last month for sending her kids to a safer school in a neighboring district. Another mom in Massachusetts started a petition on her behalf – and the campaign gained wide notice in Time, USA Today, and on Good Morning America. We teamed up with grassroots groups Color of Change and MomsRising to deliver more than 165,000 signatures in person to the office of Ohio Governor John Kasich. Less than 24 hours later, Governor Kasich took an important step toward pardoning Kelley.

After firing a lesbian soccer coach for having a child with her partner, Belmont University heard from 21,000 of us -- including students, athletes, and alumni of the school -- and has adopted a new policy to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. And although there's still work to do to stop Chick-Fil-A from funding anti-gay groups, your activism made national news (including the New York Times!), and Chick-Fil-A’s CEO was forced to post a video responding to pressure from pro-equality advocates and Change.org members across the country.

Kim Feil, a Change.org member from Arlington, Texas, has been successfully beating back the massive Chesapeake Energy Corporation from dangerously drilling for natural gas in her neighborhood, with the support of more than 8,000 Change.org members across the country. The Arlington city council has now twice delayed its decision -- one member told the local Fox affiliate that the council has been overwhelmed by messages sent by Change.org members.

The list doesn’t stop there. You’ve made a jaw-dropping number of victories possible, from pushing Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to grant clemency to Sara Kruzan, to successfully calling on the South African Minister of Justice to meet with activists combating “corrective" rape, to getting Nashville's housing authority to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation.
You can read more about these victories and many others here: http://www.change.org/victories?alert_id=VYLxpahUga_OGOAOMIbUB&me=aa
Each victory was only possible because an activist like you decided to start a petition to make change in their community, city, or country. If there's something you want to change, you can start your own petition here: http://www.change.org/start-a-petition
We're so proud to be working with you. Thanks for everything you do.
- Patrick and the Change.org team

The History of Monsanto!

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbestmeal.info%2Fmonsanto%2Fcompany-history.shtml%231969&h=477dc

It's a great read! And very familiar names at the center of earth damaging legislation. The "old" boys club were hard at work raping our local farmers and killing ecosystems.

BPA in soup

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emagazine.com%2Fmagazine%2Fcanned-chemicals%2F&h=cb292

Can run up the Stairs!

I feel like Rocky! LOL!

Commercial 'Celebrations"

The above poster pretty much sums up how I feel about Valentines Day.....GRRRR! Another corporate cash grab that markets to our kids and pressures the parents to buy Valentines for their classmates, heart candy and cards for the teachers. Couples are suppose to give each other gifts, flowers, chocolates and go for a nice dinner out. Yeah right! It's all so absurd!
Valentine's Day is one of the major holidays in the West and has become a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all cards sent each year are "valentine"s. How many trees is that? And to make this commercial holiday even worse there is a growing Anti-Valentines Day movement that has there own set of crap to sell as well. Really?

Why do we buy into these commercial holidays? Personally I'm tired of the materialistic commercial holiday. It's like a global "Keeping up with the Jones". Christmas has become who has the best lights display and who got more gifts. Halloween has boomed as a close second for decorations. All those resources and money to outdo your neighbors? It is fun to decorate but why do we have to make them bigger, better, brighter? Have we become so brainwashed to consume that we don't stop to think about why we are doing it? Consumerism is another religion. It has taken away people's time...they work longer to buy more....stores are open later or 24 hours.....everything is open on Sundays now (which used to be a family day for all/church day).......a legitimate family day is spent at the mall buying stuff instead of at a table playing board games or crafts or going outside to play. With the rise of available credit the commercialization of holidays has taken away our focus for the reasons behind them....and cheapened their meaning. Do you really need chocolates, flowers and a card from hubby on that exact day to reaffirm your love? How about reaffirming every day with communication and affection....THAT has meaning.

So yes I HATE Valentines Day...but I'm certainly not going to go buy Anti-Valentines cards. I feel pressure to get Valentines for my kids to give out and that just makes me angry. I purchased some for Ty for his party tomorrow and now have to get 3 more sets for the other boys. I'll take the hit financially and for my score but I resent it mightily.

So our score is 39/41 days without retail therapy.  I have been hiking everyday though....and feel fantastic!

XO

New film about the meat industry

WARNING! Not for kids! Hard to watch!

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DTHIODWTqx5E&h=8fe04

Food, Sub Food and What the hell is that?

I have this crazy system of categorizing the food my kids eat...and I do keep score!..lol...With pesticides, fungicides, frankencides and other such poisons on our produce...and Genetically Modified grains and soy and corn and tomatoes etc....It's a battle field in the grocery store! And they don't label GMO or poisons...they are not required to! Can you believe it? They can spray this and that....change the genetic makeup of this and that...and they are not required by law to inform us! WTF! Methyl iodide was approved in California as a pesticide and even trained chemists are reluctant to work with it....who the hell is controlling our food system? Not US! Or are we just asleep at the wheel..so to speak....WAKE UP PEOPLE! We are being poisoned in every aspect of our food system.

Canned soup has traces of BPA!

BPA is one of the most widely produced chemicals in the world. It is used to harden plastic in everything from infant and water bottles to mobile phone and computer casings, and also to make linings for cans of food, beverages and infant formula. Yet a growing body of research has implicated the chemical as an endocrine (hormone) disruptor that can lead to cancer, birth defects, behavioral problems and other diseases.

And why are companies using these products? PROFITS! The crap lasts LONGER! Thereby increasing profits as there is less waste...and more shelf life. Remember the Griswalds...the Vacation movies...what was Clark's job? To create food additives so milk can last a year.....funny at the time but we are now at a cross roads...they are putting those chemicals in every thing we eat! They are coating our produce with cancer causing pesticides and making our kids cereal out of GMO grains that they have NOT studied! And have no idea what the long term implications will be with GMOs....ASSHATS!

They are all sitting in there billion dollar world eating FRESH! With personal chefs! They are NOT eating what we are...that I can GUARANTEE! Laughing all the way to the bank.....GRRRRR!

So I have a system...yes...that crazy MOM system..and here it goes!

1 - Any produce from California is a NO! (we just do without)

2 - Chile and Mexico are suspect and I SMELL it first (if it doesn't smell like a cucumber than it's NOT)

3 - Food is in it's natural state...if the kids want muffins I make them...and yes at midnight sometimes as that is when I have the time.....bread is LOCAL only...and eggs too

4 - Sub food is the once in a while....Chicken Nuggets from a box.....fries from a bag....the occasional meat balls and frozen pizza

5 - The What The Hell is that? Gold Fish Crackers! Kraft Dinner! Cheese Strings! Nutrigrain bars? And a host of frozen foods.

We have to reclaim our VOICE as CONSUMERS! Don't let the corporations tell us what to eat...we tell THEM! We are the $$$ that drive it and we need to wake up and demand NATURAL and at an AFFORDABLE price!

When you shop at Walmart and buy their 35 cent juice boxes...do you wonder why they are so cheap? Do you wonder what is in them and how they are made? Do you think about the health implications for your child? Do you wonder HOW they are offered so cheaply? Maybe they would be healthier with a bottle of water...no...cause they are lined with BPAs....or maybe they would be better off with a reusable bottle of juice...no...they are lined with BPAs....

So I ASK with all my heart and soul that we ALL fight for our FOOD! DEMAND transparency...and DEMAND no GMOs! And demand LESS use of poisons!

I may have 4 big growing boys and am able to cook for them..but this is a GLOBAL issue and I hope that you will all step back and think about it for a while....just THINK about if for a while. If we give in today then our kids will only have What The Hell to choose from!

So my 12 year old is now a size 13 men's foot! Really? Took the shoes back twice and he came with me the last time and we measured!..LOL! I gave birth to a MONSTER! LOL!

Maybe I should feed him more of What The Hell and less of Food. ;)

Cheeky Mom LOVE you ALL! XO

Tv and my Guilty Pleasures

What a difference 30 years makes..lol...My new TV vs the TV of my youth. The rabbit ear TV with no remote! And we had 12 channels to choose from...and when the knob broke off we used pliers to change the channels..LOL! My kids can't believe it....had to show Sam a picture..lol...his eyes were big as saucers...oh the Ice Ages must have been hard for Mom! LOL!

Now we have hundreds of channels, remotes, digital boxes, PVRs, CD players etc...the kind of stuff I never dreamed of as a kid and yet when I go to watch TV most of the time there is nothing on! LOL! Just reading the guide is entertainment enough sometimes...1000 ways to die, Toddlers and Tiaras, Rock of Love Charm School?, Throttle Junkies TV, Doing Davinci?, Wife Swap, Pretty Little Liars, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, The Biggest Loser, Half Pint Brawl?, Human Wreck Balls?, Tommy Lee goes to College, and the newest one $#*! My Dad Says.....LOL!..Sometimes when I'm going through the guide I wonder who comes up with this stuff...and then I get really worried thinking about who the hell is WATCHING this stuff..lol...Granted I watch the Biggest Loser from time to time but the title of the show is just BAD!

The networks are grasping for our viewership and coming up with shocking or titillating titles to get our attention...though $#*! My Dad Says is so base and so uncreative...I mean really...my 5 year old figured that out....well...he is the one that can spell the f word on his brothers homework..lol...but you get my point. And I have to say the first time I read Gene Simmons Family Jewels..the mind kind of wandered a wee bit..lol..and then I figured it out...lol....

I like the new TV world more than the old...especially with so many kids...wink....but I have to wonder what will they come up with next? Paris Hilton got a new reality show....what is her talent exactly? Could somebody please tell me why the Kardashian Sisters have a show? And that Jersey Shore crew?....there are no words!

We are a loooong way from The Waltons, The Dukes of Hazard and Fantasy Island...lol....The Brady Bunch replaced by Family Guy....Boggles the MIND!

But to be perfectly honest I have a few really really guilty pleasures...lol....a busy Mom's saving grace sometimes is mindless TV...no thought...no deep issues...just silly fun. So here it goes! My favourite reality TV shows are as follows:

The Amazing Race - but it's educational? LOL
America's Next Top Model - no excuse except to LOL at how self centered they all are
Survivor - learning how to be conniving? ;)

And the worst of them all...gulp.......

The Bachelor! - I know..the shame.....I'm sinking in my chair as I type.....truly awful to be a fan but I just love the combination of real life Barbies with a real life Ken that really believe they will fall in love in 15 minutes....the tears after a few dates...and they weren't even alone! LMAO! Mindless entertainment at it's finest!

So don't judge me for my shameful taste in reality TV.....a busy Mom has to take a break sometimes..lol....

And we are 35/36 without retail therapy...though I did go to Shoe Warehouse for shoes for the boys...which was on the exceptions list. First pair 20% off, 2nd 30% off and 3rd 40% off....good deals!

Bad Reality TV Mom LOVE to you ALL! XO

Military MOM!

HELP! Someone took my sweet funny Ben and replaced him with a grumpy teenager! He looks like Ben...but the attitidue is not MY Ben! UGHGHGHG! LOL! We have had a very challenging week....butting heads every day about nonsense! He broke his zipper on his hoodie so I went out the next day to 3 different thrift stores to find him a decent hoodie. See the striped hoodie with the baseball cap above? Paid $3.50 and it's in mint condition and very good quality...so what does he say to me? "It's not black...I'm not wearing it." I just looked at him in disbelief...since when has fashion been a focus for a kid that I have to beg to shower for crying out loud!...So I said to him "Next time I will look for bright pink with flowers." Dead panned it! The look on his face was PRICELESS! He knows Military Mom will do just that....so he took the hoodie and has worn it every day since. HA! to you sweetie pie...lol....

Having not had a teenager to parent before I went in search of information. "How to talk to your teenage son?" The psycho babble was endless!!!! Find out what his hobbies are? Are you kidding me? Like I wouldn't know that already? Found one site that did ask you to check your tone of voice....good thought...check your eye contact and body language...more good points...but the rest of it was like I didn't know basic communication skills or even know my son at all. And people pay to read these books? Give them away and use some common sense!

And then today...he had a dentist appointment and boxing practice. He announces that he will go to one and not the other and I choose. REALLY BEN? Told him he is going to both..PERIOD..or his computer and PS3 are mine for a week. And then he said I was "Evil" and "Mean"....so I said the first thing that popped in my head. "Good thing I'm not your best friend then"...dead panned it again! LMAO! He laughed then I started acting like a zombie saying "Evil...evil...evil" Got him laughing again.

Okay...we are sort of communicating here...good stuff. But it is so much harder to draw him out then it ever was.....and he is so much grumpier than he ever was. Patience is the word for the next 12 years as one after the other boy go into the teen years. And I'm glad I layed the groundwork early in that when Military Mom comes out she means business. Have always followed through with my "threats"..lol...so all the boys know if I say they will lose a privilage or a treat they do. Have bought ice cream for 3 while the 4th got none...big meany that I am..lol...but really....if I give those 4 an inch I will be toast! Raising boys is hard work....raising them on your own exhausting! So I created the Military Mom persona for those really difficult situations....and as they all head into the teen years those situations get harder. Testing my authority, mood swings, being physically bigger than me and getting into my space on purpose....it's gonna be a hell of a ride!

So went thrift store hopping on Tuesday and got Ben two hoodies, Joe an awesome winter jacket, a couple of shirts, a baseball hat, a winter vest for me and two pairs of pants.....all for the whopping price of $31.50!!!!! SWEET! Could not find any shoes in decent condition...sigh...but will keep trying!

So we are 33/34 without retail! Woohoo! But Valentines Day is coming up and I am not making 80+ valentines by hand in the middle of tax season. So will buy new ones and take the hit....unless some lovely creative Mom out there makes them? Will pay of course...lol....

Big Military Mama love to you all! XO