1.  SIDE DISH - Kashi Seven Whole Grain Pilaf, Original 7 Grain Whole grains and fiber reduce risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity.  Just microwave and add lemon juice, olive oil, and chopped scallions for a delicious side dish.   2.  CEREAL - Amys Organic Bowls Steel Cut Oats Hot Cereal Five minutes in the microwave and more tasty than instant oats.  3.  PASTA - DeBoles Organic Ancient Grai…[more]

Bake tomatoes for younger skin and cancer protection.  Compared with fresh tomatoes, cooked tomatoes (and products like pasta sauce) contain more lycopene, a powerful antioxidant.  Research suggests lycopene may guard the skin against damage from the sun's UV rays.  Baking tomatoes makes them healthier and more versatile.Roast omega-3-rich fish for a slimmer waistline.  Roasting a fatty fish, such as salmon, with a bit of olive oil doesn't increase its fat con…[more]

1. For sunburn, anesthetics such as benzocaine and lidocaine can irritate skin and cause allergic reactions.  Safer sunburn options include cool baths or showers, OTC pain medication like ibuprophen and acetaminophen, and liberal use of aloe gel.2.  Don't pull the stinger out of a bee bite, as doing so may release more venom.  Brush off the stinger with a straight-edged object like a credit card. 3.  For a minor burn, ice can cause frostbite and dam…[more]

My granddaughters school has done an assessment of her and we will find out next week what their conclusion is.  We've known a long time that something was "different" about our girl and it will be good to know what professionals have come up with.  All symptoms point to Aspergers, but now we may get a bit closer to the correct assessment. I don't know when the actual hospital testing will be done, or if it will.  My daughter got laid off recently a…[more]

I, and others, have noticed that one of the family is no longer posting, and no signs of her are to be found on the site.   I feel like a wonderful and wise member of my family has disappeared and I definitely miss her as a good regular who had plenty to add and was wise, experienced and was so helpful when I, and mine, needed some input by someone with the background we didn't have.   If she is listening somewhere out there, I'd like to thank her for all …[more]

My husband and I spent a lot of time and money on our granddaughter, trying to give her something to keep her mind on fun stuff rather than being depressed and curled up on the couch saying she didn't want to live.We helped her become a collector of "Blythe" dolls - a very interesting line of dolls that I believe are made in Japan now and sold in China and a couple of places here in the states.  The Blythe doll is 12" tall and has a large head and skinny body.  She is …[more]

Ships in the harbor are safe, but that's not what ships are built for.  John SheddThe best way out is always through.  Helen Keller Considering how dangerous everything is, nothing is really very frightening.  Gertrude Stein I'm not a failure if I don't make it - I'm a success because I tried.  Feel the fear and do it anyway.Knowledge is not power.  It is potential power.  Take action.  Follow through.Three p…[more]

I decided to go to a yard sale this morning, actually two I had circled, couldn't find my money after the first one, so came home with some good deals and then found the missing $20 shoved up in a corner of my pocket.  As I was going over the special things I had picked - a Coach Handbag and another purse with fringe on it looked fun for something, a fancy old large birdcage that needed painting, and now looks fun on a chest with glass colored pebbles in the …[more]

Beat Back Breast Cancer - A society for Women's Health Research survey of 1,000 women reveals that breast cancer is the greatest health fear.  Yet the actual top five causes of death among women, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes.Here are some foods and habits that stop cancer before it starts, and prevent recurrences in women who have been treated before…[more]

It's looking more and more like my 14 year old granddaughter is going to be diagnosed with Aspergers.  That's something I can handle pretty well, but now hearing that she doesn't want to believe she could have what her brother has, and her insisting she doesn't have it, and that what she has is OCD is disturbing.  For some reason, OCD is something she relates to and feels okay about, but the thing she probably has is something so unbearable for her to accept …[more]