Stress & the Holidays

Merry Christmas....

At least that is what people are telling me! Holidays can be stressful with all the preparations, company, food, gifts and more. Stresses me out just typing this!

The bottom line though is that the holidays are truly about spending some quality time with family and friends...getting some good laughs, and enjoying each other.

So, please try to relax a bit and just be thankful for those we have in our lives...and tell them so. The best gifts we gave to each one of our family members one year was a note from each family member stating what they liked or admired about them...I found these saved in my kids rooms. The games & clothes have long since been used and gone, but these letters will be saved forever.

I do have a good article on the 5Things You Can Do to Get a Good Night's Sleep....so follow the link and try to get a good over the holidays. Sleep does help!

Merry Christmas!

Debbie
The Allergy Queen
http://www.healthy-environments.com/sleep-better.asp


'>Link to other blogs?

Health Articles for You

Greetings!

I have written some articles for health, diet & nutrition you might enjoy. I also have written articles on International Adoption....my other half of my life!

Be sure and go to Debbie's Articles and take what you need. Pass them onto people who might like them...

Have a great day!

To Your Health....

Debbie Mumm ~ The Allergy Queen

Why are so many kids getting Asthma?

Greetings....

Here is an article I wrote a few years ago about why so many kids are getting asthma.

Please note that my website is now called... www.healthy-environments.com

All the info is still relevant. Click on the title of this post or go here...

http://www.afunzone.com/ATopic/Why_Are_So_Many_Children_Getting_Asthma.htm

Have a healthy day...

Debbie Mumm
The Allergy Queen

Why are So Many Kids Getting Asthma

Here is an article I wrote several years ago about why so many kids are getting asthma.

My website URL has changed though... it is www.healthy-environments.com now.

To Your Health...

Debbie Mumm

The Allergy Queen

KFC Chicken anyone?

I found this site.... http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com to be appalling. You can view it yourself.
I, myself, will not buy from KFC until I know that positive changes have been made regarding the cruelty to chickens.
While I am not a great chicken lover, I do know they are animals and therefore should not be treated so cruelly.
What do you think?

Debbie
Healthy Environments

Keeping up with Alex

Adopting school aged children from Russia in 2004 has me dealing with younger kids again on a daily basis...except that I am not as young as I was when my 3 bio-sons were 7 and 8.
Summer time is proving to be a very busy time with a 17 yr. old son who is eating me out of house and home....a 13 yr. old daughter who should have the phone attached to the end of her arm since 99% of all phone calls are for her...and an 8 yr. old son who is very active & ALL BOY!

For example: Alex, our 8 yr. old, decided to go look for frogs in our pond with the 6 yr. old neighbor boy. Soon I heard our hose being turned on. I ran outside only to find that both boys had gone into the pond and finding very black thick mud at the bottom they proceeded to have a Mud Fight! Big glops of mud was in their hair and ears. It seemed Alex thought of the hose as a way to wash off the mud so their moms might not notice it. They were soaked head to toe with mud dripping down all over the ground.
I told the other boy to head home to clean up while I had my oldest son, Brandon, wrap Alex in a towel and carry him to the shower. He was immediately stripped and washed...although mud was splattered all over the shower walls. Of course, this was the night I was having some of Tania's friends and moms over for a little Make Up party and my floors had been clean a total of an hour! Sigh...
How do I keep up being one of the oldest moms in Alex's classroom?
Actually, I have found several products I love that keep me energetic & feeling good. I have very few muscle aches when I take this and my mind is clear.
One is Xango...the mangosteen juice!
But the newest product is quite exciting and is something everyone should consider taking as it is a powerful antioxidant that rejuvenates the body! Want to hear more?
Click Here for Amazing Facts on Glutathione!

Goose Hunt Anyone?

Canadian Geese have invaded our territory....Husband is on the hunt!

Some facts about geese!

1. They mate for life.
2. They have 6-10 babies each spring.
3. They live 18-20 years.
4. They come back to the same place each spring.

Now, when we moved to our current home almost 7 years ago we liked that it was right next to a pond. There were about 4 or 5 geese then. Ok... looking at the above facts you can see we easily have around 30 geese now.

We bought a Goose Fence...a simple device that has 2 green wires attached to it...hard to see, but does seem to stop the geese from entering our yard (where the fence is). Whoever said that geese aren't very smart will see they have found that at the end of the fence are still some openings (sidewalk, etc) They manage to walk over to those places and then enter our yard. Our yard is full of goose poop as they munch our newly fertilized grass. My husband has been seen chasing them with shovels and even large squirt guns. He is amazed I don't spend my days doing the same!

Yes...spring is a pretty time! We will soon see cute little goslings wandering our yard with their obnoxious parents. (Goslings are cute and little for just a few days...they grow incredibly fast!) And my husband will have new geese to chase!

Happy Spring....

Debbie www.healthy-environments.com

Merry Christmas---oops! It's Spring, isn't it?

Well, today we are getting dumped with over 7 inches of very wet snow. The winter coats and boots were dusted off and worn again. The robins and geese shiver in the snow by our pond. We were amazed that 2 very large white swans appeared on our pond last night. Maybe this was an attempt to scare off the hundreds of geese that litter our yard, which is next to the neighborhood pond. But then it snowed and snowed today, and there are no swans to be seen now. The geese are honking and taking over the pond once again.
I did find a company that sells a Goose Fence, which I ordered. I hope that will keep them from pooping all over our lawn and eating our new grass. I can't tell you how much I DISLIKE geese!
We had a nice Easter...although a bit cold out!
This snow may be holding off seasonal allergies, but I am sure it'll be spring again soon and the allergies will appear.
We have begun to do some spring cleaning including changing the furnace filter. Have you changed yours lately? They should be changed or cleaned about once a month for optimal use of your furnace and for allergy control.
Guess it's time to shovel off the walk and driveway again....
Until next time.... www.healthy-environments.com
Debbie

Robins in the Snow

Hi!
Well...it is Feb. in the Chicago area and anything is possible in regards to weather. Last week at this time we got a foot of snow dumped on us. Now...a week later the temperatures are rising and the back yard consists of melting snow hills and lots of mud. (Mud, that our little bichon loves to dig his feet into as well our 7 yr. old son!)
I was amazed to see 3 robins sitting in our front tree. Even though the snow is melting it is still very WHITE outside! So, I guess spring is coming and soon we will be buying pool passes and signing our kids up for summer activities.
It will also be a time to do some spring cleaning...open the windows and air out the stuffy house from winter.
I do recommend Healthy Environments cleaning products. Why?

• non-toxic
• very concentrated (use very small amounts with water)
• bio-degradable (good for the environment)
• inexpensive (oz. to oz. incredibly cheaper than store brands)

Check it out on our site... www.healthy-environments.com/safe-cleaning-products.asp

Sick of Winter?

Here in the Chicago area we have been spared the usual cold winter...until now. It is 15 degrees out with a couple of inches of snow on the ground as I type this. At least the sun is out and it looks very pretty. We live next to a pond and we are finally seeing ice form on it. It is mid-January but I was rather getting used to mild temperatures, no boots, hats, or gloves! But with a 7 yr. old boy in the house I have found signs of winter (coming in and out the front door!) Dripping boots, soggy snow pants and frozen gloves lay in my front hall. My newly mopped floor is a mess again! (Sigh!)
But now that the temps are low the odds are high that people will start getting colds and flu when they spend a lot of time indoors. Our homes are sealed up tight to be energy efficient but the germs and viruses have no where to go but attach themselves to dust particles in the air...until someone breathes them in. If the immune system is compromised in any way then that person will feel ill later. It is the way it works.
So....Remember to try to have CLEAN indoor air (free of viruses and germs)....
and take nutritional supplements to keep your immune system strong this winter.
To learn more about this go to ..... www.healthy-environments.com

Flat Cookies

Hope your Christmas was a good one!
My sisters were both coming to my home over the holidays. Neither one of them can eat wheat. So I purchased a Gluten-free flour mix so I could make them some cookies. I used a Gluten-free cook book which called for 2 types of special flours but since I already had a 'safe' flour mix I just used that. Little did I know that alternative flours are much more sensitive to changes than regular wheat or white flours that I am used to . The cookies just totally spread out all over the pan and became one huge thin cookie. Of course, it then stuck to the pan unmercifully and became a platter full of crumbs in the end. They did taste pretty good when warm but were a disaster to look at.
Well, dear sisters, it was the thought that counted here!
For those of you that cook for food allergies, more power to you!
Happy New Year!
www.healthy-environments.com
Check out my NEW safe cleaners & laundry products!