Seafood and Pregnancy

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of HealthyTuna.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

Sometimes it's just so confusing trying to figure out what foods are good for you and what foods aren't. First there's a study saying a particular food causes cancer or some other unwanted disease or side effect, and the next week another study says that that same food is beneficial in all kinds of ways. One food I'm sure you've heard differing opinions about is seafood. First you hear that seafood, and particularly fish high in Omega-3 fatty acids, is essential for good health and should be eaten at least 3 times a week. Then you hear that some seafood contains high levels of mercury and should be avoided, especially by pregnant women. It's hard to know what to do. Is eating fish really dangerous to unborn babies?

I personally love tuna, and we all love salmon. Since it's been so many years since I was pregnant (my baby is 17), I honestly don't remember how much tuna I ate when I was pregnant. I've been reading some of the scientific studies on the healthy tuna website, and I really wish I had made a point of eating tuna or salmon more while I was pregnant. There are all kinds of benefits to both the mother and the baby when a pregnant woman eats seafood at least 3 times a week. Marine foods like fish are the only naturally rich source of a special omega-3 fatty acid called DHA, which is needed for the very best possible brain and eye development in babies. Seafood is a great source of lean protein and is high in Vitamin D and Calcium which are very important for a healthy pregnancy.

The Featured Study mentions research that shows pregnant women who ate fish at least 3 times per week were 50% less likely to develop symptoms of depression than those who ate no seafood. The study says:

Depression during pregnancy can have serious effects on a woman's health and that of her baby; emerging science suggests that depression during pregnancy may increase the risk of:

• Having a caesarian section
• Delivering a premature or low-birth-weight baby
• Lowering cognitive test scores and babies' brain and behavior development
• Having depression after pregnancy

I'm not the only one who didn't realize what benefits could be gained by eating more fish, because the study also says that, on average, American women eat one sixth of the recommended amount.

All the health benefits sound great, don't they? But what about the mercury we've heard about? Isn't it dangerous for pregnant women to eat seafood? Do the benefits really outweigh the risks? There's a nice report called Seafood Choices: Balancing Risks and Benefits that really helps with that. There's a nice chart that shows how much mercury is in a 3-ounce serving of different types of seafoods consumed in the U.S. along with the estimated EPA/DHA (omega-3 fatty acids) intake for each. The recommendation seems to be that women who are pregnant, may become pregnant, or who are breastfeeding should avoid large predatory fish such as shark, swordfish, tilefish, or king mackerel - because the mercury content is high while the benefits are fairly low, comparatively. Fish like salmon and light tuna are high in EPA/DPA and very low in mercury content - as well as being affordable and convenient when you buy canned.

After reading some of the health benefits of eating fish, I'm thinking I need to make more of an effort to include it in our diet. 3 times a week? No, I'm not pregnant, but I'm thinking I need to get more Vitamin D and Calcium in my diet, and eating seafood is also supposed to reduce the risk of future cardiovascular disease.

What about you? Do you eat seafood? What are some good ways to include enough of it in your diet?

Looking at the Sky on Friday - 39

I’m so glad there’s a meme like Looking at the Sky on Friday, because it means all the time I spend looking at the sky, and taking pictures of it, has a purpose! Click the badge for more info.

I’m shocked that I haven’t participated in Looking at the Sky on Friday for two weeks.  Last week we were out of town, so I know what my reason for missing it was, but I can’t remember what I was doing the week before that – looking for online life insurance maybe?  

Anyway, on our way to Lexington, Kentucky I took a few pictures as we drove through Louisville.  We’ve driven through a couple times before, both times at night with the lights of the city reflecting off the water and looking so pretty, and both times I did not have my camera out.  This time, I was prepared.  No lights, but a sunset and some nice reflections in the water.

After the first couple shots, it got a little difficult, trying to shoot without catching parts of the bridge, too.

Then, a little further down the road I kind of liked the power lines that got in my way:

If you enjoy skies as much as I do, be sure to check out Looking at the Sky on Friday.

Where'd the Fuzz Go?

We were only gone for about a week, but I know Weasley grew. He just looks bigger. See what happens when we're not watching him? I know he would grow anyway, even if we were here, but I don't know that it would be so noticeable - but not seeing him for a few days, and Wow! I didn't realize until he crawled under the covers with us early this morning and I was petting him that he also lost his kitten fuzz. Before we left he was this soft, fuzzy little furball, and now he's more sleek than fuzzy.

I have to wonder - where did the fuzz go? How can he be all fuzzy and then suddenly not be? I guess I'll never know. All I know is that my little baby boy is growing up. It's about time I send him out looking for IT Jobs or modeling jobs, or something to earn his keep and pay for all that cat food and cat litter he goes through.

I think he missed us a bit. He's been exceptionally sweet, snuggly, and purry today - but then again, he's usually like that, such a sweetheart! He can lose the kitten fuzz, but I hope he doesn't lose that.

Heads or Tails – Show ‘N Tell

The theme/prompt for THIS week, December 22, is:

TAILS - "Show 'N Tell"
Remember playing Show 'N Tell back in school? This is pretty much the same. Post something you want to "show" and then "tell" about it.
Here’s something I’ve been meaning to show you for a while now:

The new tile in my kitchen and dining room! I mentioned we were getting this done, back when we finally picked the tile and then when we were having it installed. Unfortunately, I neglected to post any pictures of the finished floor – until now. It took a while to get things put back in place and looking decent enough for pictures, and then… well, never mind my excuses.
We’ve been enjoying our floor for a few months now, and we really love it. Besides the kitchen and dining room, we also had it put in the front entryway and both bathrooms.

 Did I mention we love it? I’m really glad we finally got around to getting this done. It will be especially nice when spring and summer roll around again, and we’re in and out using our new deck – which is currently covered in snow:

We did get several days in a row above freezing, so some of that has melted since I took the picture, but it’s snowing again today.

Heads or Tails is a fun weekly meme created and hosted by Barb (aka Skittles) – feel free to join in!

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They Should Have to Buy Condoms

Last week the Milwaukee school board decided that they would make free condoms available in the schools. Some people worry that making condoms available will encourage teenagers to have sex. Others argue that teenagers are going to have sex, so the most important thing is to make sure they're safe. I personally hate that attitude and the whole idea that we really can't expect teenagers to have any standards or values. That attitude may actually be what encourages teens to have sex, because after all, if everyone thinks they're already doing it, and clearly everyone else is already doing it, then they might as well go ahead and do it, right?

I suppose the ones who are going to have sex are going to have it, so giving them condoms isn't going to change anything there. It just seems that if we're going to be all accepting (which I'm really not) of teenagers engaging in an adult activity, that they should be expected to step up, be responsible, and actually buy condoms instead of having someone hand them out for FREE. Handing out free condoms may or may not encourage teenagers to have sex, but it seems to encourage them to expect something for nothing and really doesn't encourage responsibility.

At least the taxpayers won't be paying.

I'd Rather Shop from Home

I'm not much of a shopper. I don't think I ever was, but working in retail for several years really ruined shopping for me. I honestly do not understand the phrase 'Retail Therapy' because it's just something to get over and done with, not something to do for fun or relaxation. We do look through the ads that come in the paper every Sunday, just in case we need something, but more often than not, there really isn't anything worth running out for.

I can get myself in a little trouble with easy online shopping, though - because I don't have to leave the comfort of my own home. Not only that, but I don't have to deal with people - especially the crowds at this time of year - and the long lines. For instance, on Black Friday while my husband and brother were insane enough to get up and actually go to the stores, I stayed in bed, got up a little later, and then did my shopping online - buying several $3 and $3.50 DVDs, all of them with free shipping. I'm also regularly tempted by those emails I get from Buy.com telling me about their deals on electronics and computer-related things. I have a hard time resisting a good deal on an SD card!

I never really thought about it before, but I'm thinking I can get some good deals on pet supplies by shopping online, too. It's definitely worth looking at. I hear it's supposed to be much cheaper to order pet prescriptions online, and maybe even cheaper if I can find some coupon codes for free shipping or something. Not that either one of the kitties needs a prescription, but just in case. If nothing else, checking online first will give me a good idea of whether I'm getting a good deal on something or not.

How Wheat Works

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Wheat Food Council. All opinions are 100% mine.

Unless you grew up on a farm, you probably don't understand how most of our food makes it into the grocery stores and onto our tables. One of the most important grains in our country is wheat, and there's a new interactive multimedia program called How Wheat Works that aims to help people understand all the phases wheat goes through before finally making it onto our tables. You can sign up for free and plant your own virtual wheat field. There are four phases to go through, growth, harvest, milling/baking and the grocer’s aisle, and each one takes just a few minutes to complete. You get to choose things like what type of wheat to plant and what kind of flour to mill. When you complete a phase, they'll email you in about a day to remind you to come back and complete the next one, so it takes 4 days to get through the whole thing.

Now I grew up in Central Illinois around lots and lots of corn and bean fields, though I can't really tell you what all the farmers go through to get their crops ready for market. I definitely don't know anything about wheat, so I'm going to sign up for this and see what I can learn. Not only that, but for every person who participates, the Wheat Foods Council will donate 2 pounds of flour, up to 90,000 pounds, to Operation Homefront (operationhomefront.net), a non-profit organization that provides assistance to needy U.S. troops and their families. Wouldn't it be great if they could reach that 90,000 pound mark? Donations are made possible by Council members at ADM and ConAgra, two of the world’s largest millers.

There are additional activities and recipes on the site as well as a special page for the youth at www.wheatfoods.org - click the 'Just for Kids' link. All this was put together by the Wheat Food Council because they believe that teaching people how a whole or enriched grain food comes to be can shed new light on wheat nutrition, resulting in informed food choices. It is good to think about what we eat and to know where our food comes from, don't you think?

Free Cereal (Almost) and Expiring Coupons

I went shopping today. I was thinking I could put it off for a couple weeks, but I just couldn't resist the cereal they were practically giving away at Pick 'n Save. They had Kellogg's, Keebler, Sunshine products on sale for $2.50 each, and if you bought 8, you automatically saved $10, bringing them down to $1.25 each. That's a really good deal already - but add some coupons, and it's even better, especially on double coupon day. Actually, I didn't get all cereal, but I ended up with 16 boxes of cereal, crackers, cereal bars, and Pop Tarts for $2.50. Can't hardly beat that!

I had to go to the store twice to do it, but it's on my way, so I went there first, then went and got the oil changed, air filters and fluids checked, and whatever else they do, and got the van washed too. I almost hate to wash it this time of year because it's just going to get all messy again the next time it snows, but it was a clear, sunny, albeit cold day - so it was a good day to do it. After that I went to Walmart to grab some stuff, then went back to Walgreens where I earned a $5 Register Rewards certificate I didn't know I was getting, so I didn't plan my shopping to use it. And, for some reason, it expires on Sunday. Now I haven't been to Walgreens and gotten any of these Register Rewards for a while now, but didn't they used to give you 2 weeks to use them? Even that was stretching it for me because I don't always get there within 2 weeks, but this is ridiculous. Luckily Jeffrey has a Walgreens right across the street from work and passes another one on the way home, so I told him that he has $5 he has to spend in the next couple days. I'm sure he'll find something he wants.

Then after Walgreens back to Pick 'n Save to get more cereal and crackers for next to nothing, and other stuff, like potatoes, onions, cream cheese, tortillas, etc. I bought 4 Tombstone pizzas the first time so I could get a coupon for a free California Pizza Kitchen or Digiorno flatbread melt, so I grabbed that - and it's a good thing I did, because that coupon expired next week. Again, they used to give you two weeks to use them. I also used my coupon for free Silk Heart Healthy soy milk that I won from Pookie and the Boys. I'm pretty sure I'll get to enjoy that all by myself, along with that flatbread melt - I bought a really good-looking spinach one that no one will fight me for! Hopefully, though, they'll like the cereal and crackers I picked, because it would take me a year to eat all of that by myself.

Tired

OK, it's already time for bed, and I haven't had time to post about stainless steel drums or anything else for that matter. It seems that Mondays are always busy with laundry and catching up from the weekend, and today was no different. I worked on laundry, which I can actually finish in one day thanks to my wonderful husband fixing my dryer a while back. The vent wasn't working properly, and it took way longer to dry things than it should have. When we bought the washer and dryer, they said that the dryer was supposed to dry things in the same time it took the washer to wash. It's not quite that fast now, but it's pretty good - and now I can get all the laundry washed, dried, and folded in one day. And, I have decided that I really like the Purex Natural Elements laundry detergent in the Citrus & Aloe scent. It smells so good!

Besides laundry I organized coupons so I can go shopping this week, went through the mail, cut up a bunch of apples for the dehydrator, and... Well, there was more, but it's bed time, and my brain isn't working right now. I'm not even going to tell you how long I sat here trying to even start this post. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

My Son the T-Shirt Designer

I mentioned in my last post that Cory got a box of 60 t-shirts this week. Now, the boy loves his t-shirts, but there's no way he needed 60 t-shirts for himself. These t-shirts are for him and a whole bunch of his friends.

A while back Cory and one of his friends came up with an idea for a shirt - no, it wasn't "visit new york", I think that one's already been done. They wanted their shirt to say i'm pretty good at hugs. So Cory put together a design, tweaked the design, got everyone's opinion, and finally settled on the exact, perfect design. Then, he started taking orders - the more shirts he ordered the better the price was for everyone. Well, the orders and the checks started coming in, and before he knew it, he had 60 shirts ordered!

He ordered them from CustomInk.com, and they turned out really nice. They make it really easy to design the shirts and get the exact look you want, and they have all kinds of products to choose from. Cory went with the Hanes tagless T. The price is determined not only by the product you choose, but also by the number of items you order, the more you order the better the price. With a 60 piece order, Cory got all these for around $10/shirt, which is really good. And shipping is FREE - gotta love that. Also, their customer service is top rate. If you have a group that needs custom designed shirts (or shorts or hats or bags or...) I'd suggest checking them out. (and, NO, they aren't paying me to say so)

Cory was so excited to get these, he had to wear his to school the next day - and came home with a list of 20 more people who want one. Me, I didn't order one or want one, because I'm not really a hugger. Cory, on the other hand, has always been a huge hugger - and apparently so are his friends.

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Giveaway at Crazy Working Mom

Our wonderful Looking at the Sky on Friday hostess Tisha was on television this morning! It was on her local ABC affiliate, so I didn't get to see it - but I'm still pretty excited anyway. Hopefully the station will post a video clip or something so those of us who don't live in Arkansas can see her segment.

I'll tell you what else is exciting about her television debut. Tisha was talking about some really great items that would be great to own or get for someone you know, and she's giving away all those gifts on her blog! Check out her giveaway post to see what you could win. I'm really liking that garlic roaster, or the digital picture keychain.

Of course, if you or your friends live in mobile homes or small apartments, you'll want to leave the winning to the rest of us. We wouldn't want you to have more stuff than you need, now would we? (I personally don't live in a small place, but I resemble that remark. Regardless of how much stuff we manage to accumulate, it's still fun to win something new.)

Looking at the Sky on Friday - 38

I’m so glad there’s a meme like Looking at the Sky on Friday, because it means all the time I spend looking at the sky, and taking pictures of it, has a purpose! Click the badge for more info.

This is the view out my back door yesterday, in the middle of a snowstorm:

The sky was completely gray. Then, today – as blue as blue can be!

I love that intense winter blue that comes after the snow! And now when I glance up from my kitchen sink, I see winter! I like the snow when I'm safe and warm inside, looking out at it, even if it does mean I'm taking my sky pictures through the window instead of actually going outside.

If you enjoy skies as much as I do, be sure to check out Looking at the Sky on Friday.

Re-Imagine Wool with Ramblers Way

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ramblers Way. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was asked to pretend I had $500 to shop at Ramblers Way and asked what I would buy. So I visited the site and found out that they sell wool apparel. What do you think when you think about wool? I don't know about you, but I had this idea in my head that wool is warm, but itchy, and you can't wash it in the washing machine. So, needless to say, I haven't had any wool apparel in ages.

Well, Ramblers Way has me re-thinking wool, or re-imagining, as they say. According to their site, their wool garments are soft enough to wear next to your skin. They're also wrinkle, soil, and flame resistant, and fully washable. For those people who aren't ready to take their word for it, there's a form on the site you can fill out, and they'll mail you a sample of their fabric. I definitely want to feel this wool!

But, just saying I have $500 to spend and I believe these wool garments are as great as they say they are (before receiving my sample) - and durable, natural, and chemical free, too - what would I buy at Ramblers Way? The first thing that caught my eye was this Next-to-Skin Women’s Cross Neck top. It looks like the perfect top to wear under everything in all weather because the 'breathable fabric warms and cools effectively to maintain optimal personal temperature'. It would have been great for all that snow shoveling yesterday! So would the women's next-to-skin Long Jane - low-rise so I can wear them under whatever I want. Then with the rest of my $500, I'd grab some shirts for Cory Jeffrey, too - probably the long sleeve cross neck shirts for them, too.

That was fun! Oh, and I really like that Ramblers Way apparel is sustainably farmed and produced in America. You can even meet the sheep, and the guys who take care of them, on the website.

We Need to Do This

We keep getting calls from our life insurance agent. Every once in a while he likes to sit down with us and reassess our coverage. It's a good idea - just to make sure we have the coverage we need and that everything looks good. We have some term life insurance and some whole life, or whatever they call the other kind, the kind that is supposedly an investment. However, we recently talked to someone who said that the investment kind is not really a good deal. We only bought it at the time because I knew we'd never save any money otherwise. Now I'm wondering if we can actually ever get our hands on that money.

I guess that's why we're supposed to sit down with our agent and go over things - except that we never actually get around to scheduling a time to sit down and do it. It seems there's always something else we have to do, like the choir concert tonight, or Jeffrey's work schedule is crazy, or we just don't feel like actually doing something at the end of the day. I do need to get with Jeffrey and make him pick a time and get this over with. Really.

Delusions of Greatness

I've been cleaning and baking all day, and had plenty of things to say - until I sat down, that is. Why is it? All these great posts composed in my head and then nothing when I get to the computer? Probably so I'll never have to admit that they weren't really that great after all.

Cory just walked in the door from school, and I remembered one thing I was going to say - my baby is going to graduate this year! How can that be? We just had to order his cap and gown today - along with a Senior t-shirt and sweat pants, which he got today. $18.99 for a t-shirt and $24.99 for sweat pants isn't exactly cheap, but they're really nice. And we bought Beth the t-shirt and sweatshirt because she wanted them, and she didn't even like school, and was practically out of school by the time she got them. Cory at least likes school, and he has the rest of the school year to wear the Senior clothes.

I'm thinking there may have been something else about a dip bar, but that post probably wasn't all that great...

Looking at the Sky on Friday - 37

I’m so glad there’s a meme like Looking at the Sky on Friday, because it means all the time I spend looking at the sky, and taking pictures of it, has a purpose! Click the badge for more info.

These pictures were actually taken on a Friday.  Yes, I was looking at the sky on Friday, though I pretty much look at the sky every day.  But last Friday was Black Friday - the day crazy people all over the country get up at ungodly hours to go shopping.  Whatever are they thinking?

My husband and my brother decided to go shopping that morning – not at 4am, but way too early considering neither one of them had to get up and go to work.  Not me – I stayed warm in my bed, until about an hour and a half past my normal time.  Then I got up and went for my walk – and it wasn’t dark!  I really appreciate that this time of year.

Then, when I got home, I went out onto the deck and took some pictures of the morning sky and clouds.  I love that warm morning light.

If you enjoy skies as much as I do, be sure to check out Looking at the Sky on Friday.

Different Kitties

It's so funny to see how different these two cats, Tillie and Weasley, are. We've had Tillie since she was a tiny kitten, and no one has ever hurt her in any way, but she's such a timid thing. It doesn't take much to scare her - loud noises, sudden movements, and she disappears. Weasley, on the other hand, isn't scared of anything. Loud noises and sudden movements have him coming to check things out.

When Jeffrey leaves for work in the morning, Tillie might be in the kitchen playing with his shoestrings as he puts his shoes on, but as soon as he opens the door to the garage, she's out of there! She doesn't like it when he starts the car and doesn't want to be anywhere near. Weasley, on the other hand, likes to watch him leave. He sits there at the screen door and watches Jeffrey get in the car, start the car, and drive away. That big car doesn't scare him at all!

When it's time to clean the house, like yesterday, Tillie disappears as soon as I get the broom out or start dusting tv stands, book shelves, and other furniture. She knows the vacuum cleaner is sure to follow. Weasley, on the other hand, is right there in the middle of everything. It's hard to sweep the floor when I've got a little kitty chasing my broom and walking right through the pile of dirt. I never had that problem before. And when the vacuum cleaner comes out? It doesn't bother Weasley at all. He just sits and watches, or gets in the way again. Once when he knocked the plant in our bedroom over, I had to move everything, get out the vacuum cleaner, and clean up all the dirt he spilled. Weasley just curled up on the bed and watched me clean up his mess. Little brat!

Master of Arts in Teaching from USC

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of USC. All opinions are 100% mine.

I think teachers are some of the most important people in our society. They certainly have some of the most important jobs. I'm not sure I'd have the patience needed to be a teacher, but I really respect those who do. Our kids all deserve great teachers.

The USC Rossier School of Education’s MAT@USC offers a great way for both current educators and aspiring teachers to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. The program combines highly interactive online learning with field-based experiences where you live. That means you can earn your degree no matter where you live in the country. They even have an accelerated program that can be completed in as little as 12 months.

The USC Rossier School of Education is one of the world’s premier centers for graduate study in urban education. The school has been ranked #22 in the United States, and #9 among all private universities by US News and World Report. They prepare and develop educational leaders who are agents of change, and here's what I like, their international reputation is based on the application of research, not simply the theoretical construct. Their goal is to effect positive change in high-need education environments. Anyway, what it sounds like is that the USC Rossier School of Education doesn't just turn out your run-of-the-mill average teachers, they turn out exceptional teachers, the kind our kids deserve.

Participants in this program also enjoy full USC student status and benefits, participation in commencement ceremonies and free lifetime Alumni Association memberships.

Request your program information information today, and be sure to ask about the groundbreaking tuition reimbursement program designed exclusively for MAT@USC graduates.