What Do Produce Stickers Tell us?

According to Raw Earth Living, 7 out of 10 items in the grocery store have been Genetically Modified.  Not a big deal when you can read labels and sift through it all until you find something you're fine with feeding your family.  But how do you know if you're fruits and veggies are passing the test?  Obviously they don't come with ingredient labels.

You may already know, but that little sticker on the fresh produce tells you if it's genetically modified, organic, or conventionally grown, which simply means it's been treated with chemicals such as pesticides.

If the sticker on your apple has a 4-digit number that begins with a 4, you know that it was conventionally grown, or it was sprayed with chemicals and bug replants before it was harvested.

If the sticker has a 5-digit number with a 9 on the front of it, you know that it's organic.  Organic is good.  Especially with apples and potatoes as they both retain more pesticides than most other produce.  If you can't afford organic, simply peel them before you eat or cook them.  This way, you're not eating as many of the chemicals.

If the number on the sticker is a 5-digit number that begins with an 8, the sticker is telling you that this particular produce item in Genetically Modified = BAD!!  Remember, "we hate 8s"...this is how I remember and avoid such produce.  The term "Genetically Modified" or "GMO"  means that the genes have been changed and manipulated to produce a larger or more colorful food item.   Sadly, it's all about the money.

So, let's review....

Conventional produce {items that have been sprayed with chemical pesticides and herbicides} have a 4 digit number.
Organic produce {items grown without cancer causing chemicals and pesticides} have a 5 digit number that begins with a 9.  Remember: "9s are fine! ~  We hate 8!"
Genetically Modified produce {items that are no longer natural due to man's manipulation} have a 5 digit number as well, however they start with an 8..."which is NOT Great!!  We hate 8!!"

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Example:

4401 is the code for a conventionally grown peach.

94401 is the code for the same type of peach that was grown organically, or without all the chemicals. {and 9s are just fine!}

84401 is the code for the same type of peach that has been Genetically Modified.  {and do we hate 8's??  Yes!  We do!!}  :) 

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The Get Healthy Cash Giveaway!!

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 Statistics show that about 2/3rds of American adults are obese or overweight.

1 out of every 3 people will have cancer sometime in their life.  By 2020, the estimated ratio increases to 1 out of every 2 with cancer.

795,000 people suffer from strokes each year; 1.5 million suffer from heart attacks.

Heart disease is on the rise, thyroid problems, panic attacks, depression, fibromyalgia, IBS, ...and the list could go on and on!

 These facts make US citizens one of the most unhealthiest groups of people in the world!

What do you need to help you get healthy?  

A juicer?  
    A grain mill?  
     A rebounder?  
        Organic Groceries?  
          Healthy Supplements?   
            Visits to your local naturopathic doctor?  

Several bloggers and myself have teamed up to offer you The "Get Healthy" Cash Giveaway!  One winner will win $300 in PayPal cash!  We desire this to be a blessing and motivation to someone to help them "get healthy"!

The way to enter this giveaway is on the Rafflecopter form below.  There are many different blogs you can "like" or "follow" to increase your chances of winning, and a few of the options can be done daily!  Take your time and have fun!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Training Children to Eat Real Food

So many mothers seem to be at loss as to how to get their children to eat real food.  And, by real food, I mean, fruits and vegetables, yogurt, healthy fats, nuts, seeds and dried fruits.   I can't even begin to tell you how many mothers have asked me how I do it.  "How do you get them to eat like that?"

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A few tips:

•  Be the mama!  This one's not always fun, or easy.  Especially if you've let them eat whatever they wanted in the past and now you're trying to re-train them in the area of healthy eating.  Parents are responsible for what their children eat.  Children are too small to get their own food.  Not only that, but they don't know enough to get the right kind even if they could get it for themselves.  That's where parents come in.  YOU are the parent.  Be the parent.  Even if it's not popular.  Most parents aren't afraid to stand up to their children and make them get vaccinated. {which we don't do, but that's beside the point.}  Why do they back down when it comes to making them eat healthy foods?  :) 
• Let them help!  Children love to help.  {And I'd rather have them right with so I know what's going on anyway.}  ;)   You can tell them all about what they're getting ready to eat.  Is it a fruit or a vegetable?  How does it grow?  What  is it good for?  {For instance, cilantro is good to detox the body of heavy metals and avocados are good for your heart and a whole host of other things.}
• Let them grow it!  We plant a garden in the spring and another in the fall.  The younger children get to chose a favorite fruit or vegetable to plant.  They are responsible to care for their plant.  They watch it grow, they harvest, cook, and serve their crops.  They love it!  It's a big deal and oh, so fun!   {The first year my son was included in the planting he was so, very upset with me because his older sisters all got to plant their favorite foods, and he couldn't understand why I wouldn't let him plant his!!  Have you ever tried explaining to a 2 year old that yogurt doesn't grow in a garden?}
• Make it colorful!  What kid {or adult, for that matter} doesn't like to see all kinds of colors?  And the more colors you have on your plate the more nutrition you have!  As long as that color is natural and doesn't come from harmful, synthetic dyes and food colorings.
• Be creative ~ change it up!  Don't eat the same things all the time.  Ever had a banana on a stick?  My kids love them!  What about peanut butter apples and raisins?  Or, maybe avocado dip?  Kids love to dip and whole wheat crackers, tortilla chips and fresh vegetables are all yummy with this dip!  Try frozen berries or grapes rather than fresh ones.  They are yummy.  Or, you can stick a spoon in a cup of yogurt {or a stick in a banana} and put it in the freezer...whalla...you now have yogurt pops {or a frozen banana on a stick, which is just as delightful}!! 
• Swap it!  Even the picky eaters won't mind this one.  Make your own jams with honey rather than all that store bought stuff with processed sugar and preservatives.  Then, you can eat PB&J all the time and not feel guilty!  Make your own cream of chicken soup - this way you get less preservatives and other additives such as MSG.  Kids love macaroni & cheese.  I get Annie's whole wheat/organic Mac & Cheese and then I make my own "homemade" hamburger helper" out of it.  {Might want to stock up on it when it's on sale.}  And, don't forget you can make you're own spice mixes to cut out on all the additives like MSG.  {If you read the ingredients on your spices and you come across "natural flavors" this very well could be MSG.}  Let's not take any chances when we can make our own and have it on hand just as easily.  Farm Fresh Eggs are super for your health too and have so much more nutritional value than those store bought eggs!  Try them.  I bet you, your kids will love them.  They really do taste so much better.  Offer lemon water rather than soda or kool-aid on a hot day.
  

 My oldest showing off the first strawberry pie she ever made from scratch!

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Friends Are Like Bananas

The Bible warns us to be ware of our friends.  We must chose them wisely.  We will become like them.

Proverbs 1 talks about the young man who starts out walking with ungodly friends.  Before you know it, that young man is no longer walking, but now, he's standing - he has stopped moving forward and he's now standing still - in the way of sinners.  Then, the next step you see is that he's sitting in the seat of the scornful.   He's now resting himself comfortably in the seat of those that don't love God.

This doesn't mean that we should avoid any and all who have bad habits, don't go to church, or smell funny lest these things wear off on us!  On the contrary, we should be their friend.  We should love them.  Help them.  Encourage them.  But we should not ever allow them to be our friends.

What does this mean?  How do you be someone's friend without allowing them to be your friend?  You love them.  You treat them the same as you treat everyone else.  Invite them to your home for dinner.  Introduce them to your friends that love God.  Share the Gospel with them.  Take them to church.  But DON'T spend time at their home doing the things they like to do.  You will soon like to do those things too.  You will find yourself thinking they have more fun.  You will find yourself wanting to be like them and before you know it, you will have become what they are.

Object Lesson #1 ~
It's so much easier to be pulled down than it is to pull someone up to where you are!  My husband demonstrates this by standing on the platform at church and trying to pull one of the teenagers up.  It's nearly impossible.  BUT, if that same teenager tries to pull my husband down off the platform, he can - in mere seconds!!

We must be friends with those we want to see saved.  We must NOT let them become our friends!  We must influence them to do right.  We cannot allow them to influence us otherwise. 

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Object Lesson #2 ~
To demonstrate this to my children and Sunday School class, I used a paper bag, a bunch of saltine crackers {you can use just about anything}, and several bananas.  Put the crackers and the bananas in the bag and within hours the crackers will be smelling and tasting like the banana!!

It's a simple illustration to show children how they WILL become like the friends they hang around.  We must guard against becoming too close with those who don't share our values and beliefs!  We must guard our families!

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Encouraging Ourselves In the Lord - My Prayer Journal

The recent ruling of the supreme court had me frazzled.  Growing up a Military Brat, we were proud to be American, proud to be a part of "we the people".  I never thought anything like this would ever happen to MY country.  And the scariest part of all {for me} is that the American people don't want any of this to happen.  No one is listening to "we the people".  This is not the way our country was set up to operate.  Not American.  Unconstitutional.  Illegal.  So many questions and fears...

But we don't have to fear.  We MUST NOT fear!!  Fear is a lack of faith. We can't accomplish anything in fear.  And we are mothers and wives.  We have plenty to accomplish!!  :)

Here's what I do to quiet my heart and encourage myself in the Lord:

My husband knows I like to make lists, so he brought me this journal back from his recent trip to Peru.  I knew exactly what I was going to do with it when he handed it to me: A Prayer Journal!!

I keep track of my prayer requests by writing them on notebook paper and keeping them in a binder along with another list of answered prayer requests.  When a prayer request has been answered, it gets marked off the "Prayer Request List" and gets put on the list of "Answered  Prayers".

This new journal that my husband brought me is going to be used only for "Answered Prayers".  I'm so excited about this journal.  I can't wait until it's completely filled with answered prayers and I can move on to the next! 

I've found that the most encouraging thing I can do in troubled times is to read through all the things that God has done for me personally.  If He can do those things - some big, some small - who am I to think He can't do more of the same?  Especially when He promised to meet our needs and be right there with us the whole time!

If you don't have a prayer journal, I suggest you start one.  All you have to do is sit down and think of all the things God has done for you.  I'm thinking you could fill up a complete journal of all the things He's done in the past.  All the things He's provided.  All the ways He's blessed.  Write it down - all of it that you can remember.  When you can't think of anymore, put it down and do the laundry - that's what I did :P  - God will bring more things to remembrance.  You will be so completely amazed at all the wonderful things He's done for you and your family!!

Then, at the end of every day, you can add a few more praises and answered prayers in your journal.  It's amazing!  A new pair of shoes - even if from a yard sale.   Did you accomplish something you were dreading?  Did one of the kids complete a goal or reach a mile stone?  Maybe you're just thankful that the laundry got caught up?  {You can put as much or as little as you want in your journal.  It's yours.  And it's a great way to praise the Lord, and to remind yourself of the blessing and faithfulness of God!}

It may help you to have a prayer list too.  You can keep up with all the things you are asking God for.  You will be amazed at all the ways He provides!  You will learn that He blesses us far more than we realize and we take so much for granted!  My favorite thing to do with a prayer list is mark things off.  Even if they weren't answered according to my will.  They were answered and they can still go in the "answered prayers" column.  God is good and sovereign.  He knows what's best. 

If He has done all of these things for us in the past and the present, who are we to doubt what He can/will do in the future?? 

Don't have a prayer journal??  GET ONE!!  It's sooo encouraging!! 

Oh, and did I mention, it would be a great thing to leave to your children and grandchildren...a list of all the ways God blessed, and things God provided.  It's a great way to praise the Lord, encourage ourselves, and leave a legacy to our children. 

And, here's a fun way to teach our children to pray and praise the Lord for answered prayers!!

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The Gift of Dyslexia

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My daughter is dyslexic.  She has a hard time with reading, writing, and spelling.  She tries to avoid the situation.  She tries to pretend it's not a problem in hopes that no one will notice.  We are working on this.  Not, the dyslexia per say - although we do work on that; but, rather, the fact that she tries to hide how God made her instead of being proud, or at least, not ashamed of who she is.

It is my prayer that she will learn to accept it without embarrassment.  To admit it to her friends, to work at it and be thankful that God has a plan for her life. 

And the dyslexia?  Well, it quite possibly could fit right in with that plan.  It could help shape her into the person God wants her to be.

Dyslexia is a gift!

It's God's way of making her different. She has to work a little harder, but that just means she'll have a great work ethic and, quite possibly will be even more successful because of it.

God gets glory when a bird flies and eats worms because that's what He created that bird to do!  He gets glory when bees make honey and flowers bloom on the prairie because that's what he created them to do.

It's the same with us.  God gets glory when we live for Him and do what He has for us to do...not what He has for someone else to do.   Most of us, myself included, need to stop trying to live up to someone else' standard and start living the life He has given us to live.

We all have a place in God's world.  We have a spot to fill.  A job to do.  I am not called to do what my husband does.  I'm called to be his wife.  I'd be miserable, and so would he, if I should decide that I'd rather do what God has called him to do.  Just as a honey bee would never try to eat a worm, or a bird make honey - it's just not natural.  It goes against everything God created them to do.

She may never be what someone else is, but then she wasn't created to be someone else.  She was created to be her.  And, God has a plan especially for her.  No one else can do her job, fill her spot or take her place!  She was made just the way God wanted her.  

Her strengths and weakness were chosen by God and tailored to her before the foundation of the world.  They will help her to become the person He wants her to be.  They will make her stronger and because of that, they will actually be able to help her through her life. It is for that reason that each of these strengths, and even the weaknesses, can and should be considered gifts from an Almighty God who knows what He's doing!

Amy Carmichael wanted blue eyes, but had brown.  Later she was called to be a missionary to India where she needed to have brown eyes.  God knew what He was doing.

Gladys Aylward hated that she had dark hair and was only 4 feet; 10 inches tall when all of her friends were taller and beautiful blond hair.  Years later she said she realized that God knew exactly what He was doing when she stepped off the boat in China, and all the people had dark hair and her height.

God knows what He's doing!! 

Famous Dyslexic People

 George Patton
Nelson Rockefeller
Woodrow Wilson
Winston Churchill
Thomas Edison
Leonardo Da Vinci
Albert Einstein
Alexander Graham Bell
And let's not forget the Fonz (Henry Winkler) ;D 

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Layered Taco Dip

My husband and I do a lot with teenagers and THAT is why I love this recipe: because I've never met a teenager, or anyone for that matter, who didn't like it.

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It's so easy and so yummy.

What you need:

• ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning
• beans ~ you can do re-fried, or you can do what I prefer, and just fix black beans
• sour cream
• shredded cheese
• lettuce
• tomatoes
• black olives
• chopped green onions

Directions:

Layer each of the above ingredients in the order they are listed.  I mix the meat and black beans for my first layer.  If you chose to use re-fried beans, you can make them your first layer and the meat the second.

{I don't use re-fried because I don't like them.  I have make my own and those are ok, but have you read the ingredients on a can of re-fried beans?  I also try to stay away from anything packaged in aluminum cans as much as possible.}

Then add sour cream and shredded cheese.  You can then sprinkle the chopped veggies on the top in which ever order you like and to your heart's desire.

I like the way it looks.  So pretty, in my opinion.  And the more colorful your food the better it is for you - IF it's natural color without the dyes and food colorings!  :)

Serve with tortilla chips or corn chips.  Also taste great with a side of salsa and/or avocado dip.

It's a great snack, or even meal.  I've never had anyone not like it and it's so simple to make.

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