Space Invaders

 

I was planning on the title "Space Invaders" at the very same time as Tracey's recent blog post came up about the game popularized in the late eighties. Call it witchery, but I'm not talking about the game here. I'm talking about my two teenage step children moving in last night into our two-bedroom condo which will now temporarily be occupied by five. That's the kind of space invasion I mean. They'll be living with us for at least the school year, which starts in our district this coming Tuesday, although it is our hope that they will continue to live with us at least until they each graduate from high school. But of course, not in our current home. We had hoped to be moved out into a larger house by now, but our house search hasn't turned-up anything yet.

Until now, my husband and I  have been living comfortably with our 4-year-old in our two-bedroom condo, and our love for urban living has made us resist moving to a house, or the suburbs for many years. This has resulted in extraordinary creativity with the spaces we've invented and reinvented over the years. Thus far, through a lot of effort and some good advice, we've managed to live in great comfort in spite of our limited space. Like most urban residents, we sacrifice space for the conveniences of the city.  My husband loves biking back home from work every day, everything is within walking distance, and the community is close-knit. You don't get such bonuses in a big house in the suburbs.

By the way, our city-living plays a big part in home-schooling the little one. The growth and learning opportunities he gets from being a member of the urban community does wonders for his socialization skills. He knows the neighbors - young and old -,  the vendors, the streets, shops, and various play grounds! You should see how he crosses the street, or greets people in the elevator and makes conversations with them. A little off topic but keeping with the theme of space and invaders and elevators, here's a quick and funny short story..

Once my son and I got into the elevator of our building. A young man holding a motorcycle helmet was inside. My son (who's already sure he's going to visit the moon one day) looked up at him and said,

"Hi! Are you going to space?"

The young man was quite humored. An interaction ensued where he had my boy try on his helmet, and I captured it on my phone. And they say home-schooling isn't good for social skills!

So back to the space invaders.

Right now we're faced with the reality that we must soon find a new home to fit all five of us comfortably, but we have no interest in buying a house, and the rental market turnover here is slow. I've been recently convinced that buying is silly, and that in reality, one can afford to rent a much nicer home with his/her monthly income, than to purchase that same quality home on the same budget. That's my opinion, anyway.

So far, it's been very hard to find the perfect home. We saw some possibilities, but nothing stole our hearts. The only one we liked was priced too high and was rented to someone else before we even got the chance to take a second look.

With school starting on Tuesday, and so many changes going on for the kids at the same time, we decided not to rush things, but instead to clear and reorganize our current home and stick it out until we find the right place to move to. There was nothing else to do given the circumstances. For my husband and I, it was a small sacrifice for many future gains. But the kids saw it a little differently.

It took us about two days to completely empty our son's room of all his belongings. We got him a new loft bed which rises off the floor, creating extra storage/hiding space underneath. Much was thrown out and stored, and I know we really won't miss those things. We also bought a standup closet, so each teen could have their own closet space in the room.

Of course, the teens' first reaction was lukewarm. They were disappointed that a new home with a separate room for each, was not found in due time before school started. They didn't like the idea of rooming with each other, especially a brother and sister, not to mention squeezing in with their 4-year old brother and potentially having to tiptoe around his sleep patterns. They came with a lot of their personal belongings, too. My stepson brought about 25 pairs of 'prize' sneakers, all stored in their original boxes.

So they woke up this morning a little grumpy after their first night sleeping with unopened containers scattered around. I gave them each a budget and sent them on a walk to The Container Store to get whatever they wanted to help organize their things. Had we lived in the suburbs, I would have had to drive them. Anyway, I didn't blame them for their disappointment, but I also felt unappreciated because their dad and I  put a lot of work into clearing the room and making it workable for them. And it's not such a small room, either. We even got them a cool room divider they could decorate and personalize on each side. Oh, well...

Three hours later, to my utter surprise, they returned in great spirits, carrying bags of drawers and hangers and other stuff. Within minutes, the music in their room was blasting and they were humming along to the music as they organized and personalized their spaces.  Their little brother was in the room, happily helping, too. I was so humbled by that sight, by their new attitude, and by the graciousness, acceptance, and respect of the limited spaces they were assigned.

When they were done working, I walked into the room and was touched to see their creations.  Not perfect, but signature-teen style with walls fully decorated and personalized. It looked like they'd been living there forever. I smiled extra wide when I saw the keffiyeh my step-son put up on his side of the wall.

"It looks great, guys!" I said, almost teary, "I like it!"

" I do, too" said my 16-year-old girl.

"Think of it as your pre-college dorm training." I said.

"Yeah, that's exactly how it is. I know." She smiled.

We hugged a while.

Happy sigh.

Yes, my teen step-kids have invaded the space, but they've occupied it with love, respect, and color. I didn't expect to see them recover so quickly and so positively, but they did.

I'm less scared and more optimistic about the days ahead. I reckon it's easier to live with less space when there's more love.

And I love those two-- since the day I met them, eight years ago.

Welcome home, kids.

To Botox or Mollusk?

Ewe..! Imagine this is you.

Believe it or not, there is such a thing as a Snail Facial!

No kidding, this seems to be the newest craze in facial rejuvenation and skin treatment in Japan and now it's catching on in the UK! Watch this BBC report. I don't know enough to be sure of its effectiveness, but hey, all the ingredients are organic, natural,...and raw! So..

If future trials prove that this is as effective as they're saying it is, and it's harmless, I might actually put up with snails cruising my face for the better. But a fish pedicure? No, thanks. Not worth the creepiness for me.

 Stay tuned...

Want The Truth? Turn it on.

My sister-in-blogging, Tracey, recently saw a UFO and wrote about it on her blog. I, for one, believe her. But that's another story. I'm bringing it up because she closes her essay frustrated with the lack of information her research returned, saying, "The truth is out there. (Would somebody mind sending it my way?)"

So, I, the good Ron Paulian, complied, and jokingly sent her a link to the now fully running Ron Paul Channel, where the slogan is "Turn off the TV. Turn on the truth."

I became a member of the channel since the first day of its launching a few weeks ago, featuring a star interview with Glenn Greenwald. Every single episode since has been a breath of fresh air compared to the hot air that saturates the airwaves today.

You can get a free viewing of the trailers of all the shows so far here. But for only $9.95 monthly, you can see Ron's full shows and expand your mind, heart, and appreciation for true American liberty. This is the best cable I ever subscribed to.

Ron is a natural speaker, but it turns out he's also an equally impressive presenter! Who'da thunk it? The good doctor is now fighting the media with media-- fire with fire. The revolution now has a chance. This man is America's gift that keeps on giving, and my appreciation for him just never stops growing.

I'm not sure what Ron Paul's opinion on UFOs is, Tracey. Maybe the topic will come up one day on one of his shows, since this is another one of those things the government is not telling us the truth about.

Stay tuned planet earth...It's Paul Time.

Hello, Menses!

Call me crazy (and many have), but I love my monthly period! There... I said it.

I hope not too many of you get all weirded-out, or stop reading because of my choice for a topic here. Even if you're reading this and you're not a female or you've graduated from menopause, I hope you might find something of interest in what I'm about to say.

Subjects dealing with women's physiology and reproductive systems, birth-giving, etc. are very interesting to me, so bear with me, as the entire post won't be just about that.

You see, since my childhood until today  (at age 47), I've heard females around me wail and woe when menses "visited." Some even called it "The Curse," and that's not even the most brutal name among the hundreds it's been called! But whatever you want to call it, I personally have always looked forward to that time of the month, and I never complain about it at all. My 'periods' always make me happy. They are mostly pain-free, short, and very punctual--with a few exceptions when I fall sick or travel across time zones. In those cases, it would come plus or minus a day or two. Otherwise, I interpret the punctuality and predictability of my period as my monthly all-clear sign from my body that everything is in order.  So when my period was once 3 days late, I knew for sure that I was pregnant (at the age of 43), much before any test confirmed it.

I've learned since, that the female cycle is connected to the phases of the moon. I've experienced this phenomenon personally. In fact, when my son was conceived, I was ovulating on the super-full moon of December 12, 2008. I remember the night. I remember the moon. And sure enough, by New Year's Eve that year, it was confirmed that I was pregnant. This was not a planned pregnancy, but it was an inevitable one! So I may be living proof that there might be some  truth to the theory of lunaception, which basically says that when a woman's cycle is in balance with the moon phases, her fertility is optimized and pregnancy is facilitated. Full moon = ovulation,  new moon = menstruation. It is also claimed that if left without the interference of artificial light or contraception, most women would ovulate around the same time during the new moon phases. Some of you might have even experienced females in the same household who all menstruated at the same time. There's a magnetic internal clock there. I'm sure of it. There's even a method for synchronizing one's cycle with the phases of the moon.

So lunaception or not, there I was pregnant. One of the first doctors to see me assumed that my husband and I had been "trying very hard" and gave us a hearty congratulations as he privately must have imagined my forehead stamped with the words "High Risk at 43!" So,  I was made to surrender to a series of "risk" assessments and a battery of medical tests because danger lurked everywhere for a pregnant woman in her forties! Even though I was feeling great and my blood tests were perfect, it seemed everyone around me was keen to prove the opposite.

One test I had,  the Alpha Feto-protein (AFP) test, returned completely alarming (and false!) results. We were told that there was a high chance I was carrying a spina bifida fetus based on my results. When I demanded to see the actual lab results myself, I discovered that the test formula overstated my weight by 100 pounds!! Once my correct weight was entered into the math, the results showed a perfectly healthy pregnancy. That's when I gave up on the whole medicalized charade and decided I was done with the "business of being born" - Done with the sonograms, the endless invasive tests, and medical doctors who don't pay attention. It felt like nobody trusted and respected my body except for my husband and myself,  and so I went in search of a midwife to help us birth at home. And that was another beautiful story.

When gently embraced, I believe that women can find a very special power within their feminine system, as men do in their male system. If we connect with the wisdom of our body and love it, it will work with us and for us. This applies in so many ways, but I believe that one of the reasons I so easily got pregnant in my early forties, is because I've always respected my menstrual cycle and my regular "visitor" was always welcome on the 28th day of each phase. Therefore, my reproductive system felt happy, loved, healthy and worked properly.

It's sad that many women today reach puberty hearing stories of how awful the period is. That it's painful, and brings heavy cramps, and headaches, and backaches, and night sweats, and other horrors.  The power of suggestion reigns. It's also a shame that many girls grow up hearing from other females how awful and painful childbirth is, when in fact those two things, childbirth and menses, are unique and empowering traits that ought to be hailed as joyful and welcome experiences.  I don't know, but I think many women today have lost touch with these innate and organic powers within them, as they continue to make choices which challenge the nature and miracle of their bodies.

Women have been somehow socially programmed to be afraid of their periods and to be afraid of childbirth. This is evident in the rampantly  increasing numbers of elective hysterectomies and elective c-sections in America today.  This trend of making foe out of our sacred reproductive system should stop!

I find myself constantly wondering if this attitude bears some responsibility for the trouble women seem to be having in conceiving these days. The increase in breast cancers also keeps me wondering if this might be related to interrupted lactation as many working and non-working mothers end up resorting to artificial formula feeding nowadays. What about antiperspirants and the possibility that they might affect the breast ducts and contribute to cancer.. What about breast implants?  We see so many more women today with ovarian and cervical cancers, and I also wonder if this is related to the over-use of synthetic birth control pills and synthetic hormones. I also see a rise in HPV and vaginal diseases, and I have to further wonder if any of this might be related to the chlorine, pesticides, and chemical odor-neutralizers used in modern tampons. Somethings gotta give when we mess with the processes of mother nature too much-- perspiring, ovulating, breast-feeding, etc. There are very good reasons for all these natural bodily responses. RESPECT!

Therefore, if you're a woman of menses age, I wish to encourage you to love your visitor, be happy that she came, roll out the organic white cotton carpet, and tell her you look forward to her next visit. You might be surprised at what happens if you change the nature of your relationship with your body.

If all this menses talk doesn't interest you or apply to you, there's still a message here. I don't remember who said this, maybe Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, but the idea stuck with me over the years and has helped me whenever I felt physical pain or had an injury. The saying went something like, if you feel pain, in your knee, your head, wherever--you should love it into healing. Literally talk to your pain. Have a conversation with it. Ask it why it is there and what it needs in order to go away. Listen, and your body will tell you. And as you better understand your malady through your own senses, and not through xeroxed information coming from the lips of doctors and the pages of pamphlets, your body will miraculously begin to heal itself.

I give much credit to this method of "talking to my pain" for finally getting rid of a life-long acne issue. Talk to your zits and they might go away? Crazy, huh? But this "talk therapy" worked for me in other issues, too, ranging from easing general aches and pains to speeding up the healing of a broken foot without any strong pain-killers.

Love really heals. It took me a long time to learn this, but now I know that it is Self-love that heals the most and keeps us healthy.

Stay tuned...into your nature.

More On Turmeric Power: In Case You're Still Not Convinced.

I'll bet most of you - if not all of you -are  taking, or know someone who is taking, one or more of the following drugs for some health  condition.

1) Statin drugs for cholesterol
2) Corticosteroid drugs
3) Antidepressants
4) Blood thinners
5) Anti-inflammatory drugs
6) Chemotherapy drugs
7) Diabetes drugs  

But I'll also bet that not many of you know that studies are now showing that ALL of these drugs pretty much can be replaced with the magical spice TURMERIC! Check this out.

 But something even I didn't know, is that turmeric is now showing extremely promising results specifically in colon/colorectal cancer treatment! It's no wonder India still has one of the lowest rates of that cancer in the world. Turmeric is a widely used spice in Indian diets. The study concludes  that colorectal cancer is so rare in India, a screening program would be a big waste of time and money.

I don't know about you, but I personally never ever want to have a colonoscopy, so this is very exciting news!

I'm also very excited to share it the next time I see a friend who I recently met at the yoga studio where I practice. He comes to his regular mat space next to mine almost daily. He told me that in 2011, at the age of 50, he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer  and is still gong through the traditional therapies of chemo and drugs, yet he's a picture of health if you see him. He comes to the yoga studio at least 5 times per week, sometimes immediately following a chemo session!! He pushes gruntingly through the practices, but always comes out smiling and radiating positive energy. He's an inspiration to say the least, and I know in my heart he's going to survive this because in spite of the cut/poison/burn treatment, he's got the right ATTITUDE!

My yoga pal often complains to me about how little his "great" doctors know outside their 'expertise' about anything nutritional or holistic regarding cancer treatment, so he seems to appreciate my occasional tips on natural remedies, food, and supplements. I can't wait to tell him about this one.

So come on, folks,  won't you try that golden milk?

And stay tu-rmeriked...

Labneh Love

 
Labneh, oh, labneh! You are a food fit for all seasons and for princes and paupers alike!

I adore labneh so much I really ought to write a poem honoring that dairy yogurt delight. But since I gave up my poetry writing when I gave up my poetry blog back in 2006, I'll just write about how passionately my family and I feel about this food, and share our favorite way to eat it.

Labneh is an extra strained Lebanese yogurt 'cheese.' Think Greek yogurt-- twice strained. It's typically eaten as a pita bread dip, or in a sandwich. But the beauty of labneh is that it's appropriate for breakfast, lunch, a light dinner, or snack! I don't know of any other food that's as versatile in that way. When hungry, a labneh sandwich will surely fill the appetite any time of the day or night!

At home, we mostly eat labneh in a sandwich. Our favorite brand which is available at most middle eastern grocers as well as Whole Foods, is Victor's. In it's simplest form, we spread this white cream on a layer of pita bread with salt, olive oil, and lots of Palestinian za'atar (an herb mix of dried thyme, summac, salt, and sesame seeds), roll it up and eat it. The combination of labneh and zataar alone is a divine marriage. If you want to make a fancier sandwich, you can use a favorite crusty bread and add the traditional veggies of cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh mint, etc.

When I worked very briefly at a friend's cafe during the time when I was single, retired from teaching, and a free-spirited poetry writer, my favorite sandwich to make for customers was the labneh sandwich. From this experience, and from the fact that I've always found joy in creating interesting and delicious sandwiches, was born my own signature labneh sandwich which I'm sharing below.

First, toast two 5x7 pieces of Afghan bread and let them cool.

Whisk together two table spoons of labneh, two teaspoons of olive oil, and a hefty pinch of salt.

Spread the labneh mix onto each slice of bread and sprinkle both generously with zataar and dot with pitted green olives.

Stack one bread piece with tomato slices, cucumber slices, and a handful of arugula (or a spring-mix). Sprinkle with  salt.

Put both pieces of bread together to complete the sandwich.

And THIS, my friends, would be my choice of a sandwich if I were stranded on a desert island!

Stay tuned...

School Ka-Boom!

 
Our district's public school population is exploding to critical levels, and I'm about to contribute to this crisis by sending it more students from my household. No, I haven't gone crazy and given up on home-schooling my four-year-old, but my two teenage step-children will be moving in soon. (I know, that's crazier!). They have been primarily living with their mother in Maryland since their parents divorced and shared custody during their infant years. Though they had their school beginnings in Waldorf education, they later transferred to Maryland public schools in adolescence, and that transition was not a great success. So, this is just one of the reasons why the decision was made  for them to move in with us for the next school year. We have pretty good schools in Virginia, and ALL our local high schools regularly make the Newsweek Top 100 High Schools List.  Here our kids may get a second chance.

Once I got past the initial "yikes" reaction at the total life change I face before me, I realized that my relationship with the public schools is about to be restarted anew after the last fiasco with my then 3-year-old son. And now with the current population growth, I'm not sure what to expect for our two older kids.

Even though hundreds of millions of dollars have recently been spent on projecting populations and building new schools, these modern school structures are already housing relocatable trailers that are being used as classrooms. In my opinion, the only thing worse than getting an education in some of today's prison-like school buildings (I worked in one for 12 years, believe me I know) is getting an education in a trailer classroom! A dear friend and teacher colleague, who is now deceased, worked tirelessly to keep a flower garden in the front entrance of that dark building in order to soften its image. Incidentally, you can see her working on it in the photo if you click on the link.

In the book I'm reading, Home Grown Kids, Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore describe the success of an experimental school program they observed in Melbourne, Australia, where the city was renting houses near the children's homes instead of building schools for care centers.

"The different rooms readily adapted to smaller groups and more family-like atmosphere. As much as possible, the ideal program and activities should resemble a good mother's home program- involvement in homemaking activities, including gardening and other useful work; nature experieces; rest; and freedom from academic pressures."

This got me thinking, wouldn't it be a dream of our school system simply rented homes to solve the overcrowding issue in schools rather than spend time and money on bad costly solutions?  Yes, it would be a dream.

Then I woke up and I recalled my friend, EWD, who for many years was a veteran teacher in our school system's Project Pathways. This is a 45-day intervention program designed to meet the immediate emotional, instructional, and developmental needs of middle school students who often have a history of repeated and serious disruptive behaviors and anger management problems.

Unfortunately for all, this program was housed in a trailer classroom, and the teachers were obligated to focus on academics and ensure that no learning was lost in the students' temporary 45-day absence from the school building. In addition to my friend EWD and another teacher, many school professionals were heavily involved with these kids,  who were receiving costly tax-subsidized services from handsomely paid counselors, psychologists, social workers and what have you.

Needless to say, my friend suffered hellish experiences with most of the students in that program. Looking back in the rear-view mirror of her retirement, she has expressed to me that she doubts any of them ever really turned around as a result of being in the program. Sadly, their home situations were usually too broken and too chaotic, and no "school" program alone could have saved them.

Given what I know about EWD's blessed gifts as a citizen, mother, and educator, plus what I now know about home-schooling and "unschooling," this I can say for sure: If this Pathways Program were located in a warm neighborhood house setting, and if my friend was given the chance to roll up her sleeves and teach these kids with tough love how to organize a home-school experience in the spirit of the Moores' philosophy, she would definitely have had a much better chance of making a more positive impact on these students' lives and characters than any academic program ever could... singlehandedly!

Only two days ago I ran into another friend and former colleague who is still teaching at the school where EWD and I once worked. When I asked her how things were going in the public schools, she bowed her head and gave me a short answer. "It sucks." She didn't have to elaborate. I knew exactly why this truly gifted teacher felt the way she did. There simply is no love left in public education today. There is no real respect for the children in the "system." This is where American schools primarily fail teachers, students, and parents alike. This is where countries like Finland finally got it right as it continues to rank first worldwide in education, while the US steadily slips lower and lower in the world as more and more scared American parents choose to join the home-school movement. Take a minute to click on the links. The facts are astonishing.

"The number of home-schooled children in the country has increased by 75 percent since 1999, according to a report in Education News. The report also says that achievement gaps related to the income levels, ethnicities and sex of home-school students are not apparent in homeschooling environments."

This should be breaking news, folks!

But, alas! It's not.

Stay tuned... to the School Revolution!

Remember The Good Old Days of "Terrror Alerts?"

 

The Obama Administration must be nostalgic for the days when we had the "Terror Alert" icon show up in the corners of our TV screens and daily newspapers across America, as if it were the daily weather report.

Thanks for the hopey changey gift you bear, Prez! The future of America sure looks as colorful as you promised.

Although the mainstream media seems to be doing everything it can to aid the government in making a propaganda case for more NSA spying on Americans (and thereby a case against Edward Snowden) using the tired old "al-Qaeda threat" excuse, this time, I don't think the people are buying it. Behold the writing on the blogosphere walls.

1. Fake Washington Terror Threat

2. I Am Yawning Over Another Fake Terror Alert (Living Life Will Kill More People Today Than Al Qaeda Will) So Why Be Afraid?

3.  US Embassy Closures Show Policy Failures 

These are just a few articles I came across from around the web that show a growing public distrust in our government. You may like to read them if you're interested in American politics outside the CNNBCBSFOXNEWS box of gloom and doom.

http://xkcd.com/1245/

Maybe this is a sign that some small ripples of real "hope and change" are finally beginning to emerge.

Stay tuned...to the Revolution!

 

 

 

To Botox or Not?

One thing that happens when women begin to reach middle age, is that they notice their faces more. They start to see changes in the firmness of their skin and all the expression lines deepen and remain there even without expression. We also start to notice these changes in other women we know, or in celebrities we see in the media, and it becomes a constant guessing game of who's doing what to their faces to keep them young.

For me, it's easy to tell when a face has been frozen with Botox or when cosmetic surgery has been used to retain a youthful face. And now that my pushing-fifty-face is beginning to show these changes, and I see women around me with rejuvenated faces,  I don't want to fall too far behind. You see, my son is only four years old, and I've already been once mistaken for his grandmother.

I have to admit that I've seen some men and women look absolutely spectacular after getting Botox injections in their faces, but the down side is that they lose much expression. There's no telling of the person's mood by looking at a face, which is usually frozen with a subtle smile. A study published in the Journal of Social Psychological and Personality Science says Botox can hinder our ability to understand the emotions of others. This can be a very bad thing for moms with young babies, by the way, which is another reason I've chosen not to have any injections or any surgery done to me unnecessarily. So when I read the new research which revealed that very expensive and risky cosmetic surgery only takes 3 years off the face, I felt even better about my choice. 

As I looked for answers for myself, and for clues to slow down the aging process to keep up with my fresh-faced peers, I found some natural solutions that have definitely worked for the last year or so. And now that I'm seeing these results for myself, I thought I'd share my tried and true regiments with Bitches Broo readers. So here's what I do, and it doesn't cost me a tiny fraction of the doctor-assisted methods out there.

1. For a face tonic: Wipe the face with organic apple cider vinegar with the "mother" in it. Click on the link to learn more.

2. For makeup removal and face/neck moisturizing: Try Coconut oil, which I also use for dozens of other things. ACV and CO aren't just excellent for cleansing and moisturizing, but they are also very effective for shrinking the pores.

3. For facial muscle toning: Do face yoga and face massage. This stuff actually works, folks. Do your own googling and you'll find a wealth of info, and many helpful youtube demonstrations, too. Here's one from a series of good ones from the channel Howdini Guru.

4. For the Botox effect: After the face massage, I finish the process by using the Joan Crawford ice bath method, from the film "Mommy Dearest," or a frozen wet wash cloth which I soak in rosewater before I put it in the freezer. "Icing" the face not only firms it, but it gives it a wonderful glow, too.

5. For a refreshing spritz: Rosewater, with or without glycerin. It's been used for generations to keep the skin young. I know a 90-year-old lady with the face of a baby, and she's been using it for decades. I also hear it's amazing for cooling down hot-flashes. I haven't experienced those yet, but when I do, I'll know what to do.

So for now, I've been feeling pretty satisfied with my face and I haven't gotten anymore "your grandson is so cute" comments from strangers.

Stay tuned..