Is It Documentary Season Here?!

It's rare for me to watch much TV, but I will tell you that this week I'm making up for it with my refound love of documentaries.

So two more that I watched last night until the wee morning hours of the night.

The Business of Being Born with the trailer:

 and Pregnant in America with trailer:

Both are similar although The Business of Being Born is shorter and with a little bit less information, although both use the same experts etc. The creator of Pregnant in America also is slightly Michael Moore-ish, which I usually don't mind but I did have to wonder a bit about him in this film. Both though are great at evaluating the medicalization and business of pregnancy and L&D in the USA.

This morning hub and I also watched two other interesting ones, which both ironically are based on books.

Freakonomics--an interesting look at theory and causality of various concepts.

And a quick trailer for Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire, which takes a long look at four favorite plants across the world: apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes.

I'm sure by now it comes as absolutely no surprise that all of these were watched on Netflix Instant, and I also discovered last night that God Grew Tired of Us is available on instant. This morning I woke up to a NYT's article about continued political discord and turmoil in Sudan. After watching the film yesterday, the article definitely impacted me much more today. As we head into the 4th of July, the political turmoil around the world does make my heart ache for other nations, but also leads me feeling so fortunate to live here in the United States. Things aren't perfect here by any means, but I'm free to live how I choose without real fear or concern about being attacked by my own government or by any potential political radicals from either end of the spectrum. It is my hope and prayer that the reality of that freedom and liberty will continue to exist for us and will become the reality for all the world over.

One last quick resource, as I just found a few great blog posts on The Green Phone Booth. The one I want to point you to though is the one that discusses greener lawn care and offers suggestions for safer alternatives for bug and weed control, etc. I definitely will be trying the direct white vinegar on some of our nasty weeds in the mulch and seeing what happens. (If you're an animal/dog lover you might also want to check out: When Good People do Nothing....)

And FYI, don't be surprised if a few more documentaries show up in the next few days. Any suggestions that I should check out for either books or films??

Gratitudes...

It's been a while since I've listed some of the great things making me all-around happy, so it's about time that I do so. ;)

1) Granny volunteered hub's and my place to have a family BBQ last evening. She's missed preparing food for the family and since my parents were coming up, she decided that we ALL should get together. It was seriously awesome and wonderful to have the aunties and several cousins here along with a couple uncles, mom & dad, and the mighty matriarch Granny. House was awfully quiet after they all left. Hopefully we'll be able to do it again soon.

2) There is a potential wine & book club in the works that I am incredibly excited about. It'd just be a monthly, rotating gathering but I've really been wanting & needing to expand my social circle and this might be just the thing. Here's hoping it all works out! With books, wine, and gal gab time, I don't know that life could get much better.

3) I'm in the process of changing banks and have been waiting on checks from my new account. Now I'm not going to list on the internet who I'm switching to but many of you can probably take a guess and those that want to know can ask.....because right now I am singing their praises. They messed up and never put my check order in. I've been needing them to arrive this week for various reasons, and I called yesterday to see what was going on and to encourage them to fix their error on their dime. Imagine my happiness and surprise when today (less than 24 hrs after my phone call....) my newly printed checks arrived by UPS. Now THAT is customer service. Here's hoping they truly do reverse the rush check charge... ;)

4) Our landlords are fabulous. Really there's almost no way around it. I know we've only been in this house a little under four months but they're so positive and encouraging. It's my hope that our relationship with them stays this way, as they too continue to let us know how blessed they feel to have us as renters. To top it off our landlady even sent us a hike she thinks we would enjoy---now how awesome is that?!

5) I'm not the greatest always at knowing my role of maid of honor for my gal's upcoming wedding. When I was trying to figure out which invites would be the best for the shower, etc I sent out an inquiry to some of my much more in the know gal pals.....which led me to the discovery of this great site: Vista Print. Pretty well priced and fairly quick shipping for personalized invites! Definitely would encourage you to check it out if you need something provided by the site and in case you're like me and not too crafty these days....

And now we're down to some of the little things:
--Hub going out with his bud & cousin's boyfriend shooting
--Tasting Granny's blueberry and apple pies for the first time in 2 years
--Harvesting lettuce out of the garden
--Hub's soft spot for Lady even when he hates to admit it
--Tingling skin kissed by the sun's rays and warmth
--Running round the corner to a breeze and mist across sweaty skin
--Dogs following in footpaths
--Blooming roses from Poppa's garden
--The daily arrival of the mail
--Lazy mornings in bed followed by great coffee
--Homemade garlic toast
--Coconut...anything

Hope you all are having moments of happiness and gratitude wherever you are currently. Know that I'm grateful for each one of you, too!

Camp Lessons & Products

There were a few great items that got us by while on our travels, and the lack of facilities and light packing taught me some great lessons along the way too.

Anyone that knows me knows that I am a shower-every-night type of gal. I hate going to bed without being clean. I "put my face on" almost every single day, even if I'm not going anywhere. I floss every.single.night. And much to my husband's dismay, I totally use "face stuff" aka a layer of protective zit cream before bed each night. BUT when you're camping in the woods with no mirror, no running water, a lack of desire to carry extra weight, not wanting to use products that might damage the environment, and in locations where it's luck to have an established hole in the ground to do one's business.....then you sort of throw your "normal" tendencies out the window.

I packed a small ziploc that stayed in the truck and contained the following: two bobby pins, a small bottle of face lotion, a small bottle of Burts Bees outdoor body & hair wash, a tiny packet of foundation and a foundation brush, a tube of chap stick, a tube of fix-all ointment, black eyeliner, floss, and my leftover nub of a cover-up stick. I also had a stick of deodorant and my Burts Bees facewash in my bag. However, in my hiking pack, I had more bobby pins, "natural" bug repellent, my toothbrush, and another tube of lip balm that I figured could be used for a couple functions.

So here's the irony, I packed almost nothing for this trip.....and it was rare that I even used what I brought. In fact, on the backpacking part I used basically none of it. I rinsed my face with running water from the stream morning and night and I washed my feet in the stream before bed. I did run my toothbrush over my teeth, but without paste because I didn't want to leave the paste behind in the woods.

Once we got to the second camp site and were camping out of the truck, I still didn't use anything extra, except this time I did floss and I did use toothpaste since I could deposit them into one of those holes in the ground (aka an established outhouse....).

In fact, thanks to the magnificence of baby wipes (again only deposited into the outhouse) used just to clean (TMI) my swimming suit region, I didn't even mind not showering for three days. Yea I was dirty and I'm pretty sure sweating into the same shorts for three days put off an odor, but it really wasn't all that bad. THANK GOD FOR BABY WIPES though! ;)

Even once we could shower again and were back in civilization, I only put on the little amount of make-up I had when we met friends and the dry mountain air actually seemed to be great for my skin.

The second irony of our trip is that I had only intended to not be camping for one day---meaning I packed all hiking clothes/shoes and only one pair of jeans, one regular wear Tshirt, and one pair of light-weight flip flops....so I ended up wearing the same jeans, shirt, and flops for three and a half days in a row. We washed our hiking clothes while at my parents, but somehow I actually didn't mind wearing the same outfit---definitely made choosing what to wear a whole lot easier...

Beyond the clothes and personal care products, I did get introduced to some great hiking and camping gear. (You have to understand that I didn't really grow up camping, before this I'm pretty sure I'd only legit tent camped maybe, maybe 5x.) Since hub spent the last two years pretty much camping and running around in the woods half of every month thanks to the Army, he's got some pretty neat stuff:

This is the Jetboil pot. Great for heating up water in a flash and great for backpacking since its small and lighter weight. Image found here. We used this to heat water for cocoa, to fill our kanteens for warmth in the foot of our sleeping bags at night, and to cook our meals. We did decide that we need to get a legit camp stove however for when we're cooking & camping out of the car.

Hub recently found a water purifying device apparently called the SteriPEN. It uses UV light to kill bacteria and viruses. Its light weight and is similar to a lighted wand you stir like a stick in a stream-filled water container. His bud and he used it on their longer backpacking trip without any illness, and we used it on this trip too. You can read about it here and the image was taken from here.

I had my first introduction to freeze dried food from a PNW company called MountainHouse. We ate the Macaroni & Cheese, which hub thought was amazing for freeze dried food and which tasted almost exactly like box mac n cheese. The more I thought about it, I'm pretty sure box mac n cheese must already be some sort of freeze dried. We also had the freeze dried ice cream sandwich which was A-MA-ZING! Image from here.

Two days before leaving on our trip we found a sleeping pad for me. We settled on a Thermarest Trail Scout that was on sale at our local Sports Authority. It was definitely comfortable (much more comfortable than hub's Ridgerest basic light weight!) and with enough padding to separate me from the cold ground. Image from here.

One item that we used at the second camp site which we also string up in our backyard is hub's camp hammock. It actually can be used for sleeping and its incredibly simple to hang up and take down. The whole thing stuffs into a tiny little sack and its also light weight. It's the ENO Doublenest Hammock and the image is from here.

Some of the other camping and hiking gear was stuff hub had from the Army, including a sleeping bag and backpack. As usual our Klean Kanteens were awesome, although hub did also use one of his old Nalgenes (hello BPA exposure.....).

One thing I do have to rave about were the Eddie Bauer shorts I recently found on sale that were fabulous. I'm not a huge shorts person, but these seemed great for hiking and have proved to be quick to dry and easy to move around in. They have great pockets on the sides to hold IDs, chapstick, and a thin camera without being weighed down. I'm pretty sure they are these, although they seem to hit me shorter than they appear in the picture.

Hub and I also snack along the trail when we need a burst of energy and while most of our snacks consist of apples or dried fruit & nuts (cranberries & almonds are a fav, but we've recently added another lil bag of dried apricots and cherries), we discovered Nature Valley's new Oats N Dark Chocolate granola bars on our last Costco trip. They were delicious, made the fastest breakfast possible, and provided great energy to get me through a few more miles. Hub also made white chocolate chip-cranberry-coconut oatmeal cookies that we ate while camping. Unfortunately I left our other great Costco hiking grub at home---peanut butter filled pretzel bites!

Some great gear, snacks, and camp lessons!

21 Days of Clean

 On Monday afternoon I came home from work just feeling wiped out. My body hasn't been wanting coffee as much in the last few weeks, my pants were starting to feel a little tighter, and hub and I were talking about how much food and good brew we'd been able to indulge in during the month and a half we've been back in Oregon. In the midst of our conversation hub interjected stating that we should do the cleanse he's been wanting to do for the last several months (it was mentioned in a couple articles in his Outside Magazine.) While hub was in the Army, we couldn't exactly do a cleanse....but there was no real reason why we couldn't do one now...and what better time than the present...we decided to start the very next day....

So we hunted down the book, hub read the parts we needed to know and I spent the rest of the night reading the book in depth. Much of Junger's thoughts on the toxins that are present in our world and the reasons behind doing a cleanse (to purge oneself of toxins and realign/pause your digestive tract) I readily agreed with.

Junger's Clean would actually allow us to eat a decent amount of calories, but would include a major change in the way we've been eating:

No dairy, no beef, no peanut products.

No soy, no corn, no wheat products.

No oranges, grapefruits, grapes, tomatoes, peppers, bananas, or potatoes.

No coffee, no alcohol, no real sources of caffeine.

No to most sweeteners.

But instead we have expanded our exposure to many of the products we can have: quinoa, brown rice, coconut milk, almond butter and milk, millet, dried legumes, fish, sesame oil, agave, balsamic vinegar, and a whole host of vegetables and fruits.

The basic schedule of the cleanse allows us a smoothie in the morning, a solid lunch, and a smoothie or raw soup in the evening for dinner. It also allows for a small snack between meals (almonds or a piece of fruit, etc). We are to drink enough water to make us urinate every hour and we're allowed herbal teas, including yerba mate (even though it has caffeine.....). The cleanse itself is 21 days and people who have gone through it (including One Green Generation) report that it's been wonderful---provides more energy, increases health and decreases health issues, and assists the body in enhanced functioning.

Like most things, you can purchase supplements and shakes to help improve the experience, but we're not doing that...just good ol' fashioned food and continuing with our exercise of running.

Luckily we're allowed many spices as well: most green spices, healthier oils, vinegars, sea salt & pepper, and lemon/lime for seasoning.

  

We've been stocking up on organic fruits and vegetables mainly thanks to Fred Meyer and Whole Foods, but today we had our Organics to You delivery also!

We've also been hitting up new recipes and taking ideas from recipes and rolling with them. It definitely takes more time for preparation but so far the food has been pretty good! Plus it's just nice to try new things.

So how's it going you might be wondering? Well, we opted not to do the elimination diet prior to starting the cleanse (which is recommended to ease your body into it), so as we're three days in we're a lil more tired than usual and we tend to fluctuate somewhere between lots of energy and wanting to take a nap. But overall we both feel like it's doing good things and we're hopeful to have some great things to report by the end of the 21 days.

At the very least, it's great to be doing something new together and our recipe selection is being given a whole new take on life. Speaking of, if you've never tried millet---give it a try! It's sort of a mix between couscous and brown rice, but its definitely a food that will be sticking with us past the 21 days!

Here's to health!

Favorite Beauty Items

Burts Bees Products (at least the ones with lower product hazard scores), but especially their plain chapstick, shampoo, and this one:

 Alima (Portland-based mineral) Make-Up for their shadows, foundation, blush, and this item I usually can't go without (bronzer):

White fluffy cotton towels:

Preserve recyclable (and made from recycled plastic) toothbrushes:

My oh-so-not-natural-but-completely-standby-for-years body and face (unscented and w/ "fair" scores) lotions:

And the final make-up standbys: Honeybee Gardens products for eyeliners, mascara, and nail polish:

Portland's Better Living Show

The hub and I have been hearing the radio ads for the Portland Better Living Show aka Sustainable NW, so we had decided to head on over to the Expo Center today to check it out. You can't beat free admission and a wealth of free information from local resources and vendors. We did pay $8 for parking as it would have cost more for us to take public transport, but we came home with lots of great info and samples.

Six long rows of booths set up just like this and this one was one of hub's favorite as they had a lime plant for sale from One Green World. :) Also on display were concept and available hybrid and electric vehicles from Ford, Lincoln, Toyota, and the Smart Car. We watched a 20 minute presentation from OSU's Extension Services department on worm farms/composting and got some of our final questions answered in order to finalize our bins hub started a year ago. I finally saw what a G Diaper actually looks like---pretty cool in comparison to the old school cloth and pin set! We checked out some amazing products in the live sustainable home built and displayed in the middle of the venue.

Some of the other awesome booths:
--We were given a free tote bag by NW Natural
--Talked to Community Warehouse about donating excess furniture and goods for low income individuals to set up homes for free
--Provided a lil bag of free compost and seeds by Recology
--Saw amazing leaf artwork and design by Sage Designs
--Chatted with a guy about donating/disposing of household construction projects via The Rebuilding Center
--Got postcards from Metro to send out to stop junk mail
--Learned about Oregon Wild protecting Oregon's wilderness
--Picked up free recipes from Northwest Veg
--Tasted amazing samples from Dave's Killer Bread
--Were given a free EarthPot marigold
--Observed a new concept for raised beds using GreenBed
--Entered to win a wine tasting trip via Willamette Valley Vineyards
--Bought a reduced price Chinook Book......

....among many, many other amazing venues and resources.

Definitely a great re-introduction to the wonderful resources available here in our green Pacific Northwest!

Monday Perks

Yesterday was one of those slow starting days. I'd stayed up late the night before (partially to attempt to help me with adjusting back to the Pacific time zone) and so remained zonked out until late in the morning. The hub adjusted many of our accounts to reflect our new location and made several other calls to make sure utilities were set up correctly. We still need to set up garbage and recycling service, but intend to just do a monthly pick up...and when we called we needed more information than we had in that moment.

In the early afternoon we finally headed out for some errands. Hub needed to mail some paperwork into the Army and our old modem back to the company, so we found the local post office. The extra modem that we have wasn't compatible for some reason with the internet hook up here, so hub wanted to go look at new modems (as we're currently renting one from the company here). However in the process of organizing ourselves, we decided to head over to Costco and look into getting a membership there....

If you're wondering what Costco is....it's sort of an oversized discount warehouse. They usually sell bulk items at reduced costs and they have a variety of items. An annual membership is $50. While neither of us has had a Costco membership, we've talked frequently about whether or not it would be to our benefit. One concern I had at first after we purchased the membership and were walking around the store taking it all in, was whether or not they would have organic and/or any more natural products (aka cleaning products, etc). I was happily surprised to see local cheese and bread available, multiple organic options throughout the food areas, and a few greener cleaning alternatives. The biggest perk to our membership so far: 52 pound bags of the dog food we purchase for $24, 20 large bones for $12, and flea treatments at a reduced cost. We purchased toilet paper that will last us for six months and the Ecos brand of laundry detergent (210 loads for $13, the cheapest option on the shelf, and only with understandable ingredients listed). And the one thing we really wanted and of course forgot: 6 pound bags of frozen fruit for smoothies! We also got a new HP (photo) printer/scanner/copier for under $90--something the hub will need for school as he's been battling with the printer we had (and I've greatly missed the availability of my parents photo printer). (And something we used his Iphone barcode scanner to determine if it truly was a better deal than elsewhere.) To be honest, I'm pretty sure that we'll make up the membership fee just in dog food and bones alone this year.

Costco surprisingly did not have modems however so hub went to Best Buy to price check items and then ended up ordering one from Amazon at a cheaper price with his free shipping. While he was in Best Buy, I scurried down to Ross (one of the only stores that the hub greatly despises) to check out their home goods section for my ideal area rugs(FYI if you've never looked....Ross is a great place to get amazingly reduced bedding.....). Our family room is pretty set up but I have this West Elm inspiration for our living room and our entry way that I'm envisioning.....but not willing to spend much on. :) I already have most the items to get the flow I want, but with the older blue carpet in this place another area rug or two wouldn't be bad ideas. ;)

From the shopping center we spied an interesting, quick, and cheap looking food option, as we both were really hungry at this point. The Pita Pit proved to be amazing, fast, and pretty darn healthy! In checking out their website today, I even was able to view the complete nutritional break down of exactly what I ordered for dinner yesterday. We got them to go and brought them home.....

Which allowed me to take a quick lil run around the neighborhood prior to eating. My first run back in Oregon---definitely a bit harder at first after not running for a week, but felt pretty darn good by the end of the 3 miles. Hopefully hub and I will get back into it shortly!

Not too bad of a Monday to start the week off right! Hope y'all had a great Monday too :)

New to Us Finds!

The hub and I have been on the look out for a new to us dryer. I'm sure I've mentioned that the last set we had was purchased for $100 from another soldier's wife. The set was pretty old but for $100 they definitely served us well! Although the last year, the dryer suffered from an extreme shriek and eventually the door was held shut by applications of duct tape. ;) We attempted to "door prize" purchase a new energy efficient set via the after Christmas sales, but didn't make it in time to Sears (apparently 4am wasn't early enough!!). So we've soldiered through with the old set and decided we'd keep our eye out on craigslist for a new dryer once we'd returned.

Well, the hub was talking about craigslist as we laid in bed waking up yesterday morning, so for the first time I set up and searched using the craigslist app on my Iphone....and what do you know....an unmatched but fairly new washer and dryer set for sale $350 for the both and within a 10 minute drive of our home. Hub put in the phone call and within an hour we drove over to check them out! The gentleman selling them had several other appliances for sale and is an appliance repair man by trade....he guarantees his used appliances for up to two months, switched out the plug on the dryer to the one we'd need for this older home (for free), taught us a few basic fixes that he gets a lot of calls on, AND told us where we can drop off (and get paid for) the old washer and dryer set.  A deal or what?! Needless to say, our new washer and dryer are amazing....and I don't know that we've ever enjoyed catching up on laundry as much as we have the last two days! Did I mention they both have increased energy efficiency features as well?!

Our second awesome find so far happened when we stopped off at Goodwill to look for some used furniture (we're in the market for a buffet/liquor cabinet option, a solid desk, and an entry way table......). One of the things I always used to look at in thrift stores/Goodwill was the art selection....and in this particular store we happened upon two faux paintings of Italy (which was where hub was stationed originally when he joined the Army). $11 later and we now have two decent pieces of "art" that hold meaning for the hub. LOVE IT!

Between craigslist and the major availability of Goodwill and thrift stores around here I have no doubt that we'll score some more great deals on the other items on the list.

The other awesomeness about the visit to Goodwill was that I asked the gentleman at the front door to verify that Goodwill accepts functioning and broken electronics for re-use/recycling. His response was that indeed they do and in fact, it's a necessity to keep electronics out of the landfill as harmful chemicals can easily leach into the environment.....SO GOOD TO BE BACK IN OREGON!!!!!

Portland Resource Awesomeness

So I recently found another blogger from the PDX area and from her site had seen some pretty neat links, some of which I had never heard of before....and all of which leave my little heart so glad to be returning to earthy, health minded Oregon. So then I started thinking, researching, and stockpiling links to all sorts of great resources that will be available to us locally...including all the great recycling opportunities that my husband will be glad to deposit all of the items I've been collecting for proper disposal in Oregon. ;)

So here are some of the highlights:

FOOD:

You've heard me mention Organics to You before, which uses biodiesel vehicles to deliver organic food boxes to your door step in the greater Portland area.

We'll have both Hillsboro Farmers Markets and the Beaverton Farmers Market nearby.

McMenamins brew pubs/restaurants/entertainment are within easy distance.

And although this includes multiple resources, I just learned of the Chinook Book which I may have to look into the app and/or print version of this resource. Usually I'm not into coupon books but much of the information in this resource seems usable to our situation.

RECYCLING:

Beyond the fabulous reality that we will again be able to recycle glass and more plastics just from curbside service...

Two thumbs up that since Jan 2010, Oregonians have had to recycle electronics. Due to the prevalence of electronic recycling options back home versus here (where I haven't found any in a 3 hour radius), we're bringing back a few extra TVs from a coworker for recycling/reusing, two TVs of our own that are broken, and two old laptops for recycling/donation.

Additionally, for any hazardous waste disposal needs (aka used car oil from hub changing it when needed) there are regular weekly neighborhood collection dates and locations. Beyond this within 15 miles of the home (using Earth911), we can easily access drop off recycling sites for single-use batteries, CDs, hard to recycle plastics, and smaller electronics.....good thing I've been stockpiling our batteries in a bag since I moved here.

METRO also is where you can recycle paint and pick up recycled paint options (including colors!!). Oh how I love my green state.

OUTDOOR PURSUITS:

Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District maintains several short trails, acres of parks, the dog park, and recreation facilities for use in the surrounding area.

REI hosts a variety of free and low charge classes and events via their local stores.

Over 5,000 acres of hiking and woods via Forest Park.

And via a little research Hagg Lake is a 45 minute drive away.

Beyond our home stomping grounds of the beautiful and majestic Oregon Coast, of course and one of my favorite hikes at Silver Creek Falls.

OTHER RESOURCES:

And for once, we'll be able to tie into more environmentally friendly resource options via Portland General Electric.

Take a Few Hours to Understand the Experience

So....(How many of my posts seem to start with this word anymore?!)

I never intended to write many posts about the military and I'm still holding most my final thoughts until after we are no longer active duty....but since the military is what surrounds me, is what currently defines my husband's life, and is part of the institution that employs me, then I'm sure you can imagine that much of what I think about is, well, the military.

I come from an area of this nation where most individuals are opposed to us being at war, but I don't ever feel that any of my friends or family are ever opposed to the soldiers themselves that are over there fighting. I like to believe, that for the most part, the nation does stand beside these men and women who are fighting and who are continuously putting their lives in harms way.

Now anyone who has been a long-time reader here probably knows that I have a mixed bag of opinions on the military, "defense" spending, the lack of services available to soldiers after separation, etc etc. I will whole-heartedly reiterate that I completely believe in my current job, however, and I feel honored to have the experience to interact with such a diverse group of individuals on a daily basis.

One thing that I think we as a society often struggle with is a sense of what it's like to be fighting in this current war. In all honesty, I was under the impression before coming here that we technically weren't at war anymore...but at this point, I can't remember if that was due to the media or a governmental decree or what. What I can tell you is that the military definitely believes that we are still at war and are active participants in Operation Enduring Freedom.

I don't feel that any of the media we see truly documents what the current deployment experience is like however, not that I would know exactly what that experience is or could be like. What I can tell you and urge of you is that you might seek out a recent documentary that my husband and I viewed on the National Geographic Channel. It's called RESTREPO, selected based on the name of an out posting built by a platoon (approximately 30-40 soldiers assigned to more or less the same duties and location) in memory of one of their fallen.

This documentary gave me my first glance at what the actual mountainous terrain of Afghanistan looks like. It exposed me to what an ambush scenario feels like, what it's like to be constantly exposed, raw, and potentially always in fear. It showed me how at times the leadership might lack, that the men bond and form a brotherhood in spite of personality and background differences, and it showed me how difficult it can be to be a soldier and yet need an opportunity to grieve. It gave me a snap shot of the experience that most of the infantry soldiers face and are currently facing, left me applauding the interviewed soldiers for their honesty amid the difficulty of sharing such innermost thoughts and feelings, and left me with an aching heart for these soldiers I serve on a daily basis and for those who have already separated and are attempting to integrate back into a world of civilians who for the most part have a limited understanding of their experience.

If you have the opportunity, please take the time to try to  understand this experience and view the film. This link: http://restrepothemovie.com/ will provide you with an overview and the film itself might increase your perspective. You'll probably walk away with new insights but you might also walk away with a stronger argument for some of your previously held beliefs. Regardless, I always think its worthwhile to attempt to understand another human's experience and to gain a better, more honest picture of what is going on in other areas of this world.

If you are in the US and a Netflix user, the film is able to be delivered via DVD although its not yet instant. And I can tell you via the soldier who sat along my side and from commentary from other wives, this film is a vivid snapshot of reality.

(Although a word of caution, you will hear the F bomb dropped consistently and this film is not suitable for children....)

National Prescription Med Take-Back on Saturday

Have a bunch of left over prescription medication in your cupboards? Well this Saturday, September 25th the Drug Enforcement Agency is coordinating a National Take-Back Initiative. Between 10am and 2pm sites across the nation will be collecting old prescription medication for incineration. To find the collection site nearest you, please visit this site with the DEA.

While incineration might not be the best disposal option (????), it will decrease the likelihood of used medications from being flushed, which recent research has found chemicals and hormones from prescription medications measurable in tap water in many municipalities across the nation. Additionally, research demonstrates that prescription medication abuse is one of the highest rates of teenage drug ab/use. When our nation is over prescribed and left over medications are prevalent in family homes, prescription drug access is highly accessible for teenagers (and many others) looking for an easy escape.

Why leave those medications laying around if you do have them in your home? Dispose of them at the site nearest you! ;)

Please help get the word out about this resource---it doesn't seem like its been heavily marketed nor advertised and it'd be great to see more individuals participating to clear out their homes of access, prevent misuse, and allow for a more proper disposal than many across the nation are used to putting into practice.

Babies, Babies, Everywhere!

This morning as I was putting together a delicious breakfast (speaking of, if you've never tried organic vanilla yogurt with applesauce and a slight drizzling of pure maple syrup....you might want to give it a whirl), I was thinking....about.....babies. Now if you know my husband and I then you're already aware that we're the couple who double up on contraception when we hear of other people discovering they're pregnant, just to help encourage the stork to keep on flying past our house. Not that we don't want to maybe one day have a bio kid (although I'd rather adopt if we do have kids....), but we definitely aren't ready to have kids now.

Somehow my social circles have always balanced out their weddings. I've heard of people who get the pleasure of attending 6-10 weddings a summer at times, but luckily my friends have been getting married since we all were 19 (I do come from a small town) so somehow they all tied the knot in more than just one or two summers. I also have friends that are staunchly opposed to the notion of marriage so more than likely will never get hitched, and the hub and I both have friends that will hold out as long as possible.

But amazingly, a majority of the babies seem to be arriving about the same time, although I'm sure there are many more to come still. This is even more amazing when I recognize that the ages of my friends vary from around 40 down to 20. Being on a military installation I've gotten used to babies being the norm and at young ages of the mothers. The hub and I are quite the outsiders and at times I dread chatting with my health care providers here who can't believe I have yet to reproduce at my age. ;) Luckily, there are a few friends from back home who really intend, like us, to wait until somewhere in our 30s and who are really interested in adoption rather than biological children.

In the last six months, my nephew, my host sister, an old high school friend, a friend of the hub's, and two former colleagues had babies. Two other former colleagues and a current military spouse friend are all due in the next month. A current coworker and a good high school buddy are due in the spring. Three current and former coworkers will all be pregnant soon, and 2 more of the wives that I spend time with aren't preventing any pregnancy. Add onto that the 6-10 other individuals from high school and college that I know are currently pregnant or recently had kids, and that's a lot of babies!

Now don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not a baby hater. I love seeing little chunky rolls and watching lil ones grow, but I also have never understood that innate desire to reproduce and why society likes to pressure others to recreate their genes. We've already discussed before my aversion to baby showers, as I feel forced to keep my mouth shut on the toxic exposures being gifted to unaware mothers in the form of shower presents, although I'm all for celebrating the joy of an infant's healthy arrival! 

The most joy I've ever had selecting a baby gift happened recently when the hub's friend from high school had registered for cloth diaper items. She later reported that everyone else had ignored that gift, but nothing made me as excited as seeing those items on her registry. I also really enjoyed making a baby quilt for my high school buddy's first child. And now recently I'm tapping into the creative skills of the sister of a friend from home. Her designs can be found at MeFein Designs on Etsy (although she just set it up so I'm not so sure how active it is) and she's incredibly gifted with all things baby: shoes, blankets, bibs, hats. She's a great eco mama herself--cloth diapering, breast feeding, home cooking, and getting her lil ones outside. And she creates the perfect gifts for me to send on to those I do intend to pass baby gifts to--nothing like a lil something special made by hand to let a mama know her child is an adorable and naturally made blessing. (Pictures with this posting are some of her items.)

So how do you help celebrate baby joy and what are your baby "plans"?

Saturday Links

Fashion hit the news this week--or rather limiting your wardrobe......liked it! 
How to Dress with Just Six Pieces from Yahoo Shine
Shoppers on a Diet Tame the Urge to Buy from the NYTimes
Might have to try out the Six Items or Less Challenge or the Great American Apparel Diet. I actually think the Great American Apparel Diet would be the easier of the two for me--not buying any new clothes for a year rather than wearing the same six items over again for a month. I could easily do the same 12 items for 3 months though!


This story is amazing and it warms the heart...pun intended. Surgeon Who Repaired Racer's Heart Joins Him as He Puts It To the Test from the NYTimes. 

Reminds me of the happiest children I've ever seen in my life: rural kids in Argentina playing catch with multiple tied up plastic bags as their ball. Innovation is everywhere, happiness comes from the simplest things....To Those with Nothing, Soccer is Everything

I had never heard of this Oregon event until Klean Kanteen had a blurb about it. Indie bands, local food & brews, and beautiful landscapes--sounds like a great time at Pickathon!

Loved Down-to-Earth Rhonda's post this week on Flexible Simplicity

ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS:

Harvard Study Backs Bottle Concern from The Boston Globe. BPA increase (69%) in urine from individuals who drank out of plastic bottles for a week.

Household Cleaners Linked to Breast Cancer

At Last! Cosmetics Bill Introduced in the House--authority over personal care products--what a concept!

Watch The Story of Cosmetics

Couple's Experiment: Trash Free For a Year-video from KGW. Young couple from Oregon.

In A World of Throwaways, Making a Dent in Medical Waste

China Oil Spill Grows, Official Warns of Severe Threat--the pictures are pretty incredible

Anna & Roxi Got a Package!

When I checked the mail today, there was an anonymously ordered package of treats for the dogs!

Anna's anxiously waiting for me to open it. Roxi's too busy running around in anticipation to make it in the photo!

Homemade dog treats from all natural ingredients!

They were SO excited and seriously couldn't get enough.

It took me a couple hours to figure out who may have sent the treats to the girls! Prior to Roxi, Anna and I used to go on walks with another dog named Wall-E and his owner. Sure enough, Wall-E's owner sent the girls their own care package! Her sister-in-law is Chef Sarah of Never Spoiled, Just Well Loved Homemade Pup Treats out of Charleston, SC. If you're looking for a great gift to send a family pet, please check out her website. It's great to know that someone is producing delicious smelling and naturally made treats for dogs (and cats). The ingredients are simple, most the packaging was able to be recycled, and Sarah's willing to ship just about anywhere in the nation. (She also helped Wall-E's owner with delicious ingredients for his first birthday party!) What a great way to show a bit of extra delicious and healthy love to a neighborhood furry friend! 

Operation Homecoming: Writing the War Time Experience

So I decided a while ago that I wasn't going to share many of my own thoughts and opinions on the military, current wars, or soldier treatment until after the hub is no longer in the military and I am no longer working with soldiers. While this blog is primarily anonymously written, I also know that its not that difficult to figure things out thanks to the internet these days....and I've been raised to recognize that whatever I say/write now can reflect upon others that are connected to me AND can be brought back up years down the road. What I will say is that I whole-heartedly believe in my current job and in providing services to soldiers. And I'm recognizing every day that my opinions are currently in a state of metamorphosis thanks to my changing environments. 

I have many friends who think that the military can be a viable option for any individual who needs an income, secure health care &  housing, etc---however thanks to my job, I can wholeheartedly tell you: this way of life is not for everyone and anyone. (On a side note: The lowest level enlisted soldier makes such a minimal amount that if s/he has dependents, they qualify for state assistance due to income.) No one should think of joining the military (any branch) lightly, and the military isn't keeping just anyone in the service these days. On the other end of the spectrum I have friends who have a hard time understanding why anyone at all would join the military...

I will say that I think that every single soldier's experience is different than the next. Two people can experience the same event and have completely different view points, interpretations, and reactions to that same event---the same thing happens with soldiers. There are men soldiers, there are women soldiers. There are mechanics, pilots, supply, communications, human resources, infantry. If you want to know the break down of the different Army occupations you can find it here and Marine occupations are here. Keep in mind the Navy and Air Force are two additional branches of service, and deployment cycles and experiences vary based on branch of service and military job. What most people envision when they think of a deployed soldier who is fighting on the front lines is most likely going to be an infantry soldier or artillery soldier. However these individuals are only a percentage of the total military.

I'm sure that many individuals envision an infantry soldier's experience to be similar to the movies that are produced based on soldier experiences. While there may be some truth to those films, I will say that a lot of soldiers do not feel that mainstream films totally convey the experience nor demonstrate the truth. While we are still fighting two wars overseas, the public's focus on this fact and the amount of news demonstrated to this fact are limited. Even as a military spouse, my awareness and understanding of the soldier experience is limited. Hub isn't a big fan of talking about his current work and while I've seen pictures of his past deployment, that's about as indepth as we've gone. What I do realize some days more than others though is that most of the soldiers I work with have seen the face of war and several of them are headed back to it.

Last night I found a great instant stream documentary on Netflix (that mail-in & instant streaming movie rental program available here in the States for my foreign readers!) called Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience. The Iraqi and Afghan wartime experience written by those that have been there and lived it. (The stories have been compiled by the National Endowment for the Arts.) What the soldiers wrote seemed to convey much more of the experience than what any blockbuster film could do. I would encourage you to check it out.....

Have You Seen the Face of Domestic Violence?

You may have been expecting another home post, but I wanted to share something else that is special to my heart and mind right now. Last week it came to my attention that a female I once attended school with had been stabbed to death in her shared home by her boyfriend. This particular individual was someone I didn't interact with much as a kid, but the reality of her death still disturbed me. She was a strong female (captain of a city rugby league), with a smile for the world, and the type of individual who does not fit what many would picture as a woman suffering from domestic violence.

I've never been one with the right words to discuss domestic violence and its one area of social work I've always known I could never effectively work in. Thus I turned to one of my dearest friends and asked if she would so kindly write a guest piece for me. Not only is Nancy an amazing friend but she has fairly self-lessly and passionately worked in the field of domestic violence for almost six years. Graciously she wrote the following and wrote it as if she was speaking to a fellow friend:

A definition of domestic violence is probably a good place to start. I'm often surprised by what imagery the term conjures for different folks. Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior that can include physical, psychological, sexual, economic, and emotional abuse, perpetrated by one person against an intimate partner with the goal of establishing and maintaining power and control (Oregon Coalition Against Domestic Violence).

Before going further I feel I need to make the obligatory statements, you may have heard it before, but if I don't do it, people will accuse me of being sexist and/or a man hater... Domestic violence happens to men and women (although 85% of the time violence in perpetrated by men against women and because of this I may use the word she for a survivor and he for an abuser). I call them survivors because in or out of an abusive relationship they are definitely surviving. Abuse occurs across all racial, ethnic, socio-economic, age, and religious groups. However, as a service provider we usually see the most economically disadvantaged folks, because they do not have the same kinds of resources to achieve safety.

Domestic violence comes in many shapes and forms, though through the lens of pop culture and the sensationalization of the news media, many think of it in terms of physical violence only. The Duluth Model Power & Control Wheel does a really good job of illustrating what abuse can look like. Abuse usually starts out small and can seem insignificant. Sometimes the jealousy a partner uses as an excuse for their behavior can even flatter us and make us feel protected or cared for, but abuse often escalates over time in both frequency and severity.

The question people most often ask is "why doesn't she leave?" While I'll attempt to do this question justice, my caveat is that it is not the victims responsibility to end the abuse, but it is the responibility of the perpetrator. The answer to the question however is complex. Leaving is the single most dangerous time for a survivor. In Oregon we have had what seems like an outbreak of homicides connected to domestic violence. In most of those cases, the victims (victims, when they are no longer surviving) had left or attempted to leave the relationship. Given the danger, it is amazing how many survivors do leave. When someone leaves an abusive relationship they don't just leave their partner, they often have to cut ties with friends, family, and communities in order to attain safety. Leaving an abusive relationship prompts many difficult decisions. Survivors must attain housing, employment, childcare, transportation, and it all must be done away from the abusers network and community in order to try and maintain safety. Survivors face incredible barriers when leaving, including the complexity and sacrifice of making a new life, and the difficulty in actually achieving safety.


There are many "red flags" or "warning signs" of an abusive relationship. Although the presence of one sign does not necessarily indicate an abuser, the more signs there are the more likely a person is an abuser and some of the warning signs are abuse in and of themselves:
1. Jealousy
2. Controlling behavior
3. Push for quick involvement or committment to the relationship
4. Unrealistic expectations
5. Isolation
6. Past battering
7. Blames others for problems
8. Rigid gender roles
9. Cruelty to animals or children
10. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality
11. Verbal abuse
12. Threats of violence
13. Breaking or striking objects
14. Force in sex
15. Any force during an argument
16. Stalking behavior

If you have questions or concerns about your partners' behavior and want to talk to someone, you should feel free to contact your local hotline. Don't know your local hotline number? You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE. They can connect you to local programs and have translators available.

Finally, a lot of people feel at a loss when someone they care about finds themselves in an abusive relationship. If you know someone who is being abused the best thing you can do is to believe them. Don't minimize or try to explain away abusive behavior, as chances are the person is already doing that and it will only reinforce the idea that s/he is somehow responsible for the violence. Let them know you are concerned for their safety and tell them it is not their fault. Many survivors turn to family and friends before they reach out to agencies, so ask what you can do to support them and respect their decisions. They know their partner and situation best, and are the best judge of what will be safe for them. If they do decide to leave, continue to offer whatever support you can. It may mean accompanying them as they seek out assistance from the legal system, seek financial assistance from a state agency, or reach out to a domestic violence agency.
 
MANY THANKS TO NANCY! Domestic violence is such a sad and sensitive topic, and she covered it much better and professionally than I would have been able to do. Please if you know of someone in an abusive relationship, offer to help them in any way you can and let's continue to combat the stigmas and stereotypes that exist in the world.

More Interesting Articles!

I know, I know. Many of you aren't big fans for resources and links presented this way and I'm sure most of you don't even check the headlines that I do post....but to be honest, I sort of like having these postings so I'll be able to find some of the articles I've been interested in from the past. ;)

These resources and articles are pretty ecletic, but without further ado:

New anti-rape female condom, Rape Axe, debuts at South Africa's World Cup

Granny always discouraged my attempts at giving up coffee in the past. Maybe this newest research is why: Coffee's Mysterious Benefits Mount

This site let's you see how far the oil spill would cover your home area: If It Was My Home.

Interesting renovation: In the Catskills, Comfort in a Gingerbread House

AMAZING RECIPE CENTRAL: TasteSpotting

FDA seeks less use of antibiotics in animals to keep them effective for humans

Ending the Consumption Addiction presented by Treehugger

And while consuming of a sort, this is a neat lil' app for the Iphone that Treehugger wrote about the other day: MyNature App Makes You an Instant Expert on the Outdoors

Interesting Links & Resources for June 6

Ran out of time this weekend, so just titles this time:


Why Buy, When You Can Borrow? ---Whole Living magazine


10 Everyday Rituals for a More Meaningful Life---presented on Yahoo Shine


5 Toxic Chemicals That are Everywhere--CNN and definitely worth checking out....along with their entire Toxic America series


Real Change is Coming blog post by Rhonda at Down to Earth


Sun, Sea, and...Orphans? A Vacation with a Difference in Thailand---CNN and something I've always wanted to do.

Sent to us at work via email. Sad to see that others can so readily turn a blind eye to the grief of another and instead focus on themselves.... Washington Post's Seeing a Fallen Soldier Home 

Mississippi Looks to Iran for Rural Health Care Model---interesting given the recent health care debates and our current relationship with the Middle East.

Environmental Health New's: President's Cancer Panel: Environmentally caused cancers are "grossly underestimated" and "needlessly devastate American lives."