Rita's Realm

Reflections: Week 13 and 14

2009-12-18T13:32:00.003-06:00

Week 13:

We met out at Goodwill Industries for our class time and did a bunch of things out there. We first took a tour of the place and found out how big that place was! Then we were spoke to on the recycling process of many different textiles. It's crazy how materials cannot always be broken down to how we need them to be! With that being said, the big blue machine we have here in our Goodwill in Duluth is one of the coolest inventions that will go a long way! We had snack, then had our hunt down in the store with a topic we had to meet. Our group got to do whatever we wanted and we chose to pick out an outfit for prom. We had a $20 budget, and we came out below it! Going to that store was a major eye opener for me because I definitely had stereotypes toward the store and the people that go there as well. I am excited to start going to more places like Goodwill (ie. second hand shops) and not be embarrassed for it!

Week 14:

This week on Monday we went over our junking projects! It was so fun to see what people came up with and how creative everyone is in their own way! It gave me so many ideas I can do when I go home and decorate my Mom and Stepdad's places I'm very excited. It was a bummer Sue couldn't make it, but I'm very excited to see who she picks for her top 3 choices since she is the junk guru! We had snack and then went around and explained what we learned this semester. I can't type up all the things I learned this semester because it will take me so long, but like I mentioned in class I realized what the term critical thinking is and how I can apply it to so many things in my life! Work, friends, family, sports; you name it and it applies! Learning how I can incorporate environmental health with my degree is very important to me because it gives me a much bigger advantage over those who haven't been exposed to different approaches like this to being fit and healthy.

Overall Impression:
This was easily one of my favorite courses I ever took at UMD! I learned so much in this class it's exciting for me to pass along to everyone I know and will meet what I know/learned. I was actually contemplating going to the Head of the Department and asking him to make this class an option for Exercise Science majors because I think it is very important for many of those students to take it! Learning how to blog, alone, was a lot! I plan on making a blog for my clients when I get a job/start a career and I'm so excited to do it! I love motivating others and I love helping others become health or healthier and I know a blog is a perfect way to do that! Dr. V was a very cool professor to have and I learned so much from her this semester! Thanks to her and Steve for such a good time in the class!!

Share and Voice 11: A Little Christmas Fun!

2009-12-17T17:09:00.001-06:00

I am one to get very excited for the holidays, so I was browsing online and came across this website on mistletoes. It's nothing big, but just something fun to read about. It has a few fun facts about mistletoes, and it's categorized under Environmental Issues. My family never puts mistletoe up at Christmas, but my friends always play pranks on each other with this stuff! Even though the facts aren't as funny as the concept of the mistletoe, it's crazy how people came up with the idea knowing the reality of the leaf. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and don't get stuck under the mistletoe! ;-)

Eye Opener: Online Learning Activities

2009-12-15T20:52:00.004-06:00

Advocacy Project: Arthritis Learning Activity

by: Carrie's Environment

She gave these instructions:

After reading the summary, please answer the following questions:

1. True or Fale? Arthritis only affects people 65 years and older?________
2. True or False: Arthritis can affect every day activities such as brushing your teeth?__________
3. True or False: Obese people have a greater risk of Arthritis?________
4. Arthritis Affects the____________
5. True or False? Arthritis is the most common cause of disability?_________
6. True or False? Arthritis is expected to increase by the year 2030?__________
7. What helps prevent arthritis? a) Eating Healthy b) Exercising c) Yoga d) all of the above
8. What percent of people with arthritis are not able to work within 10 years of diagnosis? a) 10 b) 20 c) 0 d) 50

My Answers:

1. False
2. True
3. True
4. Musculoskeletal system
5. True
6. True
7. D.
8. D.

I thought this was a really cool topic since my stepdad has this disease. It's really sad to see him struggle with day-to-day activities due to Arthritis. I found a lot of useful information from Carrie's post that I can pass along to him. It's very bizarre to watch him in pain when you can't see what's going on inside his joints. I just wish I could rub out the pain in his hands, but it doesn't work like that!

Advocacy Project: How Safe Are Our Beaches?

by: Danielle's Dandy Environment

She gave these instructions:

INSTRUCTIONS: Read and analyze the three websites listed above and answer the following questions.

1. List at least 3 types of disease-causing germs that can be found in recreational waters.

2. Who monitors the bacteria at swimming beaches in Minnesota?

3. What are some major causes of water pollution?

4. What are ways that we can do our part to prevent water pollution at beaches?

5. Reflect on what you thought about this subject and what it means to you.

My Answers:

1. Giardia, Campylobacter, Shigella, Salmonella, e.coli
2. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
3. Stormwater pollution, sewage spills, natural resources
4. Don't swim when you have diarrhea, don't swallow pool water, practice good hygiene, take kids on bathroom breaks and change their diapers, change diapers in bathroom, wash child thoroghly with soap.
5. I never knew Park-Point was on the list for 5-star beaches! That is so cool! Being from the area and having so many friends with lake cabins I'm used to being aware of getting these types of diseases. The most common one is "swimmer's itch" that I hear about and it's really gross thinking about how you can get something like that! This was a really cool topic to do your project on, and it was a good reminder anyone can be exposed each time they enter the water!

This was a shocker for me! I had no clue Park-Point was a 5-start rated beach in the nation! That is a huge compliment for the midwest considering we aren't on the coast at all. It reminds me of a few summers ago when the beach was shut down because of an e. coli outbreak. I would have never thought to research more on it, but this makes me think twice. Very cool Danielle!

Advocacy Project: Inform, Crossword Puzzle, Act!

2009-12-14T11:23:00.001-06:00

Purpose/Background:
I'm very excited to present this topic to you all, as it is a major topic in our society. The epidemic of obesity has been in the news multiple times over the past couple years, but it seems as though people aren't taking enough action to change it. As a health educator, I'm going to stress a few major points to help advocate on this topic and the importance it has. Our generation may be the first to have their parents outlive them! Scary!!

Instructions:
First, read through the information I have gathered from different sources that I thought may get your attention due to this disease. Second, go through the crossword puzzle and see how much you learned. If you get stuck on a question, go to this link to help you. Third, take some action!!

Sources:

"Despite obesity having strong genetic determinants, the genetic composition of the population does not change rapidly. Therefore, the large increase in . . . [obesity] must reflect major changes in non-genetic factors." (Hill, James O., and Trowbridge, Frederick L. Childhood obesity: future directions and research priorities. Pediatrics. 1998; Supplement: 571.)
Obesity affects ALL the major systems in the body, not just one. This can result in multiple complications and diseases resulting in more severity. (American Obesity Association)
There are two classifications of obesity, hypertrophic and hyperplastic. Hypertrophic obesity is excessive weight gain in adulthood, characterized by expansion of existing fat cells. Hyperplastic obesity is excessive weight gain in childhood, characterized by creation of new fat cells. (Development of Obesity)
10% of those who undergo bariatric surgery may have unsatisfactory weight loss or regain much of the weight they lost (Weight Control Information Network)
Those 18-24 and 55-65 years old have increased the incidence of surgery by 726% by the year 2000. (Bio-Medicine)

Crossword Puzzle:

Click on this link to go to my crossword puzzle homepage.

http://www.variety-games.com/CW/Puzzles/2091751765-puzzle.htm

Act!

Now it's time to help me advocate on this topic! Help me support changing around the epidemic of obesity by becoming a part of Action for Healthy Kids. It doesn't cost anything, all you have to do is go to their website and join the support system. I'm already a member, and it's one simple way to get everyone to take action on this topic. Report how you feel about my project!

Read 'n' Seed 6: Final Review of "Last Child in the Woods"

2009-12-10T19:32:00.001-06:00

Overview:
The book as a whole had a very powerful point to address. It was really cool to learn how important it is to have nature in our lives, and the affect it has with our health. Unfortunately, I don't think the book needed to be half as long as it was. The author seems to go on tangents a little too often and it bores the reader quickly. I understand he wants to show references and how much he has researched on the topic, but it got to be repetitive.

Three Significant Things:
The three most significant things I learned from this book are incorporating nature into your life, promoting this importance to everyone, and to make sure kids grow up surrounded with nature. I know that I'm in my early years of adulthood, but I know it's not too late to start doing more things outside. I can encourage my friends and family to come with me, or to do things on their own by positively supporting outdoors. I will make sure when I have kids they will have the option to do things outdoors as much as I can provide to them.

Recommendation?

If there was a shorter version of this book, I would highly recommend it! Like I previously mentioned, it's too wordy and long to keep the reader interested, in my opinion anyways. I did learn a lot by reading it, so that's why I think it would important for others to read it. I would like to know other people's opinions of this book, though, to see if they agree with me or not!

Share and Voice 10: Eco Store in Duluth

2009-12-10T08:48:00.000-06:00

I don't know how many times I have driven by this place, but never thought twice about the title until I saw the commercial the other day! Eco is a store here in Duluth that supports eco-friendly decorating for residential and commercial buildings! I checked out their website, and there stuff looks really cool and modern! Eco stands for economically conscious options; such a good acronym! Check out their website at http://www.ecolivingspace.com and look through to see if there is anything you can get for your homes right now!

Check out these screens... I wouldn't have thought that is what this was! I'm excited to see there are places like this since I will be looking for my own place within the next year. I wish I was able to explicate prices between them and other companies to say that you are saving money by going there, but I haven't been inside there yet so I am not much help in that area. But one really cool program they offer is you can go in and make your own decorations using their tools! Of course you have to pay a small fee for whatever it is you are making, but what a good project for the holidays, and you are practicing ways of being environmentally friendly! I wish I would have known about this place earlier because I love making gifts for people!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 10: Overall Project Reflection

2009-12-08T19:02:00.002-06:00

My SMART goal(s):
My SMART goal at the beginning of the semester was that I will use my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to the grocery store, Target, etc. for the next 15 weeks. However, it did change a few weeks ago to I will tally up my saturated fat intake to see if it is less than 7% of my total daily caloric intake. I chose to change it to become more aware of my diet, and to double check to make sure I am eating well.

Successes and Challenges:
For my first goal, I was very successful with remembering my bags when I went to the store. I think it helped that I live right by the grocery store, so I didn't have a hard time remembering to grab them on my way out the door. I also planned out when I went shopping early in the day, so I remembered to put them in my car if I was running some errands. As for my second goal, I had an easier time tallying up my saturated fat with foods at my house than when I went out to eat. Even though I could find online the nutrition facts for most of the food I ate when I did go out to eat, it was still hard to remember always to jot them down. One thing I have started to do, and will continue to do in the future is to check out the menu at the restaurant prior to going and figure out which options are the healthiest!

Benefits, What I learned, and Behavior Change:

This project helped lead me to becoming more environmentally aware internally and externally. I learned how to change different things about myself to be healthier and to support going green! I know this will affect my behavior the rest of my life because I found out so many things this semester I didn't know and I feel confident with changing old habits into better eco-friendly habits.

External Benefits:
By reducing the use of plastic bags, I definitely helped the environment! Less amount of litter that could be spread, and not having to recycle plastic as often has a positive impact on our environment.

Continuing on:
I will definitely keep using my reusable bags when I go to the store! There would be no point in starting this behavior and stopping it for no reason. Plus, I set a good example with using them when I go. I plan on paying attention to my saturated fat intake, but don't need to write it down everyday.

Recommendations:
I highly recommend everyone to making a lifestyle change! Reading everyone's posts about their own shows how happy they are with themselves and doing a good thing at the same time. With the problem of global warming, it is very important to tweak some behaviors so we all can help out our environment. I wish their was more promotion on the news, TV, radio, etc. for everyone to start becoming environmentally sound. It's funny because I don't see a lot of my friends changing, but having taken this class, I know they would!

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 10 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Advocacy Project: Letter to the Public Official or Letter to the Editor

2009-12-06T21:42:00.000-06:00

Honorable Congressman Earl Pomeroy,

I am a novice Health Advocate and I am very concerned about the obesity epidemic in our nation. There are many different approaches that have been taken to help reduce this problem, but very few that have to deal with affording resources. With that being said, I am pleased to hear about the proposed bill concerning affordable healthy choices.

The act provides health insurance accessibility to all individuals and employers, which shows no bias to any persons. Socioeconomic status and race are two major reasons that not everyone is guaranteed health insurance. Although health care is a cardinal issue being discussed within our government, it is important to allow health insurance accessibility to the entire nation in order to help alleviate the epidemic obesity. This disease costs our nation billions of dollars in health care expenses alone, so approving this act will help the US population decrease our governments expenses, as well as, improving the health of our people.

Personally speaking, this act will mean I can press the importance of health insurance to improve the quality of lives throughout our country. Statistics show this disease is still on the incline, especially in the youth population.

In the past, you have demonstrated support towards health care strategies. I encourage you to vote in favor of the Affordable Healthy Choices Act. If support or any type of assistance is needed, please feel free to contact me at any time. Thank you for your time and support.

Sincerely,
Rita Lerud

Reflections: Week 11 and 12

2009-12-03T17:29:00.000-06:00

Week 11

It was quite a challenge trying to define environmental literacy words! Making the definitions understandable to a 10 year old is very tough! It really made me realize how I take for granted the dictionary because it does such a phenomenal job of defining words for most of the population, regardless of age, can understand. When we watched "Story of Stuff" I was shocked to see how different things are really recycled and broken down industrially. The video does a very good job of making the audience understand easily how recycled products are processed. It is sad to see how our society strongly pushes for 'going green' and one way to do this is by recycling. It was a very big eye opener for me, because I realized that just because I am recycling, doesn't mean it is necessarily going through the process correctly.
Afterward we did a junking activity where Dr. V brought some random objects from home and put us into groups so that we had to come up with different ways to use the object. This was such a good practice for all of us to get ready to think of different ways to junk for our project. I really enjoyed brainstorming!!

Week 12
Blog hopping was fun because I really wanted to see what everyone came up with for their photo essays anyways! I thought everyone did a great job, and it was cool to see what everyone decided to do. I really enjoyed doing that assignment myself because I enjoyed asking my Aunt and Uncle what they use to junk, and I know they had a fun time helping me! Although this took up most of class time, we afterwards when over the proper way to communicate with decision makers and the media. I would have never known there is a certain way to write a letter to the editor or public official had we not gone over it. Granted, I know I would have done most of the stuff we covered in my letter, but I know for sure it wouldn't been the way it should be. I think I will write my letter to a public official for two reasons: one, I don't think I could keep my letter under 150 words to the editor, and two, I feel very strong about my bill I want passed and I feel like it would be the right path to go. We also went over different ways we can do the online learning activity assignment, and I got a few ideas, I just need to sit down and put my thoughts together and spit out one I really want to do!

Share and Voice 9: Shape Your Body the Way YOU Want at Home!

2009-12-02T13:56:00.000-06:00

This is a new 'game' that just came out for Nintendo Wii and it's called Your Shape. It has just started being advertised in this area, and it really caught my attention. Many people are too scared or intimidated to go to the gym if they haven't had much experience with working out in their past, but with this program you can do everything at home! How many times do people complain they don't have time to workout? Well even if you have 20 minutes of spare time, you can do exercises at home! The best feature about this program is it is conformed entirely to how YOU want to shape your body. If you want to get 'into shape' you most likely have some areas on your body, specifically, that you want to improve, and you can do that with this program! I give Jenny McCartney a lot of credit for representing this game, because it is a very creative way to get people more active. If you haven't seen the commercial, check out this short YouTube video to get the basics of the program!

Now no one has anymore excuses to get some physical activity! Did you know 63% of Americans are overweight and 31% are obese? There is no excuse for us Health Advocators not to practice what we preach, so why not support programs like this? I just did!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 9: Weekly Update

2009-12-02T13:31:00.002-06:00

What and How???
My SMART goal this last week changed AGAIN! I had a test on Monday for one of my classes and some of the material was on factors associated with coronary disease. This covered a lot of fat and cholesterol data, thus sticking out in my head about my diet. I have said in the past I consider myself to be a pretty healthy eater, however, I really wanted to focus specifically on my saturated fat intake and see where I was. My goal ended up being:

"I will tally up my saturated fat intake for one week to see if it is less than 7% of my total daily caloric intake."

Successes and Challenges!!!
Last week I started to try and tally up the saturated fat grams in my head and would guesstimate, but Monday I started to write them down to see my accuracy. With that being said, I know I could have made some improvements last week with the holidays because of the sweets that were everywhere, but once I got back to school, I have been successful! It is hard to remember to write down information like that when you aren't looking to lose weight, rather just trying to be a little more healthy conscious. This will be a challenge for next week as I'm going to keep this as my goal. Another challenge is I eat a lot of cheese, so I will have to make an extra effort to make sure I don't over-consume it!

Feelings =)
I feel healthier by paying close attention to the saturated fat I eat everyday. I don't know if this is more psychological or if it really is making a difference in the way I feel. The only way to determine this is if I continue to see how I do in the next week or weeks.

<----- YUCK!!!!

I learned.....
I learned that even if you are a healthy eater, there is always room for improvement. Whether it's not taking another bite when you are full, or not eating something because it's there. Watching my family chow down on food last week even after they were really full made me a little grossed out! It is OK to indulge every once in a while, but you don't need to consume it all at once!

Plans!!!
My plans for next week are to stick to this goal which is:

"I will tally up my saturated fat intake for one week to see if it is less than 7% of my total daily caloric intake."

Like I have been doing the past few days is writing down my consumption grams and I found that to work best. I'm excited to see what challenges I come across this next week!

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 9 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

2009-11-29T18:37:00.001-06:00

Originally, I wanted to do this project on how much trash is left after sporting events in the stands and on the ground, but since my camera was getting fixed, I didn't have one for the games I went to. Instead, I chose to show creative ways people recycle or reuse items. Since I was with my family over the holiday, I asked my Aunt and Uncle what items around the house they have reused so they didn't have to throw them out. They are very good for doing things like this, so I knew it would be easy for them to show me some items. It's funny how people think to reuse items, and are being economically friendly by doing so. It makes you wonder how much you could come up with on your own. Here are a few they showed me in 10 minutes that I had never seen before...

This shelf is not a piece of wood they bought; it's an old door from a closet in their house! Way to pinch those pockets!

If you look close, the back of the garage is styrofoam they glued on to keep the garage insulated!

Instead of buying rags, they use old t-shirts or sheets and cut them up! My mom did this all the time when I grew up, so this was the only one I had seen before.

Now this one is cool! My Aunt and Uncle are great cooks, so to utilize these bottles they used up, they filled them up with oil and vinegar! The bottle on the left is an old wine bottle, and the bottle on the right is an old hot sauce bottle! Could you tell?? Cute tags on them too!

My uncle doesn't have a lot of jewelry, but these old containers are from when he bought watches and now uses them for organizing!

What do you normally do with old loofahs? Well my aunt watched hers up and put a few complimentary color ones together and used them for decoration in the bathroom! So smart!

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."

-Albert Einstein

Read 'n' Seed 5: Fourth Quarter of "Last Child in the Woods"

2009-11-27T09:09:00.001-06:00

Covered Material
I read 3 chapters, which consisted of 48 pages. The first chapter I read was chapter 21. The author focused on the connection of spirituality with nature. For example, people explain nature as it resembles how the Bible is explained to us. Children have an easier time explaining nature through religious faith, simply because that is how they are taught. Parents need to bring their children to nature, just as they were brought to church when they were kids. Chapter 22 was on how the implementation of societal change is positively affecting the environment. For example, in the '60s it was common to toss out an empty soda can and a cigarette butt the window, but now days it's an exception. With the smoke-free campaigns and recycling policies it shows how much we can change societal pressure in one generation. Maybe this could hold true with children understanding the importance of nature with campaigns and policies? Through chapter 23, briefly the author refers to one memory being with his kids on a trip to a cabin and makes a point that he feels confident with the way he raised his kids because majority was in the nature. To sum it up, he personally wants to show that he 'practiced what he was preaching' throughout the book by presenting this example with his family/kids.

I learned
I really liked how the author used the correlation with nature and religion. I never thought twice about how I was taught about nature, but it made sense with his referrals. For example, where did Adam and Eve live? Garden of Eden! Never thought twice about it being a garden, only the name of the place where they lived. I also learned that societal pressure can be a good thing! If our society can change the views on smoking throughout campaigns and policies, then society can pressure a lot of things for change! It's a matter of getting supporting opinions to work together and get the job done.

Implications
This is important information because it links people to nature without directly going outside. Taking a step back and looking in on a topic from a different angle is crucial, because you see other people's point of views. Nature is critical in everyone's lives and we just need to make it more apparent for everyone!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 8: Weekly Update

2009-11-26T00:01:00.002-06:00

What and How
My SMART goal this last week was to use my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to the store, and to continue to look up products I use to see how hazardous they are. I never went to the store this week, and I couldn't find more products to look up!

Successes and Challenges
My challenge I faced was not being able to find more products I use on the website to see how hazardous they are. That made me decide to quit looking up products right now, but check the website out whenever I buy a new one.

Feelings
I feel pretty good about my goal, but as I just mentioned, I am dropping the product look up part. It's pretty hard not to feel successful when I don't go to the store, because I know I didn't forget to use my bags!

I learned
Even though I couldn't find more products on the website, I learned that I can use that website any time I buy a new product or use a new one. It's really informational and I can show it to my family members this weekend.

Plans
My plan for next week is keeping my SMART goal the same, but dropping the product look up. My SMART goal for next week is:

I will use my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to the store.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 8 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

2009-11-22T18:31:00.003-06:00

Introduction:
What is the issue/problem?
Obesity and overweight trends has increased in children and adolescents over the past decade. Statistics show that overall the problem has accumulated by 30%, or one in every three children is overweight or obese (Action For Healthy Kids).
What current legislation has been proposed to address this?
H.R. 3200-America's Affordable Healthy Choices Act

Who is affected by the issue?
Who is affected the most?
Trends have shown that depending on your socioeconomic status and race will determine your risk. For example, Native Americans and Hispanics have the highest percentage with child obesity, while Blacks, Whites, and Asians have the lowest risk (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Who loses, and what do they lose?
Those with low socioeconomic statuses have shown to have limited resources to healthful dietary choices. It is not a cause and effect relationship, but a correlational interconnection. This can obviously affect their health status because the chances of becoming overweight and/or obese from poor diet choices is high.
Who wins, and what do they win?
Those with high socioeconomic statuses have shown to have more resources to choosing healthful dietary choices. With that being said, they have a better chance of preventing obesity by nutrition alone, and living a healthier life because of those dietary choices.

What are the consequences of the issue?
For the individuals mostly affected?
Obesity can cause many health related problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, cancer, dyslipidemia, etc.
For their families?
Depending on the degree of the health related problem and the consequences it poses, families may spend their income on medical bills, treatments, rehabilitation programs, etc. In addition, their family members could be at high risk for the disease, especially if someone in the family has it. The offspring of the obese or overweight person can acquire negative side effects, therefore, posing a high risk of obesity in them as well.
For society?
Due to such prevalence with the epidemic of obesity, the US spent 12% of its health care budget in the 1990s, alone (Global Issues). This has an effect on everyone because insurance plans increase, making the population pay for health treatments.

What are the economic costs of the issue?
What are the economic costs of the issue, and who bears these costs?
As previously mentioned, the health care budget has to spend money on treating those with health related problems that have arose from obesity, thus making the nation pay more for insurance to cover these payments. In general, this is one factor that has played a role on our economy as people can't afford to buy extra items they may want because they have to spend more money on insurance. Our economy hasn't been this low for years, so it's important to address the issues that are factoring into why. Families have to pay for their members, or in this case, their children's medical expenses which contributes to health care.
What are the economic benefits of the issue, and who benefits?
Obesity has become a scare to many citizens, so companies have tried to step in and make a positive approach to the issue. A few examples include: fast food restaurants have implemented more salads and low-fat or fat-free choices, Subway advertising for "7 sandwiches with 6 grams of fat or less," and Whole Food franchises have increased in their sales (Pepperdine University-Graziadio Business Report). However, not everyone or children and adolescents can afford foods from any or all of these places, so it benefits those who are able to afford them.

What is the social impact of the issue?
What are the social costs of the issue, and who bears these costs?
For those children and adolescents that struggle with obesity it can negatively effect their self-image, which can influence their social life in many ways. One being how they interact with others at school, or how they interact around others elsewhere (Obesity in Children and Adolescents). Our society is quick to judge and put stereotypes on individuals, based on what's in the media or through word of mouth. A child growing up with negative self-esteem can possess many negative actions, such as suicidal thoughts, thus, effect their health.
What are the social benefits of the issue, and who benefits?
Some benefits that have come about from this issue, which have already been mentioned, are better/healthier food choices at restaurants. Other than the ones already referred to, many restaurants and food chains have tried to adjust their menu to make their foods healthier, or have a section dedicated solely for healthier choices. Everyone can benefit from this, as long as they can afford it.

What are the barriers?
What are the barriers to addressing the issue?
Long-term management strategies is one of the barriers to the epidemic obesity (Barriers to Obesity Treatment). Some people think reversing obesity can be a quick fix with surgery, but actually it's a lifestyle change. Another barrier could be that people don't know the long-term health risks with this disease. To some, it just seems like you get the disease, you get rid of it, and you are better. That is not the case at all! On the whole, educating may be a major hurdle on this topic.
How can they be overcome?
To break through these risks, I think if we start implementing more education on the topic, such as the major health risks, then we will can scare people enough to realize they are putting their lives in danger. A lot of the population knows about the problem and some of the causes of it, but a lot of people ignore the side effects and what can happen later in life due to this disease.

What are the resources?
What resources will we need to address the issue?
Providing research, facts, data, and studies are great ways to supply resources. They are real life, first hand, and non-fictional, therefore, people should have no problem believing what is produced from these resources.
Where and how can they be tapped?
Organizations, universities/colleges, businesses, etc. can all provide real life studies, research, data, and facts. Doing a survey within the an organization is just one way to get some of the information to dig into getting resources.

What is the history of the issue?
What is the history of the issue in the community?
The history with obesity in children and adolescents is it has been increasing over the years. Parents of this generation are considered to outlive their kids because of this epidemic, which has never been a popular problem in the past.
What past efforts were made to address it?
A few approaches have been executed to address this issue and some of these include monitoring of foods and beverages sold outside the school meal programs, improving the nutrition of the food at school, increasing more physical activity throughout the day, educating through health courses, and providing books and guides to a healthier way of living (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
What were the results?
There hasn't been enough studies or research showing or proving the results of the approaches to this issue. The media says that obesity is still on the rise among children and adolescents, therefore, it doesn't sound like the approaches have done the job.

Allies and Opponents
Who would support this issue?
People who would support this issue would be health advocates, medical personnel, families with the disease, and the general public. I think everyone would support any approaches that deem successful to decrease this issue.
Who would oppose this issue?
The people who would oppose this issue would be anyone who doesn't want to spend money for prevention or treatment. This could be parents who directly have to pay for their children, or it could be for those that don't have a relative or family member with the disease but have to pay for prevention and treatment programs.

My Recommendation
How do you want policy-makers to vote on this proposed policy?
I want anyone and everyone to vote yes for this policy! It is an approach to make healthier lifestyles affordable for everyone, therefore, there is no reason not to vote for it to go through. Simply vote yes for bill H.R. 3200-America's Affordable Healthy Choices Act!

Reflections: Week 9 and 10

2009-11-20T07:28:00.002-06:00

Week 9:

We have done many posts already this semester, but I knew there was one label we hadn't used yet and that was the Advocacy Project. I didn't know at all what to expect from this project, but I really like the introductory assignment to it. Having us go through and find our political representatives was a good eye opener because I have completely been avoiding these people and their significance to my life. Even though I'm not a huge political person, doesn't mean I shouldn't be aware of those affecting my life politically. In addition, I never knew CHES existed, let alone what it is. Although it doesn't have as much of impact on my life because of my degree, it was cool to find out about it. I liked working in groups, too! It was a short class period, but a good start to becoming an advocate.

Week 10:
I was very excited about the topic we discussed on Monday and the video we watched to go along with the discussion. I remember taking Economics in high school and learning so much about the topic, but it has been many years since then, that I have forgotten most of the information I learned. The video "Unnatural Causes" has a perfect breakdown on the affects socioeconomic status and race in correlation to health. I would like to know the percentage of the nation's population that actually understands how just these two topics affects EVERYONE'S health. To go along with these affects, stress was a significant point brought up and how it affects health. Internally, someone could have no health risks or problems, but if their pituitary gland sends off too much of the hormone Cortisol, then they could result with health problems, regardless of their socioeconomic status or race! I wrote down the equation Dr. V put on the board because I want to use it to explain to my extended family how all of it ties together. That is why I really enjoyed this topic, because every holiday we get together on my dad's side, the issue with taxes always comes up since most of that side is Republican and most of them don't agree. The discussion after the video was important as we went over different ways to approach the topic which is getting us to critically think. This was a good way to guide us into doing the project due on Monday.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 7: Weekly Update

2009-11-17T18:59:00.005-06:00

What and How
My SMART goal is to use my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to the store, and start looking up products I use to see how hazardous they are. I went to the grocery store once this week and used my bags, but ended up having to use one plastic bag to get everything back to my place. I didn't look up anymore products this week.

Successes and Challenges

As I walked out my door from my apartment building last week, I realized I had forgotten my bags. I stopped and thought either I could just go without, or take less than 5 minutes and run back in and get them. It was a quick decision as I headed back up to grab my bags. Once I was checking out, I was worried all my groceries wouldn't fit in my bags and ended up being right. I bought quite a few big cardboard items, so it made sense, but I can figure out a way to use my plastic bag I gathered. I didn't look up any more of my products, but it was because I didn't know which ones I should choose. I think I will keep that as a part of my goal only one more week, because I don't know how many more products I could look up that will be on the website.

Feelings
I felt so good about myself for going back into my apartment and grabbing my bags! I obviously could have just kept going, but I knew that I need to stick to my goal, and continue on being environmentally friendly. I'm not sure what products I should look up this week, because many of them don't come up on the website that I have searched on. I will do some more digging to find more products and see how I feel about it this week.

I learned

I decided to look online for coupons to see if I could find any that work at any grocery store. As it turns out I was right! I stumbled upon the website www.coupons.com that you can print out for free. This was a good way to save money, which in turn is economically helpful! I will be using that website much more often for groceries, as I saved over $5.00.

Plans
My plans for next week are to continue with my goal and that is:

"Use my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to the store, and look up products I use to become more aware of how hazardous they are to my health."

Like I mentioned before, I will look up products only one more week to see if I can get more information to pull up when I search for some of them. I also plan on looking for coupons no matter what the store is!

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 7 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/THOMAS

2009-11-16T13:42:00.005-06:00

Healthy People Goal:
For the Healthy People Goal 2010 I chose Nutrition and Overweight. One objective is to reduce the proportion of children and adolescence who are overweight and obese. According to the Progress Quotient Chart, the target has negatively gone away from target by 83% for this population.

Disparities:
Disparities within race and ethnicity, gender, income, and disability all can affect weight status. For example, one of the disparities in children who are 6-11 years old and overweight or obese, within Mexican American and black non-Hispanic populations has declined. However, for children 6-19 years olds, the prevalence was 50% lower in white non-Hispanic populations than the Mexican American and black non-Hispanic populations combined (Healthy People 2010).

Opportunities and Challenges:
A few tools are being implemented with trying to reverse the affects of overweight and obesity rates in children. One of them is the dietary guidelines have been revised in the Food Guidance System MyPyramid. Another tool is to educate the public (children) on the food label to demonstrate choosing healthier diets.

Emerging Issues:
A few things I found really interesting were they have developed newly pharmaceuticals and increased bariatric surgery to use as potential treatment options (Healthy People 2010). In spite of that, the best way to implement reduced obesity rates is simply by prevention. By educating and putting in the positive effects on having a healthy diet with advertising and making actions are great ways to promote the importance of nutrition.

Progress:
There is only one objective that has moved toward it's goal, which is not my objective. It is food security, which is defined as household members having access at all times to have enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle (Healthy People 2010). With that being said, my objective has not met or exceeded it's target.

H.R. 3200 America's Affordable Healthy Choices Act

Title: Sets forth provisions governing health insurance plans and issuers, including: (1) exempting grandfathered health insurance coverage from requirements of this Act; (2) prohibiting preexisting condition exclusions; (3) providing for guaranteed coverage to all individuals and employers and automatic renewal of coverage; (4) prohibiting premium variances, except for reasons of age, area, or family enrollment; and (5) prohibiting rescission of health insurance coverage without clear and convincing evidence of fraud.

Sponsor: Rep. Dingell, John D.

Latest Major Action: 7/14/2009 Introduced to House. Status: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and Labor, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Recommendation: Vote yes for H.R. 3200 America's Affordable Healthy Choices Act

My Political Representative: Congressman Earl Pomeroy

Share and Voice 8: Can You Imagine Being Force-Fed at 10 Years Old?

2009-11-12T19:44:00.001-06:00

Last weekend, I was getting my hair done and I was reading through a magazine and found one interesting article. I'm not one to look through magazines so I was shocked to find myself wrapped into this one, but the story was jaw-dropping I had to read it. The picture was a woman extremely overweight with stretch marks and had a caption to go along with it that said something along the lines of how beautiful she was. She is from a country in Africa called Mauritania (pronounced more-tane-ya) which is one of the very few countries in the world where being fat is considered attractive. In fact, it is seen as more than attractive, it is seen as wealthy, too. This is a very old practice the US even had many, many years ago with having women being extremely overweight because it showed a sign of wealth. Mauritania still has this view. It is only practiced in women, though, and men are said to 'drool' at the sight of them! It starts at a very young age for females, around 10, and they are literally force-fed all day. These girls are said to take in between 14,000-16,000 calories a day! That seems absolutely ludicrous and surreal, but for these girls it's nothing short than normal. To achieve this caloric intake, many of the foods they eat are pure fat, or fat rolled into balls slathered with more fat on top of it. The article explained that if these girls are to refuse, their punishment is to eat MORE! If they are to vomit up what they eat, they have to eat their vomit! One lady had commented that her boyfriend she has constantly compliments her on how beautiful she is. The problem is she said she wants to lose some weight and wear jeans and heels like she sees in magazines, but she is too scared her boyfriend won't like her anymore.
After reading about this I have researched a little bit here and there and can't find that exact article from the magazine, but have found some other ones. BBC News has the most recent article I found called Mauritania's Wife-Fattening Farm and said that although many rural women in this country are still practicing this tradition, it is slowly fading out. Check out the article and see how these women are treated! I found this video which describes it all! Very interesting ritual, but scary at the same time! I would love to go over there and educate these women on how they are jeopardizing their health.

Unbelievable information, especially since we are a society where being thin is looked at as beautiful, not to mention healthy! I can't fathom what those women's health problems are, but it makes me want to go over there and help educate them so they can live a normal life without having health concerns.

Read 'n' Seed 4: Third Quarter of "Last Child in the Woods"

2009-11-12T17:33:00.003-06:00

Material Covered and What it Consisted of:
For the third quarter of our Read 'n' Seeds, I read 7 chapters which contained 84 pages. The 16th chapter focused on how school's curriculums need to incorporate nature, how nature is not 'improving' like technology, and that other countries that have nature activities included in their school days produce higher scores and grades. An example of how nature isn't improving is when a little boy was asked about gardening he had a problem with it because it's not improving like TV's and computers. He said, "All these old wood gardening tools haven't changed in decades" (Louv, 213).

This made me step back and think that one through because does have some truth to it! For the 17th chapter, Louv explains that the third frontier hasn't completely formed, but general characteristics of it include detachment from our source of food, disappearance of family farms, suburbs shrinking open spaces, etc. It is sad to think a child may not know what he or she is eating or where it came from. In addition, I think it is very sad to see family farms disappearing especially coming from parents who grew up on them. Neither of my parents took over their farms, and it makes me wonder why. Chapter 18 was Louv's explanation on how an approach to the fourth frontier could be having legal areas to play, which could help depreciate the rate of lawsuits that go along with injuries on properties. He doesn't give a definition of the fourth frontier, but he implies that it is a way to get kids reconnected with nature. I really like chapter 19 because it had so many examples of eco-friendly homes and how to improve your house and being more green. Some examples include a green roof and green walls.

Some countries in Europe have already been doing this, and have saved so much money, as well as, helping our environment. It is a good investment, because it has shown to save money later down the road. The last chapter, chapter 20, was focused on how farmlands have increasingly been invaded and becoming more scarce. One lady made a comment that there is something warming about being in a city like Sioux Falls, SD where you have quick access to nature, yet still have a big town compared to Sacramento, CA. It was cool to read about this because my whole life I have always been wondering how our country will end up if we keep adding more housing developments on vacant land. How will we continue to farm? It will be very interesting when I'm retired and see how much our country has evolved.

I learned:
I learned a lot about myself after reading chapter 20. Ever since I was a little girl, all I have wanted to do is move away from ND (or the midwest). I have been focusing on that this semester with finding a job, but the past few weeks I have been contemplating if I truly want to move away, and after reading that chapter it has definitely made me think a lot harder! This book has made me realize how much I enjoy being outside, but never realized how important it is for my health.

Implications and Affects:
The main point has persisted in these chapters with how important it is to incorporate nature in our lives. It is hard changing your lifestyle if you were never raised with camping or encouraged to go to nature camps, but that doesn't mean it's too late to integrate nature in your life right now! Personally, I remember when I was little and it would blizzard out and I would love looking outside, but feel cozy in my house. I think we all have some type of memory like mine that makes you remember how great nature is!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 6: Weekly Update

2009-11-10T18:51:00.007-06:00

What and How?
My SMART goal is to use my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to the grocery store or other stores for the next 6 weeks, and start checking products I use to become more aware of how hazardous they are. I did a good job of setting aside time last Thursday to look at some products I use. It didn't take much time, but I had to be sure to find some products that are on the list. I didn't bring my bags with me to Walmart last week, but it was because I only got 4 things and I figured I can just carry them anyways!

Successes and Challenges

I was fairy successful last week with my goal. Even when I didn't bring my bags with me, I found a way around getting plastic bags, and did so by carrying the items by hand to my car. This was also a challenge as I didn't have my bags, but I was quick to resolve it. I also succeeded in finding time to look up some products I use to see where I can improve on being environmentally friendly. I just to be doing laundry and noticed an environmentally friendly logo on my SHOUT bottle, but when I looked it up, it was not on the list. It was cool to see that though!

Feelings
I feel really good about continuing to achieve my SMART goal! I have all around been more aware of being eco-chic and love doing it! I feel good about being the person setting an example for others, and makes me feel smarter too!

I Learned
I looked up four products of mine I use and they are Right Guard deodorant, TRESemme hairspray, Garnier Fructis Mousse, and TommyGirl Perfume. The deodorant scored a 5 out of 10 for hazards and deemed to result in developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies/immunotoxicity, and other concerns. My hairspray and perfume had the exact same results consisting of cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies/immunotoxicity, and other concerns. However, my hairspray scored a 5 and my perfume scored a 7 out of 10. As for my mousse, it scored a 9 out of 10 and had potential repercussions of cancer, violations, restrictions, & warnings, allergies/immunotoxicity, and other concerns. This is absolutely crazy to think this could happen to me! I need to keep looking at that website and see what other products I can start to use that can replace those that are less hazardous and that I like to use.

Plans

As far as next week goes, I still plan on keeping my SMART goal exactly the way it is. I feel like I am doing a good job of maintaining it, as well as, becoming more aware of products I'm using by looking them up. On the whole, my goal for next week stays the same with: using my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to any store, and continuing to look up products I can start to veer towards that are better for me.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 6 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy.

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

2009-11-08T19:02:00.000-06:00

Here are my political representatives of the US, ND, and Fargo:

President of US: Barack Obama, Obama's Website
Congressman of ND: Early Pomeroy, Pomeroy's Website
ND Senators: Byron Dorgan, Dorgan's Website; Kent Conrad, Conrad's Website
ND Governor: John Hoeven, Hoeven's Website
ND Senate Legislators, ND House of Representatives Legislators
County Board Presidents
Fargo's Mayor: Dennis Walaker; Walaker's Website

There are more than a few people for the ND Senate and House and the County Board Presidents. If you click on the link, it will direct you to a website of their names. I knew all of the people in the positions above, other than ND Senate and House and County Board Presidents. This is a great way to get students to realize political representatives if they don't know all of them.

Reflections: Week 7 and 8

2009-11-05T19:31:00.001-06:00

Week 7: The cosmetic item eye opener surprised me a lot. It made me want to add on to my SMART goal with products I use. I will use that website for the future to see how I can improve myself with being environmentally friendly. The video "Green" made me realize how naive I am to the environment. I didn't know there was an area in our own country that is putting so many pollutants in the air that it is causing diseases and many problems for the population of that area. The title is clever, though, making green sound like being environmentally friendly when really it's about making money. It posed many questions such as are they going to help that population out? Where do the employers live that work for those businesses? Is it only getting worse or have they made some improvements? It is such a scary concept and I couldn't be more appreciative of where I live because it can definitely be worse.

Week 8: I definitely realized a lot when we watched "Thirst." I had no clue water was having issues of becoming privatized, let alone in parts of the US! How can such a huge problem not be more public? It is scary to think about how that will affect me, especially since I will be on my own paying for everything in a few months. I didn't realize how poorer countries are taken advantage with this situation as well. For example, in India Pepsi and Coca-Cola basically use the water that is there naturally and sell it in their marketed water bottles. The bottled water there is more than milk! That absolutely disgusts me and I can't fathom that happening in the US. Just because they don't have the money, doesn't mean we can take their rights and properties away. On the whole, these past two weeks has really made me open up and see how naive I have been to the environment. I am very excited to keep discussing these issues in class so I can deliver these messages to my family and friends!

Share and Voice 7: Fitness and the Environment

2009-11-04T11:14:00.005-06:00

Now that we are 8 weeks into this class, I have been curious how I could incorporate fitness with environment. Of course I thought too hard about it, and then came across this article and realized the most obvious way; cleaning up litter! This article is on how a guy, Sam Huber, began a movement called "eco-running" and it's simply cleaning up litter, but getting more out of your exercise than just walking (even though you can walk if you choose to).

He has been in featured in many articles and magazines for starting this movement. Huber has implemented his idea to kids through a movement called "Eco-Runner Kids" which is perfect for our society with helping kids understand the importance of being eco-friendly, and also to help them exercise with the increase of obesity rates. I know, personally, that when I have ran outside, there have been multiple pieces of garbage I run by, but have never thought to pick it up. There is a website called "How to Improve Fitness and the Environment by Eco-Walking" and it gives you some tips to help you get started. It's seems simple, but you don't want to be running too long with too much garbage you can't handle. I thought this was a really cool idea and seemed new, but it sounds like places all over the world do similar activities such as an eco-hike. I think this would be a fun activity for our class if it wasn't cold out! There is nothing better than feeling great about exercising, but also feeling great about being environmentally friendly is a win-win!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5: Weekly Update

2009-11-03T23:27:00.005-06:00

What and How?

My SMART goal is to use my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to the grocery store or other stores for the next 7 weeks. I will be heading to Walmart tomorrow after work, so I know I need to bring that with me when I leave. Writing this post is helping to remind me again to bring the bags with me. I also added on to my goal, which was to start paying attention to the products I use and start becoming more eco-friendly. Unfortunately, I didn't achieve this part of my goal. It wasn't that I forgot, but I never set aside time to look up my products I'm using and see where I can improve. That I will have to do for next week!

Successes and Challenges...
My success is that I keep remembering to bring my bags with me to go to work tomorrow. I know I'll be going by the Walmart, so I figured I can get my items there instead of the grocery store since I'll be right by it. My challenge was I didn't take time out of my week to look up my products. I devoted too much of my time studying for my test I took Monday, I didn't think about it. That I will definitely aim for for next week.

Feelings...
My feelings I felt this week was that I know I can do both parts of this goal, it just a matter of balancing everything out. With the holiday thrown in there too, it was quite a busy weekend. I feel bad right now I didn't do the second part of my goal like I said I would, but now I know that's my focus for this week.

I learned...
I learned that just because you really want to focus on one thing because it is super important to you, you have to balance out all your projects to make sure they all get done. I'm very much a person that if I say I'll do it or get it done, I will do it and get it done. Not a very positive week for me on the update.

Plans...

My plans for next week are to set a time aside so that I go through my products via the website we used for the eye opener, and see where I need to improve. I will look at my daily schedules and find a time where I can do this. As for the bag part of my goal, I will be sure to bring it with me tomorrow!

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy.

Eye Opener: Junk on the Brain

2009-11-01T19:56:00.002-06:00

DEFINITIONS:

According to Wikipedia, an antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age, rarity, condition, utility, or other unique features. It is an object that represents a previous era in human society.

Junk is considered to get rid of as worthless, Merriam Webster defines on his website http://www.merriam-webster.com.

A flea market or swap meet is a type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered claims Wikipedia.

A thrift shop, also known as second-hand shop, charity shop, thrift store, hospice store, and resale shop, is a retail establishment operated by a charitable organization for the purpose of fundraising. Wikipedia defines this phrase.

Wikipedia explains that upcycling involves processing used materials into new products, or the re-use of a product with crippled functionality for alternative purposes, to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production, with the intent of creating a product of higher quality design and artistic value.

On Answers.com, a resale shop is retail store that stocks and sells merchandise on consignment.

MY ANSWERS:
All of the words I defined relate to the environment in some way. Either they are words expressing how to reuse items by restoring them like a flea market, resale shop, upcycling, a thrift shop, or antiques, or explain overuse of items that are unnecessary such as junk. Locally there is an antique store called Canal Park Antique Center which is located at 310 Lake Avenue. Their contact information is 218-525-2596. On 4011 Rehbein Road you can find a junkyard called Jadco Special Haulers. To contact them call 218-724-5538. Their website seems more of a trucking company, but it was the only one I could find locally that came up when I searched junkyards in Duluth. Their was a flea market in Duluth back in February and the blog junkologie posted about it. Their is no contact or location information because it was a post, but the unsold items are now at Old Town Antiques and their contact information is 218-722-4526 and they are located at 102 E Superior Street. There is no official website for this store. An example of a thrift shop is The Salvation Army which one is located at 215 S 27th Avenue West. Their contact information is 218-722-7934. As for upcycling, there are a lot of recycling centers around, one being at John's Twin Ports Recycling which is at 614 E 1st Street. To contact, call 218-727-3185. At Dannie Duluth on 932 E 4th Street, you can find a resale sh0p. Contact them at 218-724-8507. Personally, I haven't been to any of these places, or used any of their services. I don't shop at resale shops or thrift stores, I have never been to a flea market, and my 'junk' is thrown out in the garbage. It's all because of personal preference.

Cool Projects:
I found the Vintage Rotary Phone Clock to be pretty cool. I remember having family members with that phone, and it was the longest way to dial a number! It's just a good way to reuse something without having to buy a big clock. Another project I thought was cool was the Paris Themed Necklace, because I have been to Paris and it's a great way to remember being at the Eiffel Tower! I also liked the October Floral of the Month. My mom sent me an email of a bunch of different pictures of how people turned pumpkins into something, and most of the things were incredible. I would have never thought to use a pumpkin to hold flowers though. Good ideas!!

Read 'n' Seed 3: Second Quarter of "Last Child in the Woods"

2009-10-29T20:24:00.002-05:00

Material Covered and What it Consisted Of
For the second quarter of our readings, I read 7 chapters, which consisted of 85 pages. The ninth chapter was on what happens when a kid is pushed too hard too fast. A lot of the kids interviewed in the book said they have pretty busy schedules with practice of sports and music, so they rarely have time to play. If they do have time to play, it's only about an hour and often times they are too tired to do anything. With pushing kids to do too many activities at a young age, it creates expectations, making them feel like they have to do everything. This has lead to major problems such as suicide, which the suicidal rates in children has increased tremendously over the past couple decades. Some of the kids' best memories were when they were on their own doing what they wanted, instead of a scheduled event or forced activity. However, parents seem to have a hard time letting their kids go off and explore things on their own, which was covered in chapter 10. So it's almost a 'catch 22.' I also found an interesting quote in this chapter and it said that studies have shown that indoor air has more pollutants than outdoor air! This fit very well into the video we watched on Monday. This chapter's focus was on how kids are stuck inside involving themselves with technology versus being outdoors, but if the air inside is said to be worse, why haven't kids gotten that message? On the flip side, in the video Green it depends where you are in the US and being outside with having clean air. Chapter 11 goes over how schools don't have the natural setting in them anymore and it's more technology based. How are kids supposed to get interested if they aren't in surroundings that could interest them? It also went over how universities need to start offering more classes pertaining to the natural outdoors. Getting kids to study these topics would be a great way to get them outside with nature! I learned in chapter 12 that the Girls Scouts and Boy Scouts of America has even changed a lot by heading in the direction of more technology based. They aren't outside as much anymore, which has caused them to negatively go away from what the focus was on when it was invented. With all this being said, chapter 13 expresses how important it is that parents introduce their kids to nature and do so by setting example. Parents have to deal with the "Third Frontier" so in order to fix it, they must deal with it. The really cool thing I like that the author did in chapter 14 was he used examples on how kids can learn life lessons by being in nature. For example, a parent went out with his daughter and walked on thin ice and teach her the thick and thin areas so she knew what to do in those circumstances. Same goes for life; if you are on thin ice, you might fall in, but when it's thick, you should be just fine. Another example is going out in the woods and building self-confidence by taking risks. Such a good way to present examples for life! In chapter 15, he basically uses his own life's experiences with himself and his family and how important nature has been in their lives.

I learned
I knew air inside had more pollutants than outside, but it's almost like I completely forgot about it and was ignorant to it until I read it. It was a great reminder to me how important it is to really get fresh air outside! I keep learning the importance of being outside each time I open up this book. I thought about it and I remember a lot of times my best friend growing up, her sisters, and I would go outside and play! We were outside a lot, and never occurred to me how important that was! It's fun thinking back on the memories I made with them, and knowing how good it was for me to do that then. There wasn't any new terminology presented, the author just used the same phrases or words such as "Third Frontier".

Implications and Affects
The main point is the same as it was in the first eight chapters, and that is that it's so important to involve nature in people's lives. Reading this book makes a person realize that nature is very detrimental to our well-being, but it's not presented to the public. Again, everyone should incorporate nature in their lives if they care about their health. The public needs to address the issue with kids at young ages just like the author suggested with having classrooms decorated with natural settings, and offering older students classes of nature. Even the woman in the video Green claimed how peaceful it is to be outside gardening and planting flowers! It's crazy to think how many people in our past, such as Teddy Roosevelt, utilized nature, but we forget about how that has affected us today!

Share and Voice 6: Learn How to Read Nutrition Labels

2009-10-28T16:15:00.009-05:00

I remembered in high school when one of my teachers taught us how to read nutrition facts labels and how shocked I was that I wasn't doing it correctly. Many people are in my boat, today, that I was in 5 years ago, but I want people to become more aware of what they are eating. They need to know not only by where it comes from, but also by what's in it. People often see "Fat Free" or "98% Fat Free" and automatically take the item, assuming what is printed is correct. The sad and scary thing is that it isn't always right! Help educate yourself by taking 10 minutes to watch this video I found. This guy worked for Kraft and found out how they scammed people and still are today.

It helps break down a simple way for people to read labels regardless of what is printed on the front or side of the package. Hope this helps everyone in some way so the next you are at the store you can look at the labels correctly! Click on this link to watch the video Reading Labels Correctly.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4: Weekly Update

2009-10-27T17:49:00.013-05:00

My SMART goal....

My SMART goal this past week was to use my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to the grocery store, Target, etc. for the next 10 weeks.

Successes and Challenges...

I just went to the grocery store today and used my reusable bags! I was worried that I would have too many groceries for my bags, but those things can hold a lot! I only have two and I got $50+ worth of groceries in them (minus the milk which I carried)!

I noticed when I went to TJMaxx this last week, I didn’t think to bring my bags with me. It wasn’t until I was checking out that I realized I could use them for clothes, too. The challenge with this is I was heading to the mall after, and my bags probably would have been full, so then what do I do? I’m thinking I’ll take out the items I already bought from one place, and leave them in my car. I will have to make a couple of trips when I’m home, but it’s good exercise and I’m being eco-friendly!

Feelings....

I'm very proud of myself for bringing my bags with me, and noticing that they hold a lot more in them than I thought! I'm excited to keep using them. I feel like I'm setting a model for others in the store, too, which is a cool thing. Especially since I was the youngest one in there at that time I think!

What I learned....

As I've already mentioned, I learned those bags have some great depth to them! I don't know if anyone else was thinking the same thing as me, but take it from me and use them because they hold a lot! I also learned that remembering the bags isn't that hard, as long as you have planned out that where you are going when making errands.

Plans for Next Week....

I have decided to add on to my SMART goal by continuing to use my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to the grocery store, Target, etc. AND start looking at the labels of products I use to see where I need to improve! Should be interesting but I can use the website we used for the eye opener!

"Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy."

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

2009-10-25T19:16:00.002-05:00

I wasn't sure what the Environmental Working Group was so I jumped on their website and discovered some cool things. They have all sorts of research and information free to the public to help educate people to becoming healthier. I put my makeup foundation I use in the search box on the skin deep page and my mouth dropped when I saw what the potential hazards that could happen from using it! I knew of some bad makeup brands in the past, but I didn't know the one I use now is bad. It scored a 5 out 10 on the hazards scale, so at least it's moderately bad. I could get cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, and allergies to name a few. There are two views I have on this topic and they are either people are getting out of hand with thinking there is always a correlation with diseases from things we use, or that I need to be more aware of what I'm using. I am indifferent with this topic at this point, but it was a very cool eye opener once again.

Reflections: Week 5 and 6

2009-10-23T10:25:00.003-05:00

Week 5...

When we watched "Future of Food" I got really frustrated because the whole concept of the company trying to make their word bigger than the farmers was complete rubbish. Coming from a family whose parents grew up on a farm, and being around their farms when I was growing up, it was very hard to see how companies can 'win' over people's opinions simply because they are bigger. I can't even imagine having that happen to anyone close to me, especially my stepdad who still farms, because it's years upon years of hard work taken away! It made me feel so sad and sick to my stomach that people can come up with such fabricated lies to get what they want. I give so much credit to the farmers to stick to their word, knowing they were going to lose so much of what they had worked for. Also in the video they talked the import/export issue on the impoverished countries and how the food still isn't getting to where it needs to go for those people. They made a certain statistic on how even though there is enough food grown, it's not that there are too many poor people that there isn't enough food, but that the means of getting the food to them is lacking. The video as a whole had so many unbelievable facts and points about our food in the future, it really made me think about how I should change my ways when choosing food. Seeing the rise in GMO's is almost sickening, because it's almost like we are letting technology take over everything we do now, even our food consumption!

The eye opener activity was really interesting and also made me realize I should pay closer attention to how I chose my food. I did the "Score Your Diet" and I am starting to realize more and more how my diet affects the environment!

Week 6...

I never thought I would ever literally see fat come out of someone's clogged artery in their heart until this week. The video "Diet for a New America" was absolutely incredible! This is the type of video I would show my clients when I start working, because I think it is a perfect way to break down how important it is to eat healthy. I give John Robbins credit for taking a stand and breaking away from a very successful company his Dad started and not have anything to do with it. That would be so hard I can't imagine the pressure even if I was sick like him.

The template I chose doesn't have a big enough area to put a cool picture on for a header, so I'm a little disappointed. I don't want to have to chose a different template since I have done so much on this one, so I guess I'll just admire everyone else's!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3: Weekly Update

2009-10-20T18:33:00.012-05:00

My SMART goal is to use my reusable bags every time I go to the grocery store, Target, Walmart, etc. I'm still in the same position as last week, because I still haven't gone to any stores, but I know I will be in the next few days so this is a great reminder!

I mentioned this in class already but I have started to become a lot more cognizant of living environmentally friendly. Some examples would be turning off my TV instead of putting it on mute when I'm reading something in my room, turning off my light when I leave my room, not filling up my water bottle right before I go to bed at night since would dump it in the morning, and unplugging any electronics I'm not using. It's hard to transition from living how I used to be to being more aware of how I could be environmentally friendly, but I'm getting there. I know my next step will to be to try and rub off on my roommate so that we both are on the same page, but I want to make sure I can set a good example first.

I feel proud when I remember to do these things I just mentioned because I know I'm helping the environment. I get mad at myself when I don't which is a good self-discipline action to use.

I learned that everyone in class is becoming more environmentally friendly every day like I am. It doesn't always have to be a big action like going out and cleaning up the trash in a park, but the little actions help too.

As for next week, I plan on continuing what I'm doing, and hopefully will get to some store so I can use my bag and set an example!

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Read 'n' Seed 2: First Quarter of "Last Child in the Woods"

2009-10-16T08:51:00.005-05:00

The chapters and pages I read and what they were about...
For the first quarter, I read 8 chapters which consisted of 115 pages. The beginning started out a little rough with the author's wording, but after I kept going, it was much easier to understand. The author, to me, tries too hard to make visual aids for people, and ends up using too many words making it confusing. He goes on too much on little topics that it becomes to bore the reader. Regardless, the book is about how our generation is growing up in the "Third Frontier" and that the "Second Frontier" was basically skipped by the baby boomers. The "Third Frontier" to him, is children today have little association with nature and are growing up with the urban lifestyle of piercings, tatoos, and fashion trends (Louv, 20). The "First Frontier" is when there was 40% farmland and people killed their food they were going to eat that day. He claims that kids, today, have no interest where their food comes from, such as meat from a cow. He also says kids have no interest in fishing or hunting. I'm starting to have a hard time getting into this book with enjoyment, because I'm from Fargo and North Dakota is known for farmland. The midwest in general is known for farmland, so for him to make these remarks makes me think he has nothing to back himself up other than his opinion. I can't think of many of my male friend's who don't hunt or fish (or at least have gone). In fact, many of my friends love it! He finally addresses that parents restrict their kids from going out and enjoying the outdoors, like they did when they were kids, because parents fear something could happen to their children. After the first three chapters of him addressing his complaint that kids don't spend enough time in nature, he finally explains in the fourth chapter the importance of having nature in people's lives. He provides numerous studies to back up his opinion. For example, a few studies are on how the outdoors can be therapeutic, and other studies are on how having a pet has shown to reduce blood pressure. Also, he makes many points that since technology has improved and kids are using it a lot more than years ago, we are seeing the major obesity problem in our country. The next four chapters continue to reference how nature is a form of therapy, using a lot of historical people and events associated with them. He makes a specific point on how more and more kids are diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and majority of the time their doctors suggest being outdoors to help "cure" it.

Significant points and terminology...
As I previously mentioned, Richard Louv makes his own definition of the "third frontier." I used Google to see if this was a real phrase, but it doesn't have a true definition. Louv uses the term "nature deficit" a lot throughout the book, but he admits he made up this term. As one could guess, nature deficit is when one is deprived of nature or things in their natural state.
The most significant thing I have learned is basically the point the author is trying to make, and that is how important it is to have nature in our lives. Even though I've only read part of this book, I already have a good understanding of why it is so important. The best part is Louv uses real studies to back up his statements on how nature can make a person more alert, smarter, and more positive.

Why we should care...
Richard Louv wrote this book with the intention of explaining to the public how technology that is constantly changing our lives, is taking away our focus from our natural surrounding. He makes this point because nature is important to our mental and emotional health, but many people aren't aware of it. Like I said, he uses a lot of studies to make his point more powerful. He fears if kids don't start using the natural environment, our society will start having a downfall with mental issues (ADHD) and even more weight gain. When I stop to think about it, whenever I have been stressed, one of my favorite remedies to de-stress myself is going for a walk outside. I never realized that nature was what was effective in this process! I think everyone can agree with saying when they are outside, relaxing, they feel at peace, or that they can think of somewhere outside where they find peace.

Share and Voice 5: Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change

2009-10-15T15:53:00.001-05:00

By the title of this year's Blog Action Day, it is obvious what the issue is on. There are many people that are taking a lot of time out of their day, today, to voice their opinion and express the importance of climate change. If you are one of those people, hats off to you! I, on the other hand, just recently was informed on a deeper level the problem global warming is causing. My post is to support the issue, because I now know how important this problem is becoming and will become. I think that Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" is by far the best way to get anyone to understand the importance this issue is having on our planet. The sad part is, is that he made that video a few years ago and it isn't until this year the US is finally going to address the matter. With the studies and data he has collected over the years, anyone would be naive to say that global warming is not an issue. Look at the arctic people! The ice from 100 years ago is now dry land; how did that happen? It's common sense! The most embarrassing is that the US is number one for polluting carbon emissions into the air. Looks like we are taking for granted what we were given.

An estimation of what the arctic will look like in 100 years if we don't change now.

I hope everyone starts to make themselves aware of the problem climate change is causing, and doing so by changing the way they live to help our planet. I know I did, and so did 18 other colleagues of mine! I am proud to be apart of Blog Action Day 2009, and I hope more people get involved by the end of the day. Here is the link, it's only one click away! www.blogactionday.org

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2: Weekly Update

2009-10-13T18:40:00.002-05:00

My SMART goal is to use my reusable bags every time I go to the grocery store, Target, Walmart, etc. I guess I can say I have succeeded in my goal because I have not yet been to any stores! It definitely is in the back of my mind, though.

One challenge that comes to mind is if I get a decent size of groceries, do I cave in and use a few plastic bags from the store, or buy more reusable bags. I hate buying things that won't be put to use, because that is a waste of money, and I know I usually only buy a big group of groceries every once in a while, so I can't decide what to do. I would like feedback from my group on this one! =) Another challenge I mentioned earlier was if I should buy plastic bags to use as a liner in the garbage, or if I should use ones that I normally get from the store. However, I'm not supposed to use the ones I get from the store, so I am not sure what to do. Again, group what do you all think?

Knowing I have to keep up with my blog is a constant reminder of my goal, so that is how I can keep it in the back of my mind. I feel confident every day in achieving this goal, because when I put my mind to something, I try to make sure I succeed.

I didn't learn much from this week, but I plan on continuing what I'm doing to achieve my SMART goal. After all, I'm letting myself down if I don't get there!

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy.

Share and Voice: EcoSet Consulting

2009-10-12T09:02:00.000-05:00

EcoSet Consulting helps make the film, television, and commercial industries more 'green'! The founder of EcoSet Consulting is a friend of the family, so I thought it was something cool that fits right into our class. She played soccer with my oldest sister for many years, and we have kept in touch with her family since she graduated high school. Who would have thought of such an innovative company? Makes you wonder what you can come up with when you let your mind go! Check out her website and see how much she has helped our environment. Go Shannon!

Eye Opener: CSPI

2009-10-11T17:29:00.002-05:00

CSPI stands for Center for Science in the Public Interest. I had never heard of it, so I decided to check out the website. For about 38 years, CSPI has been in strong support of nutrition and health, food safety, alcohol policy and sound science. The website is filled with articles and recent information the group has researched and/or come across.
I decided to do the "Score Your Diet". It is hard to have a set number for each of the categories because my diet isn't the exact same thing everyday, so the accuracy of it may not be good. However, it says my score was a -18 with an "Uh-oh" above it. That made me laugh when I saw that! My highest numbers were milk and cheese, which doesn't surprise me because I have a lot of those everyday. My lowest numbers were beef, pork, and fish. Again, this doesn't surprise me because I don't have much of those in my diet weekly, even though I absolutely love beef and fish! My health score is a 9, my environmental health score is -15, and my animal welfare score is a -12. I find myself to be a very healthy eater, so I don't know why that score isn't higher, but the other two numbers are very interesting!! I have never thought twice about where my food really comes from or how it was raised, so I think I need to start looking at that a lot closer. I have a friend who quit eating meat because of how animals are raised and treated, but I don't want to stop eating meat so I won't go that extreme, but once I go grocery shopping again I will try and look closer at what I'm choosing.

Reflections: Week 3 and 4

2009-10-09T08:28:00.001-05:00

It was really nice to be able to meet with the TA's to go over our blogs. Even though I didn't have many questions, I was able to make sure I was on the right track, and I was able to make sure I had everything I needed on my blog. Worked perfectly for me.

On Monday, I learned quite a bit when I was in class! I didn't know I was actually behind on the posting and commenting. I'm glad we were able to go over that, and doing so by playing a game was fun. The bag of gifts was priceless! I will be making sure I look at the schedule a lot more often to make sure I don't miss anything. Also, watching "An Inconvenient Truth" was very intriguing. I knew about global warming and the problems it's causing, but I didn't know to the extent that it is. I really like how Al Gore showed the scientific background to it by presenting statistics and graphs to give a visual aid to the audience. To me, he kind of 'dumbed it down' for everyone to understand, even the younger population. I really like people's comments in class on how it really is 'an inconvenient truth' to the world, but we won't do anything about it (just yet). It is funny how we shove problems to the side until they actually have affect on people. I also thought it was interesting how the United States is the worst for polluting the air, adding more Carbon Dioxide to the atmosphere than any other country. It seems like karma, as a matter of fact, because look at our economy now. We used to be on top, and now we are struggling to get off the ground. Furthermore, the Blog Action Day is perfect timing for our class and this discussion. I didn't know they are meeting in December to go over climate change, but it's about time they finally address the issue! I'm excited to see how that event will turn out, and I'm excited to be apart of it.

Share and Voice: Eat Better America

2009-10-08T06:02:00.005-05:00

Eat Better America is a free website full of healthy recipes, diet and nutrition tips, and fitness ideas. You can sign up for free membership and receive emails and updates from the website. One of the neat features this website has is you can send in a recipe you have, and they will try and "healthify" it by replacing ingredients with healthier options. Each recipe also has a breakdown of the nutritional information you would normally see on a nutrition facts label. This is one of my favorite websites! I use it as much as I can to mix up my meal choices, and so I can make smaller meals, instead of having leftovers all the time that just sit in the fridge! I strongly encourage everyone to check out the recipes, especially if you are trying to eat healthier, or you are like me that just like to change things up a bit. Go check it out and explore!!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 1: My SMART Goal

2009-10-06T18:14:00.008-05:00

My Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change over the next ten weeks is:
I will use my reusable bags each time I go to the grocery store, Target, Walmart, etc over the next 10 weeks. I will leave one in my car in case I'm not at home and want to run to the store before returning home, and I will keep a few bags at home and bring them with me when I decide to shop.

Why is this eco-chic?
This is eco-chic because I'll be reducing plastic/paper bags. This affects the reduction on pollution of plastic bags in the environment and the usage of trees for paper.

Why is this important to me?
This behavior is important to me because it gives me another way to be more 'green' and help our environment by doing so. I'm glad to help the environment in any way possible, and this project is only one way I can help. One challenge that this will bring to me is if I will buy bags for the garbage or how I can eliminate using plastic bags in my garbage. Very difficult but I'm up for the challenge!

I also blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 1 Linky Party hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Eye Opener: Ecological Footprint

2009-10-05T18:04:00.001-05:00

I now see why this was called an 'eye opener'! I took the "Earth Day Footprint Quiz" and did not realize how much impact I really have on the environment. My results show that if everyone lived my lifestyle, it would take 4.1 earths to renew the ecological services I have used up. Here I thought I was a decently 'green' person! I walk to and from school and the grocery store, I use the same water bottle everyday, I buy a lot of fresh foods and little amount of packaged foods, and I recently started using the renewable bags for when I shop. It shocks me what my lifestyle's ecological footprint is, versus someone who doesn't do any of the things I listed I do that are considered 'green'. I'm going to try and find out how much my apartment uses for electricity and water, so that I can try and reduce my usage as much as possible. I'm also going to be a lot more conscious about being green everyday, such as recycling more often, to increase more 'green' into my life. This was a perfect eye opener for me, especially as the first one we have to do.

Read 'n' Seed 1: "Last Child in the Woods"

2009-10-01T17:14:00.015-05:00

1. Last Child in the Woods

2. This book is about how children today have lost interest in the natural world and losing touch with all that it entails. The author explains how most summer camps now are for weight loss or computer programming, but when he was a kid, it was to go camping and hiking; to enjoy nature. The author focuses on how nature can be tied in with physical, mental, and spiritual health to enrich the lives of children.

3. I chose this book because my blog's focus is on the environment and how it relates to health and fitness. This book contains the environment in the state of the natural world, and its affects on physical, mental, and spiritual health.

4. Author website: Richard Louv

Information on the book: Last Child in the Woods

Review on the book: Last Child's Review

5. There are 23 chapters and 310 pages in this book. The book is divided up into seven parts, so I decided to read two parts per quarter, leaving one part for the fourth quarter. Even though each part won't have the same number of pages to read, I figured if it's divided up into parts, then I can keep all the information together as its presented.

Reflections: Week 1 and 2

2009-09-22T19:44:00.043-05:00

The first two weeks were very interesting and quite a bit to take in! The Star Wars activity was a perfect activity to do for getting us students to think outside of the box. I think it made everyone step back and realize that going in from one angle on an activity like that is not always going to work. It also shows us that being open to other's opinions can make progress possible.

Starting from scratch on blogging was a challenge for me, but the more I work with it, the better I'm becoming at it. It reminds me of getting a new phone and in order to learn how to use it you have to mess around with the features. The one thing I really have to focus on is making sure I do the assignments according to directions and not just the way I want to do them. Also, I was a little shocked that there is actual "blogging etiquette" out there because to me it seems like that should be common sense. However, after reading the examples in the readings, it is imperative to have blogging etiquette.

The quote activity we started out in class the second week was excellent! As I have mentioned in my profile, I love quotes, so going through those in class was right up my alley. The best part about it was I was learning how to interpret quotes that I don't necessarily understand right away. Great way to get me to critically think!

Overall, I really like how this class is set up and how we interact with each other. I think once we get going on posting it will make it even better, too, as that will give us more means of communication with each other.

Share and Voice: Mission Jamaica

2009-09-22T19:35:00.002-05:00

My senior year in high school, I took a mission trip to Jamaica to help build orphanages and work with physically and mentally challenged kids. The trip cannot be summed up in words how amazing it was, but I learned more in that trip than I had my 18 years of living. I realized how much Americans take for granted what we have, what it's like to live in poverty, how a hug can make a person's week, putting your guard down and letting others in changes you and them, and to live life a little better. Here are a few pictures of the beautiful island...

Here is us missionary workers with the kids...

And the big group of us...

This truly was a trip of a lifetime and I couldn't be more thankful for having the honor to go and help!

Welcome to Rita's Realm with Rita!

2009-09-22T18:57:00.008-05:00

Hello! My name is Rita Lerud. My blog, Rita's Realm, will be focusing on the environment and how it relates to health and fitness. I'm majoring in Exercise Science with a concentration on health and fitness, thus how I chose my blog's focus.

There are 6 possible types of posts on my blog. They include:

Advocacy Project
Eye Openers
Reflections
Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change
Read 'n' Seed
Share and Voice

If you notice at the bottom of this post, the categories will be listed as labels. This post is has been labeled with all six kinds of posts. You will also see the number of each kind of post in my Labels Gadget at the top of the page. All post titles from now on will begin with one of the categories above.

The members of my web group are:

You can subscribe to my blog by clicking the subscribe gadget in the gadget column. You can also follow my blog by clicking "Follow this Blog" in the gadget column. I am subscribed to all the blogs in my blog list gadget. You can see my complete profile and all the blogs I am following by clicking on "See Complete Profile."

I hope you enjoy Rita's Realm, and make sure to keep coming back for updates and responses to comments. Thanks!

"Blogged for the Welcome Linky Party hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy ."