Did you know you might be eating MSG and didn’t know it? I know I am. The reason for this is, it’s hiding in your food under other names. For example:

YEAST EXTRACT, for one.

And it’s in everything.

You know those Soy Sausages by Morning Star Farms? Yep, it’s in there.

Trader Joe’s mini-meat tacos? Yep, in those too. (we eat both.)

Most processed foods could have some form of MSG hiding inside. It can be called Yeast Extract and now Torula Yeast is being used as a decoy. Plus, the words hydrolyzed or autolyzed are considered MSG related too. (full list of alternate names listed below.)

Even “healthy, natural” products like veggie burgers carry these hidden MSG ingredients.

“The food industry is always trying to come up with a new way to add chemical taste enhancers to their foods without alerting the consumers. They used to rely heavily on MSG (monosodium glutamate), but when the public began to learn about the dangers of MSG and how it causes extreme headaches, reproductive disorders, endocrine system imbalances, appetite control problems, and nervous system disorders, the industry began moving away from MSG and toward other ingredients.”

-Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com

(I am not sure on the amount of MSG you would have to consume for these issues to occur, but some people are so sensitive to MSG, like Mr. Adams above, they can get headaches after typical consumption.)

Food label names that always contain some MSG: (source: Pamela Lee)

Of course, this news is hard to hear, let alone digest. I am not surprised, just disheartened. It just makes purchasing food for my family that much harder. Clearly, using NO processed food would cure all issues, but that is also unrealistic in my household and I am sure, yours.

So, I’ll do what I can and will now confirm that the string cheese stick is the best snack ever invented! Good grief.

(Just so you know, I did some research and Dr. Praeger’s veggie burgers DO NOT have these hidden MSG ingredients, but the others I had purchased, like Boca and Morning Star, DID.

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o where o where could it be?

no, seriously. It’s been missing since Friday. Along with my Safeway club card.

I got gas and placed them both in my back jeans pocket, LIKE I ALWAYS DO, came home, parked into garage, decided to put plant food under three of my rose bushes while the kids hung out in the car, (hey, you gotta do it when the wild hair strikes) then made them lunch, (total chore) put Hola down for a nap, (score!) read Rt a story in bed, then left him for downtime in room (double score) and finally, sat down on the couch for the duration of nap time. (triple score)

So….

Places I have already looked.

Jean pockets. Even the ones I WASN’T wearing.

Car Seat. Behind Car Seat. Floor of garage.

Rose bushes. I was squatting down while digging, so they could have popped out there. NOPE.

Glider chair in Hola’s room.

Rt’s bed, down the backside of the bed. Nope. Nope.

Couch? A big, FAT no.

SO WHERE IS MY FREAKING DEBIT CARD??? (and no, as of today, no random charges to account. And the moment I call to report my missing card, I’ll find it and have to re-enter my new numbers into every bill I pay online.)

HALP!

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p.s. If anyone has any bright ideas on how to get my baby to sleep past 5:45am, I would appreciate it. thanks. (and if you mention baby whisperer, I would tell you I HAVE HER BOOK, but CAN’T FIND THE DAMN THING.)

I now see a recurring theme going on here….

I went to see the movie Milk this afternoon with hubs.

I walked out of that amazing story so disturbed. Not at the movie…..

30 years ago, the state of California voted NO on Prop 6 which basically kept gay people from getting fired from their jobs JUST FOR BEING GAY. (It also include those people who supported gay rights.) It was a HUGE step in human equality for its time.

30 years later, this same state, voted YES to keep these same gay people from marrying legally.

I am embarrassed at all this “evolving” we’re doing around here.

I could go on and on regarding this issue, but I’m too sad. Is this really how far we’ve come in 30 years?

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When we first moved up to North California from LA, 3 1/2 years ago, the only phone company we could use was a local service. (what??) We didn’t have the option to put our cable/dsl/phone all on one bill, let alone one company.

So, we were split. Phone and DSL in one place, cable with Comcast. (the only option for cable.)

Then, our two year contract came up with our local phone service. We considered making our move to Comcast for all three services. We tried for a good month to get our phone switched over, but for some reason, our number wasn’t easy to release. (Such a freakin bugger!)

While dealing with these phone issues, we talked with the local phone company about their new cable service. Wouldn’t it be easier to stay with these people, and just move our cable over than go the opposite direction and move 2 services over to Comcast?

Yes, yes it was.

So, that is what we did.

And, we paid for it all year long.

After a truly painful year in the cable department, our 1-year contract is now up. (WOO HOO!) We have spent a lot of the past year not having the same cable luxuries as we did with Comcast. Their DVR was in its infant stage, (Whaaah!) their directory continued to freeze on us multiple times. (Shoot me!) It was quite frustrating to say the least.

What was a “great deal” putting all 3 services on one bill/one company, after time has cost us more in the long run. Those “3-months free” of this, “6 months at this price” of that, have all expired by now. Let’s just say we are currently paying an arm and a leg for the same thing we had a year ago at a much lower price. (Sob.)

We called the local service this weekend to see if there was something that could be done. Another deal, maybe? The deals they had were even worse than the ones that were offered last year. Shorter times, and even less savings. (great way to save customers and lure new ones!)

I went to the Comcast website. The 3-in-1 package was almost $100 cheaper. Now, I am sure there are a few hoops to jump threw and some taxes here and there, but HELLO?, we’re moving as soon as our number is up.

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Have you ever heard of the saying “There’s just not enough time in the day?” Well, I guess it’s not a “saying”, rather something we’ve all heard from oodles of people over the years.

While I do agree with the statement, I don’t want to.

It’s hard enough for me to last the current 24 hours without being utterly exhausted. Why would I want to add MORE hours to my day just to be MORE spent?

I would like to change the current statement.

How about, “There is just too much to do in a day.”

or

“I wish I had less to do in a day.”

Yes, that sounds just about right in my book.

Hubs and I were on a lengthy walk with the boys yesterday off in the (paved trails) woods. We were discussing success. What was our version of success? What did it look like? Now that hubs is out of the house, and not working from home anymore, our days couldn’t be more different. He, who just started a new job, is just getting his hands dirty. Along with that comes frustration cause things are not second nature just yet.

While our jobs are different, I, too, am starting a new job (two kids), definitely getting my hands dirty on an hourly basis, and become quite frustrated that things are just not quite second nature yet.

And no, I do not have high expectations of what my day should look like, I just HAVE expectations that my day will have some sort of feeling of “ahhhhh” accomplishment. And while most days do have a glimmer of the sink is empty, or 2 loads of laundry are cleaned and folded, there still lies the task of emptying the dishwasher so there will be more room to put the dirty dish you just used to eat that morsel of something bland during that 3 minutes you took to feed yourself during lunch OR, now that the laundry is folded, you have to put that shit back somewhere, otherwise you’ve got piles of clean shit all over the place.

Hubs and I have put money aside to hire a house cleaner, so I can spend more time focusing on the kids, “maintain” a clean household (easier said than done, right?) and work on other things that have me in mind, outside of the house/kids. We have recently gone through 3 cleaners in 6 months. And during those entire 6 months, only 1 person has come to clean our house. The other attempts have been no-shows, confusion on times, sick at last minute etc. BUT in all these instances, I’ve had to go around my entire house AND PUT AWAY EVERYTHING so he/she could see what was needed to be cleaned. That makes for major work that never quite paid off.

Now, it is nice to reset the house here and there, but come on! I need some sparkly, shiny toilets and I’m not getting any. (Actually, I just cleaned them myself the other day and it was nice to look down to a glistening bowl, but it took a good chunk of my time and if anyone can recall what a mobile 9 month old looks like, it looks like one who likes to touch and stand near toilet bowls with glee. (and eat detergent out of the dish washer door, and push the trash can around the kitchen like a walker.) So, my point is, I don’t have time for it and my offspring won’t let me even if I did have the time.

At any time of the day, I feel like I am feeding somebody something. Whether it be a bottle, itty bitty finger foods that take SO LONG to prepare, to that “one more snack” that is needed before dinner, I just can’t seem to park my ass down. And when I do park my ass, all I see around me are “things” that need to be taken care of. Bills, RANDOM PILES OF MAIL staring at me, that one random used diaper that just can’t seem to make it to the trash can outside. Luckily, I can choose to ignore some of that stuff and take that needed break, but something else always suffers. And that’s annoying.

So, back to the theme of this here post. Success. What does a day in my life look like if I am successful? I don’t know. It’s a feeling for sure, but I know I am never satisfied. I have moments of patting myself on the back for this and that, but it’s a never ending job that’s criteria is redefined on a daily basis. I guess I should be thankful for so much leg-room, but really, where is my time card? I need to clock-out and hit the bar.

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I calculated that it’s going to cost me that much to feed my baby the first year of life.

That does not include solid foods which my doctor recommends starting NEXT month due to Hola’s spitting-up issues. (I am not sure I will go ahead with that. We’ll see how his digestive tract is in a few weeks.)

If you feed your baby formula for a year, it may cost you more. Why? Cause I am a bargain hunter for formula and it’s still a pricey item. Here is how it breaks down:

Let’s say we go through a can a week. a THIRTY-TWO OUNCE can that is. (I am sure we didn’t in the beginning due to my massive amounts of breastmilk via pumping, but work with me here.)

Ok, 32 ounce can a week.

I buy Carnation Good Start. The biggest can they sell. Not the DHA-ARA one, not the Natural Cultures/Just like Breast milk one and not any other kind that has “bullcrap in it so you’ll spend more on it” kind.

The plain kind. The good enough kind.

The best price I have found, which was a surprise to me, is $18.99 at Babies ‘R Us. (When I did this with Rt, it was $16.82 at Walmart. Now they have it for $24. Total rip!)

So, 4 cans a month (estimating here)

x

$18.99

=

$76.00 ($75.96)

x

12 months

=

$911.52

(Totally cursing my boobs here.)

No, not really. I thank them for what they were able to provide.

But, all I am saying is if you are budgeting for a baby, even the necessities are gonna cost ya.

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“I can’t wait to just be a mom. I’ll only have to take care of the baby!”

These words were spoken by yours truly while pregnant with Rt. I was working full-time and looking forward to only being a mother and not a “working woman”. I was looking forward to the “time-off” and a break from the stresses of the outside world.

How utterly wrong I truly was.

While my words were slightly on the naive side (um, hello??), there is something quite sad about that statement too. What ever happened to just being a mom? When and why did it get so complicated?

Since becoming a mother, my main “side job” was to save money. I sure as hell wasn’t bringing home the bacon and we had to make due with what hubs was providing. The more I saved, the more I could buy, (or save. whatever.) So, with that, I scoured all the stores and found all the products I needed and bought them according to who had the best price. Not too shabby, right? Wrong.

The tide began to change. Now, it wasn’t just about price, it was about WHAT product you were buying.

First up, Organic.

Now, when I started buying baby food for Rt, two years ago, the “organic craze” hadn’t gone too mainstream, but I somehow bought Gerber’s Tender Harvest Organic anyway. My purchase was first based on flavor selection, then availability. Target, plus most local grocery stores sold it. Fabulous! Then, I stumbled upon Earth’s Best at Walmart. Even better flavors! 55 cents a jar! Sooo up my alley.

So, Rt ate organic, mainly by happenstance.

Due up, Cleaning Supplies.

This is somewhat new in my household. I switched over to a few Method brand items sometime earlier this year, but only recently added more to round out my collection. In all honesty, the prices on most of their items (at Target) are not much more than other cleaners I have purchased in the past. (except for laundry detergent, and wood cleaner, for example) (can someone please tell me where to get their dish washing detergent? Target didn’t have it) The reason I decided to make the switch was envisioning Rt licking the side of the tub that had just been cleaned by the house cleaners (at least they clean the tub, I’m not sure I ever did. eek!) and think that Comet would be stuck on his tongue and then swallowed. Probably not going to happen, but we’re having another little tot who just might be an obsessive licker. Ya, never know.

And lastly, regular everyday crap like baby shampoo.

Ok, so in being a lurker on my “You’re due in April, read about other ladies due then too” board on BabyCenter, I have come across many articles about Johnson and Johnson products containing an ingredient called Quaternium-15. Quaternium-15 is a preservative found in many cosmetics and industrial substances that releases formaldehyde. Now, I am sure there are many “concerning” ingredients in many products we all use on a daily basis, but where do we draw the line? What do we do about it? I went and looked at all the bath products we use for Rt and I would have to throw out his bath wash, shampoo and some random bubble bath we have. I still haven’t decided what I am going to do about it. There really isn’t a need for his bath wash, when a bar of soap can get the guy cleaned, but what about his thick locks? (or fine baby hair that is) Is bubble bath not an “OK” treat for our little ones anymore?

So, I’ll end this with this question. How far are you able to go to raise your children in today’s world? When is believing everything you hear, follow every new guideline out there, and live in totally germy, poison fear taking it too far? When is following last years manual not good enough?

My jury is still out, but I am a mom. I am willing to go the distance. It’s just that, how much stamina do I need? Every choice I make seems to matter so much. It’s truly tiring.

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I am currently stuck in between a child that won’t nap and a freakin yelping little pixie of a dog. Calgon, if you are out there, take me away!!!! Hurry!

No nappin kid and yelping idiot dog go hand in hand. How can one fall off into luscious slumber when lame ass little turd is laughing like a hyena. This all makes for a momma who only wants to sit and chill for a brief moment of time ALONE, but nooooooooooo, the new neighbors who moved in behind us (renters) had to have little powder puff thingys called dogs. Here is the oddity of it all. They moved in at the beginning of May, but only in the last couple of days have I heard the yelping. Can they please, please, please be dog sitting for the long Memorial Weekend Started Early? Can that be the case??? Waaaaaah. I have been Waahing alot lately, but COME ON.

The last go around with the kid was moments ago. He plays for a long period of time, then begins this whine/cry thing, which basically means he will do nothing else but, unless someone comes in and lays/lies (whatever) him back down. Usually, it takes one entrance to do the trick. Today, I am up to three. First one included a poop diaper. #@%#%#^ That probably IS the first culprit. Second entrance was to reset him and put all of his things back in the crib.(Don’t you just love being manipulated?) Third visit was much of the same, but with a little attitude from me. Isn’t that so nice of me? Basically, I scared him into getting serious about taking a nap. Sigh. Is it the long weekend yet?

Hubs was gone all last weekend as you recall, so I haven’t had a morning off, let alone a moment without this little one. Until I can regroup and hug him a little bit tighter this afternoon showing him mommy doesn’t mean to fly off the handle and truly loves him no matter what, I’ll have to stare at these sweet photos I took of him this morning. He loves to appease his mommy when it comes to photo sessions. “No, honey, put the hat back on”…………….

um, ok I had more than one photo to share, but tell me this, why are all my photos from iphoto coming out sideways??? Until I can correct the issue, I’ll leave the one above…..This calls for a second diet coke. Grrr….

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Just sitting here on a Monday morning wondering what the heck I should be doing. I already have Rt watching Signing Time, so I have limited “free” time of what I can do.

*Pay bills online? (Which totally needs to be done.)

*Write blog post? (Well, I do need to whip one out sometime today.)

*Think about what to do with my life/time/day now that my path has been rerouted?

You know, it’s a funny (not funny, haha, but funny, bizarre) thing being in this predicament. I go along with my day and think nothing of it, then all of a sudden, something reminds me of what once was and I feel bummed/sad/angry/pissed off. Then in the same thought process I think of what is to come in the next month or so and know it will work out, it will happen again and for the better.

But, really, what in the hell do I do about today? Drown myself in Diet Coke?

I am stuck in today. Can’t it be a few weeks from now so I can be telling hubby to get his groove on cause I’ll be needing his services later in the evening? But what about today? I’d be 9 weeks this week. I know, I know, don’t do that to myself, but, shit, how in the hell can I not? I know it will demise as time passes, but that is exactly my point. What do I do with all of this “in between” time? Stay busy? How can I when all of my weekly activities have ended until Fall? WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. Playdate, playdate, are you out there?

I did put a call into my therapist who I haven’t seen in over 6 months. The last thing I told him was I was going to check in on a couple of matters and get back in touch. Well, I had no pressing issues to return, so I never called back. I wondered what he would say when I spoke to him again. Would it be awkward? Via our phone call to set up an appointment, he said he was glad to hear my voice and looked forward to seeing me again. Ok, why when I wrote that does it sound like he is a big perv? He truly is not, he just likes me. And I like that my therapist likes me and missed me. Isn’t that a tad twisted?? So, for any of you that think I am not “going there” with recent events, I am and will be. Yeah, bob.

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Ever since Rt got his first tooth at 8 months, we have called his teeth, toofies. I have no idea why, it just sounded cute, I guess. He calls them toofies as well, so I guess it will be the going phrase from here on out.

Today’s Topic: Toofies

Yesterday, I went back to the dentist to get 2, yes I said 2, temporary crowns. WTF? I am in my earlyish 30′s and have fakies? What next? A rod for a hip? Why,why,why??
Ok, I am over it, but come on, where is the love? I do appreciate I was given straight teeth, but these deep grooves have been a pain in my side for most of my life. When I was young, during my competitive gymnastics days, I could eat anything I wanted, and believe me, I did. After school, before practice, we would hit the 7-11 in carpool and I used all the spare change I had to buy JUNK. I can’t recall all the crap I bought, but the “buy two, get one twinkie free” come to mind along with Bonkers, Mambas, and Now ‘n Laters. So, obviously I acquired a few cavities. Due to the deep grooves in my teeth, the cavities were deep and wide. So, fast forward to my 20/30′s, these last couple silver filings are in dire need of an upgrade. The major flippin problem is, these silver fillings cracked over the years and made way for more cavity to seep down into my tooth. And the result is: CROWN my ass will ya? So, here we are now, or here I am now, in pain due to the harassment my mouth took over a course of 2 hours yesterday. I thought it was a good thing to use the rubber mouth guard to keep my mouth propped open, but I have never been this sore due to a trip to the dentist. PLUS, I don’t think these temps are sitting right. I think I can feel them first when I bite down. Oh lovely, another trip to the freakin dentist. Ya, ya, not a big deal, but when you have a little one, you have to make last minute plans to have someone watch them. Luckily, one of my mommy friend’s is already watching another kid, so adding Rt to the mix wasn’t a huge burden. Hopefully, it won’t take too long so I can make it back and help her with the herd of 2 yr olds.

Oops. Forgot to mention yesterday that Rt is now 23 months old!
One more to go till he turns the big 2!!! I can’t believe it.

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