Tag: health

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GMO is Bullshit and Organic is a Scam

USDA Organic, organic, Karie Herring, thefivefish.com

We have all been lied to. A world where everything we eat, drink, sleep and breathe is completely fine. Fukushima, well that was ionizing radiation as a cancer preventative. Genetically modified (GMO) foods are completely fine and have no negative lasting impact on our bodies. For years, farmers have been cross breeding plants for hardiness and for food variety so the splicing of genomes in a laboratory to create a new tomato that is immune to Roundup is no different. Organic, its a scam. The new bottled water fad and sure to die a slow and painful death much like global warming.

silicon, fake food, GMO is bullshit
Dinner’s New Tomato

Angry yet? You should be. For the second time in a month I have had a troll Scandinavian dwarf strongly suggest to me on Facebook how ridiculously wrong I was for supporting the organic movement and opposing GMO’s.

Let me be clear though on my stance with GMO food products; I AM in favor of a farmers agricultural tactic to cross breed plants in a field (nature does this on her own too), I AM NOT in favor of Dr. Kevorkian playing test tube roulette with a new breed of tomato for my dinner. I support the organic movement because I was educated about organic. I did not hop on some fad toting, band wagon of the newfangled fashion called organic. I did not wake up one day and make the Laissez-Faire decision to just up and rid my pantry and fridge of conventionally farmed, GMO laced foods.  Did I clean out my pantry of the majority of those products? Absolutely, maybe not all at once, but I eventually did.

Why you ask?

In 2008 I delivered my twins and found a support group later that year for mothers of multiples. Among our group was a very well educated woman who yielded a fancy science degree, I will spare you her details, however she explained the facts and science of genetic modification (present state), organic foods, farming, how you become USDA organic certified, blah, blah blah. I soaked up every minute. Why? Because why not? I had nothing to gain or lose from her sharing her knowledge, or did I? What I had not mentioned to this point is this amazing woman’s journey defeating breast cancer. She defeated her progressive breast cancer and has been cancer free during the time I have been honored to call her friend. Her battle also included a diet rich in organic fruits, vegetables and meat and dairy products free of hormones or additives. While I am not a doctor and make no claim of the science, I did apply common sense and hear a truly movingorganics, for the kids, organic kids situation.I also applied this new found knowledge to another friend who also had breast cancer. A survivor or Stage IV, double mastectomy, reconstruction and lymph removal. She DOES NOT eat an organic rich diet, staying her course she still frequents all fast food joints, drinks large quantities of diet soft drinks, and just 18 months ago underwent another round of cancer treatment for a form of oral cancer found in her mouth and lymph nodes. She has continued failing health including joint inflammation, thyroid, diabetes, and a gamut of other ailments.

Which path would common sense direct you to choose?

Imagine my surprise when in 2011 I receive a phone call from my physician alerting me to an abnormal pap. Her phone call included “biopsy”, “cancerous cells of the cervix”, “advancing cancerous tissue.” I was in a panic. While my family had integrated organic into our diet, we still fancied some fast food and I still partook in an occasional Starbucks; I had not completely overhauled my lifestyle. November of that year, while undergoing a very painful surgical procedure to remove the cancerous cells and tissue I vowed to change my life for the complete good. My family went full organic. While we already had integrated the fruits and vegetables and milk, meat purchases were still from traditional farming, until that day.While nothing is wrong with traditional farming I could not support this mode of food production. The chemicals, the hormones, the pesticides, none of it seemed right or natural to me as someone who had been touched by cancer and as a mother. From that day forward I have been cancer free and my paps have all been normal every six months.

A little over a year ago my mother-in-law was diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer. Her treatment was and is aggressive. When we spoke shortly after her diagnosis she mentioned how doctors said if she was going to eat certain foods they had to be organic due to the pesticide interaction with her chemotherapy. I found great irony in that statement. So I went further and researched chemotherapy and an organic diet. At best I found the naturopathic and alternative healing methods like the Gerson Institute and the Breville Method, all supported an organic rich diet of fruits, vegetables and pesticide free proteins. Nowhere did any of the well known cancer sites indicate that cancer patients should be eating a diet rich in organic fruits and vegetables, in spite of the fact that each of these people I know, all strangers to one another shared the same simple fact of eating an organic diet during their cancer treatment. For the conservatives out there I beg the question, what does a doctor gain from making this medical suggestion? If organic is purely a ploy for higher taxation and a fascist movement towards primitivism then why not exploit this venture, especially when physicians and the medical field are supported so heavily by big Pharm and the liberals?

cancer, organic, organic expensiveQuite alright, we can save the Ayn Rand style debate for another day.

Do I dream of one day a world where we are free of harmful chemicals in our foods? Positively yes. My Rogerian beliefs is that we are all inherently good, so I favor for optimism in any outcome. Do I claim any health benefits that organic foods are more nutritious? Absolutely not. I am merely making an educated decision for myself and my family based on the research and real life experience of the effects of a diet with conventional farming versus organic farming; cancer or no cancer. I am a protagonist for a diet free of laboratory created, genetically modified foods and substances. When science tinkers around in the genomes and the DNA structure of plants for “improved” purposes I wonder what happens when that DNA is introduced into our environment outside of a lab. My personal research found that children with food allergies, autism, digestive disorders, chronic illnesses and cancer increased dramatically with the introduction of GMO foods.  Here is the timeline:

1975 was when DNA was lobbied to be engineered

1980 the first GMO was patented for the use to “gobble up oil spills,” because you know that has been a HUGE success

1982 an insulin produced by genetically modifying E.coli bacteria is on the market

1994 the Flavr Savr tomato is approved by the FDA for sale on grocery shelves and promoted for its delayed ripening and longer shelf life than conventional tomatoes

1996 the GMO resistant super weeds appear, weeds are found to be resistant to the herbicide glyphosate

1999 over 100 million acres worldwide are dominated by GMO

2011 Bt toxins (a soil bacteria GMO, engineered to be kill insects such as moths, butterflies, caterpillars) found in humans, specifically the blood of pregnant women being transferred to the fetuses.

From 1997 to 2011 the CDC reported that children with food allergies, digestive problems, chronic illness and skin disorders increased by 50%. Based on the above timeline, I can correlate that negative effects of GMO to our health. The FDA approves drugs on a daily basis that have a side-effect list as long as an ingredient list on a processed food box laden with GMO. Proven fact, Prozac which was and is the most highly prescribed anti-depressant starting in the late 80s has had the longest clinical study, spanning 20 years and is still being studied, continues to releases new and harmful side-effect which include the following: suicidal thoughts and behavior, birth defects, premature labor, severe skin reaction, insomnia, stuffy nose, sneezing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, tremors, dry mouth, low libido, dizziness. Oh and my personal favorites: heart defects in newborns, lung problems in newborns resulting in improper adaptation to breathing outside the womb, and last but not least, an increased risk of the baby developing AN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER.

Argue that GMO is perfectly safe, despite the fact we do not have enough research, hence the Prozac reference. Argue that organic may be more expensive and it’s a scam. But when adults result to insults, personal attack, and the “if you don’t listen to what I am saying” since I think “I am right” attitude, I just stop responding. Now this is about you and your feelings, not respecting my choice of which I respect yours. I have no problem with anyone’s choice regarding organic, and I am not opposed to hearing their side, especially if new information of some compelling nature is shared. Maybe I am wrong. I am okay with that, but for now, until I have concrete scientific proof that the long term effects of GMO, herbicides, pesticides and hormones are safe and the whole ban GMO is bullshit, organic is always my choice.

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I Prayed to Become a Mom

Prayer is a powerful tool, Amen. While I was dressing today, I realized how prayer has really transformed many of my life events. My most recent prayer was to escape the confines of my ever oppressive boss….and then I was fired.  Prayer answered. Needless to say God has a way of keeping us on our toes with answering prayer. I began to timeline my prayers and how God is working in my life and that of my children. Only thinking about this topic as my grandmother posted a wonderful article to my Facebook timeline and from my recent attendance at a women’s conference. Over the years I never really stopped praying. Despite the fact that I did not welcome the divinely love of God and his son Jesus, I still managed to say prayers here and there, you know, being spiritual and karma and all. For years I prayed to become a mom, asking God, very specifically to allow me to become a mom and to be pregnant with twins so that I can “get it over with.”

twins, in utero, twin babiesAs I mentioned earlier, He has a way to keep us on our toes, and specificity plus repetition equals passion. Oh did I have a lot of passion to become a mother. For three years I prayed. I prayed and prayed, I threw pennies in wishing wells, baited those same pleas on falling stars, you name it. Until one day in 2007, many years after I had prayed and after I had already birthed my oldest child, God answered my prayer to become pregnant with twins. God also answered me to become a mother.

I know this makes no sense considering my oldest was toddling and on the verge of entering kindergarten by the time my twins arrived in 2008, but I did not feel like a mother despite carrying him in my belly for ten months and delivering him in 2003.

For those early years I struggled to still be me. I struggled to be a mother. What is being a mom anyway? I changed my sons diapers, I fed him, rocked him, I loved and still love him with all my heart, I provided for him. Somehow I did not feel like I was a mother, I did not feel like mom. Going about my day-to-day I did not dwell on this feeling, but I know it nagged at my soul. Praying for strength, praying for wisdom, praying for the crying to please stop so I can sleep and praying for him to be potty trained so I could stop changing diapers. But those prayers went unanswered, for a bit, because I had the specificity and repetition to ask to become a mother. I asked for twins. I asked to get it over with. As I said, I asked for years because I struggled to get pregnant. God answered my prayer, my many prayers within a prayer.

In 2008 I delivered Seth and Sara via c-section in the throes of cold and flu season. My stint in the hospital was lonely, even though The Chad came to visit I did not have G with me to share in the love and experience of his new siblings. I could not talk with him and I could not share with him all of the happenings. I could feel his fear and sadness on my heart. At that moment I knew I had become a mom. I could feel the love transcend time and space for all three of my children. I knew my place in their life, I knew what they needed, I knew how they felt, I knew their voices, and I knew I was a mother. God answered my prayer to become a mom and to have twins, admittedly one boy and one girl and when I prayed to “get it over with” well that landed squarely on The Chad when he got a vasectomy.

Short of sounding crazy, delivering my twins changed my life in many ways; I stopped acting like a mom and became The Five Fish, Karie Herring, Chad Herringone. I was so busy trying to act like a mom and trying to be a mom. I was not grasping that being a mom, wife, and woman was all one person. I thought I had to sacrifice a part of myself , sacrifice one of those people to be the other. We talk about sacrifice as a parent that we would do anything for our kids, but a selfish part of us cannot let go completely. The sacrifice is that we let go of who we used to be, our former selves before parenthood. My evolution allowed me to let go…completely. I let go the ideal that this was about me and what I did for them and I accepted that this was about Him, them, and what I did for all of us in the name of love. Inconveniences of the kids bickering was not about their fight, but more about what was at the root of the argument between my children. The whining was no longer an inconvenience to my mood, but about showing my kids to speak assertively, stating what they needed and I was here to help fulfill their needs. Respect was no longer about what was right and if they liked the individual, myself included, but respect became about love, that respect is love.

God had a plan for me. His plan was more about self discovery, sacrifice, and above all else love. Today I pray for my children and their plans. I pray that He guides them in His divine plan and that He shows them the same humor he has bestowed upon me. I also pray for other moms. I pray for dads. I pray for those mothers who want to be moms without holding onto who they think they have to be rather than who they are becoming. I pray for those dads to become fathers and love their children without regret. His plan just happened to be different from my plan and the way I prayed to be a mom.

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P Allen Smiths Radish Top Pasta Recipe

So I love to share my food and what I make. Great pride is taken in what my family eats as far as food and if you want to know or catch a glimpse of your diet snap photos. If you are ashamed to show the final result, chances are you should be ashamed to put that into your body. The other night I shared my version of P. Allen Smith’s Radish Top Pasta. Who you might ask is P. Allen Smith? Well spend a Saturday morning perusing public television and you might have the gifted opportunity to watch from Garden to Table where Mr. Smith shares some real delicacies from his garden for meals. My family was in heaven when we saw this dish so I knew I had to make it. Continue reading “P Allen Smiths Radish Top Pasta Recipe”

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Double the Cheerios Club Pack

Now that summer has arrived and the kids are home, FULL TIME, have you noticed your grocery bill start to climb? Well you don’t have to feel the pain of the rise in groceries if you are a club member to such stores as Sam’s Club or Costco, to name a few. Being a club member offers perks and benefits to help you save money on your monthly grocery costs.

What’s even better? That buying in bulk helps to save more as well since club stores carry most of the major brands we see and shop for in our standard grocers.

What’s so exciting?

New 2 box Cheerios contains two individual boxes, making them easier to store and easier to pour!
Not to mention…

By reducing the amount of air in each individual bag, these enhanced containers fit 10% more cereal than before and use less packaging. While each box contains more cereal, packaging material has been reduced by over 200,000 lbs, saving 1,000 trees and taking 130 Cheerios trucks of the road, decreasing CO2 emissions
You don’t have to take our word for it, check out all the benefits of new 2 box Cheerios packaging! http://bit.ly/CheeriosNew2Box

New and improved 2 box Cheerios are now available on the shelves of Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s nationwide. (MyBlogSpark.com, 2012)

Now you too can share in the Cheerio’s awesomeness and enter to win (2) Cheerio’s Two Box packs, for a total of (4), yes FOUR boxes of Cheerio’s. What’s even doubly better, is that TWO winners will be chosen to receive:

  • (2) new 2 box Cheerios packaging (four boxes)
So here is how you enter to win:
  • Tell me if you shop at a club store, why or why not? (You must do this before all other entries)
  • Subscribe to my reader
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Tweet this giveaway daily with @KariewithaK #MyBlogSpark
  • Like The Fish on Facebook
  • Share the giveaway on Facebook (Worth 2 entries, every day you share)
  • Blog this giveaway (Worth 5 entries)
  • Comment on a non-giveaway post

Contest ends June 16th @ 2:59am EST.

As always: No Purchase Necessary, available to US residents. One entry per household. US postcard entries also acceptable if you do not have access to the above entry options, no limit to postcard entries as long as all are received before the close of the contest, email contests@thefivefish.com for your postcard entry details or to use email as your postcard entrance as these entries will be logged by the administrator of the blog. Winners will be chosen by “And the Winner is” Failure to adhere to the aforementioned rules set forth by this contest will result in forfeiture of your entry with no notice. Facebook does not promote, endorse, nor sponsor this review and giveaway and will be held harmless. As always, good luck and enjoy. My opinions herein are my own and are no way influenced by the receipt of a free product, they are an honest reflection of myself and my review of the integrity of the product.

“Disclosure: “Disclosure:  Cheerios® cereal, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.” I was provided with a 2 box pack of Cheerios at no cost in order to promote the product and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.”

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Beyond Coastal Sunscreen Products

Living in Arizona brings a very harsh and dry climate. We have over 300 days of pure, unadulterated sunshine each year. So for an active family like ours, we are constantly in use of a sun protecting product to prevent sun damaged skin and thwart the idea of skin cancer. Furthermore we own a pool, so the majority of our summer experience is spent beside or in that pool or at the local lakes. Our family also enjoys camping and other outdoor sports and activities which puts us in the glow of our warming star. Sun protectant is HUGE  and vital in our home and we go through a lot of it.

But as an Eco-conscious mom and one that looks for overall protection, benefits, and a small carbon footprint I also want to make sure I am using something that will be safe on my children. Additionally I don’t want to pretend I am snowed over on a product, especially one that was provided for a review free of charge. Shall we dig into the details.

I recently signed up for a campaign with Global Influence to review a sunscreen line, Beyond Coastal.

I have never heard of the product. never seen them, their brand has never been brought to my attention. So the product is a perfect platform to review as it is not a brand I normally purchase or something I would seek out; often seen amongst most review bloggers. Ahem.

Mind you I will be full disclosure, I have nothing to hide and I have no shame. All participants of the review were advised that they were to post the week of April 30th. As you can see that time has clearly passed. We all waited and were notified that the products were “on their way and additional time would be provided.” Because my time is extremely valuable and priceless because I work outside the home and am the sole provider for my household, this dilly dally attitude was not befitting to me for their demands of a timeline. I sent a few emails, of which went unanswered until push come to shove, as I asked for the new timeline, an ETA for arrival, some answers; like I said, being a bitch gets you an answer. Normally when you create and setup a project with a deadline you provide levels of communication, of which were lacking. Not to mention the company that was providing the product was delayed in shipping the product. Duly noted.

Arriving nicely packed in a bubble wrap envelope, I tore in to see what was entailed to review:

  • Citrus Grove Lip Balm SPF 15 – .15oz
  • Active Face Stick Sunscreen SPF 30 – .50oz
  • Natural Clear Sunscreen SPF 30 (Clean and Clear) – 1oz
  • Active Sunscreen SPF 30 (Water Resistant) – 1oz
  • Natural Sunscreen Kids 30+ (Kid Safe) – 2.5oz
Now I am an avid and active runner and run at all times of the day. So I was drawn to the Active Face Stick, something I could pocket and take on my run that I could reapply if I were to be out more than 30 minutes at a time. I applied, exactly as the directions intended, liberally. However, I confess that while I was liberal, I felt like I just caked on a load of Vaseline on my face after I began to perspire into my run, yet it smelled like a fresh lemon, rather nice I suppose. But then the sunscreen was running into my eyes, burning them, causing me to turn right around and bag my run. Fail. Not a selling point on this product. Later I read on the website how it boasts that it,  “Acts as a wind-chap to keep your face protected during skiing and snow sports” (Beyond Coastal – Active Face Stick, 2012). So I suppose running isn’t the active genre they were engaging, more the ski and snow sports, like snowball fights in a bunny suit. Oh I digress.
Moving on to the kids sunscreen. I began to investigate the ingredients. I did this after I read three of the already published reviews where mom’s never addressed the actual product, but that sunscreen is vital to their children and they want a “safe product.” Fantastic, could not agree more. However I begged the question on why the hell, and I quote this from the product site, a kids sunscreen needs a skin cell builder. I even looked at my husband and begged the same question. I even left the issue open ended,
“When you hear ‘skin cell builder’ what comes to mind?”
Anti-aging.
Right….for kids?
Last I checked my kids are not in fear of needing botox injections or face lifts, so why an added filler for the sunscreen. I think this might be a bunch of hooey in the product if you ask me.
Comfrey Plant Extract Skin Cell Builder, Protects and Soothes
 (Beyond Coastal Kids Natural Sunscreen, 2012)
Research and investigation in the products showed me that the majority have some level of alcohol which causes drying and my favorite ingredient that was boasted about being a skin conditioner. Can I tell you what this magical ingredient is that other reviewers didn’t share, “Castor Isostearate Succinate.” Can you pronounce it? Probably not and the likelihood of knowing what is really in this is probably just as likely, so I will share with you, the Castor is a type of vegan bean that makes an oil which is rather moisturizing if used properly. I make soap and I use Castor as well as other vegan products that can be pronounced, like Olive Oil. Sigh, let me get back to my point, the “Castor Isostearate Succinate” is a polymeric mixture of esters. In plain English, it is a concoction of synthetics. AWESOME (with a hallelujah ring to this word). But the product is “all natural.” Okay…if your food comes pre-wrapped and is beige I can get on board with that, but mine has color and I know where it came from, someone’s yard, aka a farm. Sheesh I digress again.
I really could not bring myself to review much else of the products offered other than the lip balm, which I left to my darling and ever so accommodating husband. Who was so gracious to tell me that the lip balm is, “soothing on my chapped lips without being waxy or feeling like a buildup.” Well said dear, thank you for this redeeming statement.
But if you like free loot and you would like to try the product please feel free to enter this awesome giveaway that Beyond Coastal and Resourceful Mommy Media – Global Influence have provided for your enjoyment. Leave me a little comment telling me what are your uses for sunscreen?
Extra entries include:
  • Subscribing to my facetious feed
  • Like The Fish
  • Promote this on Facebook by sharing from The Five Fish
  • Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post….there are quite a few 😉
  • Enter one of my other giveaways

Contest ends June 9th at 12:01am AZ time.

As always: No Purchase Necessary, available to US residents. One entry per household. US postcard entries also acceptable if you do not have access to the above entry options, no limit to postcard entries as long as all are received before the close of the contest, email contests@thefivefish.com for your postcard entry details or to use email as your postcard entrance as these entries will be logged by the administrator of the blog. Winners will be chosen by “And the Winner is” Failure to adhere to the aforementioned rules set forth by this contest will result in forfeiture of your entry with no notice. Facebook does not promote, endorse, nor sponsor this review and giveaway and will be held harmless. As always, good luck and enjoy. My opinions herein are my own and are no way influenced by the receipt of a free product, they are an honest reflection of myself and my review of the integrity of the product.

“Disclosure: I was provided with a Natural Family Pack travel case of Beyond Coastal sun products at no cost in order to promote the product and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.”

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Improve your Dental and Oral Health – Natural Dentist

Recently my eldest son and I took a trip to the dentist. Mainly for him. I sadly and truthfully have not visited a dentist in over 18 years for a basic checkup. I know, rather pathetic and sick, but admittedly too my original dentist from my childhood was SUPERB! Really the man could not be beat with chair-side manner and overall demeanor with dental treatment. Added that he was strikingly handsome and smelled wonderful, BONUS. I digress early.

So my son’t visit went well and I returned for my visit and was told that for not visiting the dentist in the amount of time that had passed I had pretty dang good brushing habits, and my trouble spots could be cured with an adjustment of brushing and use of a really good mouth wash. I explained to my dental hygienist that the alcohol based mouth rinses made me gag and I was not a fan of anything that could double as a flame thrower. She explained that alcohol free products are available.

Then I quickly remembered the mouth wash that has been sitting in my kid’s bathroom for the last month.

Yes, I am a failure for receiving a product and not trying immediately and posting. What can I say, I am not a product whore, but I am TOTALLY up to trying out a product I have never bought or never considered buying. That’s just me. I digress, but I have been using the mouthwash daily as an addition to my brushing.

Dentists estimate that 80% of us develop gum disease in our lifetimes, ranging from mild gingivitis to severe periodontitis. If left untreated, however, gum disease may progress to other oral health issues, including tooth loss (it’s the #1 reason for adult tooth loss!). Other studies and experts, including Dr. Oz, have also linked gum disease to heart disease, stroke, breast cancer and respiratory diseases, such as COPD. While it can happen to anyone, the following raise the risk for developing gingivitis:

  • Poor dental hygiene
  • Pregnancy/puberty/menopause (hormonal changes increase the sensitivity of the gums)
  • Uncontrolled diabetes
  • Genetics/family history (30% of general population susceptible to gum disease)
  • Smoking
  • Stress
  • Medications
  • General illness

Gingivitis is due to the long-term effects of plaque deposits, and it is often painless, so bleeding gums may be your only symptom until it has progressed further along (other symptoms are swollen/tender gums, receding gums, and/or persistent bad breath).  Luckily, one of the early warning signs of the gum inflammation IS the bleeding you see when you brush or floss, so it is your body’s way of telling you something’s not right. If you have a family history of this issue or notice bleeding when you brush or floss, you should schedule a dental visit to evaluate your condition, as well as take steps at home by adding The Natural Dentist Healthy Gums Anti-Gingivitis Rinse to your oral care regimen. (Natural Dentist Press Release, 2012 – RL&A)

What most people do not understand is that we sometimes do not always get every crack and crevice when we brush and floss, no matter how hard we try. So adding a mouth wash or rinse to your routine is a great way to help prevent oral health problems and maintain overall great dental and oral health. I really enjoyed the light mint of this mouth wash and that it is completely alcohol free. I have seen folks promote Listerine like it is going out of style, but I might as well wash my mouth with Windex if I wanted a squeaky clean burning feeling.

But I won’t rant on about how awesome this mouth wash is for you or your health, but I am going to allow you to leave me a comment to enter to win this bottle to try out yourself! Just leave me a comment and tell me what is your fear with the dentist or what about your dental health do you want to improve on?

For extra entries you can do the following:

  • Subscribe to my feed
  • Like The Five Fish
  • Follow me on Twitter and tweet daily for increased chances to win! Just @ me so I can see your entry with the link back here.
  • Share this giveaway on Facebook
  • Comment on a recent post
  • Blog this giveaway (worth 3 entries)
  • Enter one of my other giveaways

Contest ends Friday June 1st @ 11:59pm AZ time.

As always: No Purchase Necessary, available to US residents. One entry per household. US postcard entries also acceptable if you do not have access to the above entry options, no limit to postcard entries as long as all are received before the close of the contest, email contests@thefivefish.com for your postcard entry details or to use email as your postcard entrance as these entries will be logged by the administrator of the blog. Winners will be chosen by “And the Winner is” Failure to adhere to the aforementioned rules set forth by this contest will result in forfeiture of your entry with no notice. Facebook does not promote, endorse, nor sponsor this review and giveaway and will be held harmless. As always, good luck and enjoy. My opinions herein are my own and are no way influenced by the receipt of a free product, they are an honest reflection of myself and my review of the integrity of the product.

“Disclosure: I was provided with a bottle of Natural Dentist at no cost in order to promote the product and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.”

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Breathe Easy Purolator Car Filter

Copyright of The Five Fish & CKH Enterprises

Automobile owners generally think of basic maintenance to the vehicle to consist of lube, oil, and filter replacement. By filter I mean the air filter that feeds air into the engine for better performance. What most car owners do not think of for basic maintenance is the intake filter in the cabin of the vehicle. Much like a homes intake filter for the central air unit, a vehicle has a cabin air filter to keep the air clean and fresh.

The Purolator Breathe Easy Car Filter is just the ticket for your vehicle’s cabin intake air system.

I received my Purolator Breathe Easy Car Filter and immediately began to read the instructions. The packaging indicated that the install would be rather simplistic. However upon reading the instructions I began to doubt the “ease” of this installation.

Copyright of The Five Fish & CKH Enterprises

Enlisting my husband who has been working on cars as long as he can drive he immediately began to dive in and reading the instructions thought to start disassembling my dash to reach the cabin air filter. Being a mom I had a gut feeling something was not right and that breaking any factory seals would be a strict “No-No” for this job. Furthermore, the product would not boast the ease of use installation as a selling point for this product.

So I did what any woman, girl, and or female would do and I snatched the Owner’s Manual from teh glvoe compartment and sought out in the index “cabin air filter.” VOILA, there was the entry and the picture page to help walk through what to do.

Copyright of The Five Fish & CKH Enterprises

The instructions indicated to start unlocking screws and clips in the instrument panel in order to access the air filter. Whereas the manual stated to push in two tabs in the GLOVE COMPARTMENT of my 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan in order to access the air filter. Wouldn’t you know it, the installation took all of three minutes where the included instructions stated 28 minutes total installation time. As a busy mom, I don’t have that kind of time.

Copyright of The Five Fish & CKH Enterprises

Sadly I also saw how neglected my poor people mover has been treated due to my lack of knowledge about cabin air filters. Look at all the gray and black nastiness that is caught in this air filter. Clearly I have not touched this filter since the day my car was bought at the dealership. More so I am saddened that vehicle maintenance shops INCLUDING dealerships do not mention this awesome and inexpensive fix for better cabin quality while riding in the car. Imagine all the particulates and agitates in the air that wreak havoc on your allergies and overall breathing in the cabin. Especially if you are one who uses the re-circulate option on the air in the vehicle, just breathing in all the extra dirt that was NOT caught by the filter. I know that the product stands by it’s name with breathing easy now in my car and knowing my kids will breathe easier as well. Do not take my word for it, take out your owners manual and take a look at your filter yourself to see the difference and then replace to feel the breathing difference. You can find Purolator retailers on their site where the filters are offered at a variety of auto centers and general merchandise stores.

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A SPONSORED POST ON BEHALF OF Purolator Air Filters,  I WAS COMPENSATED FOR MY TIME BY POSTING THIS INFORMATION AND IN NO WAY WERE MY PERSONAL VIEWS COMPROMISED OR ALTERED.
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You think soda and candy causes childhood obesity what about school lunch

My small readership of only the half dozen of you lovely humans know that I tout and rant and rave about a healthy diet and clean food. Organic is tantamount for consumption in my house, if I cannot buy ALL organic I seriously have a small amount of guilt that runs through my obsessive compulsive mind that wishes to negate the effects of unclean food on my children. Yes, I am a bit extreme. My husband will be so happy that I am making such strides publicly about my OCD. Oh I digress early.

So the other day I took the opportunity to have lunch with my son. I do not do this often due to my work schedule and lately his behavior has become worrisome to me. I attributed some of this to poor eating habits (high sugar or carb foods and lower protein intake), and I know I can control what he puts in his body, or at least I can influence him in an educated and informed fashion where he will listen so I used the lunch date as my opportunity to have the food talk. While I know some of his behavior is in part to only having two weeks remaining in school, I have seen a trend prior to this onset of summer fever.

Knowing full well that the school lunch menu has been upgraded with the recent flyer’s we have seen and the boasting of a “salad bar” I took the opportunity to dine with my son and his fellow classmates. When in Rome right?

Shuffling into the school cafeteria it was like a cattle call with ropes and subdivisions for eating, ordering, and keeping the herd of children in line for the assembly of a meal. My son called his name so that his account could be debited and I then ordered the full lunch; soup, salad bar, juice and the meal for the day. I had an option between a mystery meat BBQ sandwich of sorts, “Burger Buddies” which were prepackaged and resembled White Castle sliders, and chicken strips. I opted for the item that looked semi-discernible and partially edible, chicken strips. Next I was offered “cheesy mash potatoes” by the lunch staff.

I stopped in my tracks in awe of the slop of shit being offered as food and a food product not only to my child but other children. The resemblance of orange, yellowish tinged drywall mud is what I thought these tasty bites looked to be, laying lukewarm in a stainless steel commercial serving pan. Politely I declined the “carbs” for my meal and moved along in the line. Choosing the 1% milk that I was pleasantly surprised to see offered. Progressing further into the line of food offerings I come across the “soup” offering which is not published near the warming unit in order to determine what exactly is being served for the day and upon inspection, I again declined to add to my menu of items to eat. Finally I end at the salad bar. I. am. breathless.

The only items of food I could clearly identify as edible, clean, and in pristine condition and something I would serve to my children and eat in mass quantities myself. Chopped romaine, iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, broccoli florets, slices of celery, slices of oranges, sliced heirloom tomatoes, all gleaming and shiny, brightly colored, but not wilty, and all screaming EAT ME. I then did what any right minded human would do is load up on this in mass quantities, untainted by salad dressing. I could not damage these beauties in their natural state and was as I said, breathless, and beside myself that this is the only food items that could be identified without question.

Sorry I ate all the beautiful tomatoes first

Sadly, there was plenty to go around and my fear was that this food was going to be thrown out, while the mystery meat food items would be saved to serve at a later date, even more worrisome. What was even more pathetic was the lack of the education staff eating these same foods being served to the children. I watched closely as they all retreated to the “lounge” to circle amongst their kin or retreat to eat something other than what was being served to the very children they educate each and every week day. Adding injury to insult were those who were the overseers in the cafeteria sipping on their Starbucks branded lattes and what not.

I continued to eat and enjoyed what I thought to be a safe choice for a school lunch option and I watched my son dig into his “burger buddies” and then we had a conversation about how it tastes good but the food was not really good for him. A prepackaged burger “meal” which after some research I found were HUGE in the 80s as a Burger King spin-off product in public schools, still being offered today.

DEPLORABLE.

My son’s lunch mate and loosed lipped little girl who had rather quite a bit to say for saying nothing at all tapped my shoulder and said, “LOOK! See all that grease…” As she squeezed her mystery meat BBQ sandwich that oozed levels of grease and oil that could lube any anal tract before a good colonoscopy. I wanted to vomit, giggle like this little girl at the sight of the filth permeating from the mystery meat, and scream and throw a tantrum and ask everyone what the fuck they were thinking that the food these children were eating was acceptable. Moreover I could not fathom that any EDUCATOR and those fit to oversee the education and mental growth and capacity of my children did not have enough where with all and knowledge to know that the “food” these children were consuming was basically a candy coated version of fast food.

But we all know that soda machines and lack of physical education is the reason for obesity right?

Let me further add this to the mix. Lunch begins at 11:50 for my second grader, of which they do not always arrive right at 11:50 to eat, thus he is shorted time to eat. At about 8 minutes after 12 the lights went dark in the cafeteria and the aids put up two fingers as if to signal the kids. I leaned over to my son and asked what this was about and he said, “We have to be quiet and finish our lunch and go outside to recess so we have to hurry.”

WHAT!?

Since when did the elementary school lunch system become similar to the military where these kids were commanded to shovel their food before running drills. I mean seriously, I wasn’t even done eating and by the looks of my plate I really did not have much on my plate, but yet had to shovel. Not to mention I didn’t even drink much of my milk, so I chugged that and moved along with the second grade cattle. But not before catching a glimpse at the other children who were forced to hurry themselves with their beverage and rather than being afforded the opportunity to drink it they had to pour their remaining milk box into a giant bucket. Again I said WHAT THE FUCK. Gallons upon gallons of milk in this bucket, only to be wasted by being washed down a sewer trap or drain. The silver lining here…..they recycle the milk cartons.

Are you angry yet? Shaking your head? Needless to say, I am typing this post to share my disdain. To share in the fact that we need to make a difference with our schools and our educators and those who make decisions on behalf of our children’s futures because this does not just include the classroom but the entire educational experience. I for one will be making sure to pack his lunches to not only save extra money each month but to also control what my child eats and that I know he is getting a nutritional lunch based on common sense standards and not some bogus food pyramid where supporting fast food is accepted and widely hidden to the parents the true details of what is really in our kids school lunch program. How about some transparency Mesa Schools? How about some real change in spite of cut backs, let’s cut the butterfly releases, growing meal worms, and bullshit education and institute health education at it’s finest starting with basic foods and not over-processed, grease injected byproducts passed off as a protein source.

What are your kids eating for school lunch?

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Get the Dirt on Spring – Stanley Steemer

My allergies have just confirmed that Spring is definitely arrived and my house is in need of some serious deep cleaning. Being cooped up during the winter months, even here in Arizona, you gain a lot of dust and particulates. Not to mention living in a desert. Where life is dry. We have lots of dirt. We have 2 days of rain per year. You might say life get’s a bit dusty and dirty.

Have no fear, Stanley Steemer is here!

Dirt is just like tooth decay – it never quits! Despite your best intentions for cleaning this spring, you should not have to do it alone. Cleaning more than 200 tons of dirt last year, Stanley Steemer knows dirt! Call the experts at Stanley Steemer and let them help you achieve that deeper level of clean in your home this season.

Despite their good intentions and best efforts, Americans doing their spring cleaning might make the home look or smell better on the surface, but vacuuming and cleaning machines only remove some of the dirt, dust and particulates that cause allergic reactions.  In a recent national poll commissioned by Stanley Steemer, the nation’s largest deep cleaning service, nearly half of respondents predicted spending less than four hours total on this year’s spring cleaning.  But only 19 percent reported having ever used a professional for cleaning.

To combat this difficult allergy season this spring plus truly make your homes clean, consumers should consider a deeper cleaning twice a year by the professionals at Stanley Steemer.

  • Not just for carpet cleaning, Stanley Steemer’s expertise extends to hardwood, tile, air ducts, water damage restoration, and more!
  • Stanley Steemer’s proprietary equipment and cleaning processes remove more than 98% of dry soil from floors.
  • With over 70 branches  and 220 franchise locations in 48 states, Stanley Steemer services 95% of the country (MyBlogSpark, 2012).
You can combat your dirt and take control of your spring cleaning by entering to win a $100 Stanley Steemer gift certificate for spring cleaning in your home! Here is how you can enter:
Tell me your dirtiest cleaning chore, whether it be readying the house for Passover, a once over deep clean for the year, or just the mundane everyday, let’s hear it!
For extra entries you can do the following:
  • Subscribe to my RSS feed
  • Follow me on Twitter & tweet daily to win! Get the dirt on Spring with Stanley Steemer $100 GC giveaway with The Five Fish @Kariewithak http://goo.gl/EiBmj
  • Like The Fish on Facebook and promote this giveaway
  • Like Stanley Steemer on Facebook

Contest Ends @ 2:59am EST May 18th, 2012

Disclosure:  The gift certificate, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by Stanley Steemer through MyBlogSpark. As always: No Purchase Necessary, available to US residents. One entry per household. US postcard entries also acceptable if you do not have access to the above entry options, no limit to postcard entries as long as all are received before the close of the contest, email contests@thefivefish.com for your postcard entry details or to use email as your postcard entrance as these entries will be logged by the administrator of the blog. Winners will be chosen by “And the Winner is” Failure to adhere to the aforementioned rules set forth by this contest will result in forfeiture of your entry with no notice. Facebook does not promote, endorse, nor sponsor this review and giveaway and will be held harmless. As always, good luck and enjoy. My opinions herein are my own and are no way influenced by the receipt of a free product, they are an honest reflection of myself and my review of the integrity of the product.
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Healthy Eating with Happy Family Foods

Traditional stocking stuffers are sweet treats, but they do not promote any health and face it, they promote unhealthy habits and the “okay” from parents that treats like these are perfectly acceptable. While candy and sweets may be alright in moderation and once in an odd while, they are not a good influence for our children. So while compiling my gift guide and ideas for fabulous stocking stuffers and maintaining of the healthy organic lifestyle I have created for my children I found HAPPYFAMILY Foods which is a great line of snacks, bites, munchies, and drinks for babies, toddlers and the entire family.

About HAPPYFAMILY:

A few short years ago, HAPPYBABY was the first premium baby brand to enter the market in 5 small stores in New York City—at a time when there were no homestyle options for parents to feed their children. Processed foods or homemade baby food—which can be time consuming for busy families—were the only options. A lot has changed, and we are now the leading premium brand of baby and toddler meals in the U.S.—sold in over 13,000 stores with 9 different lines of optimally delicious organic foods for your growing family.

Our family added to our stockings this year the HAPPYSQUEEZE super fruit and super grains organic smoothie. Perfect for an in between meals snack, a morning pick me up, or just because. My family love these, not only because they are totally portable anywhere, even fitting right into the Santa Shoes as my kids call them, but they taste great, are great for you with the USDA certified organic, and they are affordable. Who says that eating right and healthy has to cost your kids and family a fortune.

HAPPYFAMILY foods has a variety of lines for all stages of your family with baby foods, toddler snacks and drinks, but HAPPYFAMILY also offers a line of books and DVD’s to enhance your healthy lifestyle in all aspects. Their products are available at local retailers and specialty stores like Whole Foods and Kroger brand stores. Try adding these snacks to your Santa Shoes this year and your kids might thank you.

“Disclosure: I was provided with samples of HAPPYFAMILY Squeeze at no cost in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.”