Summer Reading for Preschoolers

This post is probably the third
in a series of Summer reading posts that I am preparing right now.
Sorry, they may appear to be out of order right now but in the end
they may make sense.
I have made up a list of some of some really good living books for
preschoolers. They are predominately picture books, or books
that engage the eye for the youngster while Mom reads the story.
This helps to teach the child listening and observation skills and
the ability to sit still for longer periods of time, not to mention
vocabulary and language development.

I always recommend reading to your child while he is still in the womb,
a short way of saying, "start as early as you can." Do not worry about
comprehension, or "reading over their heads." They are getting it and
especially as your child gets older you will hear him using vocabulary
that you know he got from some of your read alouds and it is used correctly!

A few years ago I tested Jonathan (now 18) on some grammar usage and
he scored 100% easily and I have never taught him any grammar at all.
Do not under estimate the example set by correct and repeated usage. I
also have been quite lax (a confession) on teaching writing skills
to my boys, and yet, Graydon(15) has a fantastic blog! What a great
writer he is.
Reading aloud is probably the single greatest thing you can do for
your child's education! Start early and keep going until they are
well into their teenage years! I am still reading aloud subject
matter that I know my sons will probably not tackle on their own
but I do want to introduce them to and whet their appetite. It is
so easy with read alouds.

In the list below I have attached links to the titles to help you
visually find these books any time you are out at book sales or
garage sales but unfortunately, many pages on Amazon do not even
have pictures but I attached the link anyway just so you can get
a feel for the book and perhaps it recall to your memory and you
will be able to find it anyway. I do believe in building you own
personal library so borrow them from the library if you must the
first time but for sure as you can see your child enjoying them, order
or locate a copy for his own to cherish over the years.

And above all, do not do what I saw one young mom do, discard those
precious books when they are below your child's reading level. They
are cherished friends to your child's heart! Keep them for as long
as he/she wants them. Maybe, they might want to pass them on to their
children!

Here are some of my favorites for the preschool age:

Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey

Make Way for Ducklings (Viking Kestrel Picture Books)

The Complete Adventures of Curious George

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by
Virginia Lee Burton

The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown

Ox-Cart Man, by Donald Hall

Corduroy, by Don Freeman

Cowboy Small (Lois Lenski Books) by Lois Lenski

The Biggest Bear, by Lynd Ward

A Is for AnnabelleIs for Annabelle, by Tasha Tudor

Thy Friend, Obadiah (Picture Puffins), by Brenton Turkle

Stone Soup (Stories to Go!), by Marcia Brown

Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales, by Beatrix Potter

BLAZE AND THE GYPSIES, by C.W. Anderson

The Story about Ping (Reading Railroad Books), by Marjorie Flack

The Little Engine That Could: The Complete, Original Edition (A Platt & Munk Classic), by Watty Piper

Andy and the Lion (Picture Puffins), by James Daugherty

They Were Strong and Good, by Robert Lawson

Madeline, Reissue of 1939 edition, by Ludwig Bemelmans

Madeline's Rescue, by Ludwig Bemelmans

Paddle-to-the-Sea (Sandpiper Books), by Holling C. Holling

Abraham Lincoln, by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire

1 Is One, by Tasha Tudor

The baby house, by Norma Simon

A APPLE PIE, by Kate Greenaway

500 Words to Grow On, by Harry McNaught

Wild Horses of the Red Desert, by Glen Rounds

Lentil (Picture Puffins), by Robert McCloskey

Cecily G. and the 9 Monkeys (Curious George)by H.A. Rey

The Abc Bunny (Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book Series), by Wanda Gag

Wheel on the Chimney, by Margaret Wise Brown

Small Rain: Verses from the Bible, by Elizabeth Orton Jones

Tootle, by Gertrude Crampton

Hansel and Gretel, by Eloise Wilkin

The Steadfast Tin Soldier, by Robert M. Quackenbush

BUSY DAY BUSY PEOPLE by Tibor Gergely (A Random House BEST BOOK CLUB EVER Selected Edition Softcover), by Tibor Gergely

The Boy With a Drum, by Eloise Wilkin

Obadiah the Bold, by Brinton Turkle

White Snow, Bright Snow, by Alvin Tresselt

The Big Snow (Stories to Go!), by Berta and Elmer Hader

Dinosaurs: Those Terrible Lizards, by Duane T. Gish

Noah's Ark (Picture Yearling Book)">Noah's Ark, by Peter Spier

Scuffy the Tugboat (Little Golden Book & CD) , by Gertrude Crampton

The Little Red Caboose (Little Golden Book), by Marian Potter

Honey Bear, by Dixie Willson

Birds a Childs First Book About Our Most Familiar Birds, by Eloise Wilkin

WILD ANIMALS FROM ALLIGATOR TO ZEBRA, by Arthur Singer

Little Bear Boxed Set: Little Bear, Father Bear Comes Home, and Little Bear's Visit, by Else Holmelund Minarik

My Teddy Bear (Little Golden Books), by Eloise Wilkin

Animal Babies, by Harry McNaught

We Help Daddy (Little Golden Books), by Eloise Wilkin

PS, I have just spent 3 hours placing and correcting these links over and over again and so it seems, technology has overcome me again and they still, for the most part do not work. I will continue to see what is wrong and try, try, try to get them fixed, but in the meantime, please copy and paste the links that do not work into the Amazon browser and they should come up just fine. My apologies!

Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily

Natural beauty-skin deep! Part 1

I have been exploring some natural skins care products over the years looking, searching for something to replace just about everything in my makeup case over time. I am a confirmed label reader but as you might agree nobody can even pronounce the ingredient list on your average eyeshadow package let alone actually understand what most of the ingredients are. Not only are they too small to read(intentionally?) but the words are seemingly not even in English. They appear to be all words you should have learned in your high school chemistry class, but didn't. AND with the recent news over the very common use of lead in lipsticks, and quite a few other chemical hazards, I started tightening my intent on finding something better.
So, if you do what many do and turn to your local health food store for any product they have to offer you will need to get a second job to afford them. And the ingredients are still questionable. Just because you CAN pronounce some of them doesn't mean that they are good for you or your body in general. (arsenic is totally natural, is easy to pronounce but completely lethal)

Below is an article from Dr Mercola's newsletter listing some the shocking ingredients in some common skin care and make up products.

Grab the bottles of skin moisturizers you currently use. You might find that your personal care products contain one or probably more of many potentially dangerous ingredients. Here are a few of the most common suspicious ingredients:

Mineral Oil, Paraffin, and Petrolatum – Petroleum products that coat the skin like plastic, clogging pores and creating a build-up of toxins, which in turn accumulate and can lead to dermatological issues. Slows cellular development, which can cause you to show earlier signs of aging. Suspected cause of cancer. Disruptive of hormonal activity. By the way, when there’s an oil spill in the ocean, don’t they rush to clean it up – fast? Why put that stuff on your skin?

Parabens – Widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic industry (including moisturizers). An estimated 13,200 cosmetic and skin care products contain parabens. Studies implicate their connection with cancer. They have hormone-disrupting qualities – mimicking estrogen – and interfere with the body’s endocrine system.

Phenol carbolic acid– Found in many lotions and skin creams. Can cause circulatory collapse, paralysis, convulsions, coma and even death from respiratory failure.

Propylene glycol – Used as a moisturizer in cosmetics and as a carrier in fragrance oils. Shown to cause dermatitis, kidney or liver abnormalities, and may inhibit skin cell growth or cause skin irritation. Acrylamide– Found in many hand and face creams. Linked to mammary tumors in lab research. Sodium laurel or lauryl sulfate (SLS), also known as sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)– Found in car washes, engine degreasers, garage floor cleaners… and in over 90% of personal care products! SLS breaks down the skin’s moisture barrier, easily penetrates the skin, and allows other
chemicals to easily penetrate. Combined with other chemicals, SLS becomes a
“nitrosamine”, a potent class of carcinogen. It can also cause hair loss. SLES
is sometimes disguised with the labeling “comes from coconut” or
“coconut-derived”.

Toluene – Poison! Danger! Harmful or fatal if swallowed! Harmful if inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Made from petroleum or coal tar, and found in most synthetic fragrances. Chronic exposure linked to anemia, lowered blood cell count, liver or kidney damage, and may affect a developing fetus. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) contains toluene. Other names may include benzoic and benzyl. Dioxane– Found in compounds known as PEG, Polysorbates, Laureth, ethoxylated alcohols. Common in a wide range of personal care products. The compounds are usually contaminated with high concentrations of highly volatile 1,4

Dioxane, easily absorbed through the skin. Dioxane’s carcinogenicity was first reported in 1965 and later confirmed in studies including one from the National Cancer Institute in 1978. Nasal passages and liver are the most vulnerable. Dioxane is easily removed during the manufacturing process by “vacuum stripping”. Warning: It is a synthetic derivative of coconut. Watch for hidden language on labels, such as “comes from coconut”. So, do you want to put these chemicals on your skin? Hopefully not... You’d be better served by switching to skin care products made of plant names you recognize, can pronounce, and could even eat (if you had to).

So my path to more friendly products have taken me to some interesting finds. As usual the answer is usually in your cupboard (or fridge) and it is this time as well. To replace any skin cleansers, soap, antibacterial cleansers, use food grade almond oil. For many years, even into ancient times, oil was used as a cleanser and it really does help break down just about any dirt or skin debris from everyday wear and tear. You will find blackheads dissolve, skin sloughing will happen daily and moisturizing is built right in. Almond oil is filled with antibacterial properties and vitamin E, a skin supplement and supporter. You can find almond oil in just about any drug store in with some other natural products such as caster oil and witch hazel. You will probably have to ask the druggist where it is as they are usually way down on the bottom shelf hidden in some obscure isle. (not big money makers, obviously)

I use almond oil in the evening to remove old make-up and moisturize for the night, or better still might be my most recent try, raw coconut oil. You will need to protect your pillow case as it will lead some dark oil stains on anything it comes in contact with for the night. Coconut oil has wonderful anti bacterial/anti viral properties, is helpful both internal and externally against acne and yeast problems.

To remove mascara safely use caster oil.(if you use mascara at all) Caster oil is a safe thick oil that can be applied with a q-tip. Here's how I do it. I first lightly scoop warm water onto the closed eye to soften mascara then dip a Q-tip in the oil and apply right away. Both the water and the oil together does an excellent job.

In the morning apply almond oil again as a night time clean up and toxin removal and then the next step you will need to dampen down the oily look with a homemade powder mix. I tried every ground product in my cupboard (rice flour, millet flour unifine ground even) and found each of them too grainy. Then I read in "The Cure for All Cancers," the chapter on natural personal products.

Use cornstarch or arrow root powder and (what I had already tried)-beet root powder.

Ha, At least I was on the right track, but going the wrong way with which powder to use. It worked great! I had purchased beet root powder from Azure Standard several years ago and it has faded somewhat but provided enough color to help me experiment and take the stark whiteness of the corn starch.You don't have to worry about getting the right pink color either. The redishness of beets seems to work well to pinken the powder and that is really all you need for now.

Next, lipstick. I discovered that glycerin has multiple uses. I mixed my beetroot powder with food grade glycerin and painted it on and found it is not only delicious (which is actually a problem) but it also gave a really nice glossy look. You can adjust the tint by adding more or less color. This is so far an OK alternative for stick lipstick although it is a little impractical for everyday use. It is just so good and I kept tending to lick it off! Oh well, at least it was not harmful going down!

Newsflash- just in- check out my daughter-in-law's site for a post on sending a free container of mineral make up - all you have to do is pay the shipping of 5.00.

Check out this site for keying in the name of specific make up products to see their ingredients and safety levels. Shocking!

Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily

They don't like it? Hide it!

Our fresh weekly garden share has me pressing my mind on how to use fresh wonderfully GREEN curly kale as much as possible. My daily reading right now is taken up in raw nutrition and I am actively searching for ways to incorporate all this wonderful fresh produce.

So far I have sneaked in several leaves of kale in our morning berry smoothie without evidence in either color (if it is a blueberry smoothie) or taste change either. It is quite amazing. Although kale is a tough green, if you cut off the stronger tasting spine, it blends really well into a smoothie. If your smoothie is a lighter color as in peach or pineapple some color does give you away, but I asked my sons to close their eyes and sip a pineapple/mango smoothie and neither one could tell that is was made with kale. (this blender picture has mango and kefir on bottom, then two leaves of kale, then a pile of marion berries.(cross between blackberries and raspberries) It was delicious!

I just started another book by Victoria Boutenko, Green for Life on the newest of her mastery list - green drinks (non smoothie-just greens) and am going to try some of the recipes this week and post some of the best later on in the week. But in the meantime here is a great starter green drink that is pretty (but colored green) and delicious, taken from her book 12 Steps to Raw Foods: How to End Your Dependency on Cooked Food


Green Drink
3 leaves of kale-any variety-with the spines removed.
1 whole apple
juice from 1 lemon

Blend and enjoy the surprisingly non green taste!

Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily

Gas prices got you down?

Hold on to your seatbelt. Water may be our rescue from high gas prices after all!

Take a look at this video my daughter in law posted on her blog recently. They are paying over 6.00 per gallon right now in Canada and I fear $5.00 per gallon may hit our pumps in Washington State by the end of this summer. Perhaps there is a good use for plastic bottled water in our cars after all.

Check this link out for more info on possible new forms of energy of the future. They all seem so simple. Could it be true? ....run your car on ....air?

What to do once informed of amalgam dangers!

"Rachel" wrote and asked what basically what to do once we are informed of the dangers of dental amalgams but still need cavity treatment. I thought this worthy of both a long term answer and a short one. Posted below is my short answer for now and I thought that I'd post a long more in depth answer in a week or so once I have had some time to research and articulate my thoughts.

In the meantime, please, all that have dental concerns and questions post a comment and I will try to address them all at once or in a series of posts. I am looking forward to our discussion on this very important health and family issue.

I've included Rachel's post below.

I am a 35 year old heath conscious mother of five girls! I do have Alzheimer's in my family history and have some major dental work that Ihave been putting off for too long. (I am about to loose one tooth and another is on the way) Could you point me in the right direction for safe dental work as I don't want all that mercury in my mouth! Thanks, Rachel

Dear Rachel, Thanks for your question. You have hit at the heart of the struggle that I think many of us feel as we become more and more aware of some of the dangers of modern dentistry practices.I will give you my short answer here and my long answer to your comment in another blog post hopefully early next week.

Immediate plan (my a short answer)
Allow no more additional amalgam in you or your families dental work. Refuse fluoride treatments (Fluoride is one of the most toxic chemicals known to man along with mercury)and allow as few ex rays as possible.

Do get cavities filled as quickly as possible, as root canals bring more health questions and concerns.

Any filling material that is used should be composite (white) materials and preferably non metal in their mix.

Educate yourself so you are armed with conviction and knowledge of what you want from your dentist so you are not intimidated by their "expertise". The assistants DO work for the dentist and therefore have their employers best interest at heart and not always the patients. (exrays make a lot of money for the dental offices)Know that you will get some resistance from dentists and their staff on these issues.

Long term plan. Find a healthy or natural dentist in your area, and being informed- discuss a plan for cavity prevention, amalgam removal, composite tolerance testing and natural treatments for other issues.

Above all DO not blatantly trust your dentist any more than you would unabashedly trust your medical doctor. They do not come from a whole body health perspective but a disease treatment perspective. Being informed and responsible for your own dental health is THE most protective and proactive thing you can do.

My long and more detailed answer will be posted in the next week. Thanks again for the comment, Rachel

Janet Langford
Living a Lifestyle of Learning Daily

It's Not What You Eat But What You Digest that Counts!

Our intestinal lining is populated by millions, and billions of (simply put) good and bad bacteria. But one the the plights of our North American culture is that even though our good bacteria should be about 85% and the bad about 15% to be in balance. Today's diet and lifestyle has caused a reversal of these two figures and we now have about 85% bad bacteria and 15% of the good guys competing and fighting for survival space.

What this means to you and I is that those good bacteria are what aids us in digestion. If we have 85 % bad and that bacteria does not aid in digesting but is completing for the nutrition that you think you are eating, you end up second in line. The bad bacteria is thriving on your grocery bill and you are starving and so compulsively eat more and more in order to get the same nutrition. The result is overweight issues, cravings for sweets and grains, and poor digestion, gas and constipation and usually belly fat in particular.

Poor good bacteria count = poor digestion = gas = malnutrition (and overweight tendencies) = disease.

Improving your diet, as in eliminating the bad diet choices are all important but are not enough for a robust return to good health. You also need to repopulate and maintain a good bacterial count in your intestinal tract.

It has bothered me for years when I heard the phrase, "You are not what you eat, but what you digest." I had no idea what that meant because I was under the understanding that what you put down your throat went into your stomach and was digested. (Where else did it go?)
How on earth do you improve your digestion, I wondered for years? The answer to that question is actually quite simple. Naturally soured fruits, vegetables and grains, and dairy, are the most natural way to aid in digestion by adding those wonderful digestive enzymes and probiotics back into your digestive process, aiding in correcting the imbalance problem.

The obvious benefits will be easier elimination, less gas indicating indigestion, improved digestion and absorption and the desire to eat less and without the heavy long digestion feeling, and ....drum roll please...weight loss.

Adding store bought probiotics is another way to repopulate your intestines, available in the refrigerator section of your Health Food Store, but adding a habit of eating natural probiotics will be even better.

Homemade sauerkraut is so easy to make and is so very nutritious. One of the added benefits to this probiotic feast is that it is by nature still raw and therefore is part of the raw total that you might be keeping a mental note of. (I am) I am now at about 60 - 80 % raw without really much effort at all and that alone is such a surprise that it is so easy. I've lost weight and am feeling great. I'm sold. Now if I can just convince my husband to try it! (another story, another day)

Natural, Simple RAW Sauerkraut

1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded
(a food processor with the "grate" disc does an excellent job)
1 T caraway seeds, optional but is a very nice addition
1 T Celtic or Himalayan salt
4 T whey (whey is the clearish liquid from raw milk when it is set out on the counter for several days until it separates. The term curds (cream or cottage cheese) and whey comes from this process.
or
you can use an additional Tablespoon of salt instead.

-Mix the grated cabbage with the caraway seeds and then pound all with a wooden pounder or mallet for about a 10 min to help release the juices. Place in a quart size jar. One medium cabbage fills a quart jar perfectly.

-Press down firmly until the juices flow to the top of the cabbage, making sure the top of the cabbage stays about 1 inch below the top of the jar.

-Cover tightly and let sit at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage. The fridge is fine. (Sample a little everyday until you have acquired a taste for wholesome naturally soured foods.)

Consume a tablespoon or more at each meal, especially at the heaviest or meat meal of the day and enjoy.

For a more complete information on how the digestion/bacteria process works see Dr Mercola's excellent article. (This is also a sales letter and promotion for his probiotic formula-sorry. I haven't used them but I would imagine that they are a good brand)

Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily

12 additives to definately avoid

Here are 12 good reasons to just eat plain wholesome food straight from the garden or farm. The effort it takes to read all the labels and chart what each item is in takes so long that it would be far more efficient just to eat straight from the source, good natural healthy and inexpensive food as God made it for us to eat.

Dr Mercola does it again. He lists the top 12 items that should never be consumed in a healthy diet. I have added my comments in this color.

1. Sodium Nitrate (also called Sodium Nitrite) This is a preservative, coloring, and flavoring commonly added to bacon, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, smoked fish, and corned beef. Studies have linked eating it to various types of cancer. ( It's the meat "products" word that is a give this one away. Altered, often pureed and filled with air that will aid in quick spoilage, not pure fresh meat. Fresh meat does need preserving other than refrigeration or freezing.)

2. BHA and BHT
Butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydrozyttoluene are used to preserve common household foods. They are found in cereals, chewing gum, potato chips, and vegetable oils. They are oxidants, which form potentially cancer-causing reactive compounds in your body. (Anytime you see these ingredients added to the packaging material "to retain freshness," consider it in the food as well! Don't buy it!)

3. Propyl Gallate
Another preservative, often used in conjunction with BHA and BHT. It is sometimes found in meat products, chicken soup base, and chewing gum. Animals studies have suggested that it could be linked to cancer. (note the word "meat products," not wholesome grass fed cuts of meat. If you have to have hot dogs or other processed meats then buy Shelton's brand or any other brand that has a clean conscience. ...those that don't use dangerous additives. They are around, you just have to find them)

4. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
MSG is an amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entrees, and restaurant food. It can cause headaches and nausea, and animal studies link it to damaged nerve cells in the brains of infant mice. (Watch for all the pseudo names for MSG. It lurks under many names)

5. Trans Fats
Trans fats are proven to cause heart disease. Restaurant food, especially fast food chains, often serve foods laden with trans fats. (I would rather go hungry than eat at a fast food restaurant. The more you know, the more it will change your life!)

6. Aspartame
Aspartame, also known by the brand names Nutrasweet and Equal, is a sweetener found in so-called diet foods such as low-calorie desserts, gelatins, drink mixes, and soft drinks. It may cause cancer or neurological problems, such as dizziness or hallucinations. (This is probably one of the most prevalent additives today and many people blindly accept as safe..or "they" wouldn't put it in pop")

7. Acesulfame-K
This is a relatively new artificial sweetener found in baked goods, chewing gum, and gelatin desserts. There is a general concern that testing on this product has been scant, and some studies show the additive may cause cancer in rats. (any artificial chemicalized sweetener is a bad idea. Remember, antifreeze is so sweet that dogs and cats will lick it up if found on a garage floor. They die very quickly and painfully even though the liquid tasted really good!)

8. Food Colorings: Blue 1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; Yellow 6
Five food colorings still on the market are linked with cancer in animal testing. Blue 1 and 2, found in beverages, candy, baked goods and pet food, have been linked to cancer in mice. Red 3, used to dye cherries, fruit cocktail, candy, and baked goods, has been shown to cause thyroid tumors in rats. Green 3, added to candy and beverages, has been linked to bladder cancer. The widely used yellow 6, added to beverages, sausage, gelatin, baked goods, and candy, has been linked to tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney. (anything that needs to be dyed for eye appeal is obviously not of good food quality anyway so if you see any product that has dye added put it back on the shelf,...an easy way to avoid this one!)

9. Olestra
Olestra, a synthetic fat found in some potato chip brands, can cause severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and gas. Olestra also inhibits healthy vitamin absorption from fat-soluble carotenoids that are found in fruits and vegetables. (simply don't eat potato chips)

10. Potassium Bromate
Potassium bromate is used as an additive to increase volume in some white flour, breads, and rolls. It is known to cause cancer in animals, and even small amounts in bread can create a risk for humans. (grind your own flour, ferment it over night and use the whole grain to make your own great tasting and nutritious breads and baking)

11. White Sugar
Watch out for foods with added sugars, such as baked goods, cereals, crackers, sauces and many other processed foods. It is unsafe for your health, and promotes bad nutrition. (my note- and of course, don't use it in your own kitchen. (Substitutes are stevia, honey, agave syrup, unsulphered molasses, rice syrup and maple syrup.)

12. Sodium Chloride
A dash of sodium chloride, more commonly known as salt, can bring flavor to your meal. But too much salt can be dangerous for your health, leading to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. (Use Celtic or Himalayan salt)

Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily