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The Dirty Dozen

January 3, 2011 by

A goal of the new year is to get back to healthier eating. We’ve always done pretty good but I’ve gotten lazy and also bored with our tried and true recipes. Nothing sounds appealing anymore. My mission is to come up with some new recipes or revamp our existing goodies.

To start I researched the foods we should and shouldn’t be eating. We’ve never fully gone organic but I need to be more conscious of what goes into our bodies. Below is a list of the Dirty Dozen; the list of produce that should be avoided unless grown organically. Pesticides and herbicides are toxic and can’t just be rinsed off.
fruits
• Celery- with no skin to protect it, celery is one of the most contaminated veggies out there
• Peaches- it’s skin get sprayed with pesticides to keep insects away
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Nectarines
• Bell Peppers
• Spinach
• Kale
• Cherries
• Potatoes
• Grapes (Imported)

Local farms, farm stands, farmers markets and things like that are your best bet. While most farms and orchards are certified organic many of them utilize the same practices. The certification process is expensive but just ask questions. Farm to table is the healthiest, freshest and usually tastiest way to eat.
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The Clean Fifteen

August 29, 2011 by

We’ve all heard about the Dirty Dozen; the list of potentially contaminated fruits and veggies. This list contains the produce that typically harbor the highest percentage of pesticide residue.

The Clean 15 is the list of produce that contain generally low amounts of pesticides due to their outer covering, rind or chemical make-up. Strong smelling onions are naturally pest resistant due to their odor.

  1. Onions
  2. Corn
  3. Pineapples
  4. Avocados
  5. Asparagus
  6. Sweet Peas
  7. Mangoes
  8. Eggplant
  9. Domestic Cantaloupe
  10. Kiwi
  11. Cabbage
  12. Watermelon
  13. Sweet Potatoes
  14. Grapefruit
  15. Mushrooms

The best route to take when selecting fresh produce is stay local and thoroughly rinse everything before eating and cooking. Eating lots of fruits and vegatables regardless of the list they come from far outweighs the risks of ingesting the residual pesticide on it’s skin or flesh.

 

I Disclose




Why You Should Hire an Airport Transfer Instead of Taking a Cab

January 6, 2023 by

You have just gotten off an airplane. Your clothes are rumpled, you feel dirty, and you’re annoyed. You fumble with your phone to order a ridesharing service and find that cab prices are sky high and a Lyft or Uber will take a long time to get to you. This can be especially stressful if you’re trying to get from one airport to another. Once you’re in the cab or Uber, you may have a long and uncomfortable ride. The car may not be clean, and the driver’s skills may not be good. They may not get you to your destination in time. Fortunately, limousine services will pick you up from the airport right on time, in a luxury car, with a professional driver.

Airport Transfers

According to Majestic Limousines, the Miami area is served by seven different airports. International flights often require a person to go from one airport to another to get wherever they are going. Sometimes, you may only have a couple of hours between flights. A cab or ride-share service driver may not consider your flight schedule. When you book a rideshare service in advance, the call for a driver will simply go out when you have scheduled your ride. A driver may not be available. Many airports require ride-share service drivers to have a special permit to pick up passengers at the airport. Hence some drivers will avoid the airport altogether.

Taxi drivers often wait in line at the airport. They will charge a hefty price to take you downtown or to a hotel. Cab drivers wait a long time in those lines at the airport, and they do so in the hopes of getting a long ride and good fare. They may not be thrilled if you’re only going to another airport. When you hire a car service, then you can contact the airport transfer portsmouth will know exactly when your flight lands, even if it will be late. They will also know when your connecting flight is leaving from what airport, and if the arrival or departure times have been changed.

A More Comfortable Ride

Uber and taxis transport dozens of people a day. The drivers often do not have a chance to clean their vehicles in between rides. Professional limo services have a chance to clean their cars between rides. Anyone with a car and a halfway decent driving record can work for a rideshare service. Taxi drivers in Florida are not required to have a commercial driver’s license unless they drive a vehicle designed to carry over 16 people. Most car services hire professional limo drivers with CDLs. They also provide extensive training.

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Professional limo companies do background checks on their drivers. They will look at their driving record and criminal history, so your ride will be extra safe. If you use a ride-share service, you may have to stuff all your luggage into a compact car and sit in the back with your knees in your mouth for the entire ride. A car service will provide you with a luxury vehicle with a huge trunk. You can sit in the back and enjoy music, bottled water, and snacks on your way to your destination. A ride in a chauffeured car is a great start to any business trip or vacation. You will arrive where you’re going in comfort and style.




I’m a Mom With ADHD: Here is How I Manage

July 12, 2022 by

  

Growing up in the 1990s, you probably heard about ADHD in passing. It was a diagnosis almost always assigned to boys, treated with stimulants and surrounded by a negative stigma as with most mental health conditions. For a long time, it was thought to be a condition of childhood that we would outgrow as we reached adulthood. An expanded understanding of ADHD teaches us that it couldn’t be further from the truth. 

New studies have found that if one or more children are diagnosed with ADHD, it’s highly likely that at least one parent also lives with the condition. Contrary to popular belief, Dad does not always carry those genetics. I’m a mom with ADHD. If you’re in the same boat, here’s how I manage. 

ADHD Looks Different in Girls

We tend to picture an ADHD diagnosis as a young child who can’t sit still in class and who struggles with focus and might not do well in school because of it. These symptoms might be typical of ADHD in boys, but in girls, they can present entirely differently. Rather than being hyperactive like their male counterparts, ADHD presents as being inattentive. We spend time daydreaming and might have trouble paying attention, but since we lack the titular hyperactivity often used to diagnose ADHD, we are often overlooked as children. 

Girls with ADHD are also more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression. They may struggle with self-esteem and have a higher chance of turning to self-harm. 

How I Manage With My ADHD

Managing as an adult with ADHD isn’t easy, but once you know what you’re up against, it’s easier to craft a plan of attack. Here are a few things that have worked well to help me manage my ADHD. 

Building a Routine

I get it — life can be downright chaotic at times. When you’re managing calendars for multiple people and may need to develop the ability to teleport to make sure everyone makes it to school, work, appointments, rehearsals and practices on time, setting up a routine might seem like an impossible task. In reality, having my routine in place has been a lifesaver for managing my ADHD. 

I have a list of things I need to accomplish to start my day correctly. They might not have to happen in the same order or at the same time, but I need to complete all these tasks before I can jump into any other tasks. The same goes for my evening routine. I must complete these tasks before I can wind down for the night. If you don’t already have a routine in place, start by taking small steps. Adopt one new task at a time. Trying to change too much about your routine could be overwhelming. 

Break Down Tasks Into Manageable Bites

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. If you’re trying to tackle a huge job, start by breaking it down into more manageable steps. For example, let’s say that Sunday is your chore day. You’ve got a list of things you need to do on Sunday because you work the rest of the week and it’s your only day off. Trying to take on the entire list can be incredibly overwhelming. For someone with ADHD, getting overwhelmed can lead to shutting down. You’ve got so much to do that you don’t know where to start, so you give up, and nothing gets done. 

Back to your chore list, start by breaking it down by room. Then, look at the tasks for each room and break them down into even smaller tasks. The bathroom chore list for a neurotypical person might look something like this: 

  • Clean sink
  • Scrub toilet. 
  • Scrub shower
  • Hang fresh towels

It seems pretty straightforward until you sit down and think of all the steps that go into each task. For me, the bathroom chore list looks something like this.

  • Clean counter
  • Move toothbrushes
  • Spray sink with cleaner
  • Scrub sink
  • Rinse
  • Put toothbrushes back.
  • Spray toilet with cleaner
  • Scrub toilet
  • Flush. 
  • Spray shower with cleaner.
  • Scrub shower
  • Rinse.
  • Move dirty towels to the laundry
  • Hang fresh towels
  • Empty trash. 

It seems like a lot, but each of these tasks is small and easy to complete, so the entirety of the chore list doesn’t seem so overwhelming. Yes, my Sunday chores might have dozens of to-dos, but each is small enough that I can manage them without too much trouble.

Recognizing My Limits

This challenge might not have much to do with my ADHD diagnosis, but I tend to be a perpetual people pleaser. I say yes when I should say no and take on more tasks than I have the energy to handle because I don’t want to be a disappointment. Instead of recognizing my limits and sticking to my boundaries, I would blow right past them and push myself into burnout. 

Learn how to recognize your limits. Know when you need to step away, even if it’s just for a few minutes to recharge. Don’t let people stomp on your boundaries. 

Staying Organized

One of the most challenging things to manage with ADHD is our problems with object permanence. Out of sight, out of mind takes on a literal meaning for us. If we put something away in a drawer, box or safe place to ensure that we don’t lose it, you can almost guarantee that we’ll never find it or think about it again. We also have a habit of creating ‘doomboxes’ — repositories for everything we have no other place. These boxes, drawers or cubbies will accumulate items that we’ll forget about, again due to that issue with object permanence.

Staying organized is one of the biggest challenges for people with ADHD. You don’t need to spend much money on coordinated storage boxes or other supplies. Sometimes, something as simple as taking the doors off your cabinets so you can see what you have can help make organization a little easier. 

You’re Not Alone

Living as an adult with ADHD might seem impossible. We’re in a world built for and by neurotypicals. We must mask our symptoms to fit in; even then, we tend to stand out. If you take nothing else away from this article, remember this — you are not alone. There are others out there that share your struggles. 

 




How do I keep ants off my strawberries? |

February 7, 2022 by

I am a bot who will answer your questions in detail. I have been programmed to provide thorough answers and detailed information, so please be gentle with me!

The “how to stop strawberries being eaten” is a question that has been asked many times. There are various ways to prevent ants from eating your strawberries, but the most common way is to use borax powder.

To keep sugar ants at bay, grow ant-repellent plants like tansy, spearmint, or catnip. Ants will be put off by the strong aroma of these plants, which will keep them away from the strawberries. Cuttings from these plants may also be used to strew across the strawberry area.

What’s more, what’s eating my strawberries?

Invaders of the Invertebrates Pests such as slugs, snails, earwigs, and aphids are all frequent. To attract and drown slugs and snails, bury a small dish of beer near the strawberries at ground level.

Is vinegar also effective against ants? Try a solution of white vinegar and water. Ants hate vinegar, and you can manufacture a cheap and simple insecticide using vinegar and water. In a spray bottle, combine vinegar and water in a 50/50 solution. To kill the ants, spray it straight onto them, then wipe them up with a moist paper towel and toss them.

Do ants harm strawberry plants in light of this?

The Downside. Ants may wreak havoc in your landscape. They may consume the majority of your strawberry crop while also infesting your strawberry bed with aphids. Furthermore, when ant populations grow, they want more space and will cover strawberry sprouts with earth to construct nests, destroying the sprout.

Is it okay to use Dawn dish soap on plants?

While commercial insecticidal soap sprays are easily accessible, DIY insecticidal soap sprays produced from liquid dishsoap are safe to use if properly prepared. A mild solution of 2 teaspoons liquid dish soap combined with 1 gallon water works well and is safe for most ornamental plants.

Answers to Related Questions

When it comes to watering strawberries, how frequently should you do it?

Watering. Strawberry plants need consistent watering, particularly during fruiting season, when they require an average of 1-2 inches of water daily. Using a drip or soaker hose put at least two inches away from the plant is the best method to water strawberries.

What parasites wreak havoc on strawberries?

While birds may be a nuisance for anybody producing berries, there are also a number of insect and mollusk pests to contend with. Slugs, strawberry bud weevils, tarnished plant bugs, spittlebugs, and strawberry sap bugs are the most prevalent strawberry pests.

Is it true that coffee grounds are beneficial to strawberry plants?

Coffee grinds are fantastic for the garden. Coffee grounds are acidic, so scatter them around lemon trees and other acid-loving plants like berries (strawberries, blueberries, etc. ), potatoes, and certain ornamentals like roses, camellias, and azaleas.

How can you healthily keep slugs away from strawberries?

Spray the garden with 4 teaspoons dish soap in 1 gallon of water to get rid of insects. Beer is seductive to slugs. Dig a hole near your fresh strawberry bushes and place a container in it. The rim of the container should be flush with the soil surface.

What’s eating my strawberry plants’ leaves?

Earwigs or slugs and snails might be eating the leaves of your strawberry bushes. They prefer to hide in the garden behind leaves and bark. Scrunch up newspaper and spread it around your strawberry bushes; the earwigs will hide in the newspaper, which you can throw away or recycle.

What’s the deal with my strawberries being so small?

Strawberries get small because of overcrowding.

To produce lush strawberries, each strawberry plant needs enough soil and water. The most frequent reason is weeds, although strawberries may also overflow their permitted area due to outrunners.

What is it that is consuming my plants at night?

Slugs and snails like wet, shaded regions and eat irregular-shaped holes in leaves (but not along theedges). Come out at night with a flashlight and inspect beneath leaves to discover whether snails and slugs are the plant-eating culprits. Slugs will also devour fruit that has fallen to the ground.

Do you prune strawberry plants’ runners?

When Should Strawberry Runners Be Cut?

Because many people like to pinch off runners to let plants to focus their energy on producing huge fruits, you may snip them off as they emerge and pot them instead of throwing them away. Pull each runner away from the motherplant with care.

Are strawberries safe for ants to eat?

Ants in the garden help to aerate the soil and feed on a range of insect pests, but they may also wreak havoc on your strawberry plants. Strawberry bushes are occasionally visited by ants that enjoy the tasty berries. Aphids are likely to be present if you find ants on your strawberries.

What should I use to keep pests away from strawberries?

The rabbits will not consume young berry bushes if blood meal is added into a gallon of water or if an Epsom saltspray is used. Combine 4 teaspoons dish soap with 1 gallon of water to make your own insecticidal soap. Fill a spray bottle with water and spray the aphids. Ladybugs in the garden may also aid in the control of these pests.

Are there bugs in strawberries?

Strawberries, like many other fruits and vegetables, are brimming with small, practically microscopic insects. In the case of the strawberry, it’s a little white bug that hides among the seeds and other white sections of the fruit, measuring around one millimeter in length.

Strawberries are safe for dogs to consume.

Strawberries, like blueberries, are a nutritious powerhouse for you and your dog. Strawberries, like their blue siblings, are high in antioxidants. They are also rich in fiber and vitamin C. Strawberry also contains an enzyme that will help whiten your dog’s teeth, which is a nice addition.

What is the best way to get rid of ants in my yard without harming my plants?

Without using pesticides, here’s how to get rid of ants in your garden.

  1. Get some chalk and crush it.
  2. Fill ant hills with boiling water.
  3. Throughout your garden, sprinkle diatomaceous earth or bone meal.
  4. Fill an 8-oz. jar with enough catmint, peppermint, or sage cuttings.
  5. Dry grits should be sprinkled around the plants.
  6. Cucumber peelings should be used to cover the space surrounding the plants.

An ant’s diet consists of what it eats.

Many ants consume sweet nectar, or the liquid produced by plants. They also eat the delicious ‘honeydew’ liquid produced by aphids (aphids are another kind of insect). Ants may also be seen devouring oranges, mangoes, and other delicious fruits.

What is the best way to get rid of ants in my garden?

The techniques listed below have been shown to effectively remove ants both outside and within the ant nest:

  1. Water is on the boil. Boiling water is the most well-known natural ant eradication technique.
  2. Liquid dishwashing and oil
  3. Boric acid and sugar are both good for you.
  4. Vinegar that is white.
  5. Nematodes.
  6. Diatomaceous earth is a kind of diatomaceous earth that is (DE).
  7. Plants that repel insects.

What plants are ant-repellent?

Catnip, pennyroyal, peppermint, sage, and spearmint are some of the plants that repel ants. It’s possible that scattering the leaves of these plants in parts of your home where ants have been detected would keep them away. Tansy will be working with sugar ants, which you may have seen in your kitchen.

Do ants wreak havoc on sunflowers?

Aphids and Sunflowers

They pierce the plants with their sharp, tubular jaws and drink the sap. They do minimal harm in tiny quantities. However, as their numbers grow, the leaves may begin to twist and yellow, finally drying up and dropping off.




How Your Home Might Be Making You Sick

November 9, 2021 by

You might think of your home as the safest place in the world. But it could, in all reality, be a very dangerous place to live. We spend so much time building safe and aesthetically pleasing places for ourselves and our families that we ignore all the hidden hazards we have all around the house. Some of these things are simple, ordinary, seemingly benign household items and/or conditions like air conditioning units, damp walls, or even scented candles. Even hard water can be harmful, which is why products like the Whirlpool water softener are so instrumental towards healthy living. Here’s just a few items that might be making you dangerously sick in your home sweet home.

Mold

If your home is poorly ventilated, it could cause dampness which is not only bad for the house’s structural support, but it can create mold spores that, for some, could prove fatal. Poor ventilation will cause walls to crack and wood to rot. It can spread throughout the house and create mold in all sorts of places you can’t see, like under wallpaper, behind kitchen appliances, all-around bathroom fixtures, on basement walls, and more.

Mold can lead to numerous respiratory problems like allergies and even an immune system that’s so weakened you could die. Says the World Health Organization, damp living conditions are responsible for more than 300 million asthma cases worldwide. If your home is full of mold, don’t try to mitigate the problem on your own. Instead, look into hiring professional mold removal contractors ASAP.

Soiled Bedding

According to MSN.com, you spend nearly a third of your life sleeping. While you sleep, your bedding is exposed to everything from sweat, to dirt, to dust, to lotions, to make-up. The problem is, some people fail to wash their bedding sheets, blankets, and comforters regularly. This can lead to skin irritations and conditions like eczema, allergies, lung infections, and more. It can also attract dust mites which love to consume dead, dry skin. Therefore, it’s recommended that you wash your bedding once every two weeks at a minimum.    

Asbestos Contamination

Asbestos was once utilized as a common construction material. Up until the late 1970s, it was used in everyday home finishes like tile flooring, wallboard, ceiling tiles, and insulation. However, in the 1960s, it was found that prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers was one of the leading causes of deadly cancer, mesothelioma. Therefore, if you live in an older home constructed between the years 1920 and 1979, it’s a good idea to have it tested for asbestos presence. Once your home has tested positive, you need to hire a professional asbestos removal contractor to do away with it.     

Home Tech

Your home would not be complete without all the modern tech and gadgetry that keeps you entertained and informed. For instance, how often does your entire family touch the TV remotes on any given day? Dozens of times to be sure. Yet rarely do you ever think of cleaning them. Experts state that gadgets like TV remotes, computer keyboards, phones, and more can be tainted with staphylococcus, E.coli, and even COVID-19. Therefore, it’s recommended you clean your household gadgets on a regular basis in order to avoid sickness.   

Scented Candles

Scented candles might be nice to look at and smell, but they can be toxic in a word. The petroleum and coal-based ingredient paraffin wax is contained in many scented candles. As you burn them, you are releasing toxic chemicals into your living environment. To make matters worse, the toxic compounds also include crude-oil-derived acetone, a key component of paint stripper. If you still wish to have scented candles around the house, you should look for products made with beeswax or soy. You might pay a little more, but your and your family’s health is worth it.

Bad Air

Polluted air is not something relegated only to major cities like New York and Los Angeles. Air impurities can often pollute your own home and, at the same time, have an adverse effect on your overall health. Tobacco smoke is one obvious pollutant. But others can come from gas-burning appliances that leak gas fumes and air conditioners that contain dirty filters. If your home is suffering from bad air, you might want to invest in an air purifier that can help circulate good air around your home while ridding it of toxic air.

There’s no safer place to be than your home. Or so you might have assumed. But the hidden dangers that surround you in your own house are plentiful and, in some cases, very dangerous to life and limb. It’s a good idea to thoroughly check your home to eliminate as many of these dangers as possible. When it comes to things like mold contamination, asbestos pollution, and gas leaks, you’ll want to hire certified professionals to safely correct them.