Stater Bros gives free antiboitics
The Stater Bros grocery chain will give away a free refill or a 14-day supply of generic antibiotics to customers, with or without insurance, who present a prescription at one of their Southern California pharmacies.
The free antibiotics are:
– Amoxil (generic)
– Ampicillin
– Ciprofloxacin (Generic for Cipro)
– Doxycycline
– Erythromycin
– Penicillin
– Trimeth/sulfa (Generic for Septra or Bactrim)
– Tetracycline
Stater Bros also offers 300 medications that are just $4 for a 30-day supply or $10 for a 90-day supply.
Good job Stater Bros! You’ve earned a gold star.
- Mama
Mama talks with Adria Vasil, Author of Ecoholic
I few weeks ago, I received a copy of Ecoholic by Adria Vasil. I loved the book so much that I asked her for an interview! The nitty gritty of our interview is listed below.
Mama: Ecoholic is loaded with tons of valuable information. How long did it take you to conduct research for the book? Was it difficult to convince companies to disclose the ingredients in their products?
Adria Vasil: Ecoholic is definitely a research-intense book – luckily I’m completely addicted to digging for dirt! I’ve been researching these topics non-stop for, oh, over 5 years, ever since I started the weekly Ecoholic Q&A column in 2004, which was the foundation for this book. My job’s a little easier now that more and more companies are finally fessing up to what ingredients are in their products – if they don’t, you have to wonder what they’re hiding.
Mama: Your book “names names” and gives the dirt on what not to buy and why. Why did you decide to give names?
Adria Vasil: It would easy for me to be really vague and say “stay away from products with bad chemicals in them and reach for cleaner ingredients,” but that doesn’t really help people make decisions when they’re shopping if they don’t know what to look for and which chemicals are really bad. I like to take the guesswork out for people and make it as easy for them to make the greenest choices. That’s why I not only tell you who to avoid but also give you websites for the good guys so you can track them down with one click.
Mama: How do you respond to individuals who do not believe global warming is an important issue?
Adria Vasil: You know, climate change can seem like such an abstract issue it can be hard for people to really grasp why it’s important to deal with today. But already today, right now, people are being evacuated from low-lying Pacific islands because melting-glaciers are raising sea levels -and every time we pump out dirty emissions here in North America, we’re partly responsible for that (the US produces 25% of the world’s climate-cooking carbon dioxide!). Plus if you are a mom, you’ve got to wonder what the world will be like when your kids and grandkids grow up – if we don’t change things quickly, those kids are going to be dealing with more severe drought, more intense hurricanes, coastal flooding, the list goes on. No mom out there would knowingly help that happen, so we just need to start helping peole connect the dots more.
Mama: It seems like you wrote this book because you got fed up with people “not knowing what to do”. Is this true?
Adria Vasil: You’re right! I really felt people needed to know more all the tiny little ways we could make a difference. I had actually started off as regular news journalist covering environmental and social issues and the more I wrote negative news about what was happening to the planet, the more important starting the Ecoholic column became to me. I wanted a space where readers could write in looking for answers and solutions to everyday green questions. And writing the Ecoholic book was just a really great way of getting these kinds of solutions out to even more people across the continent.
Mama: I love the picture on the front cover. Whose idea was that?
Adria Vasil: My friend Dustin and I jammed on that! Dustin Rabin is an amazing photographer who usually takes photos for rock bands and celebrities and he came to me and said, “hey, what if we took a crack at shooting your new book cover?” We shot a bunch of different versions in my backyard that didn’t make it to the front cover but my favourite is the back cover shot of the top of my head looking up at an energy-efficient lightbulb!
Mama: Many people are not familiar with the term “Greenwash”, can you explain what it means?
Adria Vasil: Greenwashing is basically when a company paints a big green stripe down its back and tries to make itself or its products look more environmentally friendly than it is. It’s a massive problem now with everyone trying to cash in on the green trend. A product might put the word “organic” or “natural” in its name, but you flip it over and find out it only has maybe 2 organic ingredients and the rest are dodgy chemicals. Or the product says it’s recycled, but it’s actually bleached with harmful chemicals, that kind of thing. I try to warn readers about this every chance I get!
Mama: What advice would you give to consumers who want to live a more eco-friendly, sustainable life but cannot afford to buy organic food, or trade in their car for a more energy efficient one?
Adria Vasil: Honestly, going green doesn’t have to cost you anything – in fact it can save you cash. Just look at our grandparents – they were environmentalists without even knowing it whenever they turned off the lights, reused their aluminum foil, kept the house cooler in winter, canned their own local produce in season – all in the name of saving money! Even if you can’t afford to buy organic, it won’t cost you more to look for fruits and veggies grown close to home (plus you can score serious deals on farm-direct organic produce when you go through CSAs,Community Supported Agriculture). And even if you can’t afford to buy a hybrid, you can drive less aggressively to save 40% more fuel than when you race between stop signs, and you can look into setting up a carpooling listserv at work or with your kids little league to see if there are other moms driving from your direction. I made sure to load up Ecoholic with tons of tips like that on greening your life that actually keep more cash in your pocket than not.
Mama: In this book, you talk about everything from beauty and baby products to traveling and reusing sports equipment. Did you have to leave anything out?
Adria Vasil: Even though this book is rammed with 360 pages covering nearly every topic under the sun (from greener schools to a greener sex life!), I was still way over word count when I originally wrote Ecoholic. Unfortunately we couldn’t fit it all in, but that just means I’ll have to include those bits in future books!
Mama: What are your next project(s)?
Adria Vasil: Ecoholic Home edition is finished and coming to the Canadian market later this fall – hopefully it will be coming to the US soon too!
Hula hoop those pounds away
I remember my first Hula Hoop. My parents, uh, I mean Santa Clause left it for me under the Christmas tree. It was bright pink with white stripes. When I spun it on my hips, I could hear the magical sounds of little rocks moving inside of my Hula hoop. I spent many hours of my childhood Hula hooping with my cousin in our living room.
In a country where 60% of all adults are either overweight or obese (that’s a lot of extra pounds folks) people are turning to Hula hoops to help them drop clothes sizes, tone abs, and feel better about themselves. Hula hooping for 30 minutes burns about 150 calories.
Hula hooping is good for kids too. Can’t get your child to exercise? Give them a Hula hoop and let them hoop all night long. The extra pounds will start to disappear in no time.
I have a few friends who hate going to the gym but are desperate to loose a few pounds…guess what Santa is getting them for Christmas? A Hula Hoop!
- Mama
Low Self-Esteem and my battle to overcome it
I’ve always had low self-esteem, but I never realized how bad it truly was until I developed anorexia the start of my freshman year in High School.
I had no clue why I was doing this to myself. I started skipping lunch in school because I just wanted to lose ten pounds. But that wasn’t good enough. I weighed myself 3 or 4 times a day. I would exercise in my room constantly. I would feel bad even if I ate just one piece of fruit.
Eventually, I become so concerned with my weight, I wouldn’t chew gum or drink water. I was always comparing myself with my friends’ bodies. I hated myself. I never went out with my friends anymore because, I was afraid we would go out to eat or something, and I could not bare that idea.
One day my mother decided to take me into the bathroom and weigh me. I went from weighing 140 pounds to 103 pounds in three months. I am 5′5″ so I was never overweight. My mother broke down.
My parents tried to get me to go and see a doctor. They arranged for me to have a complete physical, but really it was more than that. It was for them to talk to me and try and make me understand that I had a eating disorder.
I still couldn’t see it no matter what people were telling me. My parents would fight with me every night about it. They didn’t understand me anymore. I was restless, I was always so tired but could never sleep. Finally I had to see a counselor and doctor.
Over the course of a year, I have become the stronger person even before my anorexia. Seeking help made all the difference and I am truly happy now.
- Anonymous
Recession = better health?
It is difficult to find good news about the recession but I found a little good news that I wanted to share with you all.
According to a report by researchers from the University of Michigan, a bad economy may have a positive effect on health.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, life expectancy increased for nonwhite men and women. Life expectancy for nonwhite men grew by 8.1 years between 1929 and 1933. Life expectancy for nonwhite women grew by 8.2 years during the Depression, according to the study.
The research is interesting. It might be “just what the doctor ordered” for nonwhite men and women. However, I am curious to know what the statistics are for white men and women.
- Mama
Mistakes Were Made!
Ever make grilled pizza? Yeah you should, it’s fun. I did once for a gathering and used a plastic spatula to flip the crust. Yes, plastic. I left it on the grill and it melted and oozed orange plastic all over everything.
One of my guests, the one who happened to give me that spatula as part of a birthday gift called out when I held up the remaining handle and metal, “Mistakes were made!”
Yes, mistakes are made.
We gossip and tattle.
We don’t say what we really mean.
We make promises we know we can’t keep.
We lie.
I’ve done worse than melt a plastic spatula on a grill. I’ve told secrets I should’ve kept to myself. I’ve exaggerated problems that weren’t so big, but became huge after I opened my big mouth. I’ve burnt bridges knowingly and live with the singe of regret.
Mistakes were made. And I’ve learned from each and every one.
Unpack your mistakes. Are some of them still too hot to handle? The ones that are cool to the touch, when you look at them from all sides can you see what you’ve learned?
I’ve learned from my mistakes and know that I’m a grown-*ss woman because I can admit them, determine the lesson learned, and move forward. That’s what mistakes are for you know. We all goof, it’s part of being human. Let’s all take one giant step forward!
- Aunt B
Mama’s Monday Favorite: ONNO Hemp, Bamboo and Organic Cotton clothes
I love ONNO’s Hemp and Organic Cotton Clothes.
ONNO’s shirts are made with sustainable fibers: bamboo, hemp and organic cotton. Bamboo is softer than cotton and wicks moisture away from your skin to keep you cool. Organic cotton is grown without the use of pesticides and insecticides. Organic cotton feels good and does not transfer pesticide residue to your skin. Hemp provides superior performance compared to cotton (even organic cotton). Hemp fibers are more durable, provide better UV protection and wick moisture away from your skin.
ONNO’s shirts are produced using socially responsible manufacturing. You won’t find their clothes in a developing country sweatshop.
Still not convinced? ONNO buys carbon offsets to balance the harm they do from transporting their shirts from here to there.
- Mama
**Mama’s Monday Favorite is the sole opinion of Mama. No monetary compensation was received for the feature. If you have a product that Mama might absolutely love, send Mama one of your products. If she likes it, she might list it as a Mama’s Monday Favorite.
Save the boobs ad: a hidden surprise
When I first saw the video below, I was a little shocked. I was like…”Another breast implant commercial”. But, it was catchy enough to keep my attention and I was surprised by what I saw at the end of the ad.
Tell me what you think.
- Mama
