what's in your bag?

finley's 2 week appointment: 7 pounds 3 ounces and now 21 1/2 inches long (yup ... she gained 3 inches in 2 weeks!!) go finley go!! and a picture, since i know everyone just wants to see her ... who cares what i write about anyways?

here is what the directions say on the side of the can: "for use on cows, thoroughly was treated teats and udder with separate towels before each milking. to avoid contamination after each milking, bathe the udder with plenty of hot water, strip milk out and dry skin. apply bag balm freely and massage gently with this proven ointment twice daily."

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this is my personal favorite for diaper rashes. it helps treat rashes and prevents diaper rashes from returning. i know it sounds bizarre, but it really works. my friend (thanks amy!!) gave it to me at one of my baby showers when i was pregnant with aidan. i recently decided to do some research online to see what other uses it could be good for and here is what i found out ...
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~ helps treat eczema (i'm testing this one out currently!!) aidan suffers from eczema pretty badly on his legs. the eczema cream we were using just wasn't cutting it. so i've been slathering it on his legs before i put him to bed every night. (then cover with pants ... it is pretty greasy) robby does not condone this behavior, as bag balm is not intended to be used like this. we actually got into a pretty heated discussion about it. i didn't listen and smothered him in the yellow goo anyways. and i must say that his legs have NEVER looked better ... seriously! it's like 99.9% gone after 3 days ... the only patch left is the really stubborn one on his ankle! HUZZAH!!!

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other uses that i haven't tried myself:
~ great on chapped, dry skin and lips
~ smother on your cracked heels, cover with socks and your feet will be velvety smooth in the morning.
~ good for treating acne (and acne scars)
~ reduces the appearance of scars
~ good overnight moisturizer on long dry hair
~ helps heal cuts and burns
~ cold sores
~ post-tattoo skin soother
~ sunburns
~ athlete's foot

~ jock itch
~ nursing nipples
~ soften cuticles
~ psoriasis
~ blisters
~ insect bites
~ stretch marks
~ wind burn
~ cradle cap (ya know, the dry scaly stuff on baby's heads -- nicole is going to test this one out on baby caleb!)
~ removing splinters (put a glob on splinter and cover it with a band-aid overnight, the splinter will be out and lying on the band-aid in the morning) it's like magic. (i almost want to give myself a splinter so i can see if this really works ... ALMOST)
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you can read some testimonials how some users have used bag balm in their life.
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it was invented in vermont in 1899, and is made from only three ingredients - 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate 0.3% (an antiseptic, providing protection against bacteria and fungi) in a petrolatum (prevents further moisture loss) and lanolin base(a replacement for the natural skin oils that get washed away. lanolin is a natural oil extracted from the wool of sheep without causing any harm to the animal. it is one the oils closest to the human sebum, making it an excellent moisturizing ingredient). it's thick and greasy (but easily spreadable), and a bit stinky (slightly medicinal, but the smell seems to dissipate semi-quickly).
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keep some by your changing table, in your medicine cabinet, next to your sink, on your nightstand, in the first aid kit in your car, your emergency pack, your office desk drawer, etc. you never know when you will need it and it has so many uses!!

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it's super cheap and one 10 ounce tin lasts FOREVER!!! up until last saturday i had only used about 2/3 of my tin in aidan's 19 months. unfortunately while i was napping today, robby was watching aidan in the living room and he dozed off for about 10 minutes. in that 10 minutes aidan found a purple crayon and drew on a few things (including my couch), spread baby wipes all over the living room, and got into the bag balm tin. he smeared the balm all over his hands and feet, and head ... including ALL over his face, and of course on my couch ... UGH!! yeah ... greasy hand prints ... any tips on getting it out?! needless to say robby gave him a bath ... but i no longer have 1/3 of my tin left. so i had to go out and purchase some more.

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then on monday robby called me up and asked if we wanted to buy some couches from some friends who were moving (rookie cookie) ... since our couches were NASTY ... and now had greasy bag balm handprints all over them, i said yes. check it out ... i LOVE them!! thanks whitney ... i'll miss you, but think about you everytime i see your couches!

pass the butter

my mom sent this to me ... i LOVE butter. and here are more reasons why you should too!

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"This is interesting"

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Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings.

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DO YOU KNOW.. The difference between margarine and butter?

• Both have the same amount of calories.
• Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams.
• Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.
• Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.
• Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few ... Only because they are added!
• Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.
• Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

And now, for Margarine...

• Very high in Trans fatty acids.
• Triple risk of coronary heart disease.
• Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)
• Increases the risk of cancers up to five fold.
• Lowers quality of breast milk.
• Decreases immune response.
• Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact.... HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!

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Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC.. This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

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You can try this yourself: Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things: * no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something) * it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?