Thursday, November 6, 2014

On Dirty Dozen: When too "OC" becomes careless! (sometimes?)

Honey, my eldest, loves to eat fruits. She's familiar with apples, oranges or grapes as early as when she was 2 yrs old. But for some time in between, I stopped buying those fruits just because they are in the Dirty Dozen list.
And...somehow not buying those fruits affected my second child, Jiggy.
Ok! Ok! I admit! I had doubts and become paranoid when I read the article about dirty dozen thingy.

The Dirty Dozen List:
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a non-profit American environmental organization that specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of toxic chemicals, agricultural subsidies, public lands, and corporate accountability (source: Wikipedia).
This group checks the pesticides content on fruits and vegetables. These fruits and vegetables, as I understand, are rank according to the pesticide absorption amount. Thus Dirty Dozen is created to list down top-12 fruits having the highest substance content from pesticides.
Don't be alarm though, they also rank fruits and vegetables with less absorbed pesticide and called it Clean Fifteen.  
Based on the list, Apple ranks first!
Photo Credit: Trina from www.paleonewbie.com
I don't know how the group tested it but reality is that farmers put pesticides on their crops. And no matter how we, as consumers, washed and cleaned it, is that part of the pesticide substance may have been absorb by the fruits or vegetables which we may also absorbs it.
 

And me, as a mom, upon reading this thought of being careful on what to give to my children.
Being careful not to bring those dirty dozen fruits.
​I thought b​eing careful can do no harm!
I thought wrong!
 

Just recently, almost forgetting about this dirty dozen stuff, bought some apples and oranges. My kids have colds and thought of boosting their immune system through vitamins and minerals from fruits.
Well Jiggy, although knows what an apple or an orange is (from books), sees the fruit...
examines it...;
holds it...;
smells it...;
yet didn't bother to eat, not even a small bite.

He didn't even dare to imitate ate whose nibbling the apple with gusto :(
​And forcing him to eat it does not good either as he'll definitely spit it out.

Don't get me wrong, he loves loves banana, mango and avocado. 
He's just not familiar with apples and orange! (Just because the mom did not introduce it to him!)

I guess denying them to what is norm is absurd so minimal consumption of apples and oranges is "okey" for him to get acquainted and not be naive. 
"Tama ba, mommies?"

P.S.
We mix the apple with the banana and mango to make a smoothie and let him taste it.
Though he didn't consume the whole glass, its a wonderful start.

Monday, November 3, 2014

My Chun-li and My Tigger for Halloween 2014

I planned not to let my kids join Halloween because:
- I personally don't like Halloween. Period.
- This is the time of the year when spooky ghost stories is in every screens from almost all tv stations or movie houses. It gives me goosebumps.
- I don't want them to remember that this is the time for dressing up as witches, vampires, white lady ghost or monster. Ugh! I hate it!
- I don't like the idea that there such thing as a time for supernatural weird or evil things. No! No! No! 

Instead, I want them to remember that this is the time:
- when we remember saints, notable people recognized for being righteous;
- when we make time to remember our departed loved ones;
- when kids take loads of sweet treats like candies and chocolates.

But because of school invitation, my kids did joined this year's Halloween but not dressed as spooky characters but as:
Chun-Li
and Tigger

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