We have had a cough going through the whole house. The girls barely got it but Jacob got hit pretty good.

The girls were playing in the yard the other day and brought me in some flowers as they always bring me bouquets when there are flowers out. I didn't know what the flower was so I decided to figure it out. It turns out that this flower is Coltsfoot.

What is Coltfoot good for? It is good for respiratory problems and coughs! Yipee, just what we needed.

This herb can pop up places as early as February. It is about the size of a Dandelion. The flowers show up first; but, later in the season you will see leaves without flowers. You can use the whole plant. We just cut a handful of it and made some tea with it (decoction). You will find it growing in wasteland... places that your garden won't thrive. To easily identify it look at the stem. It is very different than other plants!

Now go find it!

Rick can walk LONG distances now and can carry our fat little baby (not while walking). He will be perfectly capable of working full time very soon and I have been perfectly amazed at how he is progressing in his healing. He has been taking acupuncture in Mexico to help him get better which is much cheaper south of the border... about $25 compared to $60-$100 that he would have to pay in the states. Here are some photos of what acupuncture looks like but I must warn you that they are graphic. The wires that are red and black in some of the photos below electrically stimulate his body. Sometimes it does hurt for the needles to go in but most of them feel like a little prick that is not really painful. There were between 50 and 60 needles in him including one in the top of his head!

DO NOT SCROLL DOWN IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE GRAPHIC PHOTOS

I AM POSTING THEM BECAUSE SOME FAMILY AND FRIENDS WILL BE INTERESTED IN WHAT HE IS DOING AND ALSO FOR THE HEALTH NUT THAT IS CURIOUS... 

Let me ask your help with an urgent matter. As you may know, Americans now eat more than 1
million animals per hour. At the same time, American children are in the worst physical
shape of any generation in the history of our country. Schools need to serve more
vegetarian foods. But unfortunately, the
National School Lunch Program makes no provision for plant-based foods.

Now is the time for action. The USDA is drafting revisions to The Child Nutrition Act,
which determines school lunch policies. Please join me in calling on the U.S. Department
of Agriculture to mandate vegetarian meals in school lunches.

Automatically send PCRM's letter>
http://support.pcrm.org/site/R?i=Id0gf3RRTHqxibvTr-1SuA..

Next, please forward this Action Alert to as many people as you can. If the USDA hears
from enough people, we can win this battle.

If you prefer to write your own letter to the USDA, please ask that the USDA help schools
provide healthful vegetarian options to their students. Send your letter (by
letter, fax, or e-mail) to:

Mr. Robert M. Eadie, Policy and Program Planning Branch Chief
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service
3101 Park Center Drive, Room 640
Alexandria, VA 223021594
E-mail: robert.eadie@fns.usda.gov
Fax: 7033052879
Electronic Submission to Regulations.gov

The Cancer Project’s campaign is based on a comprehensive report released late last year by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund. After reviewing all existing data on nutrition and cancer risk, researchers concluded that processed meat increases one’s risk of colo****** cancer, on average, by 21 percent for every 50 grams consumed daily. (A 50-gram serving is approximately the size of a typical hot dog.) The landmark report clearly states that no amount of processed meat is considered safe to eat.

Each year, 160,000 Americans are diagnosed with colo****** cancer. About half of all cases are already incurable when found. Approximately 50,000 Americans are expected to die of the disease this year.

While the survey—released in late July—shows that considerable variation exists in different districts, it clearly reveals that many school menus are packed with processed meats. In fact, 15 of the 28 districts received a failing grade.

For example, 60 percent of all elementary school breakfasts, 80 percent of all middle school breakfasts, and 80 percent of all high school breakfasts in the Los Angeles Unified School District contain processed meats. In Chicago, 30 percent of the regular lunches served to high school students include processed meats, and 58 percent of Chicago’s cold lunches contained processed meats. Only two school districts—Denver and San Francisco—received a “satisfactory” grade.

I just realized after reading all this information today that I have one more reason to homeschool and one more reason NOT to eat hot dogs! Both of which I am already convinced are bad anyhow!