In celebration of my fabulous 30th birthday.... I bring to you the following bizarre statistics regarding the lovely age of 30.
The average person has had 7.5 jobs, and you'll have 2.4 more by age 35.
How does someone have a .5 job? Didn’t anyone teach this person to round up or down when it comes to people, places and things?
At age 30, you're older than 42 percent of Americans.
But I feel older then about 80% of the population, especially when someone brings up that damn JerseyShore show or if I attempt to listen to the radio…
You're 26 percent less likely to make a New Year's resolution in your 30s... but if you do make one, you're 26 percent more likely to stick to it.
Does anyone care about New Years resolutions except on actual New Years Eve and the week following?
45 percent will own a firearm in their 30s.
Probably because the majority now can’t whoop someone’s ass just by doing a reverse roundhouse to the face without either pulling a muscle or ripping their pants.
96 percent of gay people have realized they're gay by age 30.
I’m confused that there are people out there that are apparently attracted to the same sex, enjoy musicals and have no idea they are gay.
0.036 percent of people are in elementary school at age 30.
I wonder if this percentage changes state by state, for instance –West Virginia.
One out of 33 men and one out of 25 women are virgins at age 30.
Could be fair to say of this percentage, 90% is morbidly obese and can’t find his or her lady/male parts and will remain a virgin until death. (that's terrible, I know)
81 percent of women and 71 percent of men have been married by age 30 (and 16 percent of each have been divorced).
64% are still unhappily married
The most common way to die at age 30 is by accident.
Statistics are fun; 29 percent of people who die at age 30 die in an accident. It's followed by suicide at 12 percent, homicide and cancer tied at 10 percent, then heart disease at seven percent…unless you eat mcdonalds and taco bell more then twice a week…
30 is the average age of retirement for NFL players.
Ugh, I don’t like football anyways
The odds you'll make it to your late 30s are 99,003 out of 100,000, or 99.003 percent.
How fun to look forward to my late 30’s, yippie!!!
Nearly 2.5 million people in US die each year. Of those, over 60% of people die in hospitals. (Kochanek et al. 2004)
Do you expect to die in a hospital? How long do you expect to live?
Makes me think of the book Little Women. The one sister who has always been sickly finally passes on – she is lieing in bed, holdin onto her sister’s hand. They reminisce of their lives together and she difts softly into sleep and passes on.
If these sisters were here today in 2011, I’m sure the sickly sister would have lived a sicky, long life into her mid 80’s at least, found herself in a nursing home which she received sporactic visits from family now and again. She would be on several different medications that the nurses would be there to help her take. She would play cards and bingo with other residents. She would be given a bath by a 25 year old girl that could care less about her life and was wondering to herself if she is missing tweets from her BFF.
I have yet to experience someone close to me pass, but I have experienced suffering from family memebers in their old age. From Alzheimers, cancer, quadruple bypass surgery, dependency on pain medication, scary bacterial infections, knee replacements, lung surgery and limb removal…. It makes me want to ask …
When is it enough?
Say I find out I have cancer at the age of 60. I go through chemo and all the procedures that are entailed to get rid of it. Then 5 years later I start having the onset of Alzheimers or I find out that I have to have a kidney removed and live on dialisis for the rest of my life.
Which is worse? Dieing of cancer at age 60 or living with Alzheimers for the next 30 years…
I’m not sure where I am going with this.
I guess I am asking when does a person say, “I am no longer going to intervene with my mortality” ?
When I am going to let myself pass.
Many years ago, people didn’t have that choice. They died in wars, tragic events, or illnesses in which they had no cure for. But today, it seems that we have a medical procedure for everything – I pill or cure surgery that we can choose to take to make us live longer… maybe not better, but longer.
“I am choosing that I will not let AIDS kill me.So, I will take these 15 pills everyday of my life to keep me alive.”
“I am choosing that I will not let cancer kill me. So, I will have my right lung cut out and I will go through radiation until it is gone. I will no longer be able to walk up a flight of stairs, but I fought cancer and won.”
All these choices are empowering and we all have the right to choose to live – but when do we choose to let go? It is when our bodies are completely debilated, or when we no longer have the mental capacity to choose for ourselves?
What message are we sending to the next generation? You must always choose to live and never choose die – there is no reverence for death, only life?
Overall, there are two basic types of skin cream or lotion protection: sunscreens, which absorb and deflect (or reflect) the sun's rays via a chemical reaction, and "blocks"—zinc oxide and titanium dioxide—which create a physical barrier against rays.
Ingredients to Avoid:
• PABA: Though rarely used now in sunscreens, beware of products that contain the ingredient. Forty percent of the population is sensitive to it, experiencing red, itchy skin.
• Benzophenone (benzophenone-3), homosalate, and octy-methoxycinnamate (octinoxate): These chemicals are of more concern because they have shown estrogenic activity in lab tests. Dr. Margret Schlumpf of the University of Zurich's Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology says they have been shown to disrupt hormones, affecting the development of the brain (particularly the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal system) and reproductive organs in laboratory rats. Because people are exposed simply by eating fish (where benzophenone accumulates in the fat), using sunscreen containing these chemicals unduly increases the exposure. Based on her studies, Dr. Schlumpf advises people avoid products containing benzophenone and the related chemicals above.
• Parabens (butyl-, ethyl-, methyl-, and propyl-): Parabens may also mimic estrogen, but because they are common in sunscreens, avoiding them may prove difficult.
• Padimate-O and Parsol 1789 (2-ethylhexyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoic acid and avobenzone): These two chemicals have the potential to damage DNA when illuminated with sunlight. On the skin's surface, these chemicals do protect from UV damage; however, once absorbed into the skin, these same chemicals can prove destructive. Dr. Knowland's research indicates that Padimate-O and Parsol 1789 "are excited by the UV energy which they absorb and become reactive, acquiring the potential to attack cellular components, including DNA." Knowland cautions that "DNA damage inflicted by an excited sunscreen is much less capable of being repaired by naturally occurring repair mechanisms than the DNA damage inflicted by UV alone."
Which Sunscreens Are The Safest?
Check out the online database that rates sunscreen safety and effectiveness, here.
This in-depth analysis of the safety and effectiveness of more than 700 name-brand sunscreens. The new database lists products that offer the best combination of safety and effectiveness: they are formulated with the safest chemicals, are most effective at protecting against sunburn, and help prevent long-term damage caused by the sun’s UVA rays, which are linked to skin aging, wrinkling and, potentially, cancer.
Best Overall Sunscreen goes to Purple Prairie this year for their SPF 30 Sun Stuff. They just reformulated their SPF 30 lotion and after trying it out I think this one is the best bang for your buck. It works in every sunny situation, doesn’t leave you looking ghostly and has a great ingredients list. Plus, your purchase supports small businesses. A little goes a long way and after testing it out in sun, surf and swimming pools I think it protects great minus the greasy. Double thumbs up.
Best Ingredients goes to Badger for all their sunscreens. Every year Badger sets the bar for safe ingredients and this year is no exception. It’s truly all natural and organic. They have also gone a step further to up the ante on their sunscreen ingredient and are now using non-nano uncoated Zinc Oxide. Badger’s sunscreen is a top performer in protection especially with rough or lengthy swimming. It’s the most water resistant sunscreen I’ve used and protects even after hearty swimming. Badger is always a safe bet. Totally worth the money, especially if you have swimmers.
I have written in the past on the benefits of cosleeping and the scientific evidence that supports the reasoning that in most cases it is the most beneficial arrangement to the child and family. (I say most, because if you’re a drug addict, smoker or obese then its probably not the best case scenario)
But today I wanted to share a little bit of why it works for me personally.
Looking Past the Immense Benefits of CoSleeping – The Reality of Why I Choose to Share My Bed….
Waking Elizabeth up in the morning
1. I Value My Sleep Immeasurably.
I tend to get about an average of 8 hours of sleep during the weekdays (please take into consideration that I even wake up at to veg around and get ready in the mornings!)
… During the weekend I get about 10 hours of sleep, remember I have a near 2 year old in the house.
I have no doubt in my mind that sleeping with my whole family has contributed to this sleep pattern.
In the early years, I never even had to get out of bed when Elizabeth was a baby. My husband would change her diaper and bring her back to me. I would feed her and we would both doze off to dream land. Those infamous horror stories I was warned about pre-birth never perpetuated into reality.
I kind-of actually look forward to nights with my new baby who is due in just a few short months…
Here is an short reference to show that I’m not blowing smoke up everyone’s, umm……
“Every scientific study concludes that parents who bring their babies to
bed sleep longer and better.” [1]
2. It Makes Being Super Mom Really Easy
So, sometimes Elizabeth will wake up from a dead sleep into a frantic stage of panic. These times are very far and few between but I imagine it’s from a bad dream (someone stole her favorite green boots) or maybe it is because of the pain from those molars coming in all at once… but less then 5 seconds will elapse and she is soundly back to sleep. Shoot, I’m not even sure my husband wakes up.
There’s not even time for me to rip my shirt open to show the ‘S’ on my chest before we’re all back snoring.
I attribute my ninja-like reflexes in soothing my little lady to being in such close proximity to her. I know if she was sleeping in the other room it would take at least a minute for me to get my groggy ass up in the middle of the night … this is not even taking in consideration that she would have to at least cry or scream out for a bit to wake me or my husband up.
I can’t imagine how that feels to a small child being left alone in a dark room by themselves when they are frightened or feeling lonely. I know most adults don’t want to be alone when they are terrified or lonesome.
What can say, I love the immediate response time that I have to sooth my child and plus it gets me back to sleep quicker!
Super Mom to the rescue!
3 Months Old, well rested mama
3. The Birth of a (Social) Butterfly
Let me preface this next reason with the reality that I personally have dealt with some real debilitating issues with anxiety in the past and my husband is not the most social individual on the planet. I can count both of our friends on one hand.
I do however try and set an example by greeting people when I walk into a room and of course giving my thanks when someone holds a door open for me. I do not, however, tell me daughter to say hello or thank you (since I feel she can say hello or thanks if she genuinely feels like it).
With that being said…
I see my daughter and it amazes me. She says hello and greets every single person we walk by at the grocery store, she says hello to the cars that drive by outside our house, she greets strangers like close friends. She has the confidence and self esteem of 50 adults.
I’ve read many, many studies proclaiming confidence and independence in young children that cosleep, but I am now fully entrenched with the fall out.
It’s amazing and it truly blows me away.
Here’s another short reference that I am evoked to share here:
“Children who share sleep with their parents are actually more independentthan their peers. They perform better in school, have higher self esteem,
and fewer health problems.” [1]
4. Shhh, listen… I Think God is Talking.
I get vast satisfaction in listening to my daughter breathe at night and share in her warmth (she’s like a mini oven). I’m not sure if I need to go further in explanation here, but her breath and warmth is the closest I come to the Divine every day.
When I wake up in the middle of the night and I can’t go back to sleep right away, I lay there, snuggle close and listen.
What I hear and feel I cannot explain in words.
I am grateful to experience this while I can.
Happy Family of 4 (soon-to-be)
5. Unless I’m Over 50, The Bed is Not The Only Place For A Fun Time.
(no offense for people over 50)
Many people presume that because there is a child that sleeps in our bed that means that me and my husband don’t get to be intimate. I’m not going to get into too much detail here because I’m a lady and I don’t kiss and tell.
But if you didn’t catch on yet – I’m pregnant again…. So we haven’t had any issues in that department….
In fact, I feel that it is unfortunate that many people are only having relations in their bed. There are many other fun places to take part in the fun.
Jennifer Coburn is the author of Take Back Your Power: A Working Woman's Response to Sexual Harassment, which recently won an honorable mention from the National Women's HeritageMuseum book awards and an Outstanding Book Award from the MyersCenter for the Study of Human Rights in North America.
Here are some other articles on cosleeping that I enjoy.
I recently just started cloth diapering about a month ago. My daughter is 22 months old and it may seem a bit late … but I’ve been pushing and advocating for this since before she was born and it’s a small victory for me to say the very least. Plus I have one more one the way due in August, so that helped my argument as well.
I currently have 20 Bumgenius 4.0 pocket diapers and haven’t yet gone outside the box with trying anything other diapers then those. I have been eyeing the AIO Grovia diapers and have been wanting to try simple prefolds as well.
As you may be aware cloth diapers need a special cream for sore butts – if you use the regular ol’ cream the diapers will start to repel, and the last thing you want is a diaper that repels pee!
And so the search was on to find the best and safest cream out there….
And cue CJ’s BUTTer.
Easter Morning in Bumgenuis 4.0
But let’s back up here just for a sec.
I never have been a fan of the ol’Desitin or A&D creams. I remember reading something about how creams like these might not be the safest for babies. Have you ever read the ingredients in these?
(1) BHA(level 10 toxicity). BHA is associated with cancer and hormone disruption in numerous studies. And since it carries Skin Deep’s very highest toxicity level, standing for “high hazard”, this answers the question “safe or toxic” outright. It has been banned from cosmetics in the EU because of skin dipigmentation.
(2) Fragrance(level 8 toxicity). Fragrance is a term that designates an undisclosed combination of ingredients that purportedly give the product a smell. As such, it can hide the existence of virtually any dangerous chemical. We do know that synthetic fragrance contains phthalates, which are hormone disrupting chemicals that are making there way into the urine of 81% of the infants tested.
(3) Methylparaben(level 4 toxicity) . Methylparaben is one of the parabens, the most widely used preservatives in cosmetics. Parabens are hormone disruptors, also called “endocrine disruptors”. Studies listed on Skin Deep show that methylparaben has been shown to interfere with gene expression, cause mutation in vitro, have brain and nervous system effects at moderate doses, and cause skin irritation at low doses.
(4) Sodium borate(4-6 toxicity level, based on product usage). This ingredient found only in Desitin Creamy is specifically designated as unsafe by the cosmetics industry’s own safety panel! It states that sodium borate “should not be used on infant skin or injured skin.” (CIR, p. 228). It has virtually all of the dangerous effects of the above ingredients combined!
And now cue CJ’ BUTTer …
I needed something safe for cloth diapering (though we don’t see many diaper rashes I still wanted to have something on hand) and I was pretty interested in getting the opportunity to throw this Desitin out a moving vechile.
I searched and CJ’s BUTTer seemed to be the first thing I came across. I was thrown off by all the rave reviews (DiaperPin.com – it’s actually the highest rated product out of ALL products listed there) and thought something must be fishy. It’s never this easy to find exactly what you are looking for. But it was that easy!
I got the one on the far left. It's amazing
CJ’s BUTTer (from a WHAM company) comes in many forms. Tubes, tubs, sticks and sprays. I chose a 4 oz tube to start since I really didn’t have too high of expectations. They do have a HUGE list of different scents – I chose Love Spell – it smells just like the Love Spell from Victoria Secret!
There is a laundry list of uses for CJ’s BUTTer other just then plain ol’ rash prevention and healing….
chapped lips
raw irritated nose from a cold
rug burn on elbows and knees
shaving bumps
cracked heal/foot
eczema and dry skin
And CJ’s BUTTer is edible (although I don’t think it would taste particularly delicious) and is made with food grade ingredients. Which are:
Shea butter
Olive Oil
Coconut Oil (natural antibiotic and antiviral)
Lanolin
Beeswax
Cocoa butter
Vitamin E
I have to say, this is the first review I have ever posted. I’m glad it is for this product. It is seriously amazing! I ordered it from Sew Crafty Baby – she offers free (and fast!) shipping to the US and Canada.
Can’t Put Down That Tasty Cigarette? There’s a vaccine for that….
In 2009 the government announced that $10,000,000 of stimulus money would be used to fund a phase 3 clinical trial of a promising anti-smoking vaccine produced by Nabi Pharmaceuticals. [1]
Hate Those Pesky Grass Allergies? There’s a vaccine for that….
Yeah, that’s right, there are 5 pharmaceutical companies now in a race to be the first to develop a vaccine for your grass allergy. This is listed as a moderate priority for all five. [2]
Don’t forget about Alzheimer’s, no pun intended. There’s a vaccine for that…
Though a number of companies are working on an Alzheimer's vaccine, Cytos Biotechnology's Phase II CAD106 is the most advanced. AFFiRiS, Merck, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and United Biomedical are all pursuing an Alzheimer's vaccine, which could have a potential market of $1.15 billion by 2020. [2]
Don’t have to worry about super bacteria any longer! There’s a vaccine for that…
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. It is often contracted in hospital settings and is extremely hard to treat, even with powerful antibiotics. Kalorama notes that more people in the U.S. die from MRSA infections than HIV/AIDS, emphysema or homicide. Merck has a Phase II product in the works for MRSA, while GSK's PentaStaph vaccine is in Phase I testing. 2020 sales are estimated to hit $650 million. [2]
Forget a Cure for Multiple Sclerosis, There’s a vaccine for that…
MS is an autoimmune diseases in which the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord. It’s pretty ironic that there is going to be a vaccine for an auto-immune disorder since I can’t see it in anyway benefiting these people. Approximately 5 million people worldwide suffer from the disease, which causes muscle problems and a wide range of neurological issues. Bayhill Therapeutics' BHT-3009 and Opexa Therapeutics' Tovaxin and both in Phase II trials. The 2020 MS vaccine market could hit $1.1 billion. [2]
High Blood Pressure? Don’t worry, you don’t have to put down that salt shaker or your frosty cold beer. There’s a vaccine for that…
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, would represent a $2.4 billion vaccine market by 2020. Cytos Biotechnology's CYT006-AngQb and an unnamed drug from Protherics are both in Phase II for the disease. [2]
Can’t Abstain From Risky Sexual and Drug Behaviors? Don’t have to worry about AIDS, There’s a vaccine for that…
Vaccine researchers don’t often find themselves at the center of public controversies. But a storm has erupted over the announcement that an experimental AIDS vaccine tested in Thailand proved modestly effective. It was billed as a major scientific advance — the long-awaited hard evidence that it is possible to inoculate people against AIDS. But now the trial has been called into question in a way that is overblown and possibly destructive! [3]
Too Fat? Can’t Stop Eat Wendy’s Double Cheeseburgers? There’s a vaccine for that….
Although obesity is primarily linked to eating too many calories or burning too few, other factors may play a role, from lack of sleep to changes in stomach bacteria and now a common cold virus. Scientists in Louisiana showed that infection with human adenovirus–36 (Ad–36), long known as a cause of colds and eye infections, transformed adult stem cells obtained from fat tissue into fat cells. [4]
Below is the information I presented to my husband when we firstwere learning about vaccines and the diseases they are intended to prevent.
The information is pretty rudimentary, however, I believe this helped because it is easy to get confused when starting to learn about vaccines in general.
I think learning about the diseases prior facilitates a better understanding and foundation.
I encourage you to learn more about each disease in greater detail. Check out the links under the main title to learn more.
Hepatitis B Virus that infects the liver
Prevelence less then 2%in US
Transmission unprotected sex, blood transfusions, re-use of contaminated needles & syringes, and vertical transmission
Treatment More than 95% of people who become infected as adults or older children will stage a full recovery and develop protective immunity to the virus. Of those infected between the age of one to six, 70% will clear the infection
Diphtheria Respitory tract infection, characterized by sore throat, and low fever
Prevelence 3 recorded cases in US from 2000-07
Transmission direct physical contact or breathing the aerosolized secretions of infected individuals
Treatment Infected child or adult receives a special antitoxin. Diphtheria is also treated with antibiotics, such as penicillin
More Info on Diphtheria: CDC Pinkbook - Diphtheria NVIC - Diphtheria
Tetanus prolonged contraction of skeletal muscle fibers
Prevelence approx. 43 cases annually
Transmission Infection generally occurs through wound contamination and often involves a cut or deep puncture wound.Heroin Uses at higher risk. From 1998-2000, 75% of the deaths in the US were in patients older than 60 years
Treatment Immune globulin, given intramuscularly, is the immediate treatment of unimmunized individuals exposed to material likely to contain the tetanus bacteria. Treatment includes bed rest and quiet conditions.
Pertussis Whooping Cough
Prevelence 5,000-7,000 annually in the United States Transmission airborne discharges from the mucous membranes of infected people, who are most contagious during the catarrhal stage
Transmission Respiratory droplets from the nose or mouth of an infected person
Treatment Treatment with penicillin
Additional Notes: The Vaccines and Immunizations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for: - 65 years old or older - You have a serious long-term health problem such as heart disease, sickle cell disease, alcoholism, lung disease (not including asthma), diabetes, or liver cirrhosis - Your resistance to infection is lowered due AIDS or Cancer - You are an Alaskan Native or from certain Native American populations *twice as high in African Americans than in caucasians
More information on pneumococcal: CDC Pinkbook - pneumococcal NVIC - pneumococcal
Influenza Flu
Prevelence see below in additional notes
Transmission Transmitted through the air by coughs or sneezes. Also be transmitted by direct contact with bird droppings or nasal secretions, or through contact with contaminated surfaces
Treatment Plenty of rest, drink plenty of liquids, avoid using alcohol and tobacco and, if necessary, take medications such as acetaminophen to relieve fever
Additional Notes: Most people will recover completely in about one to two weeks
According to the World Health Organization: "Every winter, tens of millions of people get the flu. Most are only ill and out of work for a week, yet the elderly are at a higher risk of death from the illness.
The group most vulnerable to flu, the elderly, is also the least affected by the vaccine, with an average efficacy rate ranging from 40-50% at age 65, and 15-30% past age 70
In the United States a person aged 50–64 is nearly ten times more likely to die an influenza-associated death than a younger person
Prevelence disease is self-limiting, and general outcome is relatively good with life long immunity
Transmission When an infected person coughs or sneezes
Treatment intermittent ice or heat to the affected neck, acetaminophen/paracetamol (Tylenol) for pain relief
Additional Notes: Prior to the development of vaccination and the introduction of a vaccine, it was a common childhood disease worldwide The disease is generally self-limited, running its course before receding, with no specific treatment apart from controlling the symptoms with painkillers.
After the illness, life-long immunity to mumps generally occurs
Prevelence CDC annouced elimination in 2004 in the US Transmission airborne droplet emission from the upper respiratory tract
Treatment No specific treatment-disease lasts for 1-3 days
Additional Notes: Disease is often mild and attacks often pass unnoticed Children recover more quickly than adults. The disease can last one to three days.
More information on Rubella: CDC Pinkbook - Rubella NVIC - Rubella
Varicella Chicken Pox
Prevelence .0023% death rate in the United States Transmission inhalation of airborne respiratory droplets
Treatment anti-itching creams and lotions
Additional Notes: More severe in adult males than in adult females or children.
Prevelence 640 people in 2003 (this was considered an outbreak)
Transmission HAV is found in the feces of infected persons & those who are at higher risk include travelers to developing countries where there is a higher incidence rate, and those having sexual contact or drug use with infected persons
Treatment There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A. Sufferers are advised to rest, avoid fatty foods and alcohol eat a well-balanced diet, and stay hydrated
Additional Notes: Hepatitis A does not have a chronic stage, is not progressive, and does not cause permanent liver damage. Following infection, the immune system makes antibodies against HAV that confer immunity against future infection.
Young children who are infected with hepatitis A typically have a milder form of the disease, usually lasting from 1–3 weeks, whereas adults tend to experience a much more severe form of the disease
