Thanksgiving

Jeremy took it upon himself to make a Thanksgiving Feast all by himself :)

He succeeded!  He did an excellent job!

How did this come about?

Well, ever since I was a child, we did Thanksgiving with my paternal grandmother.  It was great!  My uncles and aunts and cousins would all usually be there... which was significant because even though we all lived within an hour of each, we barely ever saw them :(  We lived a mile down the road from my grandmother, so, we saw her practically daily.  Its the only holiday we somewhat celebrated.  We were brought up Jehovah's Witnesses.  We couldn't do any other holiday or birthdays.  But, with this one, not only did everyone have off work and school, but, it was ok to do, kwim?  No pagan origins.

Well, she passed away in April of 2005 (I wasn't aware I was pregnant at the time of her death) from pulmonary fibrosis.  Ever since then, there's been no family Thanksgiving lunch/dinner.

Jeremy & I got together Dec. 31st, 1996.
I'm not sure if that first Thanksgiving together we went to his parents' house or not, but, more than likely, we did.  And so, from then on, we'd arrange it (until my grandma's passing) so that we were able to be with both sides of the family during this holiday.  It worked out well and great to be able to see relatives you don't get to see very often.

Jeremy's father passed away in January 2010.

There was no Thanksgiving Dinner.

This year, no notification or indication of any upcoming dinner; from either side.

Its no surprise from my side.  Like I said, we were brought up without holidays (although, only 2 continue to attend JW meetings out of 7).  And we have a sister that lives in Georgia with her children (minus her oldest bc she just got married in August and is currently living in California).  Though, if plans were made, I'm sure she'd come down.  And then I have another sister who's husband's family all live in Mississippi.  So, they always go there... he gets to hunt while there too.  And I'm sure that even with them, if plans were made, they'd be there too... like if it was on the Wednesday before.

However, the major thing, is that there's really nowhere to host a Thanksgiving Dinner.  Our house is tiny.  Cherie and her 3 girls live with our dad.  Angele & Shane live with our mom until they get their home set up.  I guess Montegut would be the only place to hold anything, but, its not exactly a neutral zone; being that our parents are divorced and other tenions...  Although, I hope that since this past summer, things are ok and everyone would attend such a dinner if one was planned for there.  So, really, that would be our only option.

So, that's why its no surprise my side had no plans.

Except that Cherie and her girls usually do come to our house for that week; or at least she brings her kids and goes to work until Thursday.

And Jeremy's side.  Nothing.  No email.  No phone call.  No text messages.  Nothing.

I remembered one year, we were in GA for Thanksgiving and we went to a restaurant with Aimee & her family.  So, I asked Jeremy what were we going to do for Thanksgiving since we didn't hear from anyone.  I had asked at the beginning of November.  He said he didn't know, but he was going to cook a turkey.  Well, the month continues to go by and still no word from anyone.  All I know is that Cherie & her kids will be here because they usually are :)

As Thanksgiving gets closer, Jeremy brings home two turkeys along with sides and things to make desserts.  He's going to have his Thanksgiving Dinner regardless of anything else.  And if we would have gotten a call to have dinner somewhere else, he could have just brought his food...  

Well, Wednesday, I go into the ER... you can read about that in another blog entry... ha ha ha

So, we wouldn't have been able to attend anyone else's dinner, anyways... but, no one knew that until Wednesday night when I posted it in my facebook status.

Below are the finished results of Jeremy waking up at 7:30 am and having it all together by 12:00 pm!

He loves to cook and takes great pride in his work :)

Master Chef, Jeremy!

 Everyone else that was here to eat (Jeremy took pic on workout bench)

 Everyone being silly :D

Additives 'can make any child hyperactive'

Yeah, this is old news to some of us :D

Additives 'can make any child hyperactive'

HELEN WILLIAM

PARENTS got a fresh warning yesterday that food additives could trigger hyperactivity in children.

Many children, and not just those suffering from extreme hyperactive conditions, can become more impulsive, inattentive and hyperactive from the cocktail of artificial extras found in drinks, sweets and processed foods, according to research published in the Lancet.

In the biggest study of its kind, scientists at Southampton University recorded the responses of 153 three-year-olds and 144 eight to nine-year-olds to various drinks and found that artificial food colour and additives were having "deleterious effects".

The youngsters drank a mix that reflected a UK child's average daily additive intake.

Professor Jim Stevenson, a psychologist who led the research in the study commissioned by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), said: "We now have clear evidence that mixtures of certain food colours and benzoate preservative can adversely influence the behaviour of children.

"There is previous evidence that some children with behavioural disorders could benefit from the removal of certain food colours from their diet.

"We have now shown that for a large group of children in the general population, consumption of certain mixtures of artificial food colours and benzoate preservative can influence their hyperactive behaviour. However, parents should not think that simply taking these additives out of food will prevent all hyperactive disorders.

"We know that many other influences are at work, but this at least is one a child can avoid."

The children, chosen as a snapshot of the general population, were all put on additive-free diets. None suffered from a hyperactivity disorder.

Each day for six weeks, they were given drinks that either contained one of two mixtures of food colours and benzoate preservative or just fruit juice. All the drinks looked and tasted the same.

The study builds upon tests conducted on the Isle of Wight in 2002, which were inconclusive about the possible links between additives and hyperactivity. The first mixture was similar to that used in the 2002 study. The second mixture contained the current average daily consumption of food additives by three-year-old and eight to nine-year-old children in the UK.

The children's different reactions were rated by teachers and trained observers in the classroom and by their parents at home. The older children also took computerised attention tests.

Professor Ieuan Hughes, the chairman of the Committee on Toxicity, made up of independent scientists, described the £750,000 study as "robust" and said it "added weight" to a possible link between certain artificial food colours and preservatives having a bad effect on children's behaviour.

The FSA is now sending the findings to the European Food Safety Authority, which is currently reviewing the safety of all European Union permitted food colours.

It could increase pressure on manufacturers to stop using certain food colourings, but there are no plans to call for a ban.

Parents who are confused over what might be bad for their children are left with a simple message: read the label.

They will have to do the groundwork to find out what is in their children's meals as some foods such as school dinners or those served at children's parties do not come with labels.

Julian Hunt, of the Food and Drink Federation, said: "As a responsible industry, we shall be studying the detail of the research and companies will clearly take account of these findings as part of their ongoing review of product formulations."

This article: http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=1420232007

Last updated: 05-Sep-07 00:54 BST