- 2 Ambulances Respond To Gerckens' Neighbor's House. One Person Transported.
- Adorable Little Friend Of Gerckens Hit In Face By Tire Swing, Tire Tread Across Left On Cheek
- Earthquake Listed at 5.8 Rattles East Coast From Virginia to New Hampshire-Members of Gercken Family Evacuated From Johns Hopkins Hospital And Pentagon. Gercken Pictures Broken, Gercken Cat Traumatized
- Hurricane marches up East Coast Gercken Power Still On At 8:30 pm. Stay Tuned To This Station For Updates
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Nothing Much
I seriously have nothing to say about this past week. Read the newspapers. Here are some of the headlines:
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Polycarbo-what?
We've had quite a year. And dealing with some of the illnesses that we've encountered has really got me thinking about our society. Why are there so many "new" illnesses? Why such a high rate of cancer? Why are there so may cases of undiagnosed ailments?
I know that medicine has come a long way and research has helped doctors diagnose things, particularly cancers, when in the past it may have gone undiagnosed. But I do not believe that that accounts for just how many people have gotten sick in recent years. Some studies have said that cancer rates are as high as 1 in 4.
My gut feeling, and maybe I'm coming late to the game, is that our "easy" lifestyle is making us sick. Everything is convenient. Foods, packaging, cleaning supplies, etc. We have so many chemicals that as hard as the FDA is trying (and I am so thankful to have an organization that is TRYING to protect us) we may never know just what we are exposing ourselves to, considering the different combinations of things we encounter in our individual lives.
Maybe something was found to have materials "within acceptable levels" but what about when you combine that material with something in another food or container? To me, it's kind of like the rock fish warning they have here in Maryland. They are always changing the "acceptable" amount of rock fish you can eat in a week. Really? Would you actually go to a restaurant and order, say, 15 oz. of rock fish because it's "acceptable" to have up to 17 oz. that week? Does it carry over? Can I "bank" my rock fish allotment to the next week? No thank you. I'll just avoid eating it altogether.
Recently I found out that most anti-bacterial handsoap has something called "triclosan" which, when mixed with water, forms chloroform. Perhaps good for "preserving" our beautiful skin (wink) but not something I'd want my children breathing on a regular basis. Of course we all already know that a big problem right now is bacterial resistance and "super bugs" due to the huge amount of antibiotics and anti-bacterial things we use. This is one more reason to get rid of it all. A sad moment for me, because I am a charter member of the Bath & Body Works adoration society but something's gotta give. Chloroform!
And I've seen the whole "BPA-free" advertising on things and heard the debates about water bottles, but only recently really started looking into it. You can find thousands of articles by googling BPA but basically (for those of you who have pretty much ignored this issue like me) Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a chemical used to make polycarbonate, which is what helps make plastics durable. It is particularly useful in products which will be microwaved. Studies have suggested that the BPA can leak out into the foods and drinks that are kept in polycarbonate products. It is also found in the linings of canned foods and drinks. I've read, but since I don't have a baby I haven't checked recently, that BPA is banned in baby bottles now since babies are particularly at risk from this chemical.
The FDA says this:
Studies employing standardized toxicity tests have thus far supported the safety of current low levels of human exposure to BPA. However, on the basis of results from recent studies using novel approaches to test for subtle effects, both the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health and FDA have some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children. In cooperation with the National Toxicology Program, FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research is carrying out in-depth studies to answer key questions and clarify uncertainties about the risks of BPA.
The Washington Post reported in 2010:
Growing scientific evidence has linked the chemical to a host of problems, including cancer, sexual dysfunction and heart disease.
Recent data found health effects even at low doses of BPA -- lower than the levels considered safe by the FDA.
That, to me, is rock fish. "Key questions" and "uncertainties" are huge red flags. The argument can be made that we cannot keep ourselves in a bubble and we're always going to be exposed to something, and that is true. But when we KNOW of something that is unhealthy for us we have no alternative but to reduce our exposure as much as we can.
I'd decided after talking with a friend to discard all of our Glad containers we have been using for lunches and to store things in the refrigerator. Then I found out that Glad containers are not made with BPA, nor are Pyrex lids (the containers are glass so they're good). But I have a lot of other storage items that are older, I'm unsure about, etc. I am thrilled to find out that Tupperware has discontinued use of BPA in all of its products sold in the US! That is GREAT news because I LOVE Tupperware and now I have a reason to buy all new products. :) If any of you happen to be a Tupperware consultant give me a ring....
Incidentally, BPA is also in the lining of soda cans. It is recommended that you only drink soda out of bottles. Still trying to figure out what to do with that info, given the amount of soda a certain member of our family drinks. And a couple of months ago, a study found high levels of BPA (as high as in the now-banned baby bottles) on paper money and particularly receipts.
The best approach, with every kind of germ, chemical, exposure, I suppose, is to wash our hands A LOT.
With triclosan-free non-antibacterial soap, of course!
I know that medicine has come a long way and research has helped doctors diagnose things, particularly cancers, when in the past it may have gone undiagnosed. But I do not believe that that accounts for just how many people have gotten sick in recent years. Some studies have said that cancer rates are as high as 1 in 4.
My gut feeling, and maybe I'm coming late to the game, is that our "easy" lifestyle is making us sick. Everything is convenient. Foods, packaging, cleaning supplies, etc. We have so many chemicals that as hard as the FDA is trying (and I am so thankful to have an organization that is TRYING to protect us) we may never know just what we are exposing ourselves to, considering the different combinations of things we encounter in our individual lives.
Maybe something was found to have materials "within acceptable levels" but what about when you combine that material with something in another food or container? To me, it's kind of like the rock fish warning they have here in Maryland. They are always changing the "acceptable" amount of rock fish you can eat in a week. Really? Would you actually go to a restaurant and order, say, 15 oz. of rock fish because it's "acceptable" to have up to 17 oz. that week? Does it carry over? Can I "bank" my rock fish allotment to the next week? No thank you. I'll just avoid eating it altogether.
Recently I found out that most anti-bacterial handsoap has something called "triclosan" which, when mixed with water, forms chloroform. Perhaps good for "preserving" our beautiful skin (wink) but not something I'd want my children breathing on a regular basis. Of course we all already know that a big problem right now is bacterial resistance and "super bugs" due to the huge amount of antibiotics and anti-bacterial things we use. This is one more reason to get rid of it all. A sad moment for me, because I am a charter member of the Bath & Body Works adoration society but something's gotta give. Chloroform!
And I've seen the whole "BPA-free" advertising on things and heard the debates about water bottles, but only recently really started looking into it. You can find thousands of articles by googling BPA but basically (for those of you who have pretty much ignored this issue like me) Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a chemical used to make polycarbonate, which is what helps make plastics durable. It is particularly useful in products which will be microwaved. Studies have suggested that the BPA can leak out into the foods and drinks that are kept in polycarbonate products. It is also found in the linings of canned foods and drinks. I've read, but since I don't have a baby I haven't checked recently, that BPA is banned in baby bottles now since babies are particularly at risk from this chemical.
The FDA says this:
Studies employing standardized toxicity tests have thus far supported the safety of current low levels of human exposure to BPA. However, on the basis of results from recent studies using novel approaches to test for subtle effects, both the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health and FDA have some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children. In cooperation with the National Toxicology Program, FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research is carrying out in-depth studies to answer key questions and clarify uncertainties about the risks of BPA.
The Washington Post reported in 2010:
Growing scientific evidence has linked the chemical to a host of problems, including cancer, sexual dysfunction and heart disease.
Recent data found health effects even at low doses of BPA -- lower than the levels considered safe by the FDA.
That, to me, is rock fish. "Key questions" and "uncertainties" are huge red flags. The argument can be made that we cannot keep ourselves in a bubble and we're always going to be exposed to something, and that is true. But when we KNOW of something that is unhealthy for us we have no alternative but to reduce our exposure as much as we can.
I'd decided after talking with a friend to discard all of our Glad containers we have been using for lunches and to store things in the refrigerator. Then I found out that Glad containers are not made with BPA, nor are Pyrex lids (the containers are glass so they're good). But I have a lot of other storage items that are older, I'm unsure about, etc. I am thrilled to find out that Tupperware has discontinued use of BPA in all of its products sold in the US! That is GREAT news because I LOVE Tupperware and now I have a reason to buy all new products. :) If any of you happen to be a Tupperware consultant give me a ring....
Incidentally, BPA is also in the lining of soda cans. It is recommended that you only drink soda out of bottles. Still trying to figure out what to do with that info, given the amount of soda a certain member of our family drinks. And a couple of months ago, a study found high levels of BPA (as high as in the now-banned baby bottles) on paper money and particularly receipts.
The best approach, with every kind of germ, chemical, exposure, I suppose, is to wash our hands A LOT.
With triclosan-free non-antibacterial soap, of course!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
craft camp cont.
Not too much to report this week, but we're still crafting! I have made some things I just LOVE, and Joshua has even learned how to sew!
In honor of Shark Week, we cut out a pattern from felt and Joshua stitched and stuffed his new friend, Lloyd.
Our dad is away this week, which means this week is also called, "we're doing whatever mom wants!" Yesterday that meant figuring out where a certain quilt shop was in Annapolis. I have been wanting to go there FOREVER and finally found it. The one problem with "doing whatever mom wants" is that chances are good the passengers aren't thrilled about the choice. I promised I would not spend long in the store, bribed them with goodies from the nearby bakery, and scooted in.
Oh. my. word.
Well, so, if you are wondering where I am anytime I have a free minute, you can find me at
Cottonseed Glory.
In an effort to keep my promise, I rushed through the store (giggling like a school girl) and snatched up some fat quarters (so there would be no cutting involved) before I dashed out to the van doing a victory dance. I found my happy place!! :)
In honor of Shark Week, we cut out a pattern from felt and Joshua stitched and stuffed his new friend, Lloyd.
Oh. my. word.
Well, so, if you are wondering where I am anytime I have a free minute, you can find me at
Cottonseed Glory.
In an effort to keep my promise, I rushed through the store (giggling like a school girl) and snatched up some fat quarters (so there would be no cutting involved) before I dashed out to the van doing a victory dance. I found my happy place!! :)
Monday, August 8, 2011
There were other things going on
besides the big win, of course. :)
We had a busy week last week, actually. VBS was every night and we also threw in swimming lessons, PT, and a couple other things.
VBS was a BLAST. We are so very glad to have found our church. I feel blessed every time I hear our pastor speak, whether to the Sunday congregation or to a group of active 4-13 year old VBS kids. There was a lot of fun going on at VBS this year-the theme was "Rev It Up" and there was even a real car in the fellowship hall-but there was a lot of seriousness too. Pastor Counterman doesn't mince words. There is no skipping around the truth that each and every one of us is going to die someday and without a personal relationship with the Lord there is no way for us to be in heaven. It was awesome to hear this truth presented and to see the attentiveness with which it was received. 4 children made professions of faith this week-praise God!
Another huge blessing and answer to prayer was that Nick was able to work the entire week with us! Not only work for 3 hours straight each night, but work with the 4-5 year olds, which adds at least a couple labor hours each time! He was worn out and by the end of the week wasn't feeling very good, but was having so much fun with the kids he pushed through and made it and we are so thankful for that. He is a gentle spirit and I know was such a calming influence in his group of kids.
In the afternoons I began tackling the enormous job of preparing for school. Tons of books to sort through, sell, buy, arrange, organize....a new school year is always a welcome return to routine and this year we're trying some new things for both boys, which I'm excited about. Hopefully I can get the place straightened up in time to start....
Some of you don't know this and probably wouldn't believe it, based on the number of photos I've posted of Joshua in the pool, but that kid has never taken a swimming lesson in his life! We changed that up last week, though, as he began his first session. He needs some technique instruction and he took to it, well, like a fish.
And lastly, I was going to have a touching post about how we raised a tadpole to adulthood and felt so proud of our accomplishment.
We had dreams of spending a couple weeks imparting our bug-catching wisdom to our little charge and wanted to make memories now that he (she?) had legs and could sit up attentively on the rocks to listen to our advice.
That little ungrateful rebel grew his legs, sat on the rock faking us out that he liked the home we provided for him, and the next morning...gone.
So much for my tales of parental success. I bet he doesn't even bring the grandchildren back to visit.
I'm putting a screen over that bucket before the other ones grow legs.
We had a busy week last week, actually. VBS was every night and we also threw in swimming lessons, PT, and a couple other things.
VBS was a BLAST. We are so very glad to have found our church. I feel blessed every time I hear our pastor speak, whether to the Sunday congregation or to a group of active 4-13 year old VBS kids. There was a lot of fun going on at VBS this year-the theme was "Rev It Up" and there was even a real car in the fellowship hall-but there was a lot of seriousness too. Pastor Counterman doesn't mince words. There is no skipping around the truth that each and every one of us is going to die someday and without a personal relationship with the Lord there is no way for us to be in heaven. It was awesome to hear this truth presented and to see the attentiveness with which it was received. 4 children made professions of faith this week-praise God!
Another huge blessing and answer to prayer was that Nick was able to work the entire week with us! Not only work for 3 hours straight each night, but work with the 4-5 year olds, which adds at least a couple labor hours each time! He was worn out and by the end of the week wasn't feeling very good, but was having so much fun with the kids he pushed through and made it and we are so thankful for that. He is a gentle spirit and I know was such a calming influence in his group of kids.
One day.
That's it.
So much for my tales of parental success. I bet he doesn't even bring the grandchildren back to visit.
I'm putting a screen over that bucket before the other ones grow legs.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
First EVER Speed Award!
Today's post was going to be about our week at VBS, swimming lessons, and our little tadpoles that are all growing up, but those things will have to wait!!
In a surprising, out-of-the-blue, and new TRADITION STARTING event for the Gercken family,
JOSHUA GERCKEN WON A SPEED AWARD AT A CUB SCOUT RACE!!!
As most of you know, the Gerckens are known for well-designed and executed plans for Pinewood Derby cars and Raingutter Regatta boats, but have been lacking in the element of speed.
That's all changed as of today.
From today on, the Gerckens are known for cool designs AND speed!!!
Joshua's theme for this year's entry was Shark Week (insert Discovery channel trademark here). The boats were catamaran-style and he came up with an awesome plan of making his floaty-parts (technical term I use) into sharks. Spray paint, enamel model paint, and even a cut-up hotel room key card (dorsal fins) and he ended up with this:
Yep. Awesome.
Fun morning and a great way to start the weekend! We were really debating whether or not to participate this year because we were all soooo tired after a long week of work and VBS. In the end we decided that we had committed to it and should follow through. Turned out to be a good lesson. :)
We started off with some songs by the always-awesome Miss Kate.
Had a little break to watch the firemen go out on a call. (the Regatta is held behind our local fire station.)
Then got down to work.
And, yes, here he is getting his award for his shark design. Called it. :)
Have a good weekend--check back tomorrow for the rest of the weekly update.
In a surprising, out-of-the-blue, and new TRADITION STARTING event for the Gercken family,
JOSHUA GERCKEN WON A SPEED AWARD AT A CUB SCOUT RACE!!!
As most of you know, the Gerckens are known for well-designed and executed plans for Pinewood Derby cars and Raingutter Regatta boats, but have been lacking in the element of speed.
That's all changed as of today.
From today on, the Gerckens are known for cool designs AND speed!!!
Joshua's theme for this year's entry was Shark Week (insert Discovery channel trademark here). The boats were catamaran-style and he came up with an awesome plan of making his floaty-parts (technical term I use) into sharks. Spray paint, enamel model paint, and even a cut-up hotel room key card (dorsal fins) and he ended up with this:
Fun morning and a great way to start the weekend! We were really debating whether or not to participate this year because we were all soooo tired after a long week of work and VBS. In the end we decided that we had committed to it and should follow through. Turned out to be a good lesson. :)
We started off with some songs by the always-awesome Miss Kate.
We felt pretty confident he would come home with another design award to add to the MANY other design awards members of the family have won over the years. But little did we know, that kid had LUNGS. A little bit of coaching from dad...
and he blew
and blew
and blew
and blew
his way into 3rd place in the Pack!
Out of 33 kids who were entered to race!
Have a good weekend--check back tomorrow for the rest of the weekly update.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Painful typing and a cute gift bag
Random, I know.....
And now it gets even worse.
I was going to start a diet with some ladies from church. You pay 10 bucks, weigh in in front of them (while at least one of them gasps...), and the first person to lose 10% of their body weight wins all the money. Two things have prevented me from joining. The first is that part in italics above and the second is that Nick said he wished we had carrot cake.
So I decided to make carrot cake instead of starting a diet. YUM! :)
But I do not have one of these:
so I ended up having lots of these:
and typing is so painful.
But the cake (with cream cheese frosting) is DELICIOUS....
On to the more useful part of this post.
I made a going-away gift for a friend last week and when it came time to wrap it up, I just didn't find any gift bags around the house that did it justice. I could do the dollar store but, eh, those didn't really fit either. And the idea of paying $4 or more at Target didn't thrill me.
I have a bunch of really cute shopping bags saved up for no apparent reason and it occurred to me that if I could just cover up the store name, one of them would be perfect! It was pretty and substantial, and had wonderful grosgrain ribbon handles. But what to cover up the logo with...
I decided to go with the old stand-by.....tissue paper flowers!
I love how it turned out. It took about half an hour to make and assemble everything, but so worth it. In fact, I love it so much I'm going to have to do more clothes shopping so I can get more bags! All in the name of saving money on gift bags, right?
Here's how I did it:
1. Cut out squares of tissue paper. I used about 8-10 squares for each flower. The smaller flowers had more than the larger ones because I just cut as many as I could get out of each sheet of tissue paper. The smaller flowers were probably around 4x4, the largest maybe 5 1/2?
2. Stack the squares and accordion fold them.
3. Tie the folded paper in the middle with a string . (You could use a pipe cleaner if you wanted a stem)
4. Trim both ends of the folded paper. I rounded mine, but you could achieve a different effect by making them pointy.
5. Begin to separate and lift/fluff each layer of tissue paper to form the flower. Since mine were going to be glued on the bag I only fluffed in one direction, but you could fluff all the way around and make a puffy little carnation if you wanted to stick them in a jar.
6. Glue them on the bag.
7. If they don't cover the logo entirely, cut out some leaves to cover the rest.
8. Be sure to tell the recipient how you "upcycled" the bag so she'll think you're really awesome. :)
What is in the bag? Well, that's another post....
p.s. If anyone is looking for a good gift for me, it's called the Pampered Chef slicer/grater. Just sayin'.
And now it gets even worse.
I was going to start a diet with some ladies from church. You pay 10 bucks, weigh in in front of them (while at least one of them gasps...), and the first person to lose 10% of their body weight wins all the money. Two things have prevented me from joining. The first is that part in italics above and the second is that Nick said he wished we had carrot cake.
So I decided to make carrot cake instead of starting a diet. YUM! :)
But I do not have one of these:
But the cake (with cream cheese frosting) is DELICIOUS....
On to the more useful part of this post.
I made a going-away gift for a friend last week and when it came time to wrap it up, I just didn't find any gift bags around the house that did it justice. I could do the dollar store but, eh, those didn't really fit either. And the idea of paying $4 or more at Target didn't thrill me.
I have a bunch of really cute shopping bags saved up for no apparent reason and it occurred to me that if I could just cover up the store name, one of them would be perfect! It was pretty and substantial, and had wonderful grosgrain ribbon handles. But what to cover up the logo with...
I decided to go with the old stand-by.....tissue paper flowers!
Here's how I did it:
1. Cut out squares of tissue paper. I used about 8-10 squares for each flower. The smaller flowers had more than the larger ones because I just cut as many as I could get out of each sheet of tissue paper. The smaller flowers were probably around 4x4, the largest maybe 5 1/2?
2. Stack the squares and accordion fold them.
3. Tie the folded paper in the middle with a string . (You could use a pipe cleaner if you wanted a stem)
4. Trim both ends of the folded paper. I rounded mine, but you could achieve a different effect by making them pointy.
5. Begin to separate and lift/fluff each layer of tissue paper to form the flower. Since mine were going to be glued on the bag I only fluffed in one direction, but you could fluff all the way around and make a puffy little carnation if you wanted to stick them in a jar.
6. Glue them on the bag.
7. If they don't cover the logo entirely, cut out some leaves to cover the rest.
8. Be sure to tell the recipient how you "upcycled" the bag so she'll think you're really awesome. :)
What is in the bag? Well, that's another post....
p.s. If anyone is looking for a good gift for me, it's called the Pampered Chef slicer/grater. Just sayin'.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Another Birthday Celebration
So the big boy and his girl were up for the weekend to celebrate his birthday. We had a great time together-lots of food, some shopping, swimming, more food, Star Wars. Just the usual. :)
 |
| both big boys wanted cowboy boots for their birthdays. There were so many to choose from! |
 |
| Success! |
 |
| Lookin' good..... |
 |
| sign outside western store |
 |
| Birthday dinner: bratwurst, zucchini, brotchen, spaetzle, steamed shrimp |
 |
| birthday "cake" was really fruit pizza |
 |
| The s'mores were actually part of our private celebration of Danna's birthday, as is the dinner below. :) Can't miss out on a chance to have a party! |
 |
| went out to eat at our favorite mexican restaurant |
 |
| so cute |
Also, some of you have been wondering where the daughter is with all this celebrating going on...She's actually in Montana with Danna, doing some of this.....so I don't think she's too sorry to be missing out. :)
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