One of the chief reasons we have created The Prudent Wife, beyond obedience, is to encourage folks to prayerfully take a look at their behavior, like we are, evaluating it against scripture. It is to seek the Lord in all things. This includes how our actions of today, affect our future, and our children’s future. We must act, in positive ways, in ways that do not contradict scripture, within the bounds we have, chiefly our own homes. I can take responsibility for my behavior and actions, and encourage you to take responsibility for yours, to buy our children and grandchildren a better future.

Reading this article by Samuel J. Robertson, on the aging baby boomers, of which my parents, in-laws, and many of our readers beloved families are a part of http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20010728/site/newsweek/ is a great place to start.Now, this IS an MSNBC article, but it is similar to many out there saying the same basic thing, so I will quote it,

“The aging of America is not just a population change or, as a budget problem, an accounting exercise. It involves a profound transformation of the nature of government: commitments to the older population are slowly overwhelming other public goals; the national government is becoming mainly an income-transfer mechanism from younger workers to older retirees.

Consider the outlook. From 2005 to 2030, the 65-and-over population will nearly double to 71 million; its share of the population will rise to 20 percent from 12 percent. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid—programs that serve older people—already exceed 40 percent of the $2.7 trillion federal budget. By 2030, their share could hit 75 percent of the present budget, projects the Congressional Budget Office. The result: a political impasse.

The 2030 projections are daunting. To keep federal spending stable as a share of the economy would mean eliminating all defense spending and most other domestic programs (for research, homeland security, the environment, etc.). To balance the budget with existing programs at their present economic shares would require, depending on assumptions, tax increases of 30 percent to 50 percent—or budget deficits could quadruple. A final possibility: cut retirement benefits by increasing eligibility ages, being less generous to wealthier retirees or trimming all payments.

Our beloved country is going to go broke paying for Medicare, Medicaid and prescription drugs, as we keep hearing and as we shift to 1 out of 5 Americans qualifying. Scripturally, we are to honor our parents and our grandparents. They were promised this system and they get this system. But we are going to be stuck with an enormous bill, as are our children and grandchildren. And my question to you is - what will you leave the generation behind YOU?

I cannot solve the puzzle of the aging Baby Boomers, I can’t lower taxes, I “can’t” do a lot of things.

But we CAN do some things to secure our future, and that of our children and grandchildren. Sometimes the best offense is a good defense. We can know what the Lord says, and biblically plan our course, prayerfully and with flexibility.

I can deliberately choose to invest in better food that nurtures my family, learn how to cook and prepare things to mediate the diseases and conditions of aging, rather than perusing fashion magazines, studying what is “in”, and buying trendy clothing that is here today, gone tomorrow. I can slowly incorporate maximum nutrition and better foods into my family’s diet, year after year, refining our diets into healthful, delicious meals that nourish and build up our bodies, rather than tear them down and prime them for disease later. I can study what is going on with the Baby Boomers, the rise of Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, heart disease, diabetes and learn from the research how to attack those conditions from a nutritional standpoint. I can share on The Prudent Wife, this ever new journey of nutritional learning, and bring you delicious recipes with maximum nutrition, articles on health and nutrition and help you along your journey to health. We both can teach our children, so they know and understand and pass it on to their children, sharing that we are responsible for our time on earth. Lord willing, we will have less of the plaguing diseases of age, as a direct result of eating with thought, of investing in nutrition rather than trends. If we KNOW that our food choices cause disease, is it not sin to neglect this crucial aspect. Should we not have moderation and choose wisely? Should we not do everything we can to teach the generations that follow, to break the cycle of disease?

Little choices, day after day, make up life. My father is a Type II diabetic. So was his father. So will I be, unless I do something NOW! And so will my children, and their children, unless we break the cycle of diabetes. When my father was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago, I went on a quest to learn everything I could about diabetes, and live my life in “diabetes control” mode. Prevention is much preferable to disease. But it begins with a choice, and it ends with discipline, daily discipline, day in and day out, year after year. I have made it a point to study the diseases in both of our families, and plan our nutrition wisely and with discipline, to avoid the diseases. That is one of the reasons I am so passionate about Maximum Nutrition!

We can embrace healthy stewardship of finances as we adopt healthy goals in nutrition. We can plan our finances, our retirement, and work toward funding it. We can drive our cars longer, be wise with money, put off the buying the trendy, investing in the future instead. We can build different retirement venues in our lives. We can invest in our churches. We can plan our estates to maximize whatever we have at the end of our lives, giving it to our churches, and some to our children, investing in people, rather than taxes.

Personally, our family is still paying off a failed business and we are in an enormous struggle today, so these financial ideas are not part of our current ability level. However, we need to study toward them, to look toward the FUTURE - we need to plan for the day when we have options again, not merely toward a temporal “what can we BUY when we have money again.”

By employing the nutritional strategy today, when we are younger and able to influence our children at home, we save on Medicare and Medicaid in the future, not to mention mediating disease and bad health as we age. By employing the financial strategy, we can enjoy that good health we have helped create, and ultimately be less of a drain on Social Security, and government services. Obviously, those three will change drastically before we retire, and we will not inherit the systems of our parents. Our changes today, tomorrow, day in and day out will help build a future for our children, and grandchildren. What would happen if 10 million Gen X’ers began to employ a strategy of feeding their families maximum nutrition, healthful, wholesome REAL food with great taste, eating deliberately to ward off the diseases of their family tree? What would happen if those Gen X offspring did the same? Immediately, we would change the health of our families. Long term, we would change the health of our nation, and possibly the financial health of America.

When I was 20, I read my first article on Social Security slated to go broke by the time I was ready to draw on it. Generation X lives in the shadow of the Boomers, and we have to do what we can, so our children don’t have to pay the price we will, for the generation before them.

We have to face facts…. control what WE can control. And at The Prudent Wife, we are working hard, learning all we can to bring you ideas to save you time, energy, money and stress, not to mention pointing you toward a healthier future.

Incidentally, I wrote the author that inspired this blog and found ANOTHER of his articles entitled “How Baby Boomers are Robbing our Grandchildren” at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16562633/site/newsweek/

As in most things in life, as my husband always says, “You can be part of the problem, or you can be part of the solution.” Which do you choose?

Astounding “Natural” Ant Killer!!! Wow - look what Dr. Mercola recommends for KILLING ANTS!!! I can’t wait to borrow some from my neighbor a little later and see if it works. Dr. Mercola has some great articles at www.mercola.com and this was found at http://www.mercola.com/2006/sep/5/got_an_ant_problem_use_aspartame.htm

Got an Ant Problem? Use Aspartame

For all the dire health problems associated with aspartame — the worst of them being cancer — the original “anything-but-sugar” substitute may have an ideal purpose to exist, not as a food additive, but as an ant poisonAlready aware of aspartame’s origins as a toxic chemical, a health-conscious consumer with an ant problem emptied one packet of aspartame in the corner of each of her bathrooms two years ago. The “sweet” solution worked brilliantly, as she’s seen no signs of carpenter ants crawling around for the past year.

Aspartame may be just the thing for getting rid of fire ants (impervious to many poisons) too, although this solution takes a bit more effort. Initially, fire ants ignored their aspartame treat until a light rain moistened it. After the rain, however, the fire ants came back with a vengeance, taking the aspartame back to the mound by the hundreds. Within two days, any evidence that fire ants existed at all, save for an empty mound, vanished.

No mystery aspartame works like a pesticide, as the asparctic acid contained in this toxic product is a well-documented excitotoxin that causes specific brain cells to become excessively excited to the point they quickly die, just as both kinds of ants did.

Makes you wonder if aspartame is a far safer, better alternative to getting rid of lawn and home pests than the average toxic pesticides found at your neighborhood hardware store …

If you ever wanted a painless way to find out all the dangers of aspartame you will certainly want to view Sweet Misery. If you are a natural health care practitioner you might want to consider showing this in your reception area.

Absolutely FABULOUS article! Makes you think - and who wouldn’t want to do that?

Rich Man, Boor Man
We live in an age of great wealth–and lousy manners. by Peggn Noonan - go read it here http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110010385

I saw an ad for Walgreens where they are going to REFILL ink cartridges! $10 for black and white and $15 for color. That way you can replace the COLORS you need! They check the cartridge electronics to make sure they are good, and then put a safety cap on them. This saves $$ and is a greener way to go, environmentally! We rarely use our ink jet - but I think we are paying $45 per set, which would save us $15 per set and we might actually use it more often. (Our laser is much more practical for everyday printing and running a business. Laser toner cartridges are pricey - at $175 which is our price as VAR’s. They do last over a year, even with the heavy copying/printing load our life and business demands.)

Of course, all ink jets are unique. Your particular ink situation and printer may vary considerably, but it is WORTH LOOKING INTO! It is about time that a major store put one in!

Maybe this will make this school year so much easier and less expensive! And maybe this is already in every shop around you, so it is not as exciting!

LisaB!

Turning to Him, working on the Prudent Wife Bible Study….

Lord help us to see ourselves through your eyes, in the area of prudent behavior, thinking, speech, wisdom and action. Show us where we fall short and give us Your wisdom to diligently become the Prudent Wife of scripture. Help us to bring honor to our husbands, all the days of our lives. Help root out the sinful attitudes that are so deeply ingrained, in our hearts, actions and minds, as women of modernity. Help us confront the scam of advertising and how it seeps into our brains and we act without wisdom, even wickedly, in a never ending quest to get, to have, to do, compete, or whatever our particular issue is. Lord, give us strength to face our lives in a new way, in light of Your word, and the wisdom within. Confront our hearts, quicken our spirits, challenge our minds and give us Your vision for living the prudent life, as prudent wives, to your glory. We love you Lord, we thank you for your sacrifice and pray you guide our hearts, minds and actions and that you give us courage to live out the prudent journey. Change us, meld us, mold us, refine us, to bring honor and glory to You. We love you Lord, and seek to bring honor to your Holy Name.

on Emily’s 13th Birthday, Day One of CH 11 Bankruptcy Court Auction for hubby’s employer….

Mercury detox part 2! Continuing to consume lots of Vitamin C in both vitamin and in fruits and vegetables. Eating lots of cilantro. Continuing with the arnica gel. But a little too busy trying to get the Prudent Wife website UP and RUNNING to worry too much about it!

I have noticed a return of the extreme exhaustion - which I am battling with good diet, continuing to exercise twice a day for about an hour, with the targeted breathing and stretches in the AM, and the family 1-2 mile walk in the evening.

I saw the chiropractor yesterday (twisted like a pretzel after a month and 3+ hour dental visit) and told him how tired I am, but that I would NOT give up and I would continue the practically perfect eating plan and exericse regimine I am currently on, but the exhaustion when I get to the top of the stairs, or when I stopped, still did not go away.

He looked at me kindly and incredulously and said, “You just had half a mouth of silver fillings removed, your husbands employer is in Chapter 11 and going on the bankruptcy auction block this week and you wonder why you are exhausted?” He went on to talk about the adrenal glands pumping out cortisol in times of stress, which is the reason I began this “summer of reganing my health,”spurred on by long term adrenal exhaustion. And I was brought back to reality for a moment - it does not matter how fast my brain is going, how clear my optimism, how much faith I have, reality is that I am still traversing a fallen world and some part of my physical body can react, and I guess I was a little disappointed. I always expect myself to somehow continue on my Energizer bunny path, without stopping.

He pointed out a shocking truth. I am clearly aware that there is never a dull moment in the Baughn household, yet in the midst of navigating, surviving and praying through our lives, I forget the enormity of what is actually going on!! After investing our life savings into a cross country move and IT business (along with our heart, mind, action and energy) which ultimately failed, God chose THIS particular company for Dave to work at out of all he applied at. He put Dave there, for such a time as this. While we understand the PROVIDENCE of God, and freaked out for the first few days after hearing of the BK, with visions of starving again, of the ship we have so carefully and prayerfully tried to upright crashing violently, of having to move to another place or even more devastating, another state (where we could make TWICE what he makes here) when we are so absolutely content in our beloved, beautiful Tennessee, all the worst case scenarios that flit through your head when you have a severe life blow overtook our thoughts. We wondered why we would move, in what we thought was obedience, settle here, in what we thought was obedience, start the company in what we thought was obedience, fail, starve, apply for dozens of jobs, get this one, realize with our first paycheck in 10 years how we had miscalculated how much tax came out, and what a bite insurance is, and that we grossly underestimated what we needed to make to pay our bills and pay off the failed business and would go into debt about $600 a month on a spartan budget, unless we creatively made up the difference. Immediately after the company filed BK, there were two horrible weeks of panic and spiraling thoughts. Yet, submitting it continuously to prayer, God worked a miracle in our hearts. Stress one moment, then peace like a river came over us, the most amazing, consuming peace. It really does not matter if we ultimately lose it all, again. To live IS Christ, it is not our situation, job, home or car. We can lose it all and will be okay, if we hold FAST to Christ. We still have each other, the rest of it doesn’t matter.

That said, it suddenly occurred to me, in his office, that while I have had this God-given peace, it is still an incredibly stressful event in life! While I understand whole heartedly who my Provider is, others don’t. My heart has been so grieved for the company of over 250 people, and for their families. This 100+ year old company, an institution in our parts, has filed Chapter 11, reorganization, and is on the auction block! As if that isn’t enough, this bankruptcy has dragged on, with the original auction dates being pushed back a month for union negotiations. Peoples lives, livelihoods and futures are at stake. Our community and economy would be hit hard by it shutting the doors.

Is the underlying exhaustion merely a strange, earthly dichotomy. The incredible peace we feel vs. physical exhaustion. Mind vs. body? Could my body be having a stress reaction underneath the unearthly feeling of peace? I am not sure.

Is it merely an exhaustion response to the mercury amalgam removal?

Is my heart broken for the people of my husband’s company, for their broken hopes and shattered dreams and it wears at me to the very marrow? Is it constant submission for revival in their hearts.

I just praise the Lord for the peace He has given us and pray for the Lord’s will to be done at the plant.

Incidentally, today, day one of the Chapter 11 Auction (for my husband’s employer), is our daughter Emily’s 13th birthday. The last day of the auction is our 15th wedding anniversary! We will never forget these milestones and our lives intertwined with the bankruptcy at the plant!

Half of mercury contaminated dental amalgams are gone! YES! As much as I wanted to cancel my appointment to begin the process of removing my “silver” dental amalgams, I was brave and went in and did it. Last night, I had spent some more time researching and trying to figure out which protocol to ask for on removal. I also began loading up on Vitamin C and drinking EmergenC to prevent free radicals from having a grand time with the mercury. This morning, I took 5000 mg of Vitamin C over a few hours, another EmergenC, extra Vit E, a complex B, my normal vitamins and a shot of colloidal silver (I always take either colloidal silver or Oil of Oregano before ANY dental work or cleaning) and took extra doses of vitamins, especially C and E to take after the procedure. Breakfasted on scrambled eggs on cilantro covered toast.

According to Dr. Mercola at www.mercola.com

Dental fillings: Vapors from dental fillings, or amalgams, are continually released in your mouth and increased when you chew food or gum. Studies have found people with these fillings can have mercury vapor concentrations 10 times higher than those in people without them. Also, simple activities such as chewing gum, drinking hot liquids and brushing teeth can further increase the release of mercury.

Therefore, if you are looking to have your amalgam fillings removed and want to avoid getting worse please follow the following rule: Only see a dentist who is properly trained in removing mercury fillings. If they don’t appreciate mercury toxicity they will not implement special precautions, like room air to you by nasal cannula, rubber dams and high-pressure suction to suck out the mercury vapors that are released by drilling.

I talked to Dr. Mefford first about my questions, fears of getting further contaminated and the thought that it felt like I was jumping out of a “perfectly good airplane.” I brought up my concerns of using a dental dam, etc. Dr. Mefford is great and spent a lot of time making sure I was completely okay with my elective procedure, before beginning. He did everything he could to assure that he met safe guidelines (which vary widely, like everything on the web!)

The silver amalgam removal was just like getting any other dental procedure. It began with the numbing gel, then the shot. Dr. Mefford highly recommended the nitrous oxide - and I thought it covered the “breathe pure oxygen” advice better than open air breathing as the mercury was drilled, possibly exposing my brain to mercury vapors (do I sound paranoid or what?) so opted for it. It was my first experience with nitrous and I found it strange, but not unpleasant. It made the 3 hour procedure go a lot faster as I tended to lose track of time. I have made it a point, since becoming a Christian, to pray for the dentist and assistants while I am getting work done, especially for their children. Praying redeems what can be an unpleasant time and makes it profitable in a kingdom way. I had the honor of quietly praying for Dr. Mefford’s baby girl, 11 month old Lily Grace (not sure that I spelled that right).

Toward the end of the procedure, waves of nausea began to sweep over me, so they gave me pure oxygen for awhile, then tried the nitrous back on. I felt sick again, so we dispensed of it. Dr. Mefford had planned to do 1/4 of my mouth at a time, but were able to do the upper & lower left side today! Although I was there a long time, it did not seem bad. I got up, with the fuzzy feeling mouth from the anesthetic, thanked them, paid my rather large copay as it was rather pricey to fill 4 teeth and went on my way.

For some reason, I was worried that I would be woozy when it was done. After the silver amalgam removal, I was okay to drive home, including a few errands on the way home. I emailed my ebay orders, gulped an Aleve down, ran by the grocery store for cilantro and to get stuff for my second cleanse and came home. When I got home, my mouth was very numb, so I lunched on plain yogurt (add a bit of vanilla and stevia) without fruit as I did not feel like chewing. I rubbed arnica gel into my gums to reduce pain and swelling and plan to do that for a few days. Had half a smooth pb sandwich around 3 as I felt really sick to my stomach. With all of the Vit C I am taking, that does not surprise me. Made a quick dinner of hamburgers topped with blue cheese, tomato and avocado, with canned green beans - the softest quickly prepared stuff I had that didn’t have seeds or some sort of odd texture that might bother my sore gums. I didn’t feel like juicing and I definitely did NOT feel like chewing a salad! We will have watermelon when someone else slices it! It has been 8 hours since leaving the dentist (who just called me - to make sure I am okay - can you believe that? WOW!) and I feel sore, tired, a little foggy, ready for bed - but thankfully the nausea is gone since eating dinner. Next appt, I will plan food choices a little better and have smooth stuff already prepared.

Now comes part one of chelation, or removing the mercury from my body. I have half a mouth of amalgam left, so am in the twilight zone and full mercury detox is not recommended until it is all gone. I did not do a mercury analysis, hair analysis, etc, so I will not know what my levels are or were. I may check further into this by calling my Dr and getting her advice. All in all, this was one of those long term health obediences that I have felt I was to do for a long time, about 5 years now. We currently have the insurance coverage for 80% of it, so now is as good a time as ever. My goal this summer is to regain my health and thoroughly detox my body, so now is as good a time as ever.

My main chelation protocol for right now, increase eating CILANTRO and keep up with the Vitamin C and vitamins and the whole foods lifestyle currently on. I am prepping for another gallbladder cleanse next week, so I have a month to figure out what else I need to do, as my next amalgam removal is August 15th.

Thought you might enjoy some more information on why I did this. Over the years, I have had many signs of mercury toxicity, including fibromyalgia, brain fog, exhaustion, thyroid issues, headaches, infertility and more. There are over 125 suspected signs of mercury toxicity - and I have a lot of them (and can’t find the list). More importantly, that still small voice has whispered that I am to do this for some time. Not really sure how the back end of this will all play out - but you can trust that I will be reporting amalgam removal issues on the prudent wife blog!

I have read Dr. Mercola’s site for years and find he has a lot of good information (As always, when reading someone with a beating heart, we must read with a discerning spirit, compare to scripture, pray through the information and toss out the bad!)

Dr. Mercola’s Mercury Toxicity and Systemic Elimination Agents http://www.mercola.com/article/mercury/mercury_elimination.htm

Dr. Mercola’s Mercury Detoxification Protocol http://www.mercola.com/article/mercury/detox_protocol.htm has helpful hints on foods, supplements and more.

Is Toxic Mercury Exposure Ruining Your Life? http://www.mercola.com/2005/mar/9/mercury_exposure.htm

Another batch of interesting articles can be found at

Biological and Mercury Free Dentistry http://www.med-library.net/content/view/35/40/

Dental Amalgam Mercury Poisoning http://www.med-library.net/content/view/235/41/

Mercury Toxicity, Gut Wall Infection, and Fatigue http://www.med-library.net/content/view/149/41/

LisaB! from Tennessee

There are two answers. Scripturally, she is the woman spoken of in Proverbs 19:14,“House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”

In real life, learning daily, studying how to become a Prudent Wife right along with you, is Lisa Baughn, an imperfect wife and homeschool mom, encouraging writer and speaker, who enjoys doing everything she shares in the Prudent Wife. Lisa loves the Lord, imperfectly, abundantly and shares from her heart with a passion for Christ.

People from all walks of life are drawn to the study of the Prudent Wife, and out of obedience, the Baughn family has created this website, chock full of practical insights into creating your own prudent lifestyle at home. How-to videos guide you step-by-step through all sorts of adventures from Inductive Bible study to copying a meal from Red Lobster, maximum nutrition to redecorating a room with a few yards of fabric and a 1×6 board, whole juice smoothies to homemade cleaning products, gallbladder cleanses and women’s health, and everything in-between, it is all here. Put on your seatbelt and prepare to listen fast and be encouraged to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel as you learn more about creating your own, individual prudent journey, with Christ at the center.

Lisa welcomes you to the Prudent Wife site and prays that you will laugh and think through the adventures, recipes and thoughts here, giggle and groan, leaving re energized and focused, with a friend along the journey. Find hope in scripture! Find encouragement in the Word, as Lisa has, and seeks to share her own prudent journey with transparency and simple honesty, challenging others to strengthen their walk with the incredible Creator of the universe, who chose them before the foundation of the world. Walk alongside us, as we learn together to diligently pursue God’s magnificent purpose and plan in our lives. How can we do any less?

Lisa has led an active life, blending a successful business with the challenges of homeschooling, teaching Inductive Bible Study classes, being active in church and her community, as well as being a wife and mother who loves organic food and still tries to cook from scratch. Lisa relates to the incredible challenges people face today with humor and encouragement. She understands life lived at warp speed, in the digital age, careening forward into an ever changing future and she share’s God’s hand in all things and encourages audiences to look to His mercy, grace and truth, not to the uncertainty of the modern future. She created The Prudent Wife to teach modern women how to navigate life with timeless biblical wisdom.

If you need a dynamic speaker, Lisa is available to talk to your ladies group, MOPS group, mothers group or more, on a variety of topics. Please contact her at lisa@theprudentwife.com for more information.

Join us on the journey to become a modern day prudent wife.

Yes, carrying on my natural path, tomorrow I begin the removal of dental amalgams from my teeth. Unfortunately, as a child, my parents did not instruct our dental health as much as they could. I had 6 cavities filled at the age of 7, and have had more through the years. I am not sure how many I have now, but they are all over my mouth! When I open my mouth, a sea of silver glints at you.

Royal mouth? No. Decidely not. My metal amalgam fillings are filled with mercury. Mercury is toxic. We have a fit about putting mercury in pet vaccinations - so why do we put it in humans’ mouths? Somebody figure this out.

I am not advocating the whole world do it, but am personally trying it. Once again, the Prudent Wife is a guinea pig, in a quest for health!

Here are some interesting sites on mercury poisoning and amalgam removal.

Dr. McGuire’s site — http://dentalwellness4u.com/freeservices/amalremov.html

Mercury Amalgam Fillings Removal and Detoxification http://www.positivehealth.com/permit/Articles/Dentist/crawford76.htm

How to get mercury fillings removed without exposing yourself to toxic mercury vaporhttp://www.newstarget.com/007851.html

As ever, I will report tomorrow on this wonderful new process.

Read a great article on the dilemma of how more & more working moms dream of going part-time at http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/worklife/07/16/part.time.moms.ap/index.html

Join www.theprudentwife.com membership community and learn with our signature how-to videos the simple, everyday secrets that make your stay at home dreams come true, from how to shave your budget, cook fun, fabulous meals, learn how to copy your favorite restaurant’s dishes slashing your eating out budget, embracing a prudent life of simplicity and more! You can do this! Let us help you figure out your own prudent journey to become a prudent wife, from our home to yours…. Lisa Baughn