Home Radon Test

About a month ago, I read an article talking about radon levels in Massachusetts.  A report had come out saying that 1 in 4 homes in Massachusetts could have excessive levels of radon, a colorless, odorless gas that can cause lung cancer.  The article goes on to mention that Middlesex, Essex, and Worcester counties are at the highest risk for high radon levels (we live in Middlesex).

This information, paired with the fact that we know several people who have had insanely high radon levels in their homes in the last year (one a short distance from our house), convinced me to buy an at-home radon test to make sure we weren't unknowingly simmering in radon.

The entire process was simple and cheap, costing less than $15.  I ordered this kit on Amazon.

The kit included the test packet, a prepaid mailer to send the packet to their lab, and specific instructions about where to test, how long to test, and how to get your results.  It was as easy as leaving this on our table for 2 days!

After 2 days, we sent off the sampler packet in our prepaid label and got ready to wait.  After about two weeks, I got our results in an email.

Thankfully our levels weren't through the roof.  Here are the guidelines they give:

0.4 - Average outdoor radon concentration
1.3 - Average indoor radon concentration
4.0 - EPA recommended action guideline

Our home came in at <0.8, much lower than the average indoor levels.  Whew.

I'm so glad I decided to do the test - now I'm at ease.  For $15, I think it's totally worth it to check out your home.  Especially if you're in New England or one of the three counties listed above.

*I was NOT paid to write this blog or compensated in any way.  I'm just really glad I did the test, and think you should too.  Can't be too careful!*

2013 Boston Marathon - My Thoughts

I was so excited to write my first blog about one of my favorite days, Marathon Monday.  Marathon Monday (the day of the Boston Marathon) has been one of my favorite holidays since moving to Boston.  The entire city opens its doors and takes to the streets for a massive celebration, cheering on over 35,000 people as they run 26.2 miles.  The entire city is into it.

Last year, the temperature was dangerously high (90+) for most of the race.  This year, things were perfect - 54 degrees, clear skies, and a slight breeze - 'easy' running.  I had to work this year, but was able to do so from home since my office is right on the route.  You do NOT want to go into Coolidge Corner if you don't have to while the Marathon is going on!  If I hadn't had to work, we would have gone into the city and camped out at the finish line, as we've done in the past, to cheer on the runners and soak in some inspiration.  This year, we walked down the street and spent an hour cheering at the Newton Firehouse.

The Boston Marathon is hope.  It's extreme...and it's exhausting. It's an entire city coming together to support athletes who have spent the last 6 months living and breathing running so they can cross the world's oldest finish line.  It's active military personnel completing the race with 50 pound packs on their backs.  It's Dick and Rick Hoyt, a loving father who has pushed his son (who has cerebral palsy) in more than 30 races.  It's the millions of dollars raised by every-day people running the race for their favorite cause.

Up until 2:50pm, that's all today was about.  That's why the explosions at the finish line are so heart breaking.  As I'm writing this (Monday night), the news is reporting 3 people have died (including an 8 year old boy) and more than 130 people were injured.  I hate watching these numbers rise, as they've done all day.  

It's unnerving to see something like this happen where we spent so much time the first few years we lived here.  I used to work right around the corner.  We spent several 'Marathon Mondays' right where the explosions happened...they were great seats!

Amidst all the pain and trauma of today, three things stand out:

1 - My God is bigger than a bomb.

2 - We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from friends and family who know we call Boston home right now.  All the sweet phone calls, texts, emails, and Facebook messages meant a lot.

3 - When a disaster strikes, people help others.  

The Boston Marathon is still all of the things I mentioned earlier.  Now, it's also the race volunteers that ran toward the explosion to help those who were hurt.  It's the runners who crossed the finish line and kept running til they reached Mass General so they could give blood.  AND it's the residents that took in runners and their families from out of town, when their hotels were evacuated.  It's the total strangers walking home with runners who were shaken up, since they couldn't find their families.

Who knows what information will come tomorrow as we're waking up?  For now, I'm going to celebrate God's hand in my life and thank Him for keeping my family safe.  I'm ALSO going to try to remember how much fun today was before 2:50 pm.  Here are some pictures from earlier in the day so you can hopefully remember the good about the Boston Marathon, too.

Look at this lady's feet - she's not wearing shoes!!!

Newton Fire House

Emerson Umbrella Art Show & Concord, MA

Last weekend I went to a fantastic Open Studio at the Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts in Concord, MA.  Our friend Lois Andersen shares a studio in the beautiful building with another talented painter, so I was excited to see some more of her work, since I've always enjoyed when she's displayed selections at Park Street Church.

The building was a beautiful old school building that has been renovated into artist studios.  With three floors, 55 artists, and lots of demonstrations going on, there was plenty to see!  Lois was sweet enough to show me around to some of her friends for a while, then I wandered through the rest of the building on my own.

Here's Lois and her studio-mate with some of their art!

Here are a few shots of the art.  There were so many things to see!  Pottery, oil paintings, jewelry, woven scarves, cartoons, sculptures, watercolor...the list goes on!  Here is a little taste.

This was a hands-on exhibition where kids were making rafts from nature that will be part of an Earth Day celebration.

After walking around the Open Studio for a few hours, I headed into downtown Concord.  Concord is one of my favorite little towns around Boston.  There's Walden Pond, a thousand historical sites to visit, fantastic restaurants (like 80 Thoreau), and several good antique stores I like to visit.  On this trip, I got a tiny antique metal sheep for myself and some old watch gears for Travis.  I'm planning on making the watch parts into some kind of steampunk pin for him to wear when the Gentlemen's Very (Very) High Art Society plays...or the next time we go to a Steampunk event.

Downtown Concord

Clever name, huh?

What are your favorite art exhibits?

Healthy Smoothie - Oatmeal, Spinach & Berries

If you've been following along at home, you know I'm a sucker for a good smoothie.  This week I decided to add a few ingredients to one of my favorite mixtures of fruit to make it healthier, and loved what I ended up with.  Adding oats and spinach to the already delicious list of ingredients makes this a fantastic breakfast! I was SO full after drinking mine!

All you need is:

1 medium banana
5-6 strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup yogurt (I used strawberry Chobani)
1/4 cup oats (I used Old Fashioned Quaker Oats)
1-1.5 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup water (or more)

Then just fill your blender and blend until smooth!  I gave it a little longer than usual to make sure the oats were pulverized.  :)

Even husband liked it!

Have fun switching out the fruit you use - I don't think you'll come up with a bad combination.

Interested in other cool treats?  Check out a few of my frozen yogurt recipes - Blackberry Honey Frozen Yogurt and Strawberry Banana Fro Yo!

Enjoy!

Giving Up Caffeine and How to Make Water Interesting

Yesterday marked one week since I've given up caffeine   Why did I give it up, you may ask?  Well...

Last Monday, I stopped into the CVS below my office to get my morning Diet Mountain Dew, but sadly, they were out.  I went across the street to Walgreens, but they were out too.  Frustrated, I went down a block to another CVS...and THEY were out too!  And that was it.  I didn't like the fact that I was so addicted to caffeine, and I liked the fact that I was consuming so much Aspartame even less.

The first few days were terrible.  Day 1, headache.  Day 2...headache so bad that I went home and slept/sat in the dark all night.  Day 3... exhausted and headache.  Day 4...exhausted and a milder headache.  Days 5-7...just tired.  And finally...day 8....I'm FINE!  4 days of headaches and a week being tired to knock a terrible addiction isn't bad at all!

I think part of the reason I was able to get through the withdrawal symptoms so quickly is because of all the water I drank.  Seriously...I drank SO much water.  That way I wasn't also dealing with dehydration headaches.  (And it's just good for you.)

It worked out pretty nicely that we were shooting some videos at my apartment for work the week before I quit soda.  One of the videos we shot was about ways to make water more interesting with yummy ice cubes, so I thought I'd share it with you all.  Here are some pictures from the day, and the video showing how you make the ice cubes.

Here's what was going on in my house...crazy!

Poor Travis was stuck in the dining room surrounded by all the props, trying to grade papers.  What a good sport.  :)

Now...back the ice cubes.  We made four kinds - lemon, mint, berry, and lemon-berry-mint!  The berry-lemon-mint ones were by far my favorite, and are a perfect way to keep all this water I'm now drinking interesting!  I like to smash the frozen berries a little before putting them in the trays.

Check out the video below for the how-to!



What's your favorite way to spice up your water?