Why a "Bidet Rinse" is as Standard as Hand Washing

Let's Get Personal

I remember the first time I saw a bidet. I looked at it, and wondered why some people would want to use one. It seemed awkward to imagine transferring from a toilet to a bidet, as well as sitting in the opposite direction. I guessed they used toilet paper before transferring, and again to dry off. In my mind I couldn't justify using up the space in a bathroom to have one. Eventually I found someone I felt comfortable asking, and they told me using a bidet is as standard of a routine as washing one's hands after using the bathroom, it simply was primitive, even barbaric (their description) to not rinse clean after using the toilet. I still was not sold.

At a Kitchen and Bath Show for professional designers, I saw that manufacturers were making a bidet and toilet combination. I had more interest, for at least in doing a remodel it did not require additional plumbing and space for a bidet, and who wants something else to clean? It sure seemed like an expensive experiment--what if the person didn't like it? or if it stopped functioning? It seemed like a hassle to have to replace a toilet that works fine to have a bidet, especially if you all ready had bought a dual flush unit to conserve water.

My girlfriend has a plumbing business, and she put a toilet/bidet combination in her showroom. She told her staff of plumbers that they had to try it at least once, so if their customers had questions, they would be familiar with the product. They rolled their eyes at the idea. What she never would have predicted, is the brawny men would always opt to use it! That was quite an endorsement for me--if these tough guys like it, anyone would! My interest grew in finding a good product to recommend.

Recently I found a company, Brondell that makes a Swash seat (pictured above), that a homeowner can install on their existing toilet in less than an hour. When I asked an "expert" as to why would one want to rinse after toileting, she offered a great explanation. "If your arm was dirty, you would not instinctively take a dry paper towel to try to rub it clean. You would want to get the area wet to help with the removal of the dirt." That made sense to me! I obtained one.

In my younger days, I used to shower daily. Being able to "swash" helps me feel clean and fresh every day. The seat and self-cleaning nozzles (one for posterior and one for feminine washes) are made of antibacterial material, the water is warm*, it even comes with a dryer* so you can cut down on toilet paper! (*models vary)

Brondell has also designed a product called, Perfect Flush you can add to your toilet to make it a dual flush unit. With a dual flush switch, it will use half as much water for a flush for those eight out of ten times that just has liquid waste. Its use can save between 3000-7000 gallons of water a year! Eric Corey Freed, author of Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies said, "The brilliant simplicity of Perfect Flush makes it one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to conserve water in your home."

Use the code COOK during checkout at Brondell to receive a 10% discount on all their products!

Anti-Construction Amendment Stripped from Healthcare Bill

March 18, 2010 update


Thanks to the lobbying efforts of the National Association of Remodeling Industry (NARI), the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and others, the unfair burden on small construction companies was removed from the Healthcare bill. For now, the government won't be forcing small construction businesses to have to lay off their employees or face bankruptcy because they could not afford the mandate to provide health insurance or pay fines if they have five or more employees (for all other industries it is 50 employees).  However, Senator Merkley's spokesperson Julie Edwards said the amendment could reemerge as a stand alone bill or be reattached to another bill.

(originally posted January 12, 2010) 
Putting Mom & Pop Out of Business
That's what will happen to small construction companies if the Senate's Version of the Health Care Bill becomes law (H.R. 3590)!

On Christmas Eve, behind closed doors in a back room deal, the influence of Big Union Lobbyists succeeded in tacking on a mandate to burden small construction companies in the Senate's version of healthcare as proposed by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

All other companies with 50 or more employees will be asked to comply with all the bill's mandates or pay penalties. Not so if you are in a construction related company. If you have only FIVE employees, or 250,000 annual payroll, you will be required to comply or pay fines which will devastate the industry. The National Association of the Remodeling Industry surveyed its members, and found 96% oppose the new provision. They believe that if the amendment is kept, thousands of remodeling and constructions firms will face bankruptcy.

It is an unprecedented assault on a single industry that is made up of mostly small businesses. In response to historic losses in which companies volume dropped upwards of 60% causing layoffs or closures, the unemployment rate for construction workers is 22%. Now they want unemployment to increase? As a remodeling business owner, I am sure that will happen.

Our company has always offered group health insurance to our employees since we first hired a crew in 2001. Because we are small, our premium is high compared to a large company, so we can only afford to help with 50% of the premium. Some of the employees are covered though their spouse's work and opt out of our plan, so that makes it doable. This labor burden increases our costs and pricing and we do lose some sales to companies who do not offer their employees insurance, but we do what we can to keep offering a health plan because it is the right thing to do.

If this is passed with this final hour addition, the only way for us to survive would be for us to cut back to 3 employees. Those that would be laid off will lose their health insurance benefit they currently have! Does that make sense???

As Mom & Pop would say, "Play fair!"

Please go here to tell your elected representative in Washington D.C. that you do NOT think it is right for the industry of construction to be singled out. All companies should have the same requirement of having 50 employees to be mandated to comply with all requirements, if that is what the law will be.

If you are a small business owner, you may want to click here to join the National Federation of Independent Businesses to be better informed, and get involved.

Thank you for taking the time to let your representative know you don't think it is right to single out the construction industry and force many companies into bankruptcy, causing many people to lose their jobs.

Shifting Perspective to Lessen Stress

How A Husband Came to Help in the Kitchen

Do you have the stress of differences of how and who should get the household chores done?

It would be a tragedy in life to not fulfill our call to give love and receive love. If we haven't experienced the love of God form those significant in our life, living can be quite painful, and loving those in most need of love can be difficult. We live in a wounded and wounding world, and it is a challenge to not react to someone not being loving, and to choose to love unconditionally.

One can have a custom designed, quality built home--all the creature comforts, but that cannot compensate for dissatisfaction or discord in a marriage relationship. I remember a Reader's Digest quotable quote, "After you're married, its easy to find reasons to divorce, the challenge is to find the reasons to be married."

Last week, I had the opportunity to listen to Ronda Chervin, Ph.D., a philosophy & theology professor, and author give her talk, Freed to Love. Her story was a great inspiration, which she gave me permission to share:

'While dating, courting, it is easy to exhibit all the positive traits of our feminine and masculine nature, but as life's challenges grew, so did the surfacing of the negative traits. When my first children, twins, were 3 years old, my husband became so asthmatic that he was unable to work. I found myself having to work full time, and be responsible for all the house work. I threw myself into the perspective that Christian love meant self-sacrifice, but it is not love when you are seething with resentment. As I clung to my perspective that I was doing everything, I grew in anger. My world became that a good day would mean I got my way. I did not have any good days--and my unhealthiness grew. No matter how great the burden was for me--the children being needy, work being taxing, my being sick, he would never help in the kitchen. He might say, "you look tired, why don't you make us some tea and muffins," and that was the extent of his helpfulness.

One day our parish was having a Mass to celebrate marriage. I was there alone, for my husband was not wanting to participate in such occasion. There I was looking around at all the couples feeling sorry for myself, and reminding myself how he wasn't like how I wanted him to be. The priest asked us all to stand. I stood even though I was by myself. He said, God wants us ALL to love unconditionally, and you can't love if you don't forgive, and God wants us ALL to forgive. It was like God was speaking to me. I knew I was supposed to forgive, but this time I really heard it, even though I didn't fully understand how I could forgive so much hurt! I hung onto my wedding ring and repeated the prayer of forgiveness. As I prayed to God to help me forgive my husband, I felt the anger drain out of me, and healing pour in. I felt changed. I came home, and for the first time ever, my husband met me at the door. I looked in his eyes, he looked into mine and said, "You look tired. Why don't you sit down and let me make you some tea." Shocked and speechless, I let him guide me to sit down. As he went into the kitchen, I sat there pondering how such a miracle could have taken place. Suddenly I knew the answer. When I forgave my husband, all the anger dissipated, so now my husband when he looked into my eyes he could see my heart, instead of just my anger. He could now see my need, my tiredness, and I, in turn, could see his heart now too. With this new perspective nurtured by prayer and Scripture study and participation in Dr. Abraham Low's Self-Help Systems, I came to affectionate perspective that he came from the family of the fiddler on the roof--he's just not the type to do "woman's work" and it would be a rare day to find him in the kitchen. I came to accept him and love him as he was, and focus on his many good traits, and celebrated for what he did give. Yes, my husband was more laid-back as a person, and after his death I would have given a million dollars just to see him relaxed in his recliner emanating his love of life and affection for our family.'

I hope you found this woman's story moving, inspiring, and helpful in making life at your home more love full. One other resource that I have found to be most helpful in finding the joy in life of loving others unconditionally is Dr. Greg Baer's Real Love. We cannot change others, but if we change, others will too!

May 2010 be a year of expanded heart capacity to love! -- a great way to banish life's stresses!