After my post in April “Cross-contamination at checkout,” one person (crs) commented:
“That’s the ultimate check-out horror story. I usually put meat items in plastic bags to be on the safe side. I bag fresh produce for the same reason. I also leave the meat items till last to minimize contact with my other groceries (which doesn’t help the person behind me, but I can’t cover for everyone). On the downside, I’m not doing the environment any good with all those plastic bags.”
Putting my story out there and realizing how ashamed I was to not be more aggressive with the checkers to protect my food has caused me to become far more proactive. Now two months later, we once again headed to Dillons on Saturday morning. This time I carefully organized items on the conveyor belt with produce first and meat last. I still do not know what was on the belt before I got there, but at least it was not visibly wet. When the bagger asked, “Plastic OK?” I said, “No, we have our own bags, but I want all of the meat put in plastic.” I did not notice until we got home, however, that the bagger did not classify salmon as meat. She did put the chicken and beef in their own plastic bags and kept them separate from the cloth bags. After unloading everything onto the belt, I asked the checker if I could have one of her sanitary wipes for my hands. She said sure but looked at me a little weird. She didn’t use one, but I have seen checkers religiously use them in the same store.
I am still adapting to reusable cloth bags and will likely continue to adjust my habits (That’s me, left, not exactly as shown). I still do not put produce in separate plastic bags, but I keep a supply inside one of the cloth bags to cut down on waste. I either dispose of or recycle the ones that have been used for meat and fish so they do not get reused later on produce. More importantly, I’m learning to politely but quickly direct the checker and bagger about how I want my food handled. It’s not fail-safe, but in a short order of time I have learned that it is my responsibility to protect my family, and especially my baby, from pathogens whenever possible.
It has been almost three months now that my diet has been more or less dairy free. Shortly after Sorenne turned two months old, she became plagued with eczema. Her pediatrician never recommended I change my diet, as he was satisfied that she continued to gain weight, but I couldn’t stand watching her turn red and try to scratch herself with little hands that she could barely control. A friend of mine, and many articles I read, suggested cutting dairy. My first reaction was – that will be the end of nursing. I am 
I have virtually no athletic capabilities, but during my elementary school days I was quite the track star. OK, maybe not a star, but I was good enough to make the track and field team. I remember winning a few races, but usually a day at the track resulted in an embarrassing sunburn. Students at Arden Elementary school in British Columbia weren’t so lucky, with more than one hundred students sent home from the track meet with Norwalk-like virus, reports Comox Valley Echo. 
Katie and I were craving hamburgers this weekend and Doug decided to indulge us. At the supermarket on Saturday he picked up some ground beef along with our normal cart full of produce and other proteins. As usual, I tried to separate the items in the cart so that the fresh produce was not touching the beef, pork, or salmon filets, even though all the meat was wrapped.
Courtlynn’s here and that meant a quick meal at Subway last night on our way home from the airport. The restaurant was fairly deserted and we only saw one male employee working. After we received our order to go, I ducked into the women’s restroom. While washing my hands, I reached for the soap and saw the sign pictured here. I rinsed with water and hoped the friction from the paper towel would be of some benefit. But I’m not serving meals to others and only had to hand Doug his sandwich in the car before eating my half. Proper handwashing requires the proper tools: water, soap, paper towels. .jpg)
Botulinum is a deadly toxin that comes from bacteria in soil and grows in warm, moist environments with no oxygen and low acidity. For example, it can grow on a baked potato wrapped in foil and left out on the counter. There have also been cases of poisoning in 
If having botulism is better than being married to Chloe, then Lucas better hope Victor, Kate, Sammy or even Daniel will ruin that wedding (you can vote online at nbc.com).
Breastfeeding has been tricky on numerous levels. Fortunately, storing breast milk is one of the few areas where I’ve found really conflicting advice. The most helpful book I purchased, The Nursing Mother’s Companion by Kathleen Huggins, only briefly covers milk storage stating in a chart that the limit is 72 hours in the refrigerator (p. 189). She contradicts herself elsewhere saying, “You can keep your milk for 24 to 48 hours in the refrigerator or for up to three months in the freezer” (p. 104).
“Do not use prepared formula if it has been left unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours. Once you have fed your baby from a bottle, do not refrigerate the bottle in hopes of using it again later; bacteria from your baby’s mouth can multiply, even in the refrigerator. Be sure to discard any formula remaining in the bottle after 1 hour from the start of your baby’s feeding.” (p. 45)
Doug wrote a book called 
As I was beginning the listening section of an introductory French exam today, several students suddenly jumped up. Desks were screeching and I thought there must have been a cockroach or mouse in the room (both things have happened to me in the past at other universities). But no. A student in the front row was only vomiting on the floor and some of his neighbors happened to get hit. The students were all very cool and helpful – getting water and paper towels for the sick classmate. I sent the sick one home but he cleaned up most of his mess. I notified administration, sprayed the floor with some chemical spray, wiped up, and directed the students to another classroom. I went and washed my hands and facilities came within the next 15 minutes to mop the floors.