The Birthday Edition

It was my birthday on Wednesday and even though I was going to have a 40th birthday party, the reality is that I just turned 44. As with all Devlin family events, there was a little bit of drama with an eviction. Eviction aside, from the we managed to piece together a nice night. My husband baked a pie with my name on it (lololol) and I got book vouchers and champagne, proof that my friends and family know me well.

I really struggle with the fact that I am now sprinting towards middle age. When I think of myself I still see someone young, so it is a real suprise each time I see myself in a mirror. I really don't want to get old! It is not even so much about the wrinkles, its more about the fact that my first steps each morning resemble hobbling. My body is getting old and slowly starting to fail me.

There are a few things I would like to achieve before I hit fifty, I'm writing them here in the hopes that it will motivate me.

• Write a novel and get it published
• Visit India
• Be someone who keeps a tidy house
• Get fit
• And lastly, win Division 1 LOTTO so I can do all of the above.

More on Toilet Paper

When I wrote Some of What Cheeses me off, I got a little sidetracked afterwards reading about the way people orient their toilet paper roll. Its not just me, lots of people hold very strong opinions about toilet paper orientation. In the 80's, American newspaper columnest, Ann Landers, (correctly) wrote that toilet paper should have an over orientation and received over 15,000 letters on the subject, it was one of her post popular columns.

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Sociology professor and writer of  "Bathroom Politics: Introducing Students to Sociological Thinking from the Bottom Up", Edgar Allen Burns, got first year sociology students to examine the way toilet paper should be hung as a way of illustrating social constructivism. Other sociologists and psychologists use this activity to show show students the difference between minority and majority orientation.

The toilet paper debate has even made it to prime time television. All in the Family saw Archie yelling at Meathead for hanging the toilet roll under. In a 1995 episode of The Simpsons, where the kids are taken by Child Protective Services, Marge refers to her home as a "squalid hellhole" where the toilet paper is "hung in improper overhand fashion".

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The book Why Not? by  Barry Nalebuff and Ian Ayres believes that the debate is about symmetry and they compare having an under orientation with peeling a banana from the bottom, or driving from the back seat of the car. I agree! It is obvious that when the paper is hung in an under orientation the pictures on the paper are upside down, this is not what the manufacturers intended, because they know that it should be hung in an over fashion.

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My old Alice Springs newspaper, The Centralian Advocate, has even weighed in on the debate claiming that over is more economical and therefore it is better for the environment for rolls to be hung over.

There are lots of statistics on the subject, allow me to share a few. A 1999 survey by Cottonelle showed that 68% of people prefered over. Another survey by Cottonelle on the 100th anniversary of Thomas Crapper's death showed the figures had jumped to 74% over. The results of the later survey were announced at the Academy Awards, I kid you not. This survey also indicated that overs were more likely to notice, be annoyed at unders and change the roll's orientation at a friend's house. The survey also showed that men were more likey to notice and be annoyed than women (not in this house).

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There are even results based on class and politics. A survey by Sinrod (1989) showed that 60 percent of people who earn $50,000 or more prefer toilet paper to be over and 73 percent of those who earn less than $20,000 prefer it to be under. Another study shows that politically conservative people prefer under where more left wing people prefer over. Really!

Can you judge the traits of a person based on their toliet roll orientation? It seems so. Gilda Carle, a therapist and Cottonelle consultant, has the following theories:
If you roll over, you like taking charge, crave organization and are likely to over-achieve.
If you roll under, you're laid-back, dependable and seek relationships with strong foundations.
If you don't care as long as it's there, you aim to minimize conflict, value flexibility and like putting yourself in new situations. Wikipedia

And lastly, how do the rich and famous do it?

• Oprah claimed on her show that she was under, 68% of her studio audience disagreed with her.
• Paul Burrell, butler to the Princess of Wales, shared that the royals have an over orientation.
• Tori Spelling is on record saying that "over is more chic".

Stay tuned for other scintillating debates such as should the toilet seat be up or down?

Some of What Cheeses me off

I feel like having a vent, so here goes.

• The people who try to wash your windscreen at traffic lights. I am all for free enterprise, but these people really annoy me, they can be intimdating. I don't normally want my windscreen washed, but when I do I normally give a gold coin, that's 1-2 dollars for a 30 second job. I didn't earn that teaching. I Today at a set of lights there were four guys waiting to wash windscreens, I felt under seige. In my experience, by the time you tell them you don't want your windscreen washed, they have already started, so you either have to pay up, or are left with a soapy windscreen. Maybe I'm not as left wing as I like to think I am, because I just want to yell, "Get a job!", then I feel cross with myself for thinking uncharitable thoughts.
• Blocked numbers. I really HATE blocked numbers. I'm not talking about friends who call from a private home phone, I'm talking about organisations, usually banks, who call with a blocked number. Friends who call me from a blocked number leave a message, these big businesses don't. This is so rude, they rang me, they should leave a message because I don't answer blocked numbers.

• The toilet paper being put on the wrong way. In my world the toilet paper should be put on with the loose sheet hanging over the roll, not under it.

The right way

   The wrong way

For me this just seems the most hygenic way, Wikipedia have outlined the following points for the over argument.

Over reduces the risk of accidentally brushing the wall or cabinet with one's knuckles, potentially transferring grime and germs.

Over makes it easier to visually locate and to grasp the loose end.

Over gives hotels, cruise ships, office buildings, public places and homeowners with guest bathrooms the option to fold over the last sheet to show that the room has been cleaned

Over is generally the intended direction of viewing for the manufacturer's branding, so patterned toilet paper looks better this way

The only arguments for the under method were that under was more asthetically pleasing and that it reduces the risk of pets and toddlers playing with the roll. I will take hygiene over asthetics any day.

Whenever I am at some-one's house and they have the toilet paper around the wrong way, I change it, that really must cheese some people off!

This is just the beginning of a very,very long list...

Review - The Precinct Restaurant

On Saturdays I write a review on goods or services, today I'm reviewing The Precinct Restaurant in East Victoria Park. We went to The Precinct before it had a liquor license and found it over priced and unappetising, if I had written the review then it would have been scathing. Every time I walk past it looks busy, so I thought it might be worth another visit. Aside from a very forgetful, vague waiter our second visit was a much better experience than the first.

The menu is small, but I prefer that in a restaurant. What I don't get is why the menu is so Americanised with a "sliders trio" (mini hamburgers) and "pork schrunchions with pickled eggs", "turkey wings" and "ketchup". The starters are designed to share and the highlight for me was the charcuterie plate, the scrunchions tasted like they had opened a packet of pork crackle from a petrol station and put them on a plate.

The first time I went I had the skirt steak with fries, vegies and cola jus. I asked for my steak rare and was told that it was a cheap cut of meat and therefore served medium. Seriously, who puts a cheap cut of steak on a menu? Most steak lovers I know would rather pay an extra $10 for a decent cut of steak. The vegies were brussels sprouts, which I like, but I think this is a strange choice as I know that this is not a popular vegetable. The 'fries', which could only be described as deep fried potato gratings, were inedible.

When we went this week we ordered the skirt steak again, Riley loves steak and I wanted to see if the meal had improved any. The presentation was an improvement and Riley did enjoy the meal, but again there was a pile of deep fried potato gratings masquerading as chips.

All of the adults had the lamb duo with walnut spatzle which was well presented and cooked to perfection. The vague, forgetful waiter agreed that this was their best dish.

Being the gluttonious sweet-tooth that I am I had the pavlova roll with lemon curd, which I had the previous visit. It was lovely, but if you like crunchy merange you will be disappointed, I don't, so it was perfect for me.

The weird thing about The Precinct with its strangely Americanised menu is that most of the wines are French or Italian. Australia has brilliant wines and I think our restaurants should stock these over European ones, its just a bit pretentious.

I'm glad I went back to The Precinct as it has improved greatly, but I think there is still a long way to go before it becomes a competitive restaurant in Perth.

Footnote: My husband just read this and thinks I have been way too generous in my review

Packing a Week Into a Day

We have been pretty lazy this week after our time away last week. Riley will happily sit and watch "Ben 10" DVDs all day and I will happily read all day, but I knew that we had to get out and do something, so today was the day.

We headed to Fremantle by train, this always seems like such a good idea at the outset, but by the end of the day you just want to get in the car and drive the quickest route home. No matter, we had fun.

When we got there we had to head straight to Myer as I was sweating in the jumper I was wearing and needed a t-shirt. Being pre-menopausal and having a thyroid condition means that I really don't get cold, so I should know better than wear a jumper out on a warm winter day.

Myer in Fremantle must be the saddest Myer in Australia, there is not much to be found there, I don't think they even had all of their lights on. I did find a t-shirt though and I found Freezeframe brush on eyelash extensions, I'm definitely going to give this a try.

Next we headed to The Capri Restaurant for lunch. I love this place, it has been there since the early 1950s and I don't think the menu has changed much in that time. The food is simple and hearty fare from northern Italy. It is one of the few places that still provides a generous free basket of bread and a bowl of soup, also free. I had the chicken soup followed by daily special, veal shank osso bucco and Riley had the kids spagetti bolognaise served with chips. We both ate everything on our plates and the bill was $39 which I think is a bargain, especially as my main was one of the most expensive dishes.

After our lunch we explored the many little shops in Fremantle, including Sarah's lolly shop...

Then we headed to the Winter Festival, the outdoor skating rink which has been set up for the school holidays. They run 45 minute skating sessions on the hour. I had bought my tickets online, which I would highly recommend doing. They have done a really good job. Liptons are one of the sponsors and there is a free chai latte tent, or a bar for non skaters to hang out in. I used to go roller skating and have always been an ok ice skater, but my skills have definitely declined. I had booked the bobby skating aid for Riley and this was awesome, he loved it and felt like he was skating independently and I loved it when he let me push it on it. He must have fallen over at least 20 times and was soaking at the end of it, but he was one of the last people on the ice and he wants to go again. I also bumped (nearly literally) into a friend from high shool, so that was nice.

Wet and with slightly sore bottoms we then headed to San Churro, where I have never been before. I knew this was a good place, so ordered one of everything. The milkshake was yummy, the Azteca hot chocolate was divine, the churros did not live up to my expectations, not squishy enough.

On the way home I stopped at David Jones and bought some of Miranda Kerr's organic beauty range, Kora, its nearly my birthday so I thought I would treat myself.

We got home after dark and I'm ready for bed, but Riley could go another round in the skating rink and is wondering what is for dinner, oh to be a kid again!

Surface Envy

The Mahjong Nazi informed me again that my house was a disgrace, which compared to many houses it is. We are not overly tidy people, but I can safely say that I am the only person in my house who has ever used the vacuum cleaner, or cleaned a toilet, or washed sheets, or changed towels, the list goes on.

I know that every single day I tidy, do washing, or vacuum, but the house remains untidy. It is a completely depressing task to clean and then see your hard work undone in the next hour. It's not just Riley and my husband's fault, we have two very hairy pets who like to shed masses of fur. Every surface I create is soon taken over with something and my work seems futile.

The Mahjong Nazi firmly believes that cleaning the house is completely my responsibilty, the whole women's liberation movement seems to have passed her by unnoticed. She has even asked why my husband should have to clean which I am a bit incredulous over, surely when two peopple both have full time jobs, they both have responsibilty for cleaning the house?

As husbands go he is not too bad, he does all of the dishes and helps with the washing, but as I sit here in my loungeroom, I can see his dressing gown, ugg boots and two of his jackets left lying around. He has even told me that he doesn't see the point in anyone cleaning the house because it just gets messy again.

I love going to people's houses where there are surfaces, I really have surface envy. Maybe I just need a junk room, so that every room isn't a junk room. Or I could do what my ex-neighbour did when her kids were little and throw anything that was on the floor in the bin, the problem is that the bins are only emptied once a week. I think I will just get a cleaner and go and hang the next load of washing out.

There is Still Magic in That Tree

Enid Blyton was born in 1897, the Mahjong Nazi grew up with her stories, I grew up with her stories and Riley still loves her stories. We have just started re-reading "The Magic Faraway Tree", it was published in 1943 and it is still a hit in this house. I know it was a hit for my nephews aged 14 and 19 because we have borrowed their copy. 

Edid Blyton

Sadly there have been criticisms of Blyton's writing; complaints that her language was not literary enough; questions about the relationship between Noddy and Mr Big Ears; judgements on Noddy as a role model for boys as he wept with frustration; views that the worlds that she painted were too rosy and don't mention Gollywog!

There were colloquialsims in Enid Blyton's novels that we would now find unacceptable, but really, don't we read a text in relation to the time it was written and don't we learn about societal change from these references? And in learning about what is no longer acceptable don't we then form a view of what is acceptable?

As for Noddy and Big Ears, we should be providing gay role models for children, because some of them will be gay and all of them will have gay friends or family.

Boys should be encouraged to cry, to show their true emotions. There is nothing femine about crying, just human.

I love that Riley has rediscovered this book, that he puts a bracelet around it when he is not reading it and that he crawls under the covers when a 'scary' bit comes. I love this especially because our kids seem so sophisticated these days and really they are not, they are just kids.

Extremely Proud and Incredibly Tired

I've just come back from a short holiday down south. We spent time with my sister and then with friends at a holiday house in Preston Beach, a sleepy little beach town. Even though it is the middle of winter, we spent most of the time outside and the kids even had a swim at the beach, because they are kids and kids are a bit crazy like that. When we weren't at the beach we were busy with fire.

Reflecting back, the whole holiday pretty much revolved around fire. We were either collecting firewood or tending the fire. As we sat around the fire from morning until we all went to bed (because we had run out of wood), we mainly talked about the fire: what a great fire it was, where to place the next branch, what a great fire it was, how our wood stash was going, what a great fire it was and so on. I took 20 photos while we were away, 12 of them are of fire.

What was particularly nice about this holiday is that we felt that the kids could safely go and explore like I remember doing as a child. They came home when they were hungry, they walked to the deli (about six times a day), they climbed trees and played every version of hide and seek and chasey ever invented. They watched each other's backs and no man was left behind. Dead animals were discovered and given burials, pig mellon fields were harvested and old skeletons were collected.

Holidays like this are so rare for kids now days. Last year we went to Bali five times because I had forgotten that kids can have just as much fun staying in a simple beach shack and exploring in the bush.

It was an exhausting, but fun time, so now you know why I am incredibly tired. The reason I am incredibly proud is that an opinion piece I wrote for the West Australian Newspaper was published on Monday. My friend and I are doing all we can to get dyslexia recognised as a learning disabilty in Western Australia and the response to the article was great, I have a number of phone calls to return tomorrow and we have been asked to speak to a Rotary group about the issue, I feel like this could be the beginning of something. I'm incredibly hopeful that it will be, also incredibly tired...

The Problem With Boobs

From what I can fathom breasts have just one purpose, to feed a baby. After they have performed that service, there is no other use for them. Men seem to like them and they do fill out a dress rather nicely, but otherwise they are obselete.

After the Majong Nazi had breast cancer in 2005 she went to have genetic testing and there is a risk that we have the BRCA1 gene which indicates a an 87% chance of developing breast cancer. After that my sister and I were considered to be high risk and we have been linked to hospital breast centres ever since.

Today I went for my annual mammogram, this always takes ages because every single time they tell me that I have very dense breasts and that they need to do an ultrasound. This time was a little different. I had my mammogram and then they came out and said that I had to have my right breast done again because they had, "seen something that could be something". I felt absolutely sick with fear as this breast was mammogramed again and I waited for more information.

In the waiting room there are two clusters of chairs, one cluster is where the chatty, friendly people sit and the other one is where the others, like me, sit. I just want to read my book and not make eye contact with anyone, but as I sat there reading the same sentence over and over the thought of moving to the chatty group did cross my mind.

Normally when I have my ultra sound a radiographer does it, this time a radiologist did it and the radiographer sat next to me making small talk while I craned my neck to look at the screen (after six breast ultrasounds, you know what your breast tissue looks like). He was keeping pretty quiet about the proceedings  and there were lots of photos taken of the top right side of my breast.  I asked him if everything was ok and he said he was going to get the consultant to also have a look.

By this time I was starting to shake with fear and imagine worst case scenarios in my head. Finally the consultant came and she repeated the whole process, also telling me that my breasts were complex and extremely dense. She pointed out the cysts that I know my breasts are full of and decided that one of them needed to be aspirated, but she also said that it didn't look like there was anything else there, but I needed an MRI to be sure.

I have had two other MRI's for my breasts before, so I am not too worried. The last time I had an MRI I actually fell asleep in the MRI machine, which they said was a first.

I then met with the doctor who is the general physician in the Breast Centre and we looked at times for my MRI in the next two months. While I was with her she asked me if I had considered having a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy (a preventative double mastectomy), which until then I hadn't considered. I know that for some women this is a very real course of action, check out Lindsay Avner at Bright Pink, who at the time was the youngest woman to have this operation. 

She told me it was something to think about.

Fortunatley I am going away for the next week, so will have lots of thinking time. When I'm not thinking I will be focussed on trying not to cry. My boobs may have served their biological purpose, but I'm not so sure I'm ready to give them up.

I write this post respectful of all people who have bigger dilemmas; are breast cancer sufferers; breast cancer survivors; or have lost someone to breast cancer.

Super Yummy Meatloaf

A friend of mine recommended Nigella Lawson's meatloaf to me a few years ago and the other night I finally got aroung to making it. I don't think I have ever eaten meatloaf before in my life, we certainly didn't grow up with it, which is suprising as mince in every other incarnation found its way to our dinner table. My only meatloaf references were from American television and that was enough for me to know that meatloaf was something I could probably do without for the rest of my life.

I am so glad I put my meatloaf prejudice to one side, because Nigella Lawson's meatloaf is super moist and tasty. We served it with cauliflower cheese and the two paired perfectly, also we just bought the heat and pour gravy which also worked.

Here is the recipe, anything involving five tablespoons of duck fat, or butter is a winner in my books. If you are wondering who Ed is, he is a literary agent and friends with Nigella (lucky him!). The recipe says one large roasting pan. but I did it in a log shaped cake tin.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 4 onions, 1 pound
• 5 tablespoons duck fat or butter
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (recommended: Lea and Perrins)
• 2 pounds ground beef, preferably organic
• 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
• 10 ounces (approx. 20 slices) bacon
• 1 large roasting pan

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and then boil 3 of the eggs for 7 minutes. Refresh them in cold water.

Peel and chop the onions, and heat the duck fat in a thick-bottomed frying pan. Cook the onions gently sprinkled with the salt, for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the onions are golden and catching in the fat. Remove to a bowl to cool.


Put the Worcestershire sauce and ground beef into a bowl, and when the onion mixture is not hot to the touch, add to the bowl and work everything together with your hands.


Add the remaining raw egg and mix again before finally adding the breadcrumbs.


Divide the mixture into 2, and in the pan, make the bottom half of the meatloaf by patting half the beef mixture into a flattish ovoid shape approximately 9 inches long. Peel and place the 3 hard-boiled eggs in a row down the middle of the meatloaf.


Shape the remaining mound over the top of the eggs and pat into a solid loaf shape. Compress the meatloaf to get rid of any holes, but don't overwork it.

Cover the meatloaf with slices of bacon, as if it were a terrine, tucking the bacon ends underneath the meatloaf as best you can to avoid its curling up as it cooks.


Bake for 1 hour, until the juices run clear and once it's out of the oven let the meatloaf rest for 15 minutes. This should make it easier to slice. When slicing, do it generously, so everyone gets some egg. Pour meat juices over as you serve or do what you will gravy-wise.

Its Fundraising Time :(

I hate that we live in a country where education is so undervalued by our government, whatever party happens to be in power. Teachers train four + years and have to fight for a 2% pay rise and schools are not given the funding that they need to make their schools fun and stimulating for our kids. Sadly schools have to resort to fundraising, even the most expensive schools ask parents and members of the community for contributions.

I remember the look of dread that passed over all of the mum's faces when on picking up our kids from pre-school they all emerged holding a giant box of Natural Confectionary fundraising lollies. Any kid who was beginning to doubt whether they liked school was at that time convinced that it was the best place ever. Some could barely carry the box, others then went on to meet their siblings, who also had boxes. All thought that the nice teacher had given them a giant box of lollies and that these lollies were for them!

The Department of Education has a very strict healthy eating policy, yet year after year they get away with sending their students home with unhealthy food, food banned on their policy, to raise funds. Of course we ate all of the lollies that were sent home with Riley, there is no way that we were going door knocking to sell the booty. It is annoying when little kids knock on your door selling you stuff that you don't want and of course you buy it because you feel sorry for them lugging their box of chocolates/lollies around the streets.

When we moved Riley to a private school and had to pay a fundraising levy each term, I felt that surely that would mean no fundraising. I was wrong. The fundraising there ranged from selling weedy looking plants from their garden under the guise of being flowers every Friday to an annual ball. Every single Friday Riley wanted to by a plant, every time we did buy one, it died.

Now we are back in the goverment system and its fundraising time again. There is a new look to fundraising, maybe its an old look, but I haven't seen it before. The fundraising is for a fun run, and I kid you not, the school has arranged it so that each class will be participating for a total of 10 minutes. Riley's class starts at 1.55 and finishes at 2.05 according to the schedule, this is pretty good for Riley as he's not much of a runner and will probably manage to meander two laps in that time. This fundraising system will really work for Riley because it really does not matter if they participate at all, it is just a pledge sheet (starting with $5), its the money that counts!

Riley's school has decided to use the Australian Fundraising company to help them with their fun run. Children receive a 'prize' for the money raised. "Prizes' range from a bendable pen and the like if you raise 10-19 dollars to an eBook reader and the like if you raise more than 500 dollars. According to the Australian Fundraising website, they take 30%-40% (+GST) of the profits raised. The brochure also contains tips for fundraising, like, "Phone distant friends and relations".

I have a problem with this form of fundraising for a number of reasons. Firstly, what about those kids whose parents either do not make much money, or don't help with the fundraising? I hate the thought of kids walking the streets asking strangers to sponsor them just so that they can get a cool toy. Secondly, if you are going to fundraise, I don't think kids should be given incentives, do they then need an incentive to clean their room, lay then table etc.? Thridly, I cannot understand why a school would be willing to lose 30-40% + GST of their profits by using a fundraising organisation.

My main problem is with the government though, why should schools have to fundraise?

Riley has circled a number of 'prizes' he would like, sadly he has circled nothing in the $29 -$79 range which is where we will end up as we are not going to ring distant friends or relations, and we are not pounding the pavement.

Oil Pulling

I am always keen to try something new in the name of a healthier me. In the past I have bought myself an ionic foot bath, tried pilates, been to a health retreat and I have a vibradisc. When someone posted about oil pulling on facebook last night I wanted to know what they were talking about. After my google search, I decided to try it.

Oil pulling claims the following: “total cures of head-aches, bronchitis, tooth pain, thrombosis, eczema, ulcers and diseases of stomach, intestines, heart, blood, kidney, liver, lungs and women’s diseases. It heals diseases of nerves, paralysis, and encephalitis. It prevents the growth of malignant tumors, cuts and heals them. Chronic sleeplessness is cured.”

Oilpulling Method Step by Step from www.oilpulling.com with corrections.

Step1:

First thing in the morning on an empty stomach and before drinking any liquids (including water), pour exactly one tablespoon of sunflower or sesame oil (or whatever oil you have chosen) into your mouth. We don't recommend doing this process at any other time. Children can also do this with less quantity of oil provided they have control and practice not to swallow the oil.

Step 2:
Swish the oil around in your mouth without swallowing it. Move it around in your mouth and through your teeth, as if it was mouthwash (don't tilt your head back to gargle though). You'll find that the oil will start to get watery as your saliva mixes with it. Keep swishing. If your jaw muscles get sore while swishing, you're putting too much into it. Relax your jaw muscles and use your tongue to help move the liquid around the inside of your mouth. When you do this correctly, you'll feel very comfortable. Pretty soon.

There is no right way or wrong way to swish and pull oil. Don't focus on doing it right. Do it with very natural movement. Do this gently, not vigorously, in a relaxed way for about 20 minutes.
If you have the unbearable urge to swallow and If it becomes too unpleasant, spit out and try again. It can be a bit unpleasant at first when you’re not used to it, but soon won’t be bothersome at all, just like brushing your teeth.

When the oil has become saturated with the toxins it has pulled out, it may become whitish and a thinner, milky consistency, depending on the type of oil used. Each time you oil pull, it can take a different amount of time to get to that point, so 20 minutes is a general rule of thumb, but you can experiment with this.

If you spit out before 20 minutes. start again, the process is to make the oil swish enough time in your mouth so that it becomes a white thick substance which is a indication of process completion.

Step3:

As the end of the oil pulling session approaches, Spit the oil out, then rinse the mouth with warm salt water (just use normal table salt). Salt water rinsing isn’t absolutely necessary, but is very helpful as an antimicrobial and to soothe any inflammation and proven to be effective in rinsing out any toxins which may be left out in the mouth.

You can do oil pulling every morning if you like, or several times a week. Because the oil pulling method can be detoxifying, you might want to take a break sometimes. One immediate benefit everyone gets is, whiter teeth, clean mouth . There’s no rule about frequency - judge according to your own experience.

Understand that this process works better in the morning. Don't try to do this any time of the day. If for some reason it is absolutely not possible for you to pratice this method in the morning, you can do this on an empty stomach at any time of the day. An empty stomach means the food is digested completely. Ideally after three or four hours of you taking any food.

So this morning I had a tablespoon of EVOO, my first impulse was to gag, but witnin a few seconds as I furiosly swished, the oil did mix with my saliva and became watery. I set my phone's timer to 20 minutes and started gettiing ready for the day. At one point my jaw did start to get sore, so I relaxed my swishing. My gag reflex did respond again though and I had to spit the mixture out. I managed to last 8 minutes, but it felt longer.

Once I spat the mixture out I really did think I was going to vomit, but after my husband yelled at me for retching in the kitchen sink, I gargled with salty water and felt fine.

The thing is, my mouth felt amazing after the oil pulling, the cleanest it has ever felt. It felt so amazing I nearly forgot to brush my teeth. The amazing mouth feel stayed with me all day and I swear my teeth looked whiter, until I had a glass of red tonight.

Tomorrow I'm trying seame oil and if that doesn't work I will try coconut oil. I think that I will be more determined to keep the oil in for 20 minutes now that I know how amazing it makes my mouth feel after the fact.