So...this happened, and at least one person came to the wrong conclusion from the information given.
The above two links are for information on the correlation of toxins in breastmilk and autism rates and a blog post citing said information as a good reason to not breastfeed your children (that is not the entire point of the post, but it is mentioned).
I understand how the conclusion is reached. The problem is that by the same logic we should also reach the conclusion that babies should be grown in test tubes rather than in their mother's womb. How do I make the connection? What's in your breastmilk is also in your blood, so saying that a woman shouldn't breastfeed her baby because of chemicals is also saying that a woman shouldn't grow her baby because of chemicals.
The proper conclusion to come to from the above information (in my humble opinion) is that we need to stop using so many damned chemicals. Haven't we proved the saying 'better living through science' wrong yet?
Sure, science does wonderful things, but science is not so wonderful that we can just replace everything natural with it. I get trial and error, and on more than one occasion I've said - quite enthusiastically - "LET'S DO SCIENCE TO IT!" but isn't it time we dropped all the chemical nonsense.
The problem is how entrenched we are in big-ag *coughmonsantocough* and subsidising shoot-yourself-in-the-foot farming methods. And for everyone out there who says farming organically is unsustainable in practice, I read a fantastic point about that on a paleo blog saying that our current reliability on oil-based products is not sustainable either.
Do I have the answers? No, and I don't pretend to know them either. What I can do is turn my front yard into a garden rather than an ornament. I can choose to clean my home with things like white vinegar, enzyme cleaner and vodka. I can make my own chemical free laundry soap and dish detergent, and my own chemical free shampoo. I can live as cleanly as I have the means to live (which turns out to be more about my personal energy levels than financial means, because clean living is actually cheaper).
I can't ask anyone else to do it, but I can try to lead by example. Not everyone is a fan of the way I like to live or the way I'd like to live in the future. A lot of people (and I mean a lot) think I'm pretty well off my rocker for doing things like avoiding soy (and now gluten thanks to some post-partum thyroid shenanigans). But that's okay. I'm happy this way, and I think a good number of people could be happy this way as well.
If only we could stop falling into the trap that is Man vs. God. We're not God, we're meant to be keepers of the life around us. We should start actually keeping it.
Showing posts with label Being Green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Being Green. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
DIY - Why it's Weird...and Awesome.
A funny thing happened to me while shopping last week:
I was looking for vanilla beans so I asked the woman stocking the bulk section because I figured that's where they would be. She lead me over to the honey station and picked up a stick in a plastic tube. I asked if they had anything different, like actual beans (because I didn't know the beans were inside of the stick, I thought it was like a cinnamon stick) and she took me over to the section that had actual extract in it where there were two more employees doing odd stocking jobs. One of them explained to me that the beans were actually inside of the stick and the other helped us look for another vanilla bean option - we found one, but it was a lot more expensive. The one helping us look asked me why I was looking for vanilla beans and I said, "to make my own vanilla extract."
When we had finished and I was walking away with my plastic tube of vanilla beans he turned to the woman and said, "don't we sell vanilla extract?"
I was too busy laughing to myself to hear what she said in response.
We live in a society that embraces consumerism. Why make it, when you can buy it? I mean, buying it is just so much easier.
A lot of people tell themselves they don't have time for making things, which is a cute excuse for laziness in my experience. I was one of those people and as it happens I have plenty of time to make my own stuff. The trick is prioritizing. Sure, I'd rather be sitting on my bum playing World of Warcraft a lot of the time, but there are just more important things to be doing. Like making nut milk.
The most recent thing I learned I could make myself is farina hot cereals, specifically rice farina. Why should I do this? Because a 26 ounce bag of organic rice farina costs upwards of $6.99 (Bob's Red Mill). A pound of organic short grain brown rice costs around $1.29 at Sprouts. That means my breakfast costs me $1.08, give or take, when buying it pre-made. It costs me $.32 to $.64 if I make it myself. That's a savings of $.44 to $.75 a meal. I haven't actually done it, so I'm not sure what 8 ounces of rice would come to once ground; probably a bit less than 8 ounces, maybe even half. I eat this almost daily for breakfast, so the savings add up pretty quickly.
Nut milk (specifically almond) comes out $.64 cheaper than the cheapest brand of almond milk, and that's if you're buying almonds at $5.99 a pound - which is the regular price for almonds. The best thing about this one is that you have a bit more control over what goes into the milk. This cost comparison isn't for organic though.
Home-made shampoo is my new favorite thing. It's just rosemary infused water, castile soap, jojoba oil and lavender essential oil. I have a rosemary plant, so it actually saves me a marginal amount of money, but if my calculations including rosemary are correct, it costs about the same unless you're buying conditioner in which case it makes it that much cheaper. I do it more for the ingredient control than anything else, really. Plus my hair looks nicer now, in my opinion.
I also make my own dishwasher detergent, which saves me a bit of money. I'm still working out the most effective recipe, so I'm not sure what the savings are quite yet.
My next pet project is laundry soap. I found a recipe here that I'm going to try.
What do you guys make?
I was looking for vanilla beans so I asked the woman stocking the bulk section because I figured that's where they would be. She lead me over to the honey station and picked up a stick in a plastic tube. I asked if they had anything different, like actual beans (because I didn't know the beans were inside of the stick, I thought it was like a cinnamon stick) and she took me over to the section that had actual extract in it where there were two more employees doing odd stocking jobs. One of them explained to me that the beans were actually inside of the stick and the other helped us look for another vanilla bean option - we found one, but it was a lot more expensive. The one helping us look asked me why I was looking for vanilla beans and I said, "to make my own vanilla extract."
When we had finished and I was walking away with my plastic tube of vanilla beans he turned to the woman and said, "don't we sell vanilla extract?"
I was too busy laughing to myself to hear what she said in response.
We live in a society that embraces consumerism. Why make it, when you can buy it? I mean, buying it is just so much easier.
A lot of people tell themselves they don't have time for making things, which is a cute excuse for laziness in my experience. I was one of those people and as it happens I have plenty of time to make my own stuff. The trick is prioritizing. Sure, I'd rather be sitting on my bum playing World of Warcraft a lot of the time, but there are just more important things to be doing. Like making nut milk.
The most recent thing I learned I could make myself is farina hot cereals, specifically rice farina. Why should I do this? Because a 26 ounce bag of organic rice farina costs upwards of $6.99 (Bob's Red Mill). A pound of organic short grain brown rice costs around $1.29 at Sprouts. That means my breakfast costs me $1.08, give or take, when buying it pre-made. It costs me $.32 to $.64 if I make it myself. That's a savings of $.44 to $.75 a meal. I haven't actually done it, so I'm not sure what 8 ounces of rice would come to once ground; probably a bit less than 8 ounces, maybe even half. I eat this almost daily for breakfast, so the savings add up pretty quickly.
Nut milk (specifically almond) comes out $.64 cheaper than the cheapest brand of almond milk, and that's if you're buying almonds at $5.99 a pound - which is the regular price for almonds. The best thing about this one is that you have a bit more control over what goes into the milk. This cost comparison isn't for organic though.
Home-made shampoo is my new favorite thing. It's just rosemary infused water, castile soap, jojoba oil and lavender essential oil. I have a rosemary plant, so it actually saves me a marginal amount of money, but if my calculations including rosemary are correct, it costs about the same unless you're buying conditioner in which case it makes it that much cheaper. I do it more for the ingredient control than anything else, really. Plus my hair looks nicer now, in my opinion.
I also make my own dishwasher detergent, which saves me a bit of money. I'm still working out the most effective recipe, so I'm not sure what the savings are quite yet.
My next pet project is laundry soap. I found a recipe here that I'm going to try.
What do you guys make?
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Cloth Diapering
Here is a breakdown of what the current cloth diapering supplies I am using cost me:
So there it is: $171.37. I'm not sure why, but I expected a lower number.
Now, let's break that down:
I change 75 diapers a week (from midnight Monday to 11:59 p.m. Sunday). That's an average of 11, for the purpose of easier math (10.71428.....), a day. With this amount of diaper changing I do laundry roughly every other day using 1.5 ounces of detergent per load. The detergent runs about $7 (rounding up) for 100 ounces which means it will do 66 (rounding down) loads at $0.11 (rounding up) per load. I also use a cup or so of vinegar in the rinse the keep the diapers soft. The jug of vinegar costs about $3.00 (rounding up) on sale for a gallon, or 16 cups, which means it will last me roughly a month.
It generally takes me 3 to 4 months to go through one package of wipes. They cost $11.99 for 576, making them $0.02 per wipe.
We'll say the extra water and electricity that goes into all this laundry costs $5.00 a month. Because I'm not sure of the exact amount. Please correct me if I need to make that number higher.
So my monthly total is $9.79-$16.26.
The diapers I would like to use are $6.99 for 31 ($0.23 per). That would be $69.36 a month.
If I used these diapers I would be spending $53.10-$59.57 more a month. It would take me 3 months or so to pay back my start up cost.
The cheapest diapers are $20.99 for 144 ($0.15 per). That would be $45.36 a month.
If I used these diapers I would be spending $29.10-$35.57 more a month. It would take me 5-6 months to pay back my start up cost.
So even using the cheapest diapers I would save I good chunk of change. It may not seem like much, but it adds up to around $500 a year, not to mention the money I save by cloth diapering our next child.
Overall I'd say that cloth diapering is worth the effort. Not that it's even really that hard right now. It's when you have multiple children in diapers that it gets more difficult (or multiple children in general, really).
- $55.14 - diaper pail and 4 laundry bags. Ordered online.
- $6.84 - snappi. Ordered online.
- $70.61 - 22 prefold diapers. Ordered online.
- $19.99 - one all in one and one diaper cover. Ordered online.
- $13.79 - two diaper covers. Ordered online.
- $5.00 - diaper cover. Purchased at Colorado Baby in Grand Junction.
So there it is: $171.37. I'm not sure why, but I expected a lower number.
Now, let's break that down:
I change 75 diapers a week (from midnight Monday to 11:59 p.m. Sunday). That's an average of 11, for the purpose of easier math (10.71428.....), a day. With this amount of diaper changing I do laundry roughly every other day using 1.5 ounces of detergent per load. The detergent runs about $7 (rounding up) for 100 ounces which means it will do 66 (rounding down) loads at $0.11 (rounding up) per load. I also use a cup or so of vinegar in the rinse the keep the diapers soft. The jug of vinegar costs about $3.00 (rounding up) on sale for a gallon, or 16 cups, which means it will last me roughly a month.
It generally takes me 3 to 4 months to go through one package of wipes. They cost $11.99 for 576, making them $0.02 per wipe.
We'll say the extra water and electricity that goes into all this laundry costs $5.00 a month. Because I'm not sure of the exact amount. Please correct me if I need to make that number higher.
| 300 diapers changed | ... |
| 15-20 loads of laundry | $5-$10 |
| 1/4 package baby wipes | $0.36 |
| 22.5-30 ounces laundry detergent | $1.58-$2.10 |
| 15-20 cups vinegar | $2.85-$3.80 |
So my monthly total is $9.79-$16.26.
The diapers I would like to use are $6.99 for 31 ($0.23 per). That would be $69.36 a month.
If I used these diapers I would be spending $53.10-$59.57 more a month. It would take me 3 months or so to pay back my start up cost.
The cheapest diapers are $20.99 for 144 ($0.15 per). That would be $45.36 a month.
If I used these diapers I would be spending $29.10-$35.57 more a month. It would take me 5-6 months to pay back my start up cost.
So even using the cheapest diapers I would save I good chunk of change. It may not seem like much, but it adds up to around $500 a year, not to mention the money I save by cloth diapering our next child.
Overall I'd say that cloth diapering is worth the effort. Not that it's even really that hard right now. It's when you have multiple children in diapers that it gets more difficult (or multiple children in general, really).
Friday, September 7, 2012
Cloth Everything! Except at Night.
I'm the kind of person who scrapes every last bit of peanut butter from the jar I possibly can (and then endeavors to wash all the remaining stuff off for recycling): I don't like to waste things. While this weirdness is strongest with foodstuffs I try not to waste material goods as well.
That is why I'm trying to cloth diaper.
I say "trying" because I'm still not using cloth at night. The only reason for this is that I like sleep more than I hate wasting. I'm not sure I'm up for the commitment of changing the little one's diaper every two hours through the night; he doesn't even wake up that often. And when he does, I can just roll over and feed him. Sometimes I wake up and he's latched already, which amazes me since I feel like I'm still learning how to breastfeed.
At any rate. I like cloth diapering a lot. The only thing about it is I'm afraid of the pins. I know you can use the covers as a way to secure the diaper, thus making pins obsolete, but I like the extra security that pins provide for the diaper itself. With pins, I know the diaper is going to stay put.
So what that meant was I tried not using pins and I didn't like it.
Since I am a total noob at cloth diapering, I looked up a video on youtube:
Then I promptly ordered a Snappi. I'm still waiting for it to arrive, and I can't wait!
Yep, I feel like a total loser now; I'm excited about a diapering tool.
I've learned through doing that cloth diapering is really not as hard as I thought it would be. Or as difficult as people talk it up to be. It even taught me something about my laundry machine: how to use the prewash option. I'd never used it before, so I actually had to bust out the manual and look up how to activate the thing.
Another thing to consider making cloth: nursing pads. I go through a lot of these right now, so the cost would be tremendous for me if I used disposable. I did try some disposables that we got on accident (the packaging was not immediately helpful in discerning re-usable vs. disposable) and I found that the wee one would not latch until I cleaned my nipple off. So I had my mom take them back and K-Mart actually refunded her (which was super awesome!). She brought home some cloth ones by the same company - who knew Philips electronics made nursing pads, btw.
Cloth nursing pads are more comfortable and they don't leave any weird residue that baby can taste. Also, they are saving me a ton of money right now.
I also ordered some cloth pads for postpartum bleeding.
I have always hated disposable pads. Even pantyliners. They never stay in one place and I always end up with a sticky paper wedgie an hour or less after putting one on. I'd been thinking about "going green" with my period stuff ever since reading Dyno-Mom's post about it, I'd just been lazy about actually doing it. So I finally ordered some and I am super impressed. I will never use a disposable again and I'm planning on never using tampons either.
These are super comfy and, again, it's easier to do the maintenance than everyone thinks it is.
So the moral of the story - for me - is to try things for myself before being discouraged. Also a determined stubborn streak is helpful if you should fail once or twice at the get-go...like I did with cloth diapers (hence the youtube video).
That is why I'm trying to cloth diaper.
I say "trying" because I'm still not using cloth at night. The only reason for this is that I like sleep more than I hate wasting. I'm not sure I'm up for the commitment of changing the little one's diaper every two hours through the night; he doesn't even wake up that often. And when he does, I can just roll over and feed him. Sometimes I wake up and he's latched already, which amazes me since I feel like I'm still learning how to breastfeed.
At any rate. I like cloth diapering a lot. The only thing about it is I'm afraid of the pins. I know you can use the covers as a way to secure the diaper, thus making pins obsolete, but I like the extra security that pins provide for the diaper itself. With pins, I know the diaper is going to stay put.
So what that meant was I tried not using pins and I didn't like it.
Since I am a total noob at cloth diapering, I looked up a video on youtube:
Yep, I feel like a total loser now; I'm excited about a diapering tool.
I've learned through doing that cloth diapering is really not as hard as I thought it would be. Or as difficult as people talk it up to be. It even taught me something about my laundry machine: how to use the prewash option. I'd never used it before, so I actually had to bust out the manual and look up how to activate the thing.
Another thing to consider making cloth: nursing pads. I go through a lot of these right now, so the cost would be tremendous for me if I used disposable. I did try some disposables that we got on accident (the packaging was not immediately helpful in discerning re-usable vs. disposable) and I found that the wee one would not latch until I cleaned my nipple off. So I had my mom take them back and K-Mart actually refunded her (which was super awesome!). She brought home some cloth ones by the same company - who knew Philips electronics made nursing pads, btw.
Cloth nursing pads are more comfortable and they don't leave any weird residue that baby can taste. Also, they are saving me a ton of money right now.
I also ordered some cloth pads for postpartum bleeding.
I have always hated disposable pads. Even pantyliners. They never stay in one place and I always end up with a sticky paper wedgie an hour or less after putting one on. I'd been thinking about "going green" with my period stuff ever since reading Dyno-Mom's post about it, I'd just been lazy about actually doing it. So I finally ordered some and I am super impressed. I will never use a disposable again and I'm planning on never using tampons either.
These are super comfy and, again, it's easier to do the maintenance than everyone thinks it is.
So the moral of the story - for me - is to try things for myself before being discouraged. Also a determined stubborn streak is helpful if you should fail once or twice at the get-go...like I did with cloth diapers (hence the youtube video).
Monday, May 21, 2012
Yard Work.
Today I planted the garden!
I planted a rainbow assortment of heirloom carrots. I've got purple, white, yellow, and orange. Although I couldn't tell you which seed was which, so it'll be a surprise when they come up.
I also planted purple cauliflower, cucumbers, spinach, acorn squash, and two types of tomatoes. All heirloom.
I had another two volunteer pumpkin sprouts, the first of which I uprooted without knowing what it was. The second I had the presence of mind to actually check the root system and found that it was sprouting from a pumpkin seed, so I transplanted it.
There are three (potentially) sugar baby watermelon plants in the back next to the pumpkin sprout.
I've got a jalapeño and an Anaheim pepper plant. I'm going to plant some scotch bonnets and other types of peppers behind them.
I bought a bag of organic potatoes and a bunch of them sprouted, so I put those in a row.
And I still have space for herbs.
I'll be going to Ace soon to get plants. They sent me a pretty awesome coupon set. May's coupon is 20% off anything live. I'll probably stop by and pick up more plants this week.
Our lawn mower broke over the winter. The carburetor's shot apparently. Our lawn has been growing wild pretty much since the winter, so it got pretty tall...and kind of gnarly looking while we waited for a replacement mower.
We ordered a reel mower on ebay. It came last week on Friday, and then it rained. So hubby finally mowed the front this afternoon while I did the garden. He also picked up an electric weed whacker and trimmed the rest of the back and the front.
The lawn finally looks presentable!
I am so glad we don't live in a neighborhood with an HOA.
Anywho, I'd be interested to know what you planted, if you planted anything.
I planted a rainbow assortment of heirloom carrots. I've got purple, white, yellow, and orange. Although I couldn't tell you which seed was which, so it'll be a surprise when they come up.
I also planted purple cauliflower, cucumbers, spinach, acorn squash, and two types of tomatoes. All heirloom.
I had another two volunteer pumpkin sprouts, the first of which I uprooted without knowing what it was. The second I had the presence of mind to actually check the root system and found that it was sprouting from a pumpkin seed, so I transplanted it.
There are three (potentially) sugar baby watermelon plants in the back next to the pumpkin sprout.
I've got a jalapeño and an Anaheim pepper plant. I'm going to plant some scotch bonnets and other types of peppers behind them.
I bought a bag of organic potatoes and a bunch of them sprouted, so I put those in a row.
And I still have space for herbs.
I'll be going to Ace soon to get plants. They sent me a pretty awesome coupon set. May's coupon is 20% off anything live. I'll probably stop by and pick up more plants this week.
Our lawn mower broke over the winter. The carburetor's shot apparently. Our lawn has been growing wild pretty much since the winter, so it got pretty tall...and kind of gnarly looking while we waited for a replacement mower.
We ordered a reel mower on ebay. It came last week on Friday, and then it rained. So hubby finally mowed the front this afternoon while I did the garden. He also picked up an electric weed whacker and trimmed the rest of the back and the front.
The lawn finally looks presentable!
I am so glad we don't live in a neighborhood with an HOA.
Anywho, I'd be interested to know what you planted, if you planted anything.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Breastfeeding.
I'm nervous about actually breastfeeding. Questions like, "what does it feel like?" pop up in my head a lot. Or, "won't it be awkward?"
Then I start doubting myself. Maybe I won't be able to do it right. What if there are serious problems? What if I just can't handle it?
So I picked up a book my coworker recommended to me:
I'm currently reading The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. This is a great book, and I think I'm going to recommend it to everyone who asks. It's full of helpful tips and advice. I'm only about halfway through, but I'd still recommend you pick it up if only to read the first half of it. It really has eased some of my odd discomfort surrounding the whole topic (there's that stigma popping up).
I do all my reading at work, so a lot more people know I'm preggers now. They see the book and they ask, "so, is there a reason you're reading that?" One woman told me to read What to Expect When You're Expecting.
Okay...
Our midwife actually told me not to bother with that book because it was fear-based (like the majority of super public pregnancy/birth stuff). This lady told me to read it if I was into the "whole natural parenting...thing." So now I might meander through Barnes and Noble to flip through the book to see what it actually is.
I'm leaning more towards the midwife's opinion about it, though. Mostly because the woman who recommended the book works for Health One.
At any rate, I just finished a section of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding about returning to work after Baby is born. You can totally breastfeed while you're working. It apparently makes for a much happier baby and momma.
All the people who poo-poo the idea of breastfeeding while working should read this section.
What I'm gathering from the book is that breastfeeding is truly easier than formula feeding. Especially if you like to travel.
The main message is "Breast is Best."
I tend to agree.
But I also understand that there are circumstances in which a woman can truly not breastfeed. This doesn't make her any less of a mother.
Life happens, things go wrong.
I'm going to try my very best to give this baby everything she/he needs and deserves. I don't know what that is yet, but I'm determined to try my hardest.
Then I start doubting myself. Maybe I won't be able to do it right. What if there are serious problems? What if I just can't handle it?
So I picked up a book my coworker recommended to me:
I'm currently reading The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. This is a great book, and I think I'm going to recommend it to everyone who asks. It's full of helpful tips and advice. I'm only about halfway through, but I'd still recommend you pick it up if only to read the first half of it. It really has eased some of my odd discomfort surrounding the whole topic (there's that stigma popping up).
I do all my reading at work, so a lot more people know I'm preggers now. They see the book and they ask, "so, is there a reason you're reading that?" One woman told me to read What to Expect When You're Expecting.
Okay...
Our midwife actually told me not to bother with that book because it was fear-based (like the majority of super public pregnancy/birth stuff). This lady told me to read it if I was into the "whole natural parenting...thing." So now I might meander through Barnes and Noble to flip through the book to see what it actually is.
I'm leaning more towards the midwife's opinion about it, though. Mostly because the woman who recommended the book works for Health One.
At any rate, I just finished a section of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding about returning to work after Baby is born. You can totally breastfeed while you're working. It apparently makes for a much happier baby and momma.
All the people who poo-poo the idea of breastfeeding while working should read this section.
What I'm gathering from the book is that breastfeeding is truly easier than formula feeding. Especially if you like to travel.
The main message is "Breast is Best."
I tend to agree.
But I also understand that there are circumstances in which a woman can truly not breastfeed. This doesn't make her any less of a mother.
Life happens, things go wrong.
~~~
I'm going to try my very best to give this baby everything she/he needs and deserves. I don't know what that is yet, but I'm determined to try my hardest.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Natural Parenting.
Women feel not only that they must be ever-present for their children
but also that they must breast-feed, make their own baby food and eschew
disposable diapers. It's a prison for mothers, and it represents as
much of a backlash against women's freedom as the right-to-life
movement.
This is the line of thinking that leads to the concept of painless child birth.
What is that doing to us and our babies?
Okay, let me first say that I am very well aware that there are circumstances in which you cannot raise a child naturally. I am in no way trying to degrade the women in these circumstances. Very often (if not always) they are loving, caring, wonderful parents; something is just preventing them from doing what they might otherwise want to do. I am responding to this particular woman's rather long-winded article against natural parenting.
This quote is more than a little irritating. This woman has just railed against everything I consider to be logical in being a good mother.
This quote is more than a little irritating. This woman has just railed against everything I consider to be logical in being a good mother.
Ever-present is not a good idea, but being with your child and actually taking a large part in his or her life is very important to raising him or her. In fact, I might say that part of being a mother is sacrificing your own life to raise the child (or children) you have brought into this world. That being said, I'm not really sure it seems like sacrifice for the woman who loves her child. If it does, it is a good kind of sacrifice.
Oh. Wait. Sacrifice is bad.
I forgot where I was living for a moment.
The remainder of this quote is plain ridiculous.
Formula feeding should be your absolute last result. Unless you like chemicals then, by all means, formula feed. We wonder where all this hyperactivity is coming from in our children. Would it not be logical to connect their diet to their behavior? No? Is it it too radical to think that processed foods (that are largely made of practically synthetic things) may actually be bad for you?
Early in the shift to hospital birth women were routinely X-rayed to make sure they had a big enough pelvis. Oops, the babies got cancer. Later, women were given a drug to help morning sickenss that caused severe (by my standards) birth defects. Who is to say that in another few years there won't be widely publicized information linking formula to colic and other digestive problems?
Oh, and forget microwaving your formula: it can cause the formula to become toxic. Not fatally so, I assume, but how many toxins are you okay with your baby ingesting? They do label formulas with a warning against nuking them these days, but it took a bit for anyone to admit something was wrong.
It should follow that I am pro breast-feeding. I am a formula baby myself and I'm just fine now, but it is something I would like to avoid if I can with my children. And my reasoning seems logical to me, the same way eating a healthy, natural diet is logical to me.
Disposable diapers is a choice. I'm going to try cloth, because I'd like to minimize my household's waste output.
As for the last bit:
I'm terribly sorry that having children also comes with responsibility. If you'd like to be a completely free person don't have a child. Children are not pets; they are a lifetime commitment. As with any lifetime commitment (such as marriage) there are things that need to be sacrificed, there are compromises to be made, there are responsibilities to adhere to.
This is the line of thinking that leads to the concept of painless child birth.
What is that doing to us and our babies?
~~~
I am a woman.
I was created to be nurturing, loving, and strong.
I'm not imprisoning myself when I choose to raise my child in a healthy way.
Women have been raising children this way for ages, what is wrong with it now?
I am a woman.
And I find it ridiculous that others would unabashedly decline the logic of natural parenting because it's difficult. Life is difficult.
Get over it.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Midori Days.
 |
| Pumpkins grow in trees! |
My parents made an excellently large bed for gardening when they were here and the soil is pretty well taken care of. This I know because we had volunteer pumpkins last summer (two plants) and sooo many pumpkins in the autumn. The vine on the largest plant even grew up the fence and into our backyard neighbor's tree! If you look at the picture you can see the little green pumpkin hangin out in there. He never did get ripe; too much shade.
At any rate, I'm learning that I very much enjoy gardening. Digging around in the dirt is pretty awesome; I think everyone should do it.
I get ridiculously excited any time I plant something too. Ask hubby. I'm sure he'll be tired of me asking him to come look at the new plant I put in the ground when gets home from work, if he's not already. I had him look at the rosemary when I put it in a larger pot outside, and he came and looked at the baby blueberry bush that is now sitting between the corner of our house and the pine tree. I don't know why I get so happy over it, and I feel foolish telling him to come look at it, because it's really not impressive, but I can't help myself.
I suppose it's because this is a new thing for me, and I'm not confident in my abilities yet. So every time I do something properly I feel good about it and want to share my excitement with others. Particularly with plants and gardening, because this is life I'm trying to take care of, it's kind of a big deal to me. Which is to say that if my blueberry bush dies I will be very sad about it. Same for the rosemary.
I get attached to things too easily I think.
At any rate, I'm very excited about gardening. It's a lot of work, but I enjoy most of it, and the rest is worth doing for the results. I'll let you know what I plan to plant, other than what I purchased already. I have this crazy thought of planting purple dragon carrots. I think I've romanticized them somehow.
p.s. if you're wondering about the title "midori" is Japanese for green. It's also a reference to a bizarrely cute anime. Not to mention a particularly delicious melon flavored liquor.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Blueberries!
Today I bought plants and potting soil. I'm very excited about these things. I bought four heirloom tomatoes, Anaheim and jalapeno peppers (one each), some columbine, and a blueberry plant.
I'm just going to plant the blueberry plant and hope for the best. The tag said hardy to -40° so we shall see.
Today was also the big ultrasound to make sure baby is growing in the proper fashion. Everything is fine. It was cute to see the little feet and hands and things. Also, amazing what the technology shows.
It would appear that on sitting down I have forgotten what I was going to write about. Hm...
So..here's a list of ways I'm thrifty?
If you think you don't have time for baking a cake from scratch there's a nifty trick you can do. One day, when you have five minutes, mix all the dry ingredients together and put them in a tupperware/bag. Stow away for later use. When you need to actually bake the cake, take out the tupperware/bag and add the wet ingredients. Viola! You made your very own "box cake." Note: it's helpful to keep the recipe on hand.
I'm just going to plant the blueberry plant and hope for the best. The tag said hardy to -40° so we shall see.
Today was also the big ultrasound to make sure baby is growing in the proper fashion. Everything is fine. It was cute to see the little feet and hands and things. Also, amazing what the technology shows.
It would appear that on sitting down I have forgotten what I was going to write about. Hm...
So..here's a list of ways I'm thrifty?
- I buy the vast majority of my clothing and household items from Goodwill: I got a changing station there for $20, a nice wood one with two shelves below the padded top (exciting!).
- When it comes to organic cleaners, if I can't clean it with vinegar water I buy whatever cleaner is on sale that meets my standards. Less than five ingredients, etc.
- Organic produce I purchase in much the same way as the cleaners: I scavenge the sale papers.
- I make nearly everything from scratch. I'll be looking into making cereal here very soon.
- I save the produce bags from the store: they make a great substitute for plastic wrap.
- I shop around, keeping a loose price inventory (honey went up $3!!) on things I buy most to make sure I get them the cheapest I can.
If you think you don't have time for baking a cake from scratch there's a nifty trick you can do. One day, when you have five minutes, mix all the dry ingredients together and put them in a tupperware/bag. Stow away for later use. When you need to actually bake the cake, take out the tupperware/bag and add the wet ingredients. Viola! You made your very own "box cake." Note: it's helpful to keep the recipe on hand.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Not so New Ideas.
Their aim is, as far as possible, to use nothing which is the product of the factory system or of modern industry in general; for they think these things so iniquitous that every one is more or less party to a crime in using them. . . . There is certainly something attractive about the idea of living as far as may be on the produce of the land about you: to see in every walk the pastures where your mutton grazed when it was sheep, the garden where your vegetables grew, the mill where your flour was ground, and the workshop where your chairs were sawn - and to feel that bit of country actually and literally in your veins.
Tolkien once remarked to me that the feeling about home must have been quite different in the days when a family had fed on the produce of the same few miles of country for six generations, and that perhaps this was why they saw nymphs in the fountains and dryads in the wood - they were not mistaken for there was in a sense a real (not metaphorical) connection between them and the countryside. What had been earth and air & later corn, and later still bread, really was in them. We of course who live on a standard international diet (you may have had Canadian flour, English meat, Scotch oatmeal, African oranges, & Australian wine to day) are really artificial beings and have no connection (save the sentiment) with any place on earth. We are synthetic men, uprooted. The strength of the hills is not ours.
Tolkien once remarked to me that the feeling about home must have been quite different in the days when a family had fed on the produce of the same few miles of country for six generations, and that perhaps this was why they saw nymphs in the fountains and dryads in the wood - they were not mistaken for there was in a sense a real (not metaphorical) connection between them and the countryside. What had been earth and air & later corn, and later still bread, really was in them. We of course who live on a standard international diet (you may have had Canadian flour, English meat, Scotch oatmeal, African oranges, & Australian wine to day) are really artificial beings and have no connection (save the sentiment) with any place on earth. We are synthetic men, uprooted. The strength of the hills is not ours.
-C.S. Lewis
(found in) Joseph Pearce, C.S. Lewis and the Catholic Church p81-2
(original source) Walter Hooper, ed, C.S. Lewis: Collected Letters I908-9
I finished this book (C.S. Lewis and the Catholic Church by Joseph Pearce) which was the previous month's book club book - I'm a bit behind - today at work. I marked the above quote yesterday as I hit a little past the halfway point before having to close up shop: I generally read only at work unless something is so riveting that I cannot put it down, but the thought of having nothing to occupy myself with during the lulls (which are pretty much all the time at my job) the next day usually deters me from doing so. I had marked it because it struck a chord with me; I agree with Lewis in his calling us "synthetic men." I think that we've done more harm than we may realize by disconnecting ourselves from the land immediately surrounding us.
This is not to say that I think we should pitch the idea of urban living in favor of the farming life. That would be impossible. The amount of land we'd need for such an endeavor would be (in my mind) staggering for the number of people that inhabit the States alone. Instead, we might try and make a compromise with the limitations of society and farm a decent size patch of back yard. Barring that, purchase as much as you can from local growers. The farming life may no longer be feasible for the majority of us, but this does not mean we should disregard it as obsolete; without farms, where would we get our food?
What I am saying is that I think it's an enriching choice for body and mind to grow your own produce and/or buy from local farmers.
Also, it was - as stupid as this is going to sound - enlightening, in a sense, to realize that people have been rejecting industrial farming for a very long time. Most likely from it's conception.
I know that this, being a new idea to me, is not a new idea to others; it was just refreshing to know that it goes farther back than had occurred to me.
As a side note: do read this book if you are at all interested in C.S. Lewis. It was a fantastic read.
~~~
Good news!
I fixed my desktop computer. What was wrong was a double whammy: I needed to flash the BIOS (update to the latest version) which turned out to be more complicated than it should have been because for whatever reason my computer refused to detect my flash drive. I ended up connecting two freshly formatted FAT32 (standard format for flash drives, in case you were wondering) drives to the back two ports of the computer. When that failed, I loaded the fail-safe BIOS and then the optimized BIOS (one after the other) immediately before entering the Q-flash utility. Magically this worked (after trying five other times to get the darn things to show up) and my BIOS was successfully flashed...to no avail: I was still getting the "Main BIOS Checksum Error" dialogue instead of the operating system. So, for giggles, I took a stick of RAM out - I had previously done this in hopes it was an easy fix with no result - and viola! My computer turned on.
So there you have it, random BIOS failure and random RAM failure rolled into one.
My new 4GB RAM stick is on it's way; it's lame to try and World of Warcraft it up with only 4GB of RAM. I'll happily take 8GB or more, thankyouverymuch.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Basic Rules of Avoidance, and Good News.
Good news first:
As my husband puts it, my eggo is preggo!
Growing a baby is making me even more serious about avoiding certain things in food, and certain appliances. So here is what I consider to be a beginner's guide to eating healthier.
Avoid processed foods as much as possible. When shopping always read the labels on anything packaged you are about to buy. I will put it back if it has:
I'm still starting out, but I can tell you that cutting all of this stuff from my diet has really made a difference. Even before I was buying mostly organic produce I felt better. I don't miss it, either. Occasionally I'll get a craving for Pepsi, but that's pretty easy to fix with one of the glass-bottled ones (I call them Mexican Pepsi; they come from Mexico, as do the glass bottled Cokes). The sodas in glass generally don't have HFCS in them. They do, however have caramel color, so I only rarely indulge myself.
Another thing I try to do is avoid plastic packaging. Who knows how hot the warehouse was (depending on what you're buying) or the stockroom at the grocery is. Acidic things are something I will not make exceptions for if I'm buying them for cooking/eating.
For example: I buy white vinegar. I use it to cook and to clean, but I buy the big plastic jug to clean with and the glass bottle to cook with.
Household cleaners:
I went biodegradable with my dish soap and my laundry detergent so far. The products are more expensive, but with the dish soap I use much less of it because it is more effective than the cheap-o store brand stuff I used to buy. I can't say about the laundry detergent, as I purchased it prematurely (it was on sale) and still have some regular detergent left.
The next thing I'll be looking for is biodegradable dish detergent for the dishwasher. We use a lot of dishes, so the washer gets run quite a bit. I run it once a day on average, sometimes less. I like my machine because it has air dry and low energy options, so it's generally efficient. Particularly because I'm a bit lazy when it comes to dishes. And we don't have a drying rack right now.
I use vinegar water to mop with, and to clean off walls/counters. Depending on what I'm cleaning I'll do a mix of half vinegar to half water, or a quarter vinegar to three-quarters water. The latter formula I use mainly on counters and appliances while I use the former on floors and almost everything in the bathroom. If I'm feeling extra cheap I'll use the quarter to three-quarters on the floor as well.
I do have 409, Windex, Comet, and generic Drain-O in my cabinets in various places around the house. These I use rarely and they're mostly surplus from before I started switching. I have Bona for my wood floors because the mop I bought happened to come with a bottle of cleaner (bonus!) but I will be switching to really diluted vinegar when that runs out.
The only thing (and I don't know where it came from, it just magically appeared under my kitchen sink one day - and I'm not joking about that, I have a thing against this stuff) I am actively pouring out is an aerosol can of disinfectant. This is taking a while because it's full and I can't throw away a full can per trash collection rules. So I spray as much as I can without backlash into the dumpster when I think about it.
I talked earlier about avoiding microwaves. I guess I should also be avoiding my laptop and other electronic devices. I have been avoiding the laptop (sans today) for the reason of eye strain, but now I have extra reason to not bring it with me to work. At work the laptop goes on my lap, so that's probably not good.
There you have it; a small guide to how I got started.
And I do recommend taking this slowly as the price differences can be daunting. Not to mention how overwhelming it is to overhaul your entire diet and some of your lifestyle.
As my husband puts it, my eggo is preggo!
Growing a baby is making me even more serious about avoiding certain things in food, and certain appliances. So here is what I consider to be a beginner's guide to eating healthier.
Avoid processed foods as much as possible. When shopping always read the labels on anything packaged you are about to buy. I will put it back if it has:
- Soy. In moderation this is OK, but this "good source of protein" messes with your hormone levels (as a woman)
- High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or corn syrup.
- Modified anything.
- Hydrogenated oils. These are trans-fats and thus bad for you. Partially hydrogenated is worse than fully hydrogenated. They do this to extend shelf life.
- Artificial coloring of any kind. Particularly caramel color, or anything with a number (yellow 5, etc.)
- An ingredient list more than five items long for no good reason (generally there is not a good reason for this)
- An ingredient I cannot pronounce. Usually I put the product on hold and research the offending ingredient because there are some things that aren't bad for you, but are still big long science-y words.
I'm still starting out, but I can tell you that cutting all of this stuff from my diet has really made a difference. Even before I was buying mostly organic produce I felt better. I don't miss it, either. Occasionally I'll get a craving for Pepsi, but that's pretty easy to fix with one of the glass-bottled ones (I call them Mexican Pepsi; they come from Mexico, as do the glass bottled Cokes). The sodas in glass generally don't have HFCS in them. They do, however have caramel color, so I only rarely indulge myself.
Another thing I try to do is avoid plastic packaging. Who knows how hot the warehouse was (depending on what you're buying) or the stockroom at the grocery is. Acidic things are something I will not make exceptions for if I'm buying them for cooking/eating.
For example: I buy white vinegar. I use it to cook and to clean, but I buy the big plastic jug to clean with and the glass bottle to cook with.
Household cleaners:
I went biodegradable with my dish soap and my laundry detergent so far. The products are more expensive, but with the dish soap I use much less of it because it is more effective than the cheap-o store brand stuff I used to buy. I can't say about the laundry detergent, as I purchased it prematurely (it was on sale) and still have some regular detergent left.
The next thing I'll be looking for is biodegradable dish detergent for the dishwasher. We use a lot of dishes, so the washer gets run quite a bit. I run it once a day on average, sometimes less. I like my machine because it has air dry and low energy options, so it's generally efficient. Particularly because I'm a bit lazy when it comes to dishes. And we don't have a drying rack right now.
I use vinegar water to mop with, and to clean off walls/counters. Depending on what I'm cleaning I'll do a mix of half vinegar to half water, or a quarter vinegar to three-quarters water. The latter formula I use mainly on counters and appliances while I use the former on floors and almost everything in the bathroom. If I'm feeling extra cheap I'll use the quarter to three-quarters on the floor as well.
I do have 409, Windex, Comet, and generic Drain-O in my cabinets in various places around the house. These I use rarely and they're mostly surplus from before I started switching. I have Bona for my wood floors because the mop I bought happened to come with a bottle of cleaner (bonus!) but I will be switching to really diluted vinegar when that runs out.
The only thing (and I don't know where it came from, it just magically appeared under my kitchen sink one day - and I'm not joking about that, I have a thing against this stuff) I am actively pouring out is an aerosol can of disinfectant. This is taking a while because it's full and I can't throw away a full can per trash collection rules. So I spray as much as I can without backlash into the dumpster when I think about it.
~~~
I talked earlier about avoiding microwaves. I guess I should also be avoiding my laptop and other electronic devices. I have been avoiding the laptop (sans today) for the reason of eye strain, but now I have extra reason to not bring it with me to work. At work the laptop goes on my lap, so that's probably not good.
~~~
There you have it; a small guide to how I got started.
And I do recommend taking this slowly as the price differences can be daunting. Not to mention how overwhelming it is to overhaul your entire diet and some of your lifestyle.
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