I decided to meet my cousin and her daughter in the city for a fun day at the museum of natural history on Thursday. The boys and I got into the car early in the am and drove in. Imagine my surprise at finding the supremo parking spot, right in front of a parking garage in NYC. I was thrilled! I got the boys out and into the stroller, called my cousin who was around the corner and looked up to see a street sweeping sign. Sure enough, I parked where the street sweepers were headed. I had to wait for my cousin before I could drive the car right into the lot where the rates were SURPRISE astronomical. 3 1/2 hrs later I was stuck w/ a $51 bill for parking!
Now let me say this, I had a phenomenal time. So, in the end although I had to pay a lot I was so happy to be out, walking in Central Park, going on the carousel and just having fun outdoors with the kids and family that it was TOTALLY WORTH IT. That being said, next time I drive into NYC I will pay better attention to the street signs. I mean look at it this way, at least I didn't get a $150 parking ticket or worse TOWED.
We didn't go into the museum because it was so packed I got claustrophobic just looking at it. Instead we walked around outside and were better for it. I think it would have been a bit much. We forgot about holiday tourist season, plus kids being out of school adds up to a huge nightmare for people who can got to the museum on a more regular basis. Next week we will try again....
Friday, December 29, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Whose got the Mutz with the Most?
I was so sick over Christmas that I didn't get to celebrate! I was so looking forward to my mother-in-laws meatballs, my sister-in-laws lasagna, my husbands mutz platter and cutting up an anti-pasta platter (food mostly provided by the in-laws who didn't want us to spend tons of money on the good stuff). Bummer. I can't even utter the words provolone or supprasatte without wanting to hurl. Oh well. I guess I will have to wait until the next time....So that is the post, five pounds lighter, starving, but no longer exploding. Life is good! At least I got to see my sister, her husband and the kids again before the long haul to New Olreans from NY.
Oh and if you don't know how to explain the crappy gift to your kid you know the one you bought on line and didn't realize would suck ass-well I told mine that every year Santa drops off a lemon. That's right a lemon. An accidental elfin mistake. Worked like a charm. Feel free to use it.
Oh and if you don't know how to explain the crappy gift to your kid you know the one you bought on line and didn't realize would suck ass-well I told mine that every year Santa drops off a lemon. That's right a lemon. An accidental elfin mistake. Worked like a charm. Feel free to use it.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
43 things
I was going to work on a list for my 2007 resolutions. Instead my friend directed my to this site called 43 things I really like it a lot. It shows you with other people all over the world who are interested in doing the same things as you, plus it will set up an email reminder to let you know that you wanted to do a certain thing. Like mine is set up in a month to remind me about how badly I love to kayak, and how I want to start doing more of it next year.
You can cheer on other people, update your info, post to your blog (this isn't working for me in beta blogger for some reason) and just kind keep tabs on your list. If you are like me and don't really do a list b.c. you know you are a. not going to ever find the list, or b. too lazy to write one and think your memory is good enough to remember everything than I think this is the site for you. Check it out, it can't hurt!
You can cheer on other people, update your info, post to your blog (this isn't working for me in beta blogger for some reason) and just kind keep tabs on your list. If you are like me and don't really do a list b.c. you know you are a. not going to ever find the list, or b. too lazy to write one and think your memory is good enough to remember everything than I think this is the site for you. Check it out, it can't hurt!
The Wire
I must confess I love this show . The Wire on HBO is so good and disturbing and stressful. After I watch an episode I lay in bed eyes open trying to decipher all that I have seen. Is this real? Is this true to life? The agonizing violence and harsh reality of child neglect on the show zaps me in a way where my mind reels for hours afterwards. The cast is amazing, especially the kids. I am constantly blown away by them. The show is supposedly showing the gritty reality of Baltimore. I hope it is less realistic than exposed here.
Sometimes it is hard to hear the dialogue, especially when the baby starts fussing and I miss key comments. I think every word spoken on the show has meaning. It is one of those shows where you really can't miss a thing, you have to pay attention to all the details whether they are minor or not. Howard "Bunny" Colvin played by Robert Wisdom and Namond Brice played by Julito McCullum are my two current favorite actors on the show. I can't really say that though, I think all the actors on the show are really brilliant in their performances. Shakima Greggs played by Sonja Sohn is also amazing, but she seems to be less present lately. I have been watching since the first season and the turns that the show has taken are pretty drastic. All directions however are linked and I guess I can't say enough. I just wish I wouldn't stay up so late and watch it, b.c. I simply can't fall asleep afterwards.
Sometimes it is hard to hear the dialogue, especially when the baby starts fussing and I miss key comments. I think every word spoken on the show has meaning. It is one of those shows where you really can't miss a thing, you have to pay attention to all the details whether they are minor or not. Howard "Bunny" Colvin played by Robert Wisdom and Namond Brice played by Julito McCullum are my two current favorite actors on the show. I can't really say that though, I think all the actors on the show are really brilliant in their performances. Shakima Greggs played by Sonja Sohn is also amazing, but she seems to be less present lately. I have been watching since the first season and the turns that the show has taken are pretty drastic. All directions however are linked and I guess I can't say enough. I just wish I wouldn't stay up so late and watch it, b.c. I simply can't fall asleep afterwards.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Goodbye Chanukah, Hello Christmas!
Well things are finally getting back to some type of normal here, and I have had a chance to read my email. I checked out a note I received from MomsRising.org. It is an article the Joan Blades wrote about at the Huffington post regarding the need for social change in how we look at motherhood in the US. The post is called: Should Society Support Mothers Raising Children? and it elicited 147 responses. Many of them so negative they could only be considered anti-mother. I was shocked to see how many people out there are angry about motherhood. I haven't had a chance to really check out her follow up called Indiscriminate Breeders!?! This has already received 84 responses. I am sure it is equally heated.
As a working mom and full-time at that, I know that I was very angry after going back to work when my first child was born. I was angry that we have a president who is all about "family values" but who I believe doesn't support family values in the way I think is important. I mean, really I love working, belonging to a community and I enjoy being with my children. There has to be a better balance. Childcare needs to be more affordable. Work environment needs to be more "mom friendly". Life needs to be more fun and less stressful. I think Moms Rising is all about that and should be something we all check out. I mean where would we be without Mom? love her or hate her we wouldn't be here without her!
That being said, I also finally posted a new poem. I really would like to work on my poetry and creative writing more. Maybe I will post a list of goals? I hate those new year things, but it would be nice to do and check out in a year here. I mean I can't lose the paper if it is on a blog.
Tonight is the last night of Chanukah, and we will put up the Christmas lights and tree today. I enjoy celebrating both, and I am glad we didn't go crazy on the gifts this year. My husband and I went around the house and gathered up all the toys the kids are done with and sent them (the toys not the kids) to the Salvation Army. I also packed up the last of my maternity clothing and the baby clothing and sent that off to the clothing drop. We donated toys and money to toys for tots, I purchased bracelets from Invisible Children. To help support the children of Uganda and to give my nephew and nieces something that I think is important a gift that symbolizes helping others around the world. I also donated money to the local food bank. All this on my unemployment credit card. Thankfully that has been quite helpful this holiday season. I think if I didn't get the benefits we wouldn't be having this type of holiday.
Okay enough said, back to housecleaning, and maybe finally putting my photo album for the baby together, I mean he is only 15 months old. Don't you think it is about time???
Happy Holidays!
As a working mom and full-time at that, I know that I was very angry after going back to work when my first child was born. I was angry that we have a president who is all about "family values" but who I believe doesn't support family values in the way I think is important. I mean, really I love working, belonging to a community and I enjoy being with my children. There has to be a better balance. Childcare needs to be more affordable. Work environment needs to be more "mom friendly". Life needs to be more fun and less stressful. I think Moms Rising is all about that and should be something we all check out. I mean where would we be without Mom? love her or hate her we wouldn't be here without her!
That being said, I also finally posted a new poem. I really would like to work on my poetry and creative writing more. Maybe I will post a list of goals? I hate those new year things, but it would be nice to do and check out in a year here. I mean I can't lose the paper if it is on a blog.
Tonight is the last night of Chanukah, and we will put up the Christmas lights and tree today. I enjoy celebrating both, and I am glad we didn't go crazy on the gifts this year. My husband and I went around the house and gathered up all the toys the kids are done with and sent them (the toys not the kids) to the Salvation Army. I also packed up the last of my maternity clothing and the baby clothing and sent that off to the clothing drop. We donated toys and money to toys for tots, I purchased bracelets from Invisible Children. To help support the children of Uganda and to give my nephew and nieces something that I think is important a gift that symbolizes helping others around the world. I also donated money to the local food bank. All this on my unemployment credit card. Thankfully that has been quite helpful this holiday season. I think if I didn't get the benefits we wouldn't be having this type of holiday.
Okay enough said, back to housecleaning, and maybe finally putting my photo album for the baby together, I mean he is only 15 months old. Don't you think it is about time???
Happy Holidays!
Sunday, December 17, 2006
WOO HOO I GOT A JOB!!!
Well, it has been a long time since I posted. Things have been a bit crazy on the home front. With personal family issues, and job hunting taking up most of my time. It is nice to finally get a moment to post and catch up on the writing. I have been listening to the Songbird CD by Willie Nelson and I can't get enough of it, plus the Neko CD I posted about awhile ago. The train song really is amazing.
I will not be posting about the family crisis shit, b.c. it is too personal. Suffice to say-we remain an intact unit and we will be fine. That being said I did get a job offer that I am very excited about. I will be working for one of my favorite organizations: Planned Parenthood! They are truly a great organization to work for, primarily because of the good work they do in the community. This is really wonderful news for me.
My sister is in town from New Orleans and the house is full of four boys running around. Two 3 yr olds and two 1 year olds. They are having a blast together and it is really nice to have them here. We are celebrating for the holidays. That is all for today. I haven't written a poem in ages either, that has gotten more difficult as my "real world" has collided a bit too dramatically with my "off work world".
I will not be posting about the family crisis shit, b.c. it is too personal. Suffice to say-we remain an intact unit and we will be fine. That being said I did get a job offer that I am very excited about. I will be working for one of my favorite organizations: Planned Parenthood! They are truly a great organization to work for, primarily because of the good work they do in the community. This is really wonderful news for me.
My sister is in town from New Orleans and the house is full of four boys running around. Two 3 yr olds and two 1 year olds. They are having a blast together and it is really nice to have them here. We are celebrating for the holidays. That is all for today. I haven't written a poem in ages either, that has gotten more difficult as my "real world" has collided a bit too dramatically with my "off work world".
Sunday, December 10, 2006
I Hate Car Seats!!! F*&@! you LATCH SYSTEM!!!
Ok, so this is really a dramatic title, but I just realized after 3 years that I have been putting in the car seats all wrong. I finally noticed the very small writing on the britax latch system that the stupid things are supposed to be on a specific side of the car, not just any side. This wasn't in the installation booklet so imagine my surprise at reading it. I kept wondering why it was so difficult for me to loosen straps, but it was because I kept getting everything twisted. Guess what it also is super easy to move one latch over to the other side and you don't even have to loosen any straps or anything.
So have I put my kids in danger all this time when I thought I was being safe? . Well I finally took they time out to focus on my children's safety and fixed the situation. I was supposed to take it to the cops for them to help me out, but I never got a chance, plus some cops just make me nervous. Maybe it is because I was arrested once...who knows. (Not you Jeff-you are the best!) I was also trying to take the car seats to the local hospital for installation, but I never got a call back. Anyway, I guess we can all be a little "Britney Spears" when it comes to car seats.
So have I put my kids in danger all this time when I thought I was being safe? . Well I finally took they time out to focus on my children's safety and fixed the situation. I was supposed to take it to the cops for them to help me out, but I never got a chance, plus some cops just make me nervous. Maybe it is because I was arrested once...who knows. (Not you Jeff-you are the best!) I was also trying to take the car seats to the local hospital for installation, but I never got a call back. Anyway, I guess we can all be a little "Britney Spears" when it comes to car seats.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
I LOVE WILLIE NELSON!!!
Willie Nelson is amazing. His latest CD Songbird was released 10/31/06 (my last day of work) by Lost Highway Records. It is absolutely fabulous. His version of Stella Blue
is so moving. His voice strong yet wavering is still a sweet sweet sound. I haven't listened to a tons of Willie Nelsons music over the years, yet I have always been a fan. I love when he and Johnny Cash did songs together. This however is by far the best CD I have heard in a long time by any artist. I truly recommend this recording for any music fan. He is a true national treasure and we are blessed just to have his voice and music recorded so beautifully.
Much love to Willie - Here is to you and your beautiful voice!
interviewing is exhausting:
The interview went GREAT. Next follow up interview is this coming week. I had to quickly run up to the outlets to buy another top for my follow up interview. I am so psyched! On another note, the unemployment $$ seems to be dipping rather quick. I am down to $24 on the card. No wonder when I wanted to take out 60$ I was REJECTED. Nothing else to say, oh except the Rabbi busted on NBC to Catch a Predator was busted for being a pedophile and I think is getting 6 years in jail. PIG! I don't feel sorry for him, just his family. I know I know we should forgive all, but this guy should've known better. When just read my earlier post and you will see how I feel.
is so moving. His voice strong yet wavering is still a sweet sweet sound. I haven't listened to a tons of Willie Nelsons music over the years, yet I have always been a fan. I love when he and Johnny Cash did songs together. This however is by far the best CD I have heard in a long time by any artist. I truly recommend this recording for any music fan. He is a true national treasure and we are blessed just to have his voice and music recorded so beautifully.
Much love to Willie - Here is to you and your beautiful voice!
interviewing is exhausting:
The interview went GREAT. Next follow up interview is this coming week. I had to quickly run up to the outlets to buy another top for my follow up interview. I am so psyched! On another note, the unemployment $$ seems to be dipping rather quick. I am down to $24 on the card. No wonder when I wanted to take out 60$ I was REJECTED. Nothing else to say, oh except the Rabbi busted on NBC to Catch a Predator was busted for being a pedophile and I think is getting 6 years in jail. PIG! I don't feel sorry for him, just his family. I know I know we should forgive all, but this guy should've known better. When just read my earlier post and you will see how I feel.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Burnt Chicken and Other Stories from the Homefront
I need to post, I am probably burning the chicken in the oven, but I NEED TO POST. This is like an addiction or something. The baby is asleep in the highchair-that's right the highchair. Not strapped in because the straps are broken. My other son is eating brown rice and lentils alone watching "Little Bear" on noggin. He doesn't want the chicken. I will not repeat that line, you can read it yourself. I know I left him alone with the TV. I hate the TV, but shit it is like a mini saviour just when you or your child needs to be saved.
What crazy things have happened this week? I ventured out into the shopping world with my workforce unemployment benefits card and made quite a few purchases. Spent a ton of $$ on BRAS it has been like 7 years since I bought a bra so imagine my surprise at how big my boobs are and how a good bra makes them saggy baggies look good again! It was worth the cash. I went to the dread toys R hideous toystore and was tortured into buying things-at least I donated some money to Toys for Tots. I felt better for doing that. Oh I also experienced the waky world of Michaels. That store that sells craft supplies and Christmas decorations. I wanted to make my son a big bucket of craft stuff for a gift b.c. he likes googly eyes, feathers and other messy stuff. They over charged me for an item by almost 9 bucks so I had to go back and deal. Besides waiting on line I had a weird interaction with a person I thought was normal. For some reason the transaction took about 20 minutes, because she thought when I said "cash back" I meant Michael's Gift Card. I don't plan on ever going back there again, and I am not quite sure why she thought cash is the same as a gift card. The manager was pissed, she had to come over about 5 times and wouldn't even acknowledge my "thank you" to her. Ah the holidays are here~!
I also argued with the grumpy librarian over a dollar I know I returned that stupid Diego dvd about dinosaurs on time!
Went food shopping and well it goes like this, I finally get to put half my food onto the belt when my son pops his head out of the little car for the cart and says "mommy I have to go potty" Under my breath, but loud enough for adults to hear I said "FUCK!" That is pretty bad to say in the A&P it just slipped out I swear1 I threw the food into the cart and ran as fast as I could to the bathroom. We made it in time. I managed to keep the baby from touching anything and washed my older sons hands. A miracle. On the way out I complained to customer service that I can't afford to buy my milk at the A&P because the hormone free stuff is too expensive. The lady didn't care, but said she'd ask the manager for me regarding Tuscan milk, its cheaper than Horizon and doesn't have the hormones in it. Horizon has the nerve to charge over 5 bucks for 3/4 of a gallon of milk. Nervy wipes, I wish we could afford that, but not even with unemployment benefits is it worthy of a purchase. And whats with the 3/4 of a gallon deal, what a scam!
I just read that people are sick from eating at taco bell-not a surprise. I mean it is taco bell. But what the hell is going on around here. We are dying from spinach and refried beans because of e. coli? nasty poop bacteria. I mean why is it IN OUR FOOD SUPPLY. Is it just me or does it seem like this is happening more often?
I have an interview tomorrow that I am psyched about. I hope I will be prepared. I need sleep and shower and well it would be nice if I could put some makeup on before I left the house. We shall see.
What crazy things have happened this week? I ventured out into the shopping world with my workforce unemployment benefits card and made quite a few purchases. Spent a ton of $$ on BRAS it has been like 7 years since I bought a bra so imagine my surprise at how big my boobs are and how a good bra makes them saggy baggies look good again! It was worth the cash. I went to the dread toys R hideous toystore and was tortured into buying things-at least I donated some money to Toys for Tots. I felt better for doing that. Oh I also experienced the waky world of Michaels. That store that sells craft supplies and Christmas decorations. I wanted to make my son a big bucket of craft stuff for a gift b.c. he likes googly eyes, feathers and other messy stuff. They over charged me for an item by almost 9 bucks so I had to go back and deal. Besides waiting on line I had a weird interaction with a person I thought was normal. For some reason the transaction took about 20 minutes, because she thought when I said "cash back" I meant Michael's Gift Card. I don't plan on ever going back there again, and I am not quite sure why she thought cash is the same as a gift card. The manager was pissed, she had to come over about 5 times and wouldn't even acknowledge my "thank you" to her. Ah the holidays are here~!
I also argued with the grumpy librarian over a dollar I know I returned that stupid Diego dvd about dinosaurs on time!
Went food shopping and well it goes like this, I finally get to put half my food onto the belt when my son pops his head out of the little car for the cart and says "mommy I have to go potty" Under my breath, but loud enough for adults to hear I said "FUCK!" That is pretty bad to say in the A&P it just slipped out I swear1 I threw the food into the cart and ran as fast as I could to the bathroom. We made it in time. I managed to keep the baby from touching anything and washed my older sons hands. A miracle. On the way out I complained to customer service that I can't afford to buy my milk at the A&P because the hormone free stuff is too expensive. The lady didn't care, but said she'd ask the manager for me regarding Tuscan milk, its cheaper than Horizon and doesn't have the hormones in it. Horizon has the nerve to charge over 5 bucks for 3/4 of a gallon of milk. Nervy wipes, I wish we could afford that, but not even with unemployment benefits is it worthy of a purchase. And whats with the 3/4 of a gallon deal, what a scam!
I just read that people are sick from eating at taco bell-not a surprise. I mean it is taco bell. But what the hell is going on around here. We are dying from spinach and refried beans because of e. coli? nasty poop bacteria. I mean why is it IN OUR FOOD SUPPLY. Is it just me or does it seem like this is happening more often?
I have an interview tomorrow that I am psyched about. I hope I will be prepared. I need sleep and shower and well it would be nice if I could put some makeup on before I left the house. We shall see.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Rambling Onwards-a discussion of death,finances and other fun facts
My baby is sleeping across my lap. I nursed him to sleep while I was on the computer. He is so heavy that my leg is asleep...It is Saturday night and my three year old is happily watching a Dora episode upstairs while his father strums away on the kid sized acoustic guitar. The kids like to play his guitar and kind of use their guitar as a step stool.
We had a great family day today. I love taking my children to stores now. They are so much fun. The three year old is so fascinated by stuff I take for granted. Like mannequins, fishing gear and lip balm. (I bought him is own one today and he is THRILLED that he as "makeup".) We were in the outdoor supply store looking for hat and mittens as he already lost his spider man hat that I bought at Target. The gloves were too big from the set-why I will never buy a hat/glove set again.
Anyway when we first got in the store he was so excited "look up mommy, look up" he yelled "kayaks!!!!". He knows I love kayaks,& he'd never seen one in a store before-especially not one hanging from the ceiling.
The baby just loves to walk around touching everything and refusing to hold my hand. He swats me away. I usually resort to putting him in the cart because he is just too difficult to contain in one place. Although I have discovered he loves eating at Starbucks b.c. he loves drinking the vanilla milk they sell there (Horizon). He has a blast sitting in the big chairs waving at all the people while eating his snacks. I only stop off at Starbucks because one day I forgot to pack a lunch for us and he was starving. He loved the fruit and cheese platter and it was better than going to a flippin' fastfood fest. The other time we went was the day I took him to the Peds office and had to wait a half hour for his medicine to be made up at the pharmacy. I figured an oatmeal raisin cookie and a cup of joe for me wouldn't be so bad.
I am adding this all in because I don't want the casual reader of my blog to think that a recently unemployed mamma such as my self typically has the luxury of hangin' at the local coffee establishment sucking down double espresso grande soymilk lattes and all. GUILT! At least I didn't use my "Workforce"atm/credit card at Starbucks, imagine if they were monitoring purchases and all and I get a call. "Ma'm this cards intended use is for paying bills, not sipping coffee!" and I would yell back "oh yeah than why do all the ATMs at the local OTBs accept this card without a fee!!!" (I looked up atm locations, my vice is coffee NOT gambling). Wow this is a ramblin' post.
ONWARD TO FAMILY
I made a huge mistake about three weeks ago asking my son which way he wants to go home after I picked him up from school. I asked if he wanted to go the caboose way or the cemetery way. He said cemetery and as usual he asked me what a cemetery was. This was the first time I had an example for him. Normally I just say it is a place where people are buried after they die. This time I said the same thing and then added a bit about someone who we are close to whose mother just died. Well I surely wasn't thinking. Death and Race are two topics I have been holding off on until I could figure out what was the best way to discuss them. We are still in the middle of Religion and that is hard enough. I did not mean to bring death into the mix just yet, but I did, and now we have to deal with it.
A child just does not understand the concept of "everyone will die at some point in time". That really doesn't sell to a three year old. So I am trying to figure out the best way to explain it without lying. Now every time he hears about death (we were watching a bit about Mama Cass and the whole part about how she died came up) he gets real quiet. I will ask him what he is thinking about and he usually says "I don't want you to die mommy". I am trying to tell him not to worry, that most people die when you get sick and old -older than nani and poppop is how I try to explain it. I have also tried to stop complaining around him about how old I feel and am trying to tell him that mommy and daddy are really young (for almost 40...). This way he doesn't think I am so old I am going to die anytime soon. The thing is, what if I do die from so sudden freak accident. Who will be there to explain all of this to him? I could just kick myself for bringing up cemeteries to begin with!
We had a great family day today. I love taking my children to stores now. They are so much fun. The three year old is so fascinated by stuff I take for granted. Like mannequins, fishing gear and lip balm. (I bought him is own one today and he is THRILLED that he as "makeup".) We were in the outdoor supply store looking for hat and mittens as he already lost his spider man hat that I bought at Target. The gloves were too big from the set-why I will never buy a hat/glove set again.
Anyway when we first got in the store he was so excited "look up mommy, look up" he yelled "kayaks!!!!". He knows I love kayaks,& he'd never seen one in a store before-especially not one hanging from the ceiling.
The baby just loves to walk around touching everything and refusing to hold my hand. He swats me away. I usually resort to putting him in the cart because he is just too difficult to contain in one place. Although I have discovered he loves eating at Starbucks b.c. he loves drinking the vanilla milk they sell there (Horizon). He has a blast sitting in the big chairs waving at all the people while eating his snacks. I only stop off at Starbucks because one day I forgot to pack a lunch for us and he was starving. He loved the fruit and cheese platter and it was better than going to a flippin' fastfood fest. The other time we went was the day I took him to the Peds office and had to wait a half hour for his medicine to be made up at the pharmacy. I figured an oatmeal raisin cookie and a cup of joe for me wouldn't be so bad.
I am adding this all in because I don't want the casual reader of my blog to think that a recently unemployed mamma such as my self typically has the luxury of hangin' at the local coffee establishment sucking down double espresso grande soymilk lattes and all. GUILT! At least I didn't use my "Workforce"atm/credit card at Starbucks, imagine if they were monitoring purchases and all and I get a call. "Ma'm this cards intended use is for paying bills, not sipping coffee!" and I would yell back "oh yeah than why do all the ATMs at the local OTBs accept this card without a fee!!!" (I looked up atm locations, my vice is coffee NOT gambling). Wow this is a ramblin' post.
ONWARD TO FAMILY
I made a huge mistake about three weeks ago asking my son which way he wants to go home after I picked him up from school. I asked if he wanted to go the caboose way or the cemetery way. He said cemetery and as usual he asked me what a cemetery was. This was the first time I had an example for him. Normally I just say it is a place where people are buried after they die. This time I said the same thing and then added a bit about someone who we are close to whose mother just died. Well I surely wasn't thinking. Death and Race are two topics I have been holding off on until I could figure out what was the best way to discuss them. We are still in the middle of Religion and that is hard enough. I did not mean to bring death into the mix just yet, but I did, and now we have to deal with it.
A child just does not understand the concept of "everyone will die at some point in time". That really doesn't sell to a three year old. So I am trying to figure out the best way to explain it without lying. Now every time he hears about death (we were watching a bit about Mama Cass and the whole part about how she died came up) he gets real quiet. I will ask him what he is thinking about and he usually says "I don't want you to die mommy". I am trying to tell him not to worry, that most people die when you get sick and old -older than nani and poppop is how I try to explain it. I have also tried to stop complaining around him about how old I feel and am trying to tell him that mommy and daddy are really young (for almost 40...). This way he doesn't think I am so old I am going to die anytime soon. The thing is, what if I do die from so sudden freak accident. Who will be there to explain all of this to him? I could just kick myself for bringing up cemeteries to begin with!
Friday, December 01, 2006
December 5th Call Starbucks!
10 Reasons Starbucks Should Go rBGH-Free
Top 10 Reasons Starbucks Should Switch to Milk Produced without the Artificial Growth Hormone rBGH
- It Makes Cows Sick
rBGH increases the risk of infections in cows - It May Make You Sick
When cows have infections they are treated with common antibiotics such as penicillin. Increased antibiotic use in food animals is a serious problem and contributes to the growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria, which make you sick and are harder to treat. - It May Cause Problems in Humans
When cows are injected with rBGH it increases another hormone, called IGF-1, in the cow and the cow's milk. Too much IGF-1 in humans is linked with increased rates of colon, breast and prostate cancer. While it's not clear that rBGH given to cows increases IGF-1 in humans, why take the chance just so dairies can produce more milk? - It's Banned Elsewhere
RBGH is banned in Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and ALL 25 Countries in the European Union. - Starbucks is a “Socially Responsible Business”
Starbucks markets itself as a “socially responsible business and stated that it “champions...business practices that produce social environmental and economic benefits for Starbucks communities globally.” These practices should also include treating cows humanely an providing customers with milk produced without genetically engineered hormones - The Impact Would Be Huge
Demand breeds supply. Starbucks, can require that dairies selling to them stop using rBGH. Starbucks can expand the market for rBGH-free milk as it did for Fair Trade Coffee. If Starbucks made the switch to rBGH-free milk it would send a strong message to the dairy industry about consumers distaste for recombinant bovine growth hormone. - Starbucks Can Afford It
Starbucks is in a position to spend a few cents more per gallon of milk. In 2005, its profit were almost $500 million, and one-year net income growth was 26 percent. In just one year it sold over $6 billion worth of goods. - Starbucks has already acknowledged that there needs to be a change
In a 2001 letter to the Organic Consumers Association, Starbucks pledged: “Starbucks will begin to offer RBST-free milk as an option upon request... we expect rBST-free milk alternative will be available in all our company-owned U.S. Stores by the end of the summer.” Not much has happened since 2001, five years later, Starbucks still uses rBGH milk. Although Starbucks offers an organic milk upon request, the availability is not well publicized. Furthermore there is no rBGH-free option for bottled Frappaccino drinks and ice creams. - Other Companies Are Doing It
In the last several years, due to consumer demand and company ethics, many brands and dairies have pledged to be rBGH free. Ben & Jerry's and Tillamook Cheese both have banned the hormone and made their dairy producers pledge to ban rBGH with out going organic. - Consumers Deserve Better!
Milk made with out genetically-engineered hormones should be the standard, not a luxury item. Let your local Starbucks know that you deserve better and ask them to stop using milk from cows injected with rBGH!!
I got all of this from : http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/
with a special thanks to Britt Bravo at Blogher
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