In the last two weeks, my family has:
1. Moved and put most of our furniture in storage in our new town
2. Had a vehicle totaled in an accident caused by the winter weather
3. Had to locate the dogs since they were spooked so bad by being in said accident and ran away
4. Gotten the flu (all three of us, ugh)
5. Had to have Trogdor's neck stitched up because he managed to rip it open on something
Stressful much? I'm praying that next week isn't nearly as exciting.
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As a side note, I want to vent for just a moment about American work culture.
My boss is a single woman with no children. Because my flu, and then Spence's, went beyond the weekend, I ended up having to call in sick both Monday and Tuesday. In all honesty, I needed to take Wednesday off as well.
I called in on Sunday night for Monday so my boss would know ahead of time and could possibly even get a sub early. I was obviously sick. I was almost incoherent and could barely speak; this was not me skipping out on work. I started feeling a bit better on Monday, but at the same time Spencer spiked a big fever indicating he had come down with it as well. I called on Monday, before 2:00, to let her know I would need to be out Tuesday as well.
The attitude I got! Ouch! I am not one to miss a ton of days. In fact, including the two I missed this week, I've been out 5.5 days all semester. I don't feel that is excessive at all, especially considering last year I was sent to a conference about one day a month from October to April.
Why is it that Americans are so obsessed with work? Why does it have to be something that consumes all? I want work to be something I do for money and nothing more. I want to leave work at work and not drag it home.
Europeans get amazing benefits and are encouraged to take time off. Many, if not most, European countries give their employees 30 vacation days a year. Americans get half that if they have an amazing job. Millions get no vacation time at all.
Its unfortunate and makes for stressed out people.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Going Organic
After the news that the FDA said milk and meat from cloned livestock were safe for human consumption, I decided that my family needed to take the plunge and move from the more commercially available foods to those of an organic nature.
I've always felt that organics were better than your regular everyday food. Can it really be good for us to have pesticides, growth hormones, and antibiotics floating around in our systems all the time? But organic food is more expensive, even cost prohibitive for some.
This ruling by the FDA made me take a closer look at the expense of organics. I went to my local organic market, Wild Oats (recently bought out by Whole Foods), and did a little cost analysis of things I typically buy. The pre-cut and packaged pineapple was only $1 more, the vanilla I needed for baking was only around $0.75 more. The milk (around $3 a gallon at Kroger as opposed to $3 for a half gallon of Horizion Organic) and chicken ($10 for a bag of boneless, skinless breasts at Kroger vs. $7 for 2 organic, free range boneless, skinless breasts) were typically several dollars more. Most people believe that these areas (the milk and meat) are the two where most of the "nasties" come over, so it makes sense to me that it would be more expensive to produce these things "nasty-free."
The FDA has also said that the meat and milk of clone offspring have probably already been put into stores because they were "lost track of." Excuses, excuses.
Regardless, I wouldn't mind these things being marketed if they would just consent to label them. The same goes for the genetically modified produce, which I'm also uncomfortable with. Label them and I won't complain. I also won't buy them.
I've always felt that organics were better than your regular everyday food. Can it really be good for us to have pesticides, growth hormones, and antibiotics floating around in our systems all the time? But organic food is more expensive, even cost prohibitive for some.
This ruling by the FDA made me take a closer look at the expense of organics. I went to my local organic market, Wild Oats (recently bought out by Whole Foods), and did a little cost analysis of things I typically buy. The pre-cut and packaged pineapple was only $1 more, the vanilla I needed for baking was only around $0.75 more. The milk (around $3 a gallon at Kroger as opposed to $3 for a half gallon of Horizion Organic) and chicken ($10 for a bag of boneless, skinless breasts at Kroger vs. $7 for 2 organic, free range boneless, skinless breasts) were typically several dollars more. Most people believe that these areas (the milk and meat) are the two where most of the "nasties" come over, so it makes sense to me that it would be more expensive to produce these things "nasty-free."
The FDA has also said that the meat and milk of clone offspring have probably already been put into stores because they were "lost track of." Excuses, excuses.
Regardless, I wouldn't mind these things being marketed if they would just consent to label them. The same goes for the genetically modified produce, which I'm also uncomfortable with. Label them and I won't complain. I also won't buy them.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Little mister decided he needed a new hair do for the evening. I guess being with mommy all the time rubs off! LOL
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Christmas
I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!
We bought 99% wooden toys due to the nasty recalls of all the Chinese made toys and they were a big hit with Spence! He absolutely loves the wooden parking garage and has played with it non-stop.
My dad got Spence a plastic art desk/easel, but it is all American made plastic. I couldn't be happier with it. :)
Happy Holidays!
We bought 99% wooden toys due to the nasty recalls of all the Chinese made toys and they were a big hit with Spence! He absolutely loves the wooden parking garage and has played with it non-stop.
My dad got Spence a plastic art desk/easel, but it is all American made plastic. I couldn't be happier with it. :)
Happy Holidays!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Flu shot, schmu shot
So, apparently flu shots are now mandatory for New Jersey preschoolers. Where do I even begin with this?
First off, I have a hard time with the state mandating that I must inject anything into my child. Typically it wouldn't be too big of a deal. I'd say "fill out a philosophical exemption" and be done with it, but NJ only has religious and medical exemptions. True, I don't live in New Jersey, but this sets a terrifying precident. Today it is New Jersey, tomorrow it could be Arkansas.
Secondly, why can the state mandate private preschools? I understand the logic behind vaccinating publicly schooled children. Attend the public's school, abide by the state's rules. But for a privately owned preschool? It just doesn't seem right.
Third, while many organizations push the flu vaccine, it hasn't even been proven truely effective. Many are still preserved with mercury as well, which is one of the culprits of the big vaccine/autism debate.
I, quite simply, am not on board with forced vaccinations, flu or otherwise.
First off, I have a hard time with the state mandating that I must inject anything into my child. Typically it wouldn't be too big of a deal. I'd say "fill out a philosophical exemption" and be done with it, but NJ only has religious and medical exemptions. True, I don't live in New Jersey, but this sets a terrifying precident. Today it is New Jersey, tomorrow it could be Arkansas.
Secondly, why can the state mandate private preschools? I understand the logic behind vaccinating publicly schooled children. Attend the public's school, abide by the state's rules. But for a privately owned preschool? It just doesn't seem right.
Third, while many organizations push the flu vaccine, it hasn't even been proven truely effective. Many are still preserved with mercury as well, which is one of the culprits of the big vaccine/autism debate.
I, quite simply, am not on board with forced vaccinations, flu or otherwise.
So....its been awhile.
I guess you could say I got busy. Or maybe I just didn't have anything to say.
I shall be back later with thoughts on the mandatory flu shots for New Jersey preschoolers.
I shall be back later with thoughts on the mandatory flu shots for New Jersey preschoolers.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Fear
I have a lot of fear in my life and most of it surrounds my child and his entry into this world.
On March 16, 2005, I was 20 weeks pregnant. I was in the middle of my student teaching. My husband was in Iraq. I was at home that evening working on the next day's lesson when suddenly I felt wet. I had a lot of bleeding episodes early in my pregnancy and simply thought that it had happened again. But when I went to the bathroom there was no blood, just a clear fluid. I thought I had wet myself, but a friend (who was about 15 weeks ahead of me in pregnancy) recommended I call the OB on call anyway. The OB on call pointed me to L&D but told me it was probably nothing.
I went to the hospital alone. My parents live too far away for them to come get me and then take me to the hospital and my sister, who lives with me, was taking a night course at her university. Once I got there, a simple swab test was enough to show that I was leaking aminotic fluid. When I lay down on the bed there was a huge gush. My water had fully broken.
No one really gave me any hope that my pregnancy would continue. Once the perinatologist got back from his long weekend he said that 80% of his patients with ruptured water went into labor within a week. He didn't have to go into further detail. I knew exactly what he was saying to me. I began wracking my brain for a name for this ill fated baby. Jake and I hashed it out over the phone, me in the hospital, him in Iraq, for several days before we settled on the name Spencer. Neither of us were totally happy with it, but this baby was destined to die and we needed a name for the death certificate.
Days turned in to weeks, weeks into months. I was in the hospital for 10 weeks before I had a bleeding episode so bad that my OB wanted to do a c-section. Spencer was born 10 weeks premature with underdeveloped legs and lungs, both due to the extreme lack of amniotic fluid he'd faced in the womb.
Everyday that I was in the hospital was a day of fear. Would his lungs work? Would he come out with a horrible deformity because of the lack of fluid? Most of my questions could not be answered by any doctor before Spencer's birth. Some of them could not be answered in the days after Spencer's birth.
I want to have another baby. I want it desperately. Yet I am gripped by fear. Fear of a repeat situation. Fear of having another premature baby. Fear that, should we repeat this sceneriao, we wouldn't be so lucky the second time. Everytime I think about being pregnant again I am panged with panic and fear before I am excited. Will time heal this wound? Who knows. But I sure hope for my sanity that it will.
On March 16, 2005, I was 20 weeks pregnant. I was in the middle of my student teaching. My husband was in Iraq. I was at home that evening working on the next day's lesson when suddenly I felt wet. I had a lot of bleeding episodes early in my pregnancy and simply thought that it had happened again. But when I went to the bathroom there was no blood, just a clear fluid. I thought I had wet myself, but a friend (who was about 15 weeks ahead of me in pregnancy) recommended I call the OB on call anyway. The OB on call pointed me to L&D but told me it was probably nothing.
I went to the hospital alone. My parents live too far away for them to come get me and then take me to the hospital and my sister, who lives with me, was taking a night course at her university. Once I got there, a simple swab test was enough to show that I was leaking aminotic fluid. When I lay down on the bed there was a huge gush. My water had fully broken.
No one really gave me any hope that my pregnancy would continue. Once the perinatologist got back from his long weekend he said that 80% of his patients with ruptured water went into labor within a week. He didn't have to go into further detail. I knew exactly what he was saying to me. I began wracking my brain for a name for this ill fated baby. Jake and I hashed it out over the phone, me in the hospital, him in Iraq, for several days before we settled on the name Spencer. Neither of us were totally happy with it, but this baby was destined to die and we needed a name for the death certificate.
Days turned in to weeks, weeks into months. I was in the hospital for 10 weeks before I had a bleeding episode so bad that my OB wanted to do a c-section. Spencer was born 10 weeks premature with underdeveloped legs and lungs, both due to the extreme lack of amniotic fluid he'd faced in the womb.
Everyday that I was in the hospital was a day of fear. Would his lungs work? Would he come out with a horrible deformity because of the lack of fluid? Most of my questions could not be answered by any doctor before Spencer's birth. Some of them could not be answered in the days after Spencer's birth.
I want to have another baby. I want it desperately. Yet I am gripped by fear. Fear of a repeat situation. Fear of having another premature baby. Fear that, should we repeat this sceneriao, we wouldn't be so lucky the second time. Everytime I think about being pregnant again I am panged with panic and fear before I am excited. Will time heal this wound? Who knows. But I sure hope for my sanity that it will.
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