Happy Valentine's Day, in case you celebrate the beheading of a saintly person. Okay, that sounds worse than I meant it to. Still, it's true. As he has been known for some time, St. Valentine was a man who was imprisoned for his beliefs and then beheaded. He was also kind enough to listen and do what he could for a couple young people in love (if I remember the tale correctly), and that is why he is now celebrated on his own saint's day and it's celebrated as a day of love. Of course, there are many kinds of love - familial love, romantic love, life-long-soulmate-love, friend-love, in-love-with-one's-children-love, love of one's companion animals, love of chocolate, love of snowflakes, love of yellow-colored foods.... you name it.
Now while there is lots and lots of commercialism related to this holiday, there is a lot of red. And pink. And purple now. And white. etc, etc. Oh, and glitter, too. But if you're vegetarian, like me, or vegan, red-colored processed foods are NOT in our you-love-me-and-got-me-a-treat-okay-for-me-to-eat vocab, but unfortunately, I don't think many people actually realize this. For me, I've been ovo-lacto-vegetarian for over a decade now, but I didn't really pay attention or care too much about some of the potentially-hyped-as-nasty ingredients. Well, I finally care. None of the FD&C dyes are exactly 'safe' because of the various chemicals in them, and as you ought to realize, the FDA doesn't have a lot of support/funding/oversight over U.S. foodstuffs. They are one to go with ideology when it comes to foods - if it isn't found otherwise, it's safe. Think BPA (lines all canned food cans, many hard plastic food containers, pop bottles, water bottles, etc.). Think GMOs - something that several other countries have BANNED the use of, but we're still being used as human guinea pigs. Think of the thousands of other chemicals, pesticides, and unnatural items that we're exposed to daily just in our food supply... Uck! The FDA is also one to have a 'generally considered safe' list, which includes at least a hundred items that don't have to be listed on our food labels. Personally, I want to know what those unlisted ingredients are and in what foods of mine they might be found. Even if it's something as "harmless" as black pepper, I want to know because both of my parents are sensitive/allergic to black pepper and I don't want to accidentally serve them something that will devastate their aging bodies with something like hemorrhoids.
Hah, all of this because I've officially decided to give up all FD&C dyes. This includes for my little family. As a vegetarian, I don't care to eat foods/dyes processed from insects, dead beetles, or other animals. No, thank you. I will start making my own food colorings from now on. Big Yes, thank you to others who've recognized this for some time and done something about it, such as Wee Can Too. (I love their chalks, btw!)
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
02.02.13
As a young mama, I've been bombarded by parenting magazines, 'make your baby do this/that' books, other parents or non-parents providing their advice, etc. Fortunately, I think a lot of that marketed stuff, and some 'common wisdom' is bunk. For example, I don't feel deprived because my child didn't sleep through the night by age 3 months. In fact, he's probably had fewer than a dozen full nights' sleeps in his 2+years with us. I may be deprived, but from sleep alone. Not because he's not someone else's idea of a perfect sleeper. Sleeping through the night with a newborn/young child is an American dream like the whole white picket fence and apple pie shtick.
Granted, these things have their pearls of wisdom, some more hidden than others, but I am one who believes in the basics. Perhaps this stems from the fact that I jive with attachment parenting, am aware of typical neurodevelopment, and am comfortable with myself - and therefore can allows others to be themselves, as well.
For anyone who's interested in possibly having kids, has them, or only sees them on TV once in a while, and doesn't want to get preached at, I suggest three books I've appreciated and have resonated decently well with:
1) My Mother Wears Combat Boots is a real-life, realistic, and not about needing money-money-money in order to afford kids experience from the author's point of view.
2) Beyond the Sling was recently released and an appropriately (to me) heralded book that focuses on natural and attachment parenting.
3) This is one I've recently come in to, Beyond the Rainbow Bridge, through my novel experiences with Waldorf Education. There is a fantastic Waldorf school initiative here in Cleveland Heights that should really finally take off in this area over the next year. My husband and I are looking into starting our C there in the fall, for his preschool experience. So far, C and I have really enjoyed the Waldorf parent-toddler class that we've been going to since this past autumn. If you've ever read, or even heard of, Rudolf Steiner's prolific works, this book is a good initial transitioner from his theories into (educative) practice.
From experiences at work over the past couple weeks, I've come to more fully appreciate that I'm able to allow others to be themselves with me. Especially in my own home, with my own family. Especially with my child. He deserves to be whomsoever he is and is to become.
Granted, these things have their pearls of wisdom, some more hidden than others, but I am one who believes in the basics. Perhaps this stems from the fact that I jive with attachment parenting, am aware of typical neurodevelopment, and am comfortable with myself - and therefore can allows others to be themselves, as well.
For anyone who's interested in possibly having kids, has them, or only sees them on TV once in a while, and doesn't want to get preached at, I suggest three books I've appreciated and have resonated decently well with:
1) My Mother Wears Combat Boots is a real-life, realistic, and not about needing money-money-money in order to afford kids experience from the author's point of view.
2) Beyond the Sling was recently released and an appropriately (to me) heralded book that focuses on natural and attachment parenting.
3) This is one I've recently come in to, Beyond the Rainbow Bridge, through my novel experiences with Waldorf Education. There is a fantastic Waldorf school initiative here in Cleveland Heights that should really finally take off in this area over the next year. My husband and I are looking into starting our C there in the fall, for his preschool experience. So far, C and I have really enjoyed the Waldorf parent-toddler class that we've been going to since this past autumn. If you've ever read, or even heard of, Rudolf Steiner's prolific works, this book is a good initial transitioner from his theories into (educative) practice.
From experiences at work over the past couple weeks, I've come to more fully appreciate that I'm able to allow others to be themselves with me. Especially in my own home, with my own family. Especially with my child. He deserves to be whomsoever he is and is to become.
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