Hugging the Midline

Keeping it Green

For green change #10 I went around the house and unplugged the appliances we don't use much, like the cell phone chargers we only use at night and the TV in the playroom that is only occasionally used by Jo for video games. And we've been better about turning the computers completely off at night.

Appliances use electricity ("phantom power") just by being plugged in, even if they're turned off. I had heard this before, but never did much about it until Heather reminded me the other day of this easy and free change I could make. She pointed me to an article in Tree Hugger that lists some high-tech gadgets you can get, like smart power strips that cut the power when all of your appliances are off; I might get one of those next time I need a new power strip, but for now I just did it the old-fashioned way and pulled the plugs out of the wall.

Green change #11, buying a battery charger and some rechargeable batteries, was easy, and will save money in the long-run despite the initial investment. We used to have a battery charger, but have been lazily buying disposable batteries since the old charger wore out. I'm excited that we're getting back to the rechargeable batteries; our digital camera is a battery hog, and I'll be glad to be able to change the batteries less often.

Finally, although green "change" #12 was just a conversation, I think it will ultimately have the biggest long-term impact of all of our changes. A couple days ago Glen asked me what he could do to support my efforts to be more eco-conscious. I wasn't sure initially if he was on board with the changes I've been making, so I've been pleasantly surprised that he's been supportive of this process and went out of his way to ask how he could help. I told him that I'd like our family to start approaching all of our purchases with a green mindset: Do we really need the particular item? Does it make sense to buy it used instead? Is there a recycled or recyclable or non-toxic or longer-lasting alternative?

We're lucky to live in a town like Fairfield that has an organic grocery store, an organic clothing store, organic restaurants, a green building supply store, access to things that are pretty much unheard of in most towns our size. But I have to say that, while these items are available to us in Fairfield, they sure don't come cheap. We're a pretty cost-conscious household, so I know there will be tough choices.

I actually came up against my first tough choice this weekend. We needed diapers, so I looked for an eco-friendly alternative at Everybody's, and discovered that they carry Seventh Generation diapers. I love the company, and buy some of their cleaning products, but these diapers were more than $15 for a pack of 30; at Evil Empire Walmart they're about half that price. With the number of diapers we go through, I just couldn't stomach the price, although I later looked online and found them cheaper. But these particular diapers aren't even recycled or recyclable or anything; I think the only difference between Seventh Generation diapers and our usual Pampers are that Seventh Generation diapers are chlorine-free. Which means another research project for me. Are chlorine-free diapers important enough for the environment or maybe for Jack's health that it's worth taking the extra hit in our pocketbook? I don't have the answer today; I'll be looking into it, and would appreciate any thoughts on the topic. Of course, there's the further dilemma of buying from a local organic market vs. a big box giant, especially Walmart, but I won't go any further into the many pros and cons now, as Jack is tugging on my arm to be the drummer in his impromptu band, and I'm a sucker for rock stars...

This is the end of my little challenge to make 12 green changes this month, but I'm sure I'll write more in the future as we continue to make changes. For the most part, I'm trying to approach our green changes as an adventure, and not beat myself up when I'm less than perfect. I know we won't be perfect, but I'm excited about the changes we are making and the things we're learning along the way.

Caucus Mania, Part 2

Over margaritas before the caucus, Glen and I went over our candidate pros and cons list, then decided to throw out the list and go with our (my?) first instinct, John Edwards. At our caucus there were about 250 people crammed into a little room at the senior center that is probably meant for only 100 people or so.

Our caucus produced four delegates for Edwards, three for Obama, and one for Clinton. On first count, Clinton didn't have enough for even one delegate and her supporters had to quickly run around recruiting Biden, Richardson, Dodd, and Kucinich supporters to help boost their ranks. One dedicated lefty refused to stand down and made her lone protest vote for Kucinich even though it wouldn't count for anything, which I have to respect. Power to the people! :-)

By the time Jack and I got home from his babysitter's place, the race had already been called for Obama. Since I was so torn between Edwards and Obama, I would have been happy if either of them had won. Congrats to my cousin Colin who has been knocking on Ankeny doors for Obama for months and to my other readers who supported Obama tonight. It will be exciting to see how things evolve in the coming weeks.

Caucus Mania!

I'm stealing both of these great links from Living in Small Sizes:

• a hi-freaking-larious explanation of the caucuses from a non-Iowan
• an article about campaigning in Fairfield from the Wall Street Journal

Jack's staying at daycare until after the caucus, so caucus night is date night! I'm excited for the big event, even if I don't know who I'm voting for...

Back to Work!

A few updates and random thoughts:

• Glen and I were both back to work today after the holidays, Jo's mom came to pick her up this morning, and Jack went to daycare. It's kind of nice to be back to our routine.



• Jack has become the king of the 24-hour illness. Yesterday he ran a temp of about 102, then was clingy all day and up half the night. We finally brought him in bed with us at about 2 a.m. Even though we have a king-sized bed and put him right in the middle on his own pillow, he would much rather share a pillow with mama, or I should say, he'd much rather lie sideways across mama's pillow while she clings to the side of the bed, which is how I found us arranged when I woke up this morning. He slept in a bit, but when he woke he didn't have a temp and seemed just fine, so we sent him to daycare. When I called Amy to check on him, she said he was playing great and not giving any indiciation that he was sick last night. I'm thrilled that he hasn't had any significant illnesses this winter, just a couple 24-hour fevers and one bout of pink eye. I'm not sure if it's the elimination of dairy, the chiropractic treatments, the homeopathic meds, or just luck. But it's such a glorious change from last winter that we aren't in and out of the doctor's office and pharmacist's line a couple times a week. (#35)



• It can be maddening when you really, really want a good night's sleep and baby isn't cooperating. But last night I tried to appreciate the quiet middle-of-the-night time with him. There's nothing much more perfect than the warmth and weight of a sleepy baby in my arms, his little knees drawn up to his chest and his head snuggled against my neck. These days he's right at that launching off point between baby and little boy, and I want to appreciate any mama/baby time while I can get it.



• I still can't decide who I'm going to caucus for in less than 24 hours now, still flip-flopping between Obama and Edwards a couple times daily. I'm trying not to agonize over the decision, but Glen will be the first to tell you that I'm occasionally agonizing anyway, and he's had to ask me more than once if I can stop talking about it for two seconds. I may leave it up to the Magic 8 Ball. Or I haven't completely ruled out the idea of standing over in the Kucinich corner by myself to avoid having to decide.



• It's a good thing ten minutes counts as a WoYoPracMo practice, because for the second day, that's again all I managed to squeeze in. Even those ten minutes felt great and really worked the kinks out. I only did seated poses tonight because I was too frigging cold to take my socks off.



• Today is my Grandma Norma's 80th birthday. Here's me (could my hood be any tighter?) and Grandma looking pretty foxy in her 40's — it gives me hope to know I'm descended from the same gene pool.

John or Barack? Help Me Decide

The Iowa caucuses are only six days away, and I still can't decide whether to support John Edwards or Barack Obama. I've been leaning most strongly toward Edwards, who inspires me every time I hear him speak, whether it's in person or in a debate. I like Obama, too, and have been impressed by the passion of his supporters.

I'm not a political expert, but policy-wise I don't think there's that much difference between them. In the end I guess I'll go with the person who inspires me the most and seems the most likely to trounce his Republican opponent in the general election.

It would be tough to get me to go for any other candidate at this point (don't even try, Fairfield Ron Paul-heads!), but if anyone wants to help me make my decision between Edwards and Obama, I'm open.

Poor Sick Little Guy

When we give Jack the eye drops for his pink eye, he cries and yells, “torry!” (sorry), which breaks our hearts. He doesn’t seem to understand what sorry means yet, although we ask him to say it when he’s done something naughty (he’s taken to kicking and hitting me, laughing while he does it as if it’s a game). I hope he doesn’t think the eye drops are a punishment.

I hope the eye drops are the right way to go. I like the idea of complementary medicine and try to find a balance between traditional western treatments and more alternative ones, but I’m having a hard time finding health care practitioners who share my viewpoint.

The doctors at the local clinic throw antibiotics at us just about every time we walk through the door; the doctor we saw this week actually prescribed eye drops to me (I have pink eye, too) and an antibiotic for Jack. When I asked him if the antibiotic was necessary, he asked, “Well, do you want to get a good night’s sleep tonight?” I’m sure the doc meant well, but I’d prefer for him to make his prescribing decisions based on the healthiest course of treatment for Jack, not the convenience of Jack’s parents. I’ve decided to give Jack the eye drops for a couple days and see if they’re effective before trying the antibiotic.

I also have used some non-traditional practitioners, including a chiropractor who specializes in cranial-sacro therapy for kids. But she’s $100 per treatment, isn’t in our insurance network, takes a while to get into, and the results from her treatments are more gradual; so she’s definitely not the person to see for acute care.

A Google search wasn’t much more helpful. I checked a variety of sites that seemed reputable, and got different answers from each! One recommended eye drops, another said antibiotics were the way to go, and another said it would go away without treatment. (Then there was the site that recommended putting breast milk in his eye! I’ve been done nursing for about eight months so I don’t have any handy around here; I wonder if the lady down the block would give me some of hers; I’ll have to tell her that breast milk is the new cup of sugar when it comes to neighborliness.)

I joined a Fairfield mom’s group yesterday and posted a question on their message board asking for recommendations for a new doctor that practices complementary medicine. Hopefully they’ll be able to help.

It’s hard to know if I’m making the right decisions as a parent. I try to keep a light-hearted approach with most things, but the stakes are so much higher when it comes to health care.