catbird’s world

The Consumerist writes about increasing dairy and meat prices due to the increase in corn prices. How are the two linked? All those cows (pigs, chickens, etc.) eating corn and turning it into milk and meat. The double whammy is that transporting and growing all that corn requires a lot of petroleum for gas and fertilizers. The Consumerist suggests we should cut back on driving to reduce our gas usage. Well, um, thanks Captain Obvious. The more I read what Michael Pollan says about grass farming, the more I think it’s a solution that would have a major impact. There would still be the transportation part of the equation (while I’m always trying to buy more local, could my family really give up things like bananas?) but less corn, less petroleum-based fertilizers, and a more sustainable approach sounds great to me.

catbird :: Jun.14.2007 :: food, green :: Comments Off

Can we save money while living more environmentally-friendly? Obviously if we use less electricity, natural gas, and gasoline we will spend less money and help the environment. But when it comes to our other consumption habits, to be greener we have to spend more. Cleaning products, paper products, diapers, food…. all the more environmentally-friendly options are also more expensive. Granted, we are eating less since we started eating better, but our grocery bill is still pretty high. I guess unless I’m willing to track everything down to the penny in Microsoft Money, I’ll never know the answer. And I guess I just have to tell myself that saving money isn’t as important as saving the planet.

catbird :: Jun.05.2007 :: green :: Comments Off

When Van was born he was very tongue-tied. That is, his frenulum, that little piece of stuff that connects your tongue to your mouth, was super short. His tongue was heart-shaped at the tip and the frenulum connected just behind his bottom gums. Even our pediatrician called his tongue-tied-ness “extraordinary”. When Van was four months old, we were sufficiently worried about his nursing to visit a surgeon. He was slipping off and seemed very frustrated whenever he was eating, even though he was gaining weight. The surgeon said that at four months, the procedure would require general anesthesia. Everyone we talked to that had their child’s tongue “snipped” felt 100% that it was the right thing to do and that it made a huge difference. We, however, decided to wait and see what happened. Soon after the surgeon visit, Van had a growth spurt that resulted in the connection of his tongue to his mouth to move further away from his gums. And today, at nine months, Van is sticking his tongue out, well over his bottom lip, all day long. He thinks it a riot. Frankly, so do I.

catbird :: Jun.05.2007 :: mommyhood :: Comments Off