Today on SV Moms I'm sounding off on Facebook's prudish decision to take down photos of breastfeeding moms. I'm irritated, but not surprised -- it reflects on the public's general discomfort with breasts and sexuality (it's one of Alfie's pet peeves that it seems to be ok to show bare breasts on TV as long as the nipples are fuzzed over, giving them the appearance of Barbie doll boobs). Seeing a bare breast, even on something as natural and nonsexual as a nursing mother, is enough to freak people out, in public and even online.
Breastfeeding was an easy decision for me -- nutritional and developmental benefits aside, I was lucky enough to have a generous supply of milk (enough to breastfeed twins), I like to save money and I'm too lazy to wash and sterilize all those bottles. Plus none of my kids really liked bottles. So I breastfed anywhere and everywhere my babies got hungry. At first I skulked around, suffocating my kids underneath blankets and hiding behind every potted plant I found , but towards the end I pretty much settled in a corner, yanked up whatever shirt I was wearing and hoped people would be too disinterested to oggle.
I wish people would stop classifying nursing mothers as some kind of streaking hussies. I mean, moms aren't exactly flashing the general public in an attempt to get hired for Girls Gone Wild. They're just trying to feed their babies. Trust me, they'd rather do it in the privacy of their home, but if they're out and about and there isn't a room or lounge, what choice do they have? And don't say go into a public restroom!
Click here to read my SV Moms post on Facebook and nursing.
The Ten Dirtiest Foods
Today an article on the Ten Dirtiest Foods You're Eating caught my eye. Alfie is the vigilant one when it comes to food safety at home; the autoimmune disease he suffers from was triggered by a case of food poisoning, so it's not surprising that he doesn't touch leftovers after a day or two. As for me, I like to think I have a cast-iron stomach, so I'm a bit more lax. But I've had enough bouts of food poisoning to know that it's no joke. And there's nothing worse than sitting up with your kid as he throws up everything in his stomach, including water, for half the night. Then spending the other half of the night cleaning the mess up (We still haven't recovered from 3Po's food poisoning on our last night at Disneyland. We think it was the Kids' Meatball Sandwich from Paradise Pier's PCH Grill. Disneyland travelers, take note!!). So now I pay a lot more attention to food safety.
I was expecting to see eggs on the top of the list of dirtiest foods, and I wasn't disappointed. And pretty much everyone knows that raw meat harbors all kinds of bacteria:
#1 Eggs
#6 Chicken
#7 Ground beef
#8 Ground turkey
#9 Raw oysters
When you think of how quickly a dead human decomposes, it's not surprising that all kinds of bacteria grow quickly on dead animals. Face it, eating dead flesh really is gross. I'd be a vegetarian in an instant if I didn't love the taste of meat so much.
But I was definitely unprepared for the other foods on the list:
#5 Scallions. This is one of the mysteries of life. Why scallions, and not onions? Or chives? Aren't they all bulb-like vegetables that grow in the ground?
#10 Cold cuts. Great. There goes 4 out of 5 lunches that I prepare for Alfie and the kids. Butchers, bakers and candlestick makers, please, clean your meat slicers regularly! It's a good thing my kids like mustard, because apparently mustard might help kill off any pathogens found in the cold cuts.
There seems to be death lurking in every kind of fresh food. Maybe we'd better switch to cheez whiz on white bread. No germ would survive in all the chemicals that go into those foods.
I was expecting to see eggs on the top of the list of dirtiest foods, and I wasn't disappointed. And pretty much everyone knows that raw meat harbors all kinds of bacteria:
#1 Eggs
#6 Chicken
#7 Ground beef
#8 Ground turkey
#9 Raw oysters
When you think of how quickly a dead human decomposes, it's not surprising that all kinds of bacteria grow quickly on dead animals. Face it, eating dead flesh really is gross. I'd be a vegetarian in an instant if I didn't love the taste of meat so much.
But I was definitely unprepared for the other foods on the list:
#2 Peaches. Peaches!! And second on the list! I knew there had to be a reason that the organic peaches at our local farmers' market taste so much better than any other peach on the planet.
#3 Lettuce. Sure, everyone knows you have to wash your salad greens, but who would have thought that pre-washed, prepackaged salad contained all kinds of icky stuff as well? "Triple-washed", they say? Deceivers, all of them!
#4 Melon. Geez, we don't even eat the rind, and it turns out we need to wash and scrub it because of all the bacteria that can hang on to those little bumps and grooves.
#5 Scallions. This is one of the mysteries of life. Why scallions, and not onions? Or chives? Aren't they all bulb-like vegetables that grow in the ground?
#10 Cold cuts. Great. There goes 4 out of 5 lunches that I prepare for Alfie and the kids. Butchers, bakers and candlestick makers, please, clean your meat slicers regularly! It's a good thing my kids like mustard, because apparently mustard might help kill off any pathogens found in the cold cuts.
There seems to be death lurking in every kind of fresh food. Maybe we'd better switch to cheez whiz on white bread. No germ would survive in all the chemicals that go into those foods.
Teacher gift cards: together or to heck with the other parents?
The Silicon Valley Moms Blog recently blogged about this crappy economy, and how it's affecting people's holiday spending. I wrote about trying to cut down on Christmas card expenses, -- but since I failed miserably at that, I'm still looking for ways to simplify, simplify, simplify. No more eating out. Smaller presents for the kids. None for the grownups.
I feel miserable about it, but I'm wondering whether one other place to cut back should be presents for my kids' teachers, our housekeepers and our gardener. The gift cards I buy for them have been growing smaller every year as the economy worsens and our fortunes dwindle. I know every little bit helps, but I can't shake the feeling that there must be a threshold, and any amount below that would be insulting?
To make matters worse, there's this "Keeping up with the Joneses" thing that crops up alongside teacher presents. I totally agree with presenting teachers with pooled gift cards, because who in their right mind would want twenty loaves of teabread or mugs of cocoa mix or paperweights shaped like apples? My sister recently told me that the parents in her daughter's class have decided on a communal present for the teacher -- a small holiday tree. Cute, huh? But get this -- they want parents to hang individual gift cards for the teacher on the tree. Oh great. The person who thought of this must surely belong to the White Trash Mom's nemesis, the Muffia. What a thoughtful way toquantify in monetary terms show the teacher your appreciation. As someone who cannot afford to give $100 gift cards to my kids' teachers, I really appreciate it when class parents pool money from everyone and simply acknowledge the contributors' names without disclosing amounts. There's no easy way out of this one. Maybe I'd better go back to baking teabread....
I feel miserable about it, but I'm wondering whether one other place to cut back should be presents for my kids' teachers, our housekeepers and our gardener. The gift cards I buy for them have been growing smaller every year as the economy worsens and our fortunes dwindle. I know every little bit helps, but I can't shake the feeling that there must be a threshold, and any amount below that would be insulting?
To make matters worse, there's this "Keeping up with the Joneses" thing that crops up alongside teacher presents. I totally agree with presenting teachers with pooled gift cards, because who in their right mind would want twenty loaves of teabread or mugs of cocoa mix or paperweights shaped like apples? My sister recently told me that the parents in her daughter's class have decided on a communal present for the teacher -- a small holiday tree. Cute, huh? But get this -- they want parents to hang individual gift cards for the teacher on the tree. Oh great. The person who thought of this must surely belong to the White Trash Mom's nemesis, the Muffia. What a thoughtful way to
The three little vultures
Funny conversation of the day: On the way to my sister's house, The Pea asked me what happens to people's things when they die. So I began telling them all about wills and inheritance and disinheritance. To my amusement they proceeded to pick over their parents' material possessions like they were heirs to a fortune:
Pea: Mama, when you die I want you to leave me the house. I like our house. It's really nice.
3Po: No, I want the house.
Pea: I said it first.
3Po: Well, I want the car.
Jammy: No, I want the car!
3Po: Well, Jammy, you could turn out to be the baddest person that ever lived, and Mama won't want to give you anything.
Pea: Mama, when you die I want you to leave me the house. I like our house. It's really nice.
3Po: No, I want the house.
Pea: I said it first.
3Po: Well, I want the car.
Jammy: No, I want the car!
3Po: Well, Jammy, you could turn out to be the baddest person that ever lived, and Mama won't want to give you anything.
Our favorite Disneyland ride
Out of all the rides at the Disneyland Resort, which one did our family like best? That's a tough one. When we finally get the time to sit down together for longer than 20 minutes, The Pea wants to get out a list of all the rides we did, have everyone rate them and tally up the totals (she's definitely the child of 2 engineers). Until then, I can definitely tell you which ones didn't make the cut:
Anything that went round in a circle rates an immediate zero for me. These swings at Disney's California Adventure really left me queasy.
Anything that went round in a circle rates an immediate zero for me. These swings at Disney's California Adventure really left me queasy.It's the economy, stupid
Here's something kewwwwl: My Savvy post about skinflint budget gift-giving was posted on The Mom Speak, a Luvs-sponsored site featuring tips by popular mom bloggers like Kristen Chase, Mom 101 and Amalah. Oh, and little ol' me (cleverly anonymized, along with other Savvy Source editors, as "Savvy Mom"). Check it out!
And speaking of the budgets, the Silicon Valley Moms Blog is hosting an Economy Topic Day, with the holidays as the focus. Head on over to read my take on spending for Christmas cards.
And speaking of the budgets, the Silicon Valley Moms Blog is hosting an Economy Topic Day, with the holidays as the focus. Head on over to read my take on spending for Christmas cards.
Disneyland at 7 and 37
I first visited Disneyland when I was 7, so I think it's kind of neat that The Pea's first visit happened at age 7 as well, nearly 30 years later. A lot has changed between now and then:
Getting to Know You, Christmas edition
I received this Christmas meme from my friend Monica, and I thought I'd post it to get everyone into the holiday spirit:
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I love gift bags, but my budget dictates that I use wrapping paper.
2. Real tree or artificial? Fake. They're cheaper, they don't shed needles, and there's less danger that the house will burn down.
3. When do you put up the tree? Whenever the decorations go up -- anywhere from the 1st to the 15th of December.
4. When do you take the tree down? After 3 Kings Day (Jan. 6).
5. Do you like eggnog? Yuck.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Anything my godmother gave me.
7. Hardest person to buy for? My parents.
8. Easiest person to buy for? My kids.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, we have several.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't remember.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Charlie Brown Christmas.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I shop for presents year-round.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes -- I consider it earth-friendly. Why keep something I don't want or need?
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Peppermint bark.
16. Lights on the tree? Of course.
17. Favorite Christmas song? "Do you see what I see" and "What Child is this". Either can move me to tears.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Since "travel" involves a flight to either the Philippines or England, it depends on scheduling and finances.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes -- I used to be able to recite "Twas the Night Before Christmas" from memory. My memory is not what it used to be, but I can't ever forget the "On Dasher, On Dancer..." part.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? We don't have a tree topper -- I can't decide which one to get.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? All the traffic and crowds at shopping malls.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I love lots and lots of greenery and twinkling white lights.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? My grandmother's cook's fettucine and turkey. She makes it every year for the Christmas midnight feast, and it's amazing.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A healthcare plan that will cover the cost of Alfie's drugs.
Want to join in the fun? Consider yourself tagged! If you do the meme, let me know via a comment on this blog, and I'll head on over to your blog and leave a comment. Ho, Ho, Ho!
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I love gift bags, but my budget dictates that I use wrapping paper.
2. Real tree or artificial? Fake. They're cheaper, they don't shed needles, and there's less danger that the house will burn down.
3. When do you put up the tree? Whenever the decorations go up -- anywhere from the 1st to the 15th of December.
4. When do you take the tree down? After 3 Kings Day (Jan. 6).
5. Do you like eggnog? Yuck.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Anything my godmother gave me.
7. Hardest person to buy for? My parents.
8. Easiest person to buy for? My kids.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, we have several.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't remember.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Charlie Brown Christmas.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I shop for presents year-round.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes -- I consider it earth-friendly. Why keep something I don't want or need?
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Peppermint bark.
16. Lights on the tree? Of course.
17. Favorite Christmas song? "Do you see what I see" and "What Child is this". Either can move me to tears.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Since "travel" involves a flight to either the Philippines or England, it depends on scheduling and finances.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes -- I used to be able to recite "Twas the Night Before Christmas" from memory. My memory is not what it used to be, but I can't ever forget the "On Dasher, On Dancer..." part.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? We don't have a tree topper -- I can't decide which one to get.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? All the traffic and crowds at shopping malls.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I love lots and lots of greenery and twinkling white lights.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? My grandmother's cook's fettucine and turkey. She makes it every year for the Christmas midnight feast, and it's amazing.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A healthcare plan that will cover the cost of Alfie's drugs.
Want to join in the fun? Consider yourself tagged! If you do the meme, let me know via a comment on this blog, and I'll head on over to your blog and leave a comment. Ho, Ho, Ho!
You call that breakfast?
Fried tomatoes, eggs, beans, chips and sausages -- all part of this complete, nutritious breakfast. I mean, English breakfast. Actually, it isn't quite complete -- the fried mushrooms are missing. Does all this cholesterol make your stomach growl or turn? If you don't like traditional English breakfasts, just substitute garlic fried rice for the chips, and Spam for the sausages, and you have a Filipino breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner. At any time of the day, it all makes my mouth water.
For more breakfasts, click here. As for my own breakfast, by the time you read this I'll be chomping on pancakes with Mickey Mouse at the Disneyland Resort!
For the love of Play-Doh!
I'm kinda bummed that my Play-Doh Magic Swirl playset giveaway over on Bonggamom Finds isn't getting much love. Don't anyone like Play-Doh no more? Hey, I can't stand the stuff myself -- it's so messy and difficult to clean up -- but my kids adore it, and it's so great for the imagination, fine motor skills, blahblahblah. Long story short, we've 2 huge bins of Play-Doh at home (I'm just the mom around here).
The giveaway ends December 12, so you can still head over to the giveaway post and join (all you need to do is comment, and you don't even need to tell me your most embarrassing story or anything). Even if all you like about PlayDoh is the taste (hey, my sister once stored some pretend PlayDoh balls in the fridge once and my dad ate them, thinking they were sampaloc, a Filipino salty-sweet tamarind delicacy), go and join!
The giveaway ends December 12, so you can still head over to the giveaway post and join (all you need to do is comment, and you don't even need to tell me your most embarrassing story or anything). Even if all you like about PlayDoh is the taste (hey, my sister once stored some pretend PlayDoh balls in the fridge once and my dad ate them, thinking they were sampaloc, a Filipino salty-sweet tamarind delicacy), go and join!
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