Happy Hens

Our beautiful ladies have been rewarding us with eggs finally. Last month (9/23 to be exact) we found our first egg.  It was small, but oh so cute!  We think it was Henny Penny, but it could be Chicken Nugget.  One day last week, I found 4 eggs, yesterday we got 3, and today the girls found 2.  Not sure if it's normal to not have a regular pattern, but whatever.  The eggs are so strong, and hard to crack, but very yummy.  My lovely ladies, which I call them, get very excited when they see me because I give them the goodies that they love.  Twice a day I bring them food scraps, along with some grass and flowers that I pick from our garden.  They are not free range, but have a nice sized pen, so I like to bring them stuff they'd find in our yard if they were free range.  They seem to eat anything with seeds, and they love marigold and carrot greens. Show up with some bread though, and they go beserk!  I love hearing them talk to me when I visit.  They cackle as if to say, "What do you have for us today, is it yummy? Is it BREAD?!".  My girls love finding eggs, you should hear the excitement. I was telling my neighbor that we are finally getting eggs, and she was confused because I don't have a rooster.  She was under the impression that they didn't lay unless there was a rooster around.  I guess she thought we got the hens for the fun of it? We get eggs, but they are not fertilized eggs. So no potential chicks, just eggs.  I heard that hens are happier with a rooster, and so would lay more eggs.  I've also heard that fertilized are healthier.  I don't know, but my hens seem happy to me, and I like the idea of eating an egg that is just an egg...not a pre-chick embryo. 

Oh, and something weird is happening.  I'm starting to like the rooster decor for my kitchen!  I am not a "country type" decorator.

Cluck, cluck- I'll add pics later, as they are on my other computer not my laptop.
Stacie

Every 70 seconds...

Someone gets Alzheimer's Disease.  That's what I read today on billboard on 95 in CT.  I also noted that there will be a "Memory Walk" to help raise money for research which is good to know.  I feel that I do have a vested interest in learning all I can about the disease.  It's hard to focus on so many causes...it's depressing.  I like to focus on what I think I can help change in the world: maternity care, families, children, and the environment. But I digress .:)  My point is that Alzheimer's is the fastest growing disease with the least amount of exposure, or research dollars behind it. And so I ask myself why aren't we talking about this problem? (The fact that there IS a billboard, and now a Memory walk to raise funds is not lost on me).  The baby boomers are fast approaching "old" age, so this problem will probably touch everyone of us in some way or another. So let's just face it and be real, we will be the care takers.  Let's learn more, do more, and know more. 

The statistics are staggering for Alzheimer's!  First off let me say that they don't know how or why one gets it, they don't know how to prevent it, there is no current treatment, and of course- no cure.  It's rare that one is diagnosed before the age 40, but the youngest to be diagnosed was 27!  Here are some facts and figures, taken from http://www.alz.org/ :

• It currently impacts 5.3 million Americans and this figure will double by 2050
• It costs $172 BILLION annually
• From 2000-2006 alzheimer's disease deaths increased 46%- it's now the 7th leading cause of death
• It affects more women than men
• It is estimated that between 2000 and 2025 the growth of Alzheimer's will exceed 80% in some states

According to the Mayo Clinic, Alzheimer's is the leading cause of dementia which is a loss of both social and intellectual abilities that interfere with daily functioning.  The brain tissue simply degenerates and one losses the mental abilities over time.  It usually starts with memory loss, and inability for abstract thinking, and articulating.  Routine tasks become more difficult to complete, judgement and decision making becomes impaired.  They may start exhibiting personality changes, marked by mood swings, withdrawal, distrust in others, depression, anxiety, aggression, and increased stubborness.

So why this post? Well, it's kind of threefold.
We have a loved one in our family afflicted with this disease, and I have since discovered the troubling statistics.  I saw the billboard today, which put it in the forefront of my mind, and someone asked in the blogger/facebook world "In your opinion, what are some very wide-spread problems that people don't ever talk about or don't know how to talk about?"  Alzheimer's was the first thing to pop into my head.  So, instead of hoping that this great blogger chooses my topic, I decided to write about it myself.

Resources:
http://www.agingcarefl.org/caregiver/alzheimers/whatis
http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/adfact.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alzheimers-disease/DS00161
http://www.ahaf.org/alzheimers/

Peace,
Stacie

Mama's Day!

I've got to say today was a good day.  I love the hand made gifts that my daughters gave me. My eight year-old wrote an essay that I would like to share.

My Mom is special. She helps other moms. Do you want me to tell you about her?  I love how helpful she is because she relaxes other moms so they can have children like me.  I like how thoughtful she is because she thinks about what is healthy for us.  I am lucky how hard working she is because she takes care of six pets every day and takes care of us. I am grateful I have my Mom to drive me to school because my Dad has to work.  Our family is lucky to have her to make healthy food for us to eat even though I don't like some of them.  I think my Mom is proud of me for my good grades. I hope she lives forever.

Awwwwwww, how sweet is that? I love it! The gifts get better and better every year.

Chickens!

I had wanted to post on Earth Day, but I got distracted. Besides, everyday is Earth Day, right?  I have made some small changes that will hopefully turn into bigger ones.  I am happy to say that I use less plastic, consume less water, buy less junk, eat less processed foods, and  I'm able to check a couple of things off my goal list! Here is a list of things that I wanted to improve on from a previous blog post:

• More thrift store, less Walmart.
• Eliminating dairy or as much dairy as possible, or at least using organic (local) sources.
• Drink microbrews instead of imported beer, and local wine....this shouldn't be too hard!
• We'd also like to install an alternative energy source like solar, wind, or geothermal units. I'm happy that my husband is on the same page, and we are doing the best we can and being great models for our daughters.

Changes:

• I haven't shopped at Walmart in years, and I will be hitting a second hand store soon for some summer clothes for the girls.  I admit that I probably go to Target more often than I'd like....is that any better than Walmart? 

• I plead the fifth on the microbrews, and local wine.  Bass Ale just goes down so smoothly. :) And I drink whatever wine my mother gives me.

• No real alternative energy source just yet, but we are collecting rain water to help water the garden.  

• I have eliminated dairy from my diet, but will soon be eating my own eggs, I hope, because 11 days ago we got 9 chicks! They're getting big already, and have started getting feathers, but I think that they are still cuteness.  

                                                                        4/17/10

                                                               Today- 11 days later

                                           
                                                     My dog really wants to herd them!

My girls have named the smallest one Nugget, which ironically they got from a PETA sticker that I have with a chick on it that says, "I'm not a nugget". The others that we are keeping will be named Henny Penny, Chicken Licken, & Chicken Little.

April Changes....

I'm a little late in posting, but it's been a busy few weeks. Easter came without any baskets this year, and they didn't even notice. They still got plenty from Grammy & Memere, and had a fun egg hunt at their cousin's house. A rabbit even showed up during the hunt! How cool is that?  The girls have been on vacation since Good Friday, and I've tried to fill their week with fun despite our lack of funds.  We did a lot of walking at area trails that I didn't even know existed in my 9 years of living here! Today was library day because it's raining, and they are very excited because they got their very own library cards.  Back to changes....so far so good with my already made changes, and this month we made a few changes: less processed foods, getting hens for eggs, and manure for the garden, and we'll save some water with our new rain barrel.

It took some searching to realize that I could do without some of my purchases. I now buy dry beans instead of cans, especially chickpeas because I make so much hummus. My biggest change in this regard is the frozen chicken nuggets that are always in my freezer. I bought organic chicken, and made my own which I have done before, but as my husband pointed out, I always had the frozen stuff as back-up. I simply explained that I wasn't buying them anymore, and why. I explained how mine were healthier (even though they are still breaded and fried), but they weren't going to eat them everyday.  Eventually, I'll bake them, but for now I think they need to get used to me cooking them in the first place.  Others that are on my (no longer purchase) hit list -Lipton Soup, Fluff, Popsicles. So I'll make my own soup, it's a good thing the warm weather is coming :), peanut butter can be by itself or with preserves, and I'll make my own pops with juice.  I won't have to purchase eggs, hopefully, when we get some hens! A tiny step towards sustainability.  My amazing husband turned our unused doghouse into a chicken coop, and even painted it to match our house. We should be getting our already named hens next week, and I'll be sure to post their pics .  With my husband out of work he's been able to get a lot accomplished, including the seeds started for our garden. I can't wait to finally plant them outside.  And after wanting one for a while now, we finally have a rain barrel to catch the rain to water our garden! Again my crafty husband fashioned the barrel out of something we already had, so we didn't have to purchase much for these changes. :) Have I mentioned how much my husband rocks? Well, he does.
Happy Spring!

                                                                  the Easter bunny?

                                                       
                                                               hunting for eggs

                                                       
                                                                  the hen house

the red neck-ish rain barrel

Spring has sprung, so a hiking I will go!

Yesterday was the first day of Spring, and since the girls were at my mother's house for the day, I decided to go on a hike with Maya. I usually take all three dogs, but I was going to try the long (7.5 miles) trail that I hadn't done before and three dogs can be less than peaceful at times.  Maya is the best dog for hiking because she has perfect recall, and she always double backs to check in with me.  I got to the West Thompson Dam, and parked around 10:00 am and started on the Ramsdell Trail.  It's nice because it seems the less traveled of the trails, and even though you're not circling the lake there's still lots of water.  My favorite are the Pine groves where it's really quiet and peaceful. I sat for a minute just to take it all in, and listen to the soft wind, and birds chirping. Maya doesn't like me to stop moving too long before she starts whining because she wants to continue her walk...... oh well it was good while it lasted.  I had taken this trail once before, and that was only my second time at this particular area so I wasn't completely sure of where I was going (despite good trail markings).  I eventually veered off the trail and ended up walking the street back to my car! This time I was determined to stay on the trail, and to walk it from beginning to end.

The first part was longer than I expected, and I didn't see a single soul....it was nice.  Once I got to the red bridge I knew where I was, and I continued on the right trail.  I was surprised to see a river, and the trail was right along it. The sound was great! It wasn't white rapids or anything, but you could definitely hear the rushing of the water. I did see one person kayaking. I took some pictures (see below), but I don't think they really capture the scene good enough. At one point the trail hits a road, and my gut instinct was to turn back, but because I set off to do the entire trail, I pressed on. We actually had to cross the street before I saw another marker, and that part was horribly slanted, and the path hard to determine because it seemed grown in a bit.  By this point I am really tired, and have no idea how far I've walked in terms of miles.  Once I got to the edge of a cornfield there were no more markers. Ugh...what the heck, not again! I couldn't imagine re-walking that horrible path I just endured, so I walked through the wet and muddy cornfield to a road!  Unbelievable. I was pretty mad at myself at this point, and was giving myself pep talks so that I didn't ruin my overall experience.  I hit the road- at least I saw the name of it, so that if I had to call my husband he could find me. I was pretty close to calling him, but I didn't want to fail. Then I saw another road and a bridge, and I thought "hey, isn't that the road I crossed?", so I turned on it and sure enough it was! Now I am back to the river, so I have an idea of where I am, but a little distressed at how much further I need to walk before I reach my car. Although I did take one wrong turn and came back to a spot that I remembered because of the noisy frogs- thank goodness for them. So I turned around...it seems there were 2 orange paths. Still not sure how that happened.  It was starting to get warmer now, and I really wanted a drink! Yes, stupid me left her water in the car!!!! So we walked and walked. My hips were killing me, and my feet were hurting.

Yay, we reached the red bridge! I still had about 2 miles to walk before I reached my car. Instead of staying on the Ramsdell trail, I took the yellow path because it was shorter (and it is my normal path- that I always take when I go hiking), and I avoided the big field because I wanted to stay out of the sun.  Even Maya was tired. When she saw a squirrel, she didn't even chase it, just kept looking at it. At least she was able to drink water all this time (I guess I could have drank from the river too). Towards the end I saw a few people, and I can only imagine what I looked like to them. I heard one say, "nice dog". I don't even know if I responded a 'thank you'. She is a nice dog, and I am glad she's mine. :)

I leashed Maya once we got close, and she knew it!  She basically dragged me to the car.  When I looked at the time it was 2:00! I was gone for 4 hours! Obviously, I did something wrong if this was to be a 7 mile hike. I can do the 4.5 mile hike around the lake in just over an hour, and was expecting to be gone for 3 hours tops! I'm guessing we did about 10 miles, but it felt like 20 miles. Today, my body feels like I ran a marathon. Although I never ran a marathon so I guess I feel what I think it would feel like, to run a marathon.

 

A Special Birth Story

I haven't posted much in the way of birth, and because my cousin doesn't care who I share her birth story with I think it's a great idea to post it here.  I'll start at the beginning.

It was a hot summer day so I decided to go to Wallum Lake with my girls and my cousin Alison (we make chocolate together). She asked if I had any clients due in March....."No", I said. She just smiled and asked "do you want one?" My jaw dropped, and then I got giggly excited. "OH MY GOD, Really!?" She really wanted a natural birth, and she did everything in her power to prepare for that endeavor. She got me on her side :), became conscious of her nutrition and ate well, got a care provider that respected her decisions and that she trusted, read books and watched birth videos that I lent her, took Bradley classes (which are a 12 week commitment). She was set to deliver at a hospital that is 10 minutes away from me, and that I had never experienced before as a doula. I was very excited to work at a small community hospital, instead of a huge teaching, city hospital....and excited that I didn't have to drive 45 minutes to get there.

Unfortunately, she has chronic hypertension. This was controlled with medication for most of her pregnancy, but in the last week was put on bed rest because it was too high, and no longer controlled (super imposed pre-eclampsia).  It was decided that it was most beneficial that she get induced. The only thing that would take care of her blood pressure was to get the baby born. Her Bishop Score was only a 3, which meant that her chances of a successful induction was only 45%. Those aren't good odds, so I was a little worried that she was going to have a cesarean birth, which she very much wanted to avoid.  They gave her Cervidil, which is a cervical ripener, overnight on Monday, and started Pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) on Tuesday.  I joined her and her partner on Tuesday, and she had her IV, and her pitocin started at 2 then gradually increased to 20, the maximum (at that hospital), and the blood pressure going off frequently. Just a note- they never once took her blood pressure manually, it was ALWAYS a machine. Nothing changed, so they shut off the pit, let her shower and eat, then started again the next day. I went home and did the same. Wednesday was the same scenario, but the her bag of waters ruptured at 4:14 pm and she was 3 cm dilated, 80% effaced and -2 station. No painful contractions, and she was unhooked, allowed to eat and shower.  Thursday the Pitocin was started again, and she finally started to feel some contractions that she had to breathe through.

The thing about Pitocin contractions is that when they do finally hit, they hit hard and fast, and don't seem to let up, or give you a break.  Typically, when labor begins naturally you start in early labor where contractions come and go, but aren't painful (just annoying), and then build up to longer, stronger and more frequent contractions. You learn to cope with them as they gradually (usually but not always- there are those quick, hard and fast natural labors) increase in intensity, and frequency.  It seems when one is on Pitocin, they go from not feeling much, to feeling long, strong, and hard contractions that are difficult to stay on top of.

She attempted to change positions frequently, and I did some acupressure. She was sitting up in the bed, sitting in the rocking chair, leaning forward, walking the halls, but anytime we walked her blood pressure spiked, so they wanted her to stay in bed.  It was so hard for her to cope with the limited positions. The bed was used to the best of our ability, but to say she was exhausted is an understatement! 

So Stadol and Phenegan were given so that she could catch some relief until she got her epidural. They wanted to do blood work before she could get her epidural, so she had to wait.
To add a funny note, the anesthesiologist asked if I was her mother...there's only a 7 year difference!  She was doing so good, and got her epidural around 3:30 pm.  She was also given a 20 mg IV dose Labetalol for the blood pressure, Magnesium Sulfate to prevent seizures, and IV Penicillan  because she was GBS+ . The nurses joked that she was all hooked up like this because she is a nurse- Murphy's Law I guess..  Three hours later she was checked, and found to be 4cm, 90% and still at -2 station. Her labor progressed, but slowly. At 9:10 pm she was 6 cm, 90%, -1 station. 11:00 pm she was 9 cm, 90%, 0 station. I stayed throughout the night, and fell asleep in a very uncomfortable chair for a couple of hours. Friday March 12 was here, and at 7 am she was ready to push!  She pushed for about 2 hours, and at 9:03 am Calvin Lukas was born with the cord wrapped tightly around his neck, a little pale, not crying, and somewhat floppy. This was a very scary moment! The cord needed to be cut by the OB, and they took him to the warmer right away.  He saw Mom quickly, and then was brought to the nursery....so sad. I know it was disappointing for her, being unable to hold him right away. The doctor said it was probably due to the tight cord (no doubt) and the Magnesium Sulfate.... his APGARS were 6 & 8. She was able to visit him in the nursery. Finally getting him back about 4 hours later, and he weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and was 21 inches long.

The crazy thing is that his heart rate was perfect the whole time! According to the external fetal monitor his heart rate was always in the range of normal. The staff never seemed worried about the baby, only about her, and her crazy high blood pressure.  I was very impressed with her obstetrician, he was more like a midwife in his philosophy. He didn't labor sit (and he didn't need to), but he was all for her using natural remedies like Raspberry Leaf Tea (for toning the uterus), Evening Primrose Oil (to ripen cervix). AND he expectantly managed the third stage of labor! This means that he didn't tug, or manually extract the placenta- he left it, and let it come out when it was ready, which was 33 minutes later. I asked him why more doctors didn't do it his way, and he said "I don't know, it makes sense to me to wait for it to be ready....you don't want to tear it off before it's ready and risk hemorrhage." I could have kissed him for reaffirming what I ( a mere paraprofessional, non-medical doula) already knew. Here's a great article regarding that issue: Leaving Well Alone.

The nurses were good, it's a small hospital with 2 nurses to one patient compared to the one nurse to 3 or 4 at the big hospitals. They were very accepting of me, and respectful of Ali's wishes. Being there for so many days, we really go to know some of these nurses. One said that I "had a nice way about me", and that she wanted my information to pass along to a doctor that would like to have "good doulas" to refer her patients to because she does get asked. Woohoo! The thing that I would like to change about this hospital is their policy regarding placentas. They pour some powdery stuff on it, and toss it in the trash! It was very sad, but it is my goal to change this ridiculous policy. Maybe if I get to frequent this hospital, I can reach the higher ups, talk some sense into them, and show them just how detrimental this policy can be for moms and babies.
 
In closing, I want to acknowledge that she did everything in her power to have the most gentle birth, but just as in life, you can't plan for everything....sometimes things happen beyond your control, and you have to adjust accordingly. Alison did just that, and I am so proud her!  I'd like to thank her for allowing me to be there, and giving me permission to share her story...I learned so much, and I hope that I served her well. And thanks to my mother for taking care of my family while I was gone....I can't do this without her!

Recreating Crayola!

My cousin posted pictures of crayon cookies, on facebook, that she made with her son using all of those annoying little pieces that just hang around. Today I cleaned out the girls crayon box, filling a crayon carousel with good crayons, and putting all the little pieces aside. Then I spent about an hour pulling off the paper....they had a lot of little pieces which is why I am so happy to be doing something with them, instead of just tossing them in the trash! After they were naked, we broke them in smaller pieces if we could, then we put them in a non-stick mini muffin pan. We made some mixed colors, and others were the same. Placed them in a 250 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes, then cooled completely.  They love them saying that they are better than regular crayons, and I quote, "what a great idea". We ended up with 40 crayon cookies. :)

annoying little pieces

in the pan

impressed with their work

fresh out of the oven

back into the bin anew

testing them out

and a masterpiece is created!

March Madness

 

Me and birthday girl 2 years ago.

I can't believe tomorrow is March, and I still don't know what small change I'm going to make!

My first-born will be an 8 year-old in a week, which brings me to a tiny change that I hope will count for something. The invitations to her party noted *no gifts please, but handmade cards will be appreciated*. I did this for a couple of reasons, and the main one is that she does not need anymore STUFF! I cleaned their bedroom yesterday (my two daughters share a room) because it has been a disaster for a while, and I could take it no more. I think it is almost impossible to keep a room clean when toy boxes are overflowing, and there is not a place in the room for every thing. The last thing I need, or she needs is another game, figure, stuffed animal, book, or plastic piece of junk made in China.  The other reason is that I want her to understand that the whole point of a birthday party is to celebrate her life, and to share it with her friends. It is not about getting something, whether it's a toy or money. Time is one of the most precious of commodities, and spending time having fun with friends is the gift. Time will be spent rollerskating with her best friends. And guess what? She is totally okay with it! Of course, there will still be cake. :)
So this tiny change will save the gas of people driving to stores to purchase a product that was made in China, the wrapping and such that goes with it, and it will also save the guess work and frustration of the parents in figuring out what the heck do you get an 8 year-old girl that you don't really know that would probably end up being something that she doesn't like or even need anyway. I think this is a nice tradition, but I wonder if it's sustainable.

So as far as the rest of March, I guess the one thing that I could improve on is driving less and reducing consumption overall. Sometimes I like to get out of the house so I'll say I need something, just to go to Target. I'll start combining my trips to the store and only go that one time, and not back again because I sometimes a rationalize a need for an item that I don't really need. Guess it's time to practice what I preach to my daughters. And to think all I had to do was blog to figure out my next change! It's almost Spring, which means back to composting!

Peace

Lovely Change

My veggie bags have been great, and I realized that so far I have avoided the use of approximately 18 plastic veggie bags from the grocery store! One thing though, I have to take the vegetables out of the bags and put them in the crisper drawer. They seem to make my broccoli go limp pretty quickly if I leave them in the bag. I am still contemplating next month's change, and would love some ideas.

I'm still vegan, or strict vegetarian as I prefer to call myself, and I have to share some of the best vegan products that I have found. Liz Lovely out of Vermont is "Baking a Difference", and I am in cookie bliss after having some of the Lovely Oh's. They are vegan creme sandwich cookies coated in dark chocolate, and they are to die for! And I don't even have a sweet tooth!  Another favorite of mine is the Colossal Chocolate Chip Cookie by The Alternative Baking Company. Be careful though, these cookies are more than one serving and it's easy to over indulge....they aren't cheap either. For someone who doesn't eat a lot of sweets, like myself, they are totally worth it.  Valentine's Day was my excuse for today's cookie purchase.

Aside from the lovely fruits and vegetables that I purchase at the grocery store (can't wait for the Farmer's Market in June), one of my favorite places to shop is Ocean State Job Lot. They carry a large array of Bob's Red Mill products at a discount, and some other natural food products.  I love my local health food store, Harvest Moon, but it is small and expensive. I want to support my local family owned stores, and so I go there pretty frequently. What ends up happening? I go there for a couple of things that I can't find anywhere else, except maybe online, and I walk out of there with $60. worth of items that I didn't mean to purchase (like today's cookies)! Oh well. The owner, Linda, is super nice and very informative, and if I'm lucky she'll have her cute dog at the store. I'm so in love with Golden Retrievers when I see them in person, but that's another post for another day. Have a Happy Valentine's Day, and look here to read up on some history surrounding the ridiculous holiday. Please don't waste your dollars on a card for your loved ones, just give chocolate, and if it's for me make sure it's dark and vegan. :)

One More Small Change

Month one of my small change challenge has been very doable, but also challenging at times. Mostly, because in addition to my new vegan diet I am also exercising more which leads to sore muscles, which leads to me wanting to stand in the piping hot shower for many minutes.  Some days I shut the water off anyway, but other days I allow myself the indulgence of a 7 minute shower. Next month my vow is even less plastic, and like the eager student I have always been, I started a little early. My bags had come in the mail last week, and I needed to go grocery shopping anyway so off I went to Big Y with my regular shopping bags, and my new veggie bags. They have a tare tag on them that says deduct 1.41 oz (.09 lb), so I was concerned at first that the cashier might not know how to deduct the tare weight....but all was well and I worried for nothing (yay for registers that figure all the math for you).  The bags are great! They hold a lot, and they're very sturdy which makes me glad that I spent the money. At first I thought I might just reuse the plastic veggie bags from the store, but they don't last more than 2-3 uses.  I was very happy too when the lady behind me asked where I had gotten them! When I first started using re-usable shopping bags, I was the only one...that I noticed anyway. Today, I notice at least half dozen others that use them. I'd like to think that people seeing me use these veggie bags will make people think, and perhaps do the same thing. Isn't that how change happens? Now comes the question of what to change next...but at least I have a month to ponder.
Happy Shopping,
Stacie