Make Everyday Earth Day

Earth Day 2006

My first job as a kid was going door to door collecting donations for PennPIRG and their reduce reuse recycle campaign. I was 17, and at the end of that summer I went off to college. Its funny how you are so often formed by the experiences of your late teens. I'm still a vegetarian because a reading of Anne Lappe's, Diet for a Small Planet. I just never learned to cook meat.

So,  I'm a life long greenie, but Earth Day often goes by unnoticed.

5 Things I Resent About Being Pregnant

I am not pregnant, just in case you were wondering. Actually I wrote this 6 years ago, when I was just a little bit pregnant with K-dog. Which was not only my first pregnancy,  but when well before I started to blog. This week I was thinking of reviving and old blog post, but this is even better. I wrote this email to a couple of my extra congratulatory childless friends.  The fact that this was 6 years ago (almost exactly) makes it just that much more funny (and tragic).  Things never turn out the way you expect them. A couple of my internet, and real life friends have just had babies, or gotten pregnant. There is always the appeal of the sweet smelling, squishy, little baby... Don't get me wrong, I love my babies, and there are really lots of great things about being a mom. But this is my reality cheack to all of the baby bump envy out there.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kisha Patterson-Tanski <kisha.lynn@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Mar 23, 2006 at 6:57 PM
Subject: Five things that I resent about being … well you know… with symbiant, I mean child.

9 weeks into my 2nd pregnancy,
apparently I didn't learn my lesson!

1. I do not like eating and sleeping all the time, especially when I can't tell the people at work why I've suddenly started gaining weight, and putting my head on my keyboard because I'm afraid they'll cheat me out of my well deserved raise. No one seems to understand that I am either hungry or nauseous all the time and therefore feel like I have a tapeworm instead of a baby. Now where are the carrot sticks I hid in my desk?

2. I resent that NO ONE has asked or will ask my husband if he will be returning to work full time.  We both will be parents right? He has much more experience with babies being the oldest of four; I have NEVER changed a diaper.

Not a Perfect Parent

Maybe not first chair... but really cute!

I have not ordered any cod liver oil. I cannot stand the idea of giving my children cod liver oil.  I am sure there are bunches of articles that say that I should be; all of the best parents give their children cod liver oil.  The smell reminds me of a horrible roommate I had in college and I refuse to let it into my house.

I would like to think of myself as one of those greenie, crunchy, but bookish, attachment, Waldorf parents. I have always liked to research the right way to do things. I will admit it, I like being right. From the time I found out I was pregnant for the first time, I bought books, canvassed my friends and peers, did the homework, and was so sure that I was doing everything right. In the last 5 years, I have found that perfection is overrated and I simply cannot (and will not) keep up.

            Yes, I nursed my son until three.  I will likely nurse my daughter that long. I think the breastfeeding, and child led weaning is a healthy, normal and important part of childhood (not motherhood). I also realize that some people do not agree with me, and frankly I am sure that just because a baby has formula that their mother loves them any less. I know it does not make her an unworthy mother because she was unwilling to sacrifice her income, sanity, body, wardrobe, social standing, or long held beliefs.

Mother does not mean martyr, notice how the words are different?

Black on Black Breastfeeding

So this little video inspired me. There are some videos about women breast feeding but I find that they are either women in the Third World or or First World white women. If African American women don't see themselves doing it, how can they see it as something they can do? Especially young mothers, who don't have any breastfeeding "role" models in their community. (how many times have I seen little babies with red kool-aid in their bottles). When poverty, simple food security, infant mortality, childhood obesity, and maternal mortality have such a hold on the Black community, what can I do to promote some Black on Black Breastfeeding? My friends already call me an "lactivst" but I'm inspired to make a short video of my experiences nursing my son. He's so healthy, happy and smart, and I know nursing is a big part of that. I've got to pass it on.

Yes I'm still nursing

I love my mother-in-law. In fact I love my husbands' whole family. They're warm, loving, fun, open, sometimes I think that I married my husband just for his family.

Today we had RE-Easter Brunch because my mother-in-law was in the the hospital when Easter happened. So later this afternoon when I was nursing K-dog she mention that there was an show on Dr. Phil about breast feeding.

So Here it is

Yes, I'm still nursing and I plan to let K-dog lead the weaning. and No, you don't have to ask me every time you see me. and Yes I'm doing it for his own good. Dr. Phil is not going to change my mind. I'm sorry that our culture has made the most basic act of nurturing weird to you.

All other mammal nurse until the milk teeth fall out... for humans that would be 6 years old.