DCUM Weblog

Perhaps the easiest way to think about how to “go green” for Easter is to think back on how you celebrated as a child. Did you have zillions of plastic eggs and small trinkets made of Cheap Plastic Crap stuffed in your basket? It’s doubtful. Easter used to be a simple affair. A basket full of jelly beans and chocolate, and some colored (real) eggs was all it took to send a child into spasms of joy at the Easter Bunny’s bounty.

So why do we think kids have changed? Simply because the retailers now encourage us to buy Cheap Plastic Crap trinkets and plastic eggs for Easter? Think again. Try to remember how you celebrated as a child and what made you especially happy. Why not take your cues from that experience to continue your family traditions?

The other night, my husband and I were enjoying a quiet, romantic dinner at an Italian restaurant we love for very different reasons. Glenn loves it because the pasta sauce is hearty and spicy, the service is friendly, and the prices are reasonable. For me, it’s all about the generously-sized wine glasses (my needs simplify as I age). Unfortunately, our meal was marred by the antics of some ill-mannered kids who were wrestling under one of the tables. Even more inconveniently, they were our kids.

When our boys were babies, restaurant dining was so much simpler. We’d call ahead and ask one vital question. We didn’t care if the health department had recently condemned the place, or whether there was a two-hour wait for a table, or even if they had tables. A ceiling fan was all we required. We’d plop our kids under the fan and they’d stare at it, mesmerized, their little eyes rolling around in their heads, until they were drooling and nearly comatose. It probably cost them a few dozen I.Q. points, but hey – we got to eat!

My loathing for Cheap Plastic Crapis well established, but there’s some plastic crap that’s rather expensive and which I’ve considered necessary. Things such as baby monitors, for example. That belief was thrown into question today when a friend from Mexico held up our baby monitor and asked, “What’s this for?”

His child is the same age as ours, his house is the same size as ours, and yet he and his British wife find they can manage quite well, thank you, without the tons of plastic crap – baby monitors included – that takes over American homes.

Something to think about.

-- Lynn

Copyright OrganicMania 2008

Anyone who has a kid, heck, anyone who drinks water has done a double-take on the hermaphrodite fish in our waterways. Um, are egg-producing male fish swimming around in my iced tea water? I'm just askin'.

Hermaphroditism isn't just rampant in the Potomac River here in the nation's capitol. Intersex fish are showing up in waterways all over the country. They're not sure why (birth control pills and chicken farm runoff are two top candidates),and most wastewater treatment plants are doing exactly, ah, nothingabout it. My local councilmember emailed our water and sewer authority

“They’re shaped like real Hot Wheels,” my son breathlesslyexplained, “and they say, ‘Hope you’re right on track for ValentinesDay!’” By this point, dear readers, you know what’s coming, don’t you?

“Mama,” he pleaded, “please, please, I don’t want to make my Valentines this year. I want Hot Wheels Valentines.”

I was scandalized. After all, there I was, telling the entireblogosphere about the joys of making home made “Green Valentines” andmy own son was begging me to buy commercial Valentines cards!

Fortunately, I’ve been a parent long enough not to say “no” rightaway, so I told him I would “think about it.” And think I did. Ithought about how he was the kid at summer camp who told the othercampers that their tunafish sandwiches were poisonous because of the

I learned an important lesson this week. My husband is a parent too.

Okay, I'm exaggerating. My husband is actually a great parent. A wonderful parent.He adores the kids and they adore him. But, after a year of intensivehome renovations, it had gotten to the point where I felt like I wasparenting solo. Many nights he would get home from work with a quickkiss for us and then disappear into the construction zone. Sometimes hewould come back in for a quick dinner only to disappear again,sometimes he'd just pop his head back in for a goodnight kiss. Now,some of you may be thinking, what's the big deal? Allow me to respond:no daddy from the hours of 5pm to 8pm? Prime dinner, bath, andbed-time? With two toddlers? Do you now have teenagers and just notremember what 7pm is like for a 2 year old?

It’s hard to believe Valentines Day is next week. Soon it will betime to run out and buy those cutesy Valentine cards so popular withthe preschool set. Wait a minute - they’re packaged in boxes shrinkwrapped in environmentally unfriendly plastic. Plus, who ever remembersto buy them until your little darling reminds you the day beforeValentine’s Day? By then the odds are good that you’ll need to make anextra trip to the store just to pick up the cards – wasting gas.

This Valentine’s Day, get ahead of the curve with an approach that’scute, eco-friendly, inexpensive, and fun. Go retro and make your ownValentine’s cards!

You can get fancy if you want, but I’ve gotten rave reviews from thepreschool teachers with just the simplest of Valentines. Before my soncould even cut out a heart shaped valentine, he cut circles, squares,