Kiwibrooks's Xanga

Update

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:33:49 GMT

http://www.jimikiwi.blogspot.com

Introducing our newest family member...

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:36:54 GMT

Go to: http://www.jimikiwi.blogspot.com for the birth announcement and pics.

Is this it?

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 03:16:09 GMT

I think something may be happening...so we may be a family of four very soon!

I'll keep ya'all posted. Off to bed now...

Fake Plastic Holidays

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:25:16 GMT

Ever since I've become more environmentally-conscious, I've been struggling to find the balance between celebrating the holidays without destroying the Earth. So far, we have not taken Lochlan trick-or-treating mainly because he's been too young to understand what it's all about. While I love dressing up, I just don't like the idea of all that candy, especially the ones individually wrapped. All that plastic is going into our ocean. Did you know that we have a floating plastic "country" between Japan and California? Yep, and it's TWICE the size of Texas. How sick is that? I just cannot bring myself to continue buying and throwing out plastic that cannot be recycled.

Fake Plastic Fish wrote a post about how America and its overconsumerism is really taking a poll on the environment because of all the plastic JUNK being sold for the holidays. The post is exactly what I needed to force me to think about the overconsumerism of the holidays.

So for this year, we will dress up for Halloween (as for me, it depends when the baby arrives) and participate in the Halloween parade that takes place during the day on a street downtown Burlington. I think this would be a fun alternative: celebrating Halloween by wearing a costume (that we already have on hand or will make) in the daylight with lots of other children. Some stores will be giving out candy so we may just take Lochlan to a few of those stores just to get a few treats but nothing more. His treats will be put in a little bag that he already has. Our jack-o-latern is a real pumpkin expertly carved by Nick:

The real thing is better than the plastic thing, don't your agree?!

As for Thanksgiving, we will be celebrating with our families by cooking good local food, chatting with family and just spending time together. There will be no elaborate decorations or anything bought from a store. The best and most environmentally-sound thing to do is BRING nature inside from outside: leaves, pine cones, tree branches, plants, pumpkins, etc.

For Christmas, we will be giving out handmade gifts or useful gifts that will help our family members become a little more "green." The reason for this is because we feel it's more personal and helps us avoid overconsumerism. For our children, we really do not need any more toys so I am trying to think of useful gifts that our children will enjoy that family members can give. Just ONE gift from each set of grandparents, aunts/uncles and even from Nick and I is more than enough. Ever since Lochlan was born, we have given him one special toy, one new outfit and one new book for Christmas. He has more than enough books to enjoy for years to come so we won't be buying him any books this year. Clothes, we usually buy when the need arises. His Christmas present for this year is something that we bought YEARS ago (when he was a baby) because it was on sale! Now he's finally old enough to enjoy it. Time with family is more precious than any gift bought. That's what I want my children to appreciate, instead of the material things.

So here's what I plan to do and what YOU can do too to tame the commercial holiday beast (courtesy of Mindful Momma):

Talk to your kids about the true meaning of the holidays. Even Halloween, the most commercial holiday of them all, can be viewed as an opportunity for giving, sharing and appreciating friends and family.
Just say NO to cheap, plastic crap. Like I said, put on your blinders (don't go into store selling holiday stuff or completely ignore those aisles to reduce the tempetation to buy junk).
Decorate with nature. It seems we're supposed to give our homes a complete makeover for each and every holiday. If you do feel the urge to decorate, do it with the beautiful things that nature provides - pumpkins, gourds, pine branches..you get the gist.
Give homemade gifts. Pick a special craft or food to make with your kids. We made homemade bookmarks with photos of the kids one year. Last year we made Fizzy Bath Balls.
Choose quality over quantity. When it comes down to buying gifts for your kids, choose one high-quality gift over a lot of cheap ones.

Enjoy your plastic-free, UNDERconsumerism holidays!

Gender Poll!

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:28:59 GMT

Please go to my other blog and take the gender poll!

http://www.jimikiwi.blogspot.com

Eve Ensler speaks out!

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 10:59:56 GMT

Vagina Warrior, Eve Ensler (author of "The Vagina Monologues") recently wrote a powerful article on the Huffington Post. I urge you all to read it. Here's an excerpt:

"I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eve-ensler/drill-drill-drill_b_124829.html

I'm fond of polar bears too and feel disheartened reading reports of them drowning due to a lack of ice.

Casa 'O' On-line garage sale!

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 03:12:00 GMT

Boy oh boy! It's been FOREVER since I've posted! We've been having an INSANELY busy summer! One of the things we are doing is cleaning out our house and garage of things that we never use thus the reason for this on-line garage sale. The nesting syndrome must be hitting me. BTW, did you know that the average household does NOT use about 80% of their stuff????!!!! Isn't that CRAZY?!! But I believe it!

Below are links to items for sale that go directly to Craig's List (easier than uploading everything). If you are interested in any of the items for sale (shipping costs will be extra but I'm willing to negotiate), shoot me an e-mail: kiwibrooks(at)yahoo.com

Happy browsing!

Quilt: http://burlington.craigslist.org/hsh/794388805.html

Kids' Diesel shoes: http://burlington.craigslist.org/bab/794392347.html

Kids' Vincent shoes: http://burlington.craigslist.org/bab/794425430.html

Baby Hawk Mei Tai Carrier: http://burlington.craigslist.org/bab/794440048.html

Computer speakers: http://burlington.craigslist.org/sys/794395316.html

Subaru Forester rims: http://burlington.craigslist.org/pts/794405717.html

Honda Civic wheel covers: http://burlington.craigslist.org/pts/794406317.html

Honda Civic left headlight: http://burlington.craigslist.org/pts/794410936.html

Kelty frame backpack, etc: http://burlington.craigslist.org/bab/794348706.html

IKEA baby gym: http://burlington.craigslist.org/bab/794336742.html

IKEA sun light fixture: http://burlington.craigslist.org/bab/794331523.html

IKEA table and chairs: http://burlington.craigslist.org/bab/794325749.html

Wedding dress: http://burlington.craigslist.org/clo/794423295.html

N'Awlins, Here I Come!

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:04:53 GMT

Just got confirmation yesterday that I will be working as a Deaf-Blind interpreter at the NAD conference and booked my flight last night! Finally I can put my Certified Deaf Interpreter certificate to good use! I am sooo looking forward to returning to my birthplace! If you plan on attending the conference, let me know and we can have a Xanga meet-up.

Details: leaving for NOLA Sunday, July 6th and returning to VT Saturday, July 12th.

Have a happy 4th, everyone!

Linky Love

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:42:35 GMT

I've been keeping a couple of these totally RANDOM links open in my computer for quite some time to share with you all and need to get them off my chest so here goes! Hope you enjoy them! Preggy pics and catch-up pics coming soon...hopefully! LOL.

Want to save money and make your own herbal shampoo? I haven't tried this yet but hope to do so soon:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Making-Your-Own-Herbal-Hair-Shampoo&id=31263

Are the cosmetics that you are using safe? Check out Skin Deep which rates thousands of cosmetics (you will have to sign up but it's free and worth looking at the database of what you are ACTUALLY putting on your body):

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/tools/index.php

With gas prices rising at alarming rates, Nick and I are seriously considering purchasing a hybrid or an electric car as soon as one of our cars die (in a year or so). I'm excited about this article because finally, electric cars may be affordable for the general population:

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/jun2008/id20080616_955452.htm

I haven't really explored this site yet but let's click to protect endangered habitat by sending e-cards from this site. Be sure to check out the links to see what BEAUTIFUL and ECO-FRIENDLY stuff they have (also fair-trade):

http://www.therainforestsite.com/clickToGive/sendecard.faces?siteId=4&link=ctg_trs_sendecard_from_home_leftnav

This news article is a little old but oh so fascinating! Ever since I read this article, I've been following the family traveling all over the US (final destination is Vermont) by reading their blog. Click on the link below to read the article (user name and password are both: xanga). Then if you are interested in reading the family's blog, the link is under the article link. I hope you feel just as inspired as I did by this family. I feel suffocated with our stuff too and am trying to purge, donate and sell as much as we can but that's no easy task because of emotional attachment to stuff. At the same time, when I die, I most certainly do not want to leave all this junk for others to have to deal with. Anyway, here goes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/17/us/17texas.html?_r=3&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1213621725-kz5HJ58Kjw138zkqJE7sYA&oref=slogin

http://www.cagefreefamily.com/

Did you know that the American Medical Association is teaming with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to ban homebirths? They are singling out Ricki Lake as the reason for moving forward with this to legislature because of her film The Business of Being Born. Huh? I am SO pissed off beyond words. This is SO wrong on all levels. How far does the medical establishment have to go to completely take away our rights to make choices? I know that homebirth is not for everyone but it should at LEAST be an option for those who don't have a high-risk pregnancy. If my midwife makes the decision that a homebirth would not be a safe option for me and my baby, I would trust her judgement. That's the whole purpose of having a midwife in the first place. Imagine, I STILL have not seen the movie The Business of Being Born but hope to do so SOON and that you see the movie as well, even if you don't have children or don't plan to have more. Anyway, here's the article about the AMA/ACOG and Ricki Lake:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080617/ap_en_tv/people_ricki_lake

The year 2008 seems to be the year of babies, especially on Xanga! If you are expecting or will be expecting a baby in the near future, this article is worth reading on how to maintain a healthy and GREEN pregnancy:

http://green.msn.com/Articles/article.aspx?aid=371&GT1=45002

Just for the record, I read a book (I forget the title now) about how to raise a GREEN baby and the make-up/cosmetics chapter disturbed me so much that I had to show it to my mother. She has always worn make-up every single day of her life and some of it gets smeared on Lochlan when they hug or kiss. After my mother read that chapter warning the dangers of cosmetics and children, she threw away every single make-up she had and bought safer ones. I'm so proud of her doing that! Love you, Mom!

That's all for today, folks! Enjoy your weekend!

A morning conversation with Loch

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:27:14 GMT

Somehow Loch and I slept in this morning until about 8:15 (our normal waking time is 7). When I turned over to my other side, I saw that Loch was in his little mattress beside our bed smiling widely at me. It's so nice to wake up to a cheerful nearly-3-year-old! He crawled into bed with me and we cuddled for a bit. Then a wonderful conversation happened (all in ASL, of course but below is the English translation):

ME: Good morning!

LEO: *grin*

ME: Did you sleep good?

LEO: *grin and nod*

ME: Did you have good dreams?

LEO: *grin and nod*

ME: What did you dream about?

LEO: (no response)

ME: Did you dream about ice cream?

LEO: Noooooooo! *grin*

ME: Did you dream about bicycles?

LEO: Nooooooo! *grin*

ME: What did you dream about?

LEO: Giraffes.

ME: Oh, what were the giraffes doing?

LEO: (has moved on to do something else)

It may not seem much of a conversation but this is the first time that I've gotten a response from Loch about his dreams. Usually when I ask him if he had good dreams, he would say yes but never responded when I asked what he dreamed about. So the next step is for him to tell me more details about what he dreams.