"It's just a fetal pig, mom."

   These six words broke my heart! "It's just a fetal pig, mom." The word 'just', spoken to emphasize that this creature, this thing, didn't matter. It sent a very real, very sharp bolt of pain through my body.
   My oldest son is in the seventh grade. He had mentioned that his science class was going to be dissecting pigs, but I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. I didn't like the idea and didn't want to think about it. But last night he asked me for $4 to pay for the cost of the dissection. Not knowing what to say, I told him "OK".
   After he crawled into bed for the night, I started talking to my hubby about it, and I broke down. I mean just crying like a baby. I couldn't help it, I couldn't stop it. My heart's dam burst! How has my son gotten to the point that life doesn't matter? That's what this is about, for me, life. The school- science- is telling him that this life isn't important, it's just a fetal pig.
   I think this is a problem. A huge problem! We're teaching our kids, or allowing them to be taught, that a fetus isn't life. It's garbage, it's disposable. If my son doesn't learn to value the life of animals, how can I teach him to value human life? The reason they study the pigs is because they're so similar to humans. If we're so similar, and a pig fetus has no value, no worth, what about human fetuses?
   You know what's so cool about fetuses? They turn into babies, who turn into adults...if they're allowed. They're alive, inside their mothers. They're alive! Life is everything! It should be cherished, treasured, and protected.
   Now, I'm not an animal rights activist, I'm not going to go to the school and protest or anything like that. I did meet with his teacher this morning and explain to her how I felt about the project and asked that my son be excused and given an alternate assignment. The fact that she didn't seem shocked about this request leads me to believe I'm not the only parent who feels this way.
   I'm not against science and discovery either. I just couldn't see the benefit of a 13 year old boy hacking into an animal. What is he going to learn that he couldn't learn through a book or a chart or a diagram? I don't understand the 'why' behind the assigment.
   No worries though. HIs teacher asked him to write a report about pigs. Adult pigs, baby pigs, fetal pigs,  "It doesn't matter," she said. "Just make it interesting." I'm so excited to have this opportunity to help my son see the value in pigs. I'm excited for him to learn that these animals are amazing, beautiful and good for more than just bacon.
   You may not agree with me, and that's ok. You may think I'm nuts and that's ok too! I mean kids have been dissecting things in school for a long time and they've all turned out fine, right? Right. But I made it through school without ever dissecting anything and I turned out fine too, right? Well, maybe I am a little different, but I'd like to think it's a good kinda different.
   I'm just a mom, trying to do what I think is going to be best for my kids.

see how cute they are?!

Vegetarian Tuna Recipe

Well, actually it's vegan and not tuna at all. It's one of my favorite things to eat for lunch, especially with a nice cold glass of apple juice, yummm. My oldest daughter has taken it for lunch two days in a row and informed this morning that she'd like it tomorrow again! My meat eating sister and her family also really enjoy it. So without further ado...

Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 sheet nori seaweed (processed in blender, magic bullet,etc until all you have are flakes)
1 stalk celery
1 dill pickle spear
1 green onion
garlic salt and pepper to taste

Method:



Place garbanzo beans in a bowl big enough that you have room to work.



Mash beans with a fork...

Until they look like this.

Chop celery, pickle and onion (I was out of onion, sorry)

Sprinkle on garlic salt and pepper (to taste)

Add the nori flakes (to taste)

Mix

Make your sandwich and enjoy!!!

 

 

*I have to give credit where it's due, this is my adaptation from this recipe. Vegandad helped me so much when I first became a vegetarian. Without his blog I'm not sure I would have made it, honestly. He has retired from blogging, but will leave his blog up to use as a resource. I seriously recommend checking it out!





Getting started

   "If you know me, you know I'm not one for resolutions, but this year I've decided my resolution is- make a difference! Not sure what this will entail, or what it will look like but I WILL make a difference, in my home, my family, my church, my community, my world!!!!"

   I posted this on my facebook page 12 hours ago. It's something I've been thinking about a lot lately. Today, I thought I'd start with my home. More specifically, my bathroom. Over the past 2 years, I've dabbled in homemade recipes for things from toothpaste to shampoo to deodorant, but I always end up going back to the store bought crap. Why?! Good question! Not really sure I've got a good answer. But here's the truth...

1. I missed smelling 'girly'. Which is funny, because I'm so sensitive to fragrance that it takes me forever to pick out shampoo, body wash, lotion, deodorant, etc.
2. Sometimes, it was just easier to grab something that was already ready. Store bought stuff is also much more preferred by the kids. I can't tell you how much they hate the smell of vinegar!!!! And with 4 kids, who always have a reason why one of their siblings should go first in the shower, easier is always better, ALWAYS!
3. I have curly hair. It's frizzy, dry, and has a mind of it's own. The "no 'poo" method only made it drier. So, I started putting natural oils in it, IE coconut, shea butter, olive oil, which of course made it look, well oily, duh! I keep my cosmetologist license current, so I know that soft, beautiful curls are only a trip to the beauty supply away. Very tempting friends.

   I thought I would succeed in keeping to my 'hippie' ways last year, because a very close friend of mine was also interested in it and willing to try it. We were soooooo excited!!! She told me about this site called Crunchy Betty. We were in heaven...until summer. Our hair was gross, our armpits were funky, it was too hot to be melting, mixing and concocting so we gave up. Sure, our hair was shiny and our armpits smelled like flowers, but is it worth it?

   I lost my best friend in March of last year to brain cancer. And you know what? She was beautiful even when her hair was gone. Also, I'm thinking there's a darn good reason why her doctors had her using organic, 'hippie' shampoo and body wash. Why should I wait until I'm sick to make a change? Why not now?!

  So, back to the bathroom. I started by emptying the shower, then the basket of hair products I keep on the back of my toilet, the medicine cabinet, and finally under the sink. I didn't realize just how much stuff I had in there. There were over 60 chemical filled bottles in one bathroom!!! I was astonished, and frankly embarrassed. But you know what they say? Today is a new day! And in this hippie household it's a chemical free day!

(wanna see just what i had in my bathroom? check this out!)