Santa Monica BANS Plastic Bags!

Click HERE to browse through the newspaper.

Santa Monica officials voted unanimously to ban plastic bags on February 26th, 2008. According to HealtheBay.org, Santa Monica is also considering enacting a charge to use paper bags.

L.A. Times blogger, Siel, reports that the ban will most likely go something like this:

No free bags, period. The point is to discourage one-use bags and encourage reusable bags.

Plastic bags banned at all retail locations in the city.

Biodegradable one-use bags banned at all retail locations in the city, because these bags "present many of the same environmental litter and marine environment problems as plastic bags."

Paper bags that contain old growth fiber, or are not 100% recyclable, or contain less than 40% post consumer recycled content banned at all retail locations.

Recyclable paper bags that contain at least 40% post consumer recycled content AND don't contain any old growth fiber allowed FOR A FEE.

All affected stores must provide reusable carryout bags for sale and, with assistance from the City, promote their sale and use.

Additionally, Heal the Bay has compiled the following statistics:

Each year, approximately 6 billion plastic bags are consumed in Los Angeles County. This is equivalent to 600 bags per person per year. Nationwide, 60,000 plastic bags are used every five seconds.

Approximately 150,000 tons of plastic bags are disposed by Los Angeles County residents each year.

Disposable bags cost our cities up to 17 cents per bag for disposal.
Plastic bags are made from petroleum. Americans use over 380 billion bags every year, throwing away millions of barrels of oil.

100,000 marine animals are killed annually by entanglement in marine debris such as plastic bags.

Alternatives such as REUSABLE BAGS are readily available, affordable. and offer tremendous benefits.

You can buy reusuable bags like this one: BUY IT HERE or just make of habit of taking a large tote bags or beach bags to the store. This ban doesn't really affect us since we have been using canvas bags for shopping for a few years now.

Earthquakes R Us

Come on down and get yourself an earthquake; we have plenty here at Earthquakes R Us because this is earthquake country! We have many different faults to choose from just in the Los Angeles area alone. Here is a diagram of our faults. Each line that you see is a fault, we have them in many different colors :)
According to the Southern California Earthquake Data Center, "since these maps show only surface traces of faults, some potentially damaging faults -- namely, blind thrust faults, like the one which caused the Northridge earthquake of 1994 -- are not shown". Wow, thanks for that!

Californians are quite used to earthquakes. We are so used to them that we are totally unprepared for the next "BIG ONE"...which has been predicted to happen any day now. Apparently, it has been 300 years since an 8+ richter scale rumbler, so the earth under us is wound up extra tight and ready to unleash all of the pressure that has built up over the centuries. One geologist compared it to being 10 months pregnant! So what should we all do when the big one comes? The best thing to do in an earthquake is to drop, cover and hold on to something immediately. Get under a table or anything sturdy, cover your head and face and HOLD ON!

Go to 72Hours.org to find out how to be prepared for an earthquake(and various other disasters). The site has an ineractive platform that walks you through emergency situations step by step so that you can feel confidently prepared for anything this crazy world has to sling your way.

The Souls of Boys

I have started another blog called "The Souls of Boys".

Boys are BIG Souls in Little Bodies...
Nurture the souls of boys with non-violent, non-toxic, soul-centered resources, activities, toys, books and media.


It seems as though society continues to become more violent as each year passes. Unfortunately, the majority of violent offenders are men and boys. We need to nurture our boys and protect them from the violent toys and marketing that they are constantly bombarded with even as toddlers. They need "back to the basics", natural toys to ground them and keep them balanced. They deserve more than what society dishes out to them. They deserve to be recognized as BIG souls in little bodies.

As a mom of two boys, I pay close attention to the types of toys that they are exposed to. It is common knowledge in the fields of Child Psychology, Education & Neurology, that playing video games rewires the connections within the brain that control emotion and cognitive processes. Unless a video game teaches specific skills, concepts or has educational value, then they are harming our boys. I have never allowed violent television programs or toys within our home. I feel that there is plenty of time for my boys to discover these types of things as they grow into young adults. Their time as children should be as innocent and peaceful as possible.

Humanity is at a crossroads. We need to stop raising boys to fight and start raising boys to communicate in peaceful and compassionate ways. The activities, books & toys that I select for this blog helps to preserve the innocence of boys while allowing them to be boys. Please take a look at the ideas I have shared and the activities, toys & books that I have selected and envision a more peaceful, compassionate world. Be a part of that vision by choosing these types of activities and toys for your boys.

Go to www.TheSoulsofBoys.blogspot.com or click HERE to go straight there!

Lunar Lunacy

Well, I thought that I would post a blog about our Total Lunar Lunacy. Here is a pic of L.A. Mama and California BEFORE the Total Lunar Eclipse of 2008:



We went down to Santa Monica Beach to watch the eclipse...the ocean was beautiful, but it was a little cloudy. This is the best pic I got of the eclipse:



Here is a pic of California and L.A. Mama on the beach during the Total Lunar Eclipse of 2008. Tennessee forgot to brush his hair so we'll see more of him later.

Total Lunar Eclipse 2008

Tomorrow night will be the first total lunar eclipse for 2008. We will be ready to view the eclipse here at our house, but the Southern California weathermen and women have predicted rain. We hope to get some great pics to share with you, but realize that may not be possible. Here is a diagram of the phases that the lunar eclipse will undergo tomorrow night for Pacific Standard Time:


Check the NASA site for information about the Total Lunar Eclipse for your time zone. You can go there quickly by clicking HERE.

Pizza + Poetry = Love

We were all still sick with the flu on Valentines Day, so there wasn't much of a celebration at our house. I wanted to show my boys how much their love is important to me, so we made heart shaped pizzas. It was especially fun for Tennessee because he got to choose his toppings, how much of each and each individual placement. He chose fresh basil (homegrown with our Aerogarden...click HERE to see pics), mushrooms, green olives and black olives.



We used pre-made, whole wheat 8 inch personal sized Boboli pizza crusts that can be bought at most grocery stores for our heart pizzas. They are easily transformed into hearts (or any other shape) with a sharp knife. Then we added the fresh toppings of our choice. California just wanted cheese.



And this poem expresses just how L.A. Mama feels about her boys and their love:

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

ee cummings

If you like this poem. Click HERE to read more poems written by ee cummings. Parents: Please be advised that not all of ee cummings' poems are kid friendly, so parental discretion is strongly advised.

Crystal Blue Persuasion

Need I say more?

Rock Band

What do Southern California families do for fun you ask?? They play "ROCK BAND"!

I finally gave in and let Daddio get an X-Box, but only to play Rock Band. It was one of his Christmas gifts. I know what you are thinking..."oh Miss Holier than Thou Holistic Mama let's her kids play video games". Not true. Video games are still banned from our house unless they are computer games that have educational value.

The reason why I agreed to "Rock Band" is because it teaches essential musical skills & concepts and requires teamwork, cooperation and concentration. Yes, it is considered a video game but it is interactive. It isn't braincheese. Rock Band actually teaches the player how to play drums, play guitar/bass and sing vocals. Players use actual instruments to play popular songs precisely and accurately. The other reason why I like this "game" is that it involves the whole family. (Even California gets involved by sitting on Daddio's lap while he plays the drums)

Tennessee named our "band" ThunderClan. We all chose fake names for our virtual musicians. Daddio is Victor, Tennessee is Eden and I am Sloan. Daddio plays drums (he is a drummer in real life), Tennessee plays guitar and I sing. We are on tour together...so far we have toured in Los Angeles but we have gigs scheduled in San Francisco and Seattle as well. We just won a van during a competition and made some "virtual" money to buy clothes and tattoos :)

If you want one, Amazon has it. They have great shipping and return policies.

The Sky is Falling! (Updated)

I was going to blog about something delicious for Valentine's Day, but then I read the NEWS. After learning that not only, is a 5,000 ton satellite equipped with nuclear material and powered by rocket fuel out of control and headed straight for Earth, but the Pentagon plans to shoot it down with a long range missile. Something about all of this makes me feel uneasy. Maybe it is because NASA, the National Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Defense, the State Department and several other governmental agencies are refusing to say where this satellite will hit, if it does hit the Earth.

According to the vice chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, the "window of opportunity" for such a shootdown, presumably to be launched from a Navy ship, will open in the next three or four days and last for seven or eight days. He did not say whether the Pentagon has decided on an exact launch date.

Hopefully, we will be told more information so that us Earthlings can prepare for impact.

*UPDATE 2/15/2008:
Date of impact or "uncontrolled re-entry" as they call it is on or around March 6, 2008. There is still no word of where the satellite will fall.

Santa Monica BANS Styrofoam Containers

City Container Ban Begins February 9
Hannah Heineman, Mirror Staff Writer
Taking a step towards solving the global warming crisis, the City of Santa Monica has banned the use of non-recyclable food containers.
The ban was approved by the City Council due to concern over the polluting effects Styrofoam and other non-recyclable plastic products were having on Santa Monica’s bay and beaches. The City website states that most beach litter is from these products, which, in addition to causing environmental damage, can be ingested by marine animals and seabirds who mistake them for food.

All City facilities and operations, City-managed concessions, and City-sponsored and permitted events began observing the ban last year, on February 9. Restaurants were given until this week so they had time to phase in the changes. The City’s Environmental Programs Manager, Dean Kubani, told the Mirror the City has been “working with area restaurants for the last six months on the ban” to help them find alternative containers. In terms of cost, most of the alternatives are more expensive, but it “depends on what the restaurant is switching to and how large a quantity they are buying.”

Alternative products are made from materials such as corn, potato starch, sugar cane, paper, cardboard, or aluminum foil. Janabai Amsden, who co-owns the Main Street restaurant Euphoria Loves RAWvolution with her husband, Matt, thinks eventually plastic containers will “become more expensive than the recyclable containers as gas prices go up.” She says prices for biodegradable products will drop as the “infrastructure increases” to produce them.

Amsden’s restaurant has used biodegradable products from the time it opened two years ago. That decision was made because “as a business owner I feel I have a larger responsibility for waste,” especially since her industry produces so much waste. She also mentioned that customers are coming in and trying to buy biodegradable products from her.

City Councilmember Kevin McKeown made the following statement on the ban: “During the full year phase-in we opted for, our ability to completely wean city departments and events from Styrofoam have shown it can be done. Staff has been exemplary in reaching out to local businesses in preparation for the Citywide ban starting later this week, helping them find vendors and understand how cost-effective use of alternative containers can help our environment and particularly Santa Monica Bay."

Having City “inspectors going out to different restaurants checking to see if they are complying” is not how Kubani foresees enforcing the ban. Instead, the City will investigate complaints from restaurant customers or “from other businesses that are complying.” Violators will receive warning letters, and if they still don’t comply they will be fined.

Amsden believes the use of recyclable products “removes any bad feelings when a person finishes a meal.” To her, “This feeling should be good and not attached to a subtle guilt.”

L.A. Mama says: "I love Santa Monica. San Francisco and Oakland did it in 2007 and now Santa Monica has taken the same stance. Los Angeles and New York City are in the midst of follwoing suit. This shows true compassion and conscientious choices made in an effort to reduce pollution for future generations, the animals and the Earth! Your city is next. California always leads the way."

Conversations Overheard from a Homeschool Classroom

Tennessee (age 8 1/2): "What planet is this?"
California (age 2 1/2): "It's MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!"
Tennessee: "That's right! Very good. Now what planet is this?"
California: "Is it Venus?"
Tennessee: "Yes. It's Venus. Good job!"
California: "YAAAAAAAAAAY, it's Venuuuuuus!"
Tennessee: "Ok, what about this planet. It has rings."
California: "MAAAAAARS!!!!"
Tennessee: "No, this is Saturn. Can you say Saturn?"
California: "Saturn"
Tennessee: "GREAT!!! You're cute. Can you say 'I'm cute'"?
California: "I'm cute."

Living with the Flu

Daddio was first. Last Monday, he began to have a sore throat, lots of sinus pressure, sneezing, congestion, runny nose, coughing, lightheadedness, diarrhea...the list goes on. Then on Wednesday, L.A. Mama and California came down with the same symptoms. We thought that Tennessee was in the clear until he woke up on Friday morning with the same thing. We are all still fighting it, especially California since he aquired a new lung infection due to the flu. I would also like to point out that both Tennessee and California have had their flu shots. So much for that.

The shelves of Rite Aid are filled with medications and remedies for the flu...but product testing confirmed that NONE of them worked to ease our misery. The only things that proved to be useful and/or provided some relief were:

THIS:


THIS:


and LOTS of THIS: