Mark Bittman... I think im in love.. lol

I watched the TED with Mark Bittman talking about “Whats wrong with what we eat.” The video was not only informative but also entertaining. I really enjoyed it, and most of the facts and points he brought up were true. There are too many cows because people eat too much meat. Cows inparticular, but realistically it’s the same with chickens, fish and pigs. We are greedy and don’t need to eat as much meat as we are supposed to. I loved Bittmans explination of organic. If a salmon is raised in a farm, and fed feed it would not normally eat, but the feed is organic… Is the fish still organic? If the salmon is originally from Chico and is caught and shipped to somewhere in the U.S wrapped in styraphome is the damage done by the carbon worth it? He calls it “Organic by letter, not in spirit” and I completely agree with it. This discussion has really impacted me, and I will be eating less meat. We don’t really need it? Just because it tastes good, is the damage really worth it. I don’t think I can do completely with out meat, but I will cut down.

Oxnard College Children Development Center (OCCDC)

The Oxnard College Children's Development Center



Child care is a concern for anyone with at least one child. Regardless if your child is in day care or public school the question is, is it the right school or daycare for your child. No matter where your child goes there is some expected problems or issues with other children, or teaching method's. My son is 3 1/2 and has gone to 3 different schools, and between the three of them the Oxnard College Children's Development Center (OCCDC) is by far the best one. The first school he went to was the OCCDC, then because the OCCDC was closed for the summer I had to find alternative child care. I tried a school called "The Farm School" which seemed like a pretty good idea, a small class with children of various ages, in a rural location that has animals. However there was no structure. The kids ran wild outside all day. There was about a half hour of educational teachings a day. The rest of the day the kids just played on the playgrounds, and power wheels. The woman who ran the place, pushed my buttons a couple of times and I pulled my son out of her school. After that I tried "La Petit Academy" I herd they were a nation wide corporation, that followed a age appropriate curriculum to get the children ready for Kindergarten. The first week my son was great, he loved it. After about a week my son wouldn't let me leave. He would cry, scream and hold on to my clothes for dear life!! He had never acted this way when I dropped him off at school, he loved school. It was emotional for both of us. After about a month I figured out what was making my son so traumatized. Since it was summer the classes were all mixed together. The five year old children were in class with my three year old, and apparently were being mean to him. Teasing and hitting is expected at certain age groups, but when I'm dropping off my son at his school and there are three five year olds calling him baby and surrounding him its not OK. I let the director know and told the teachers, but nothing was done. The mean children continued, and my son got worse. The school hired a new teacher, and my son liked her, so for the rest of the summer he wouldn't leave her side. Regardless of the room she was teaching in, he wouldn't go to anyone else. So my son spent the rest of the summer in the year to two year room. As soon as my son could go back to OCCDC he did. The first week that my son went back to OCCDC it would take me a half hour to get him comfortable enough to let me go with out freaking out. Now he is fine with me just dropping him off and leaving. Of course the OCCDC has its own problems as well. Since the OCCDC is a learning facility for people w ho want to be Early Childhood Educators sometimes there can be confusion, or a lack in communication between the volunteers, and student teachers. To avoid the confusion or communication issues I make a point to tell every teacher and the director if there is something they need to be aware of regarding my child. However since there are so many teachers, volunteers, and student teachers there are enough adults there to monitor the children to make sure there is no incidences like at La Petit Academy. The children are divided not only by age, but also learning stages. So there is no teaming up on younger, or children who aren't at the same stepping stone. I really hope that the OCCDC will remain open this summer so I don't have to find another school. The only good thing that came out of La Petit Academy which my son calls "the mean kids school" is that I can threaten my son with going back there. If he is a mean kid, he will go to "the mean kids school" and only nice kids go to the OCCDC. Not everyone will have the same experience I have with these schools. I can tell you as a mother, that there is nothing worse then to hear your kid screaming bloody murder just because the teachers aren't doing their job and watching the children.

changes... changes..

I think of myself to be a picky eater. I used to only eat chicken and beef. After reading this book it has made me think of the ground beef situation. That every time I hit a hard chunk that it isn’t just gristle but bone, butt or even worse bone and butt from a worker. Poop in my meat, and unsanitary conditions that no matter how burnt you get it, it’s still infected. E-coli and mad cow are also a concern. I haven’t yet changed my eating habits, but it is something that will be coming soon. I am part of the 90% of people that visit a fast food restaurant more than 3 times a week. More like every day we stop somewhere to pick up something fast. After reading this book , it has made me think twice and going the extra 20 minutes home to make something without meat. I am not a vegetarian, nor do I ever think I will be, but this book has given me second thought. I guess vegetables here I come, does anyone know how to cook tofu? I heard it is gross, but I have never personally tried it. So what is the safe meat to eat? PLEASE DON’T SAY FISH!