Ooh, reading all the meat stuff gave me another one. I am so annoyed by people who eat meat but are horrified at hunting. Hunting (assuming you are being a responsible hunter who doesn't take long shots you can't make) is literally the most humane way of getting meat there is. The animal lives in the wild doing its thing until it's put down with a clean shot to the head or heart and dies almost instantly. And then of course it's way better in taste, nutrition, lack of additives and processing, etc. than anything you'll find in a store.
@kassyfry, thanks for sharing your knowledge about this. I think I've only heard the Peta side of things. I was a vegetarian for about 10 years but now that I eat meat again, it's good to hear that some of these animals are living a decent life. Shoot, I need to see a picture of a cow on a waterbed! @lovesclimbing, my husband hunts about 30-40% of the meat we eat. I HATED hunting. I think I finally have come to grips that it is more humane than other options.
FFFC, I've been breaking a lot of the rules this time around. (Pg #4) I eat lunch meat from reputable places, soft cheese and drink the max allowed caffeine. I lift heavy stuff a lot too. The last three times around, I never slipped up once. I feel badly, yet more relaxed all around.
My doctor's offered me a C-section with my second because of the size of my first and anticipated size of my second. They said there can be issues later on for when who deliver vaginally multiple large babies. I declined the c section. They scheduled an induction at or after 39 weeks for both, but wouldn't do that or the C-section before 39 weeks because that's considered full term. It didn't matter, neither of them made it to the induction. My youngest would have probably been 11lbs if he had waited until the induction date, never mind his due date. I think it's totally fine to schedule it if your doctor recommends it, I hope most doctors know enough not to do it before 39 weeks unless it's really necessary.
@LAMCH1980 the waterbed is covered with sawdust in this picture, but you get the point. The rails between the stalls are necessary to prevent older boss cows from not letting younger heifers lay down. This picture is from a cow waterbed manufacturers website
Insane week at the office, but popping in to say what a unique FFFC. Some of you ladies know quite a lot about farm conditions for cows. Super interesting for me to read; particularly given my ignorance on the subject. I bought into the organic dairy marketing for my LOs (eg organic milk, organic yogurt). Truly didn't know the difference, but the cartoon cow on the carton sure looked happy. I like dairy and that is about the extent of my dairy farm knowledge. Thanks for the info!
@lovesclimbing When my husband and I were dating and first married, his personal policy was they he wouldn't eat meat he hadn't killed. I actually really respect that. He's softened on it and we eat meat from local farms, too, but the idea is more out less the same. I have a friend here who grew up in a very suburban environment and then married into an inherited homestead-style mini farm/woods. She has told me that she was really uncomfortable with hunting until she lived with nature enough to realize that animals in nature are not dying peacefully of old age in a cave surrounded by their families. They are dying in way more brutal ways than being hunted. As she said to me, "By comparison, a shot to the head seems like a pretty damn good way to go."
Count me too as a cloth diapering mama. We did do it for money and environment. But we still used disposables for night time. It was the only way we could get DD to sleep through the night since she was so sensitive to needing to be changed.
My confession isn't flame-worthy. But it's more about being overly sentimental. DD's 3rd birthday is on Monday. I am so looking forward to the fact that since everyone has to work that I get to spend the whole day with her by myself. She's the first grandkid on both sides, and everyone always wants a piece of her. But I'm going to spend the day spoiling her rotten! Plus, it'll be her last birthday where she's the only child, and I want to make it special by giving her my full and undivided attention.
I tried to peak at my card with the baby's sex and I am pretty sure I know what I'm having! I can't tell anyone in real life 1) in case I'm wrong and 2) because we have a reveal party planned for tomorrow!
Something I would do if Dh hadn't taped it up. Placing sealed envelopes over table lights works too. Lol have fun w. reveal. Practice your surprised face.
Count me too as a cloth diapering mama. We did do it for money and environment. But we still used disposables for night time. It was the only way we could get DD to sleep through the night since she was so sensitive to needing to be changed.
My confession isn't flame-worthy. But it's more about being overly sentimental. DD's 3rd birthday is on Monday. I am so looking forward to the fact that since everyone has to work that I get to spend the whole day with her by myself. She's the first grandkid on both sides, and everyone always wants a piece of her. But I'm going to spend the day spoiling her rotten! Plus, it'll be her last birthday where she's the only child, and I want to make it special by giving her my full and undivided attention.
DS' 1st birthday is on a Thursday, and I'm glad for the excuse to not feel like we need to plan anything with anyone else that day! It will be his only birthday as an only child, and we're going to soak it up.
@ladylolly89 it's amazing to me how much you do end up including people in your child's life, and what you're doing with them. When you get a chance for one on one, or just you, DH, and kiddo, those times feel so special!
@kassyfry So my reason for buying some organic milk is less about personal health than it is about not wanting to support unsustainable practices for the use of antibiotics. My understanding is that organic farms can't use them at all, which is overkill (but i get that is is easier to regulate), and that conventional farms often give antibiotics routinely. I'm pretty concerned about the overuse of antibiotics in society in general lessening their effectiveness and creating resistant bacteria, so I don't want to support farms that are using antibiotics on animals who aren't sick. Is that really something that happens on conventional farms?
@ellie111227 I know you didn't direct your question to me, but as a microbiologist, the issue of antibiotic resistance is a big deal for me. Antibiotic use for animals that aren't sick has been a pretty normal thing to do for growth promotion, which is really concerning since that's a great way to promote the development and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. One thing the FDA has done to address this is to restrict the use of "medically important" antibiotics (i.e. those that we use to treat people) so that they cannot legally be used to promote growth. To support this, the FDA also included a restriction that says medically important antibiotics used for food animals must be given under the supervision of a veterinarian. I'm not sure how it applies to the use of prophylactic antibiotics in food animals, but I'm hoping it cracks down on that too because historically it's been way overdone. These regulations just went into effect last month, so it remains to be seen how helpful they will be.
I have no problem with giving sick animal antibiotics, especially given the regulations on the drugs having to be out of their systems before meat/milk can be sold. I completely agree with @kassyfry that we aren't at risk for having antibiotics in our food/milk. The use of antibiotics for growth is what I find disturbing because it's just not necessary and is not helping out antibiotic resistance issues.
@MrsW524 Thanks! That's exactly my concern. I'm glad to hear about new regulations on the use of antibiotics in animals. Hopefully that will make a difference!
I tried to peak at my card with the baby's sex and I am pretty sure I know what I'm having! I can't tell anyone in real life 1) in case I'm wrong and 2) because we have a reveal party planned for tomorrow!
Something I would do if Dh hadn't taped it up. Placing sealed envelopes over table lights works too. Lol have fun w. reveal. Practice your surprised face.
I was still surprised when we cut the cake but I was right! We're having a girl. So excited and now I can't wait to meet her!
We buy mostly organic and eat a pretty healthy diet, but I have no problems taking my kids through McDonalds and indulging in a Quarter Pounder + a large fry every once in a while. It's all about balance, right?
@DewyK. I have been obsessed with McDonald's quarters pounders this pregnancy. Why can't I crave healthy things?
Me: 34 DH: 35 Married: July 2009 BFP: November 2012 after 2 years of TTC DS born August 2013 Diagnosed with PCOS April 2016 3 months of trigger shot with timed intercourse BFN x3 First IUI: 9/17/16 BFP: 9/30/16 EDD: 6/11/17
Feel free to flame me for this one bc I am not a doctor...but I am totally side eyeing my SIL and her Dr. My SIL asked her doctor to be induced two weeks before her due date on a Friday. Not because of complications, not bc of pain or being uncomfortable but so more people can visit her in the hospital on the weekend and she doesnt want to wait bc "2 weeks early is close enough". And her Dr was like sure Friday works for me! To clarify I would not side eye medical need or even being very uncomfortable but they literally talked about this a month ago and she isnt even due until March.
Ugh! Definitely not flaming you for this one. This is one of my biggest pet peeves!! Why is everyone in such a hurry all the time?! If the baby hasn't come on its own 2 weeks before your due date, its because he/she isnt ready!!
@neludelu they say anything that you eat the skin of the item and it can't be pealed off you should buy organic. There is a list called the dirty dozen if you google it. It will explain which fruits and veggies you should be buying organic.
So you ladies sound like you know a lot more than me in regards to organic foods. Does it pay to buy organic fruits and veggies?
I'm personally in camp "it pays to buy organic.... sometimes." If I'm buying a fruit or vegetable that is often grown as GMO such as corn I'll pay extra to buy organic. But if I'm buying something like an Avocado chances are I'm not going to pay extra for organic unless the organic ones in the store that day are just better suited to my needs for other reason like where they are in the ripening process.
Like some others have said if I can peel it or wash it to remove pesticides and such I'm not too worried. Obviously with GMO there is no amount of peeling or washing that can change that so I'd pay extra to have something not GMO.
I'll also pay extra for organic if its something off the list @wearmi1 is talking about.
Oh and milk. I buy organic milk because otherwise my husband won't drink it.
Me: 28 Husband: 31 TTC#1: January 2015- September 2016 Infertility, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Rainbow baby born June 6, 2017 ❤️
I buy organic off of the "dirty dozen" list and for DS' yogurt, but not other than that until DS starts drinking cow's milk in a few months. I would probably buy organic milk for DH and I if DH didn't drink so much of it. It gets expensive quickly! I don't really like most milk though; I really only like non-homogenized whole milk and that is tough to find here other than at Whole Foods.
I prefer to buy local over organic. I like to support my local farms; most farm sustainably and with good practices. There's a huge cost to getting an "organic" label in the US; it doesn't mean a whole lot and most small farms can't afford it.
There was a pretty great discussion in July last week about the agricultural practice differences between conventional and organic farming. I always laugh at "non-GMO" labels because I find the concept ridiculous; humans have been cross-breeding and cross-pollenizing crops since the dawn of agriculture. Now that we can do more targeted cross-breeds to create healthy plants that can thrive with fewer chemical pesticides, people don't want them? It makes no sense to me.
@Xath Some of my issue with GMOs come from the perspective of having an ethical issue with the companies that sell the seeds.
For example: one of the companies manufactured a sugar cane seed that is resistant to pests (awesome!) but in doing so, the mature plants were rendered infertile and the farmers had to sign off saying they would only buy seeds from this company, lest new pests be introduced.
The end result is that the seed company knowingly locked the farmers into contracts to only buy seed from them and forced the farmers to buy new seed every year. It was no longer possible to harvest seeds from their own plants anymore...
Other GMOs have definitely made my life easier: Cuties, the easy to peel tangerines, are one of my loves!
Re: FFFC 2/3
@lovesclimbing, my husband hunts about 30-40% of the meat we eat. I HATED hunting. I think I finally have come to grips that it is more humane than other options.
FFFC, I've been breaking a lot of the rules this time around. (Pg #4) I eat lunch meat from reputable places, soft cheese and drink the max allowed caffeine. I lift heavy stuff a lot too. The last three times around, I never slipped up once. I feel badly, yet more relaxed all around.
BFP #1 9/1999. DD Born 6/7/2000
BFP #2 10/2011. EDD 7/11/12. MMC discovered 11/2/11. D&C 11/4/11.
DX PCOS 10/2012.
BFP#3 1/11/13. DS Born 9/17/2013
BFP#4 9/30/17. Grow baby grow!
~Everyone Welcome~
My confession isn't flame-worthy. But it's more about being overly sentimental. DD's 3rd birthday is on Monday. I am so looking forward to the fact that since everyone has to work that I get to spend the whole day with her by myself. She's the first grandkid on both sides, and everyone always wants a piece of her. But I'm going to spend the day spoiling her rotten! Plus, it'll be her last birthday where she's the only child, and I want to make it special by giving her my full and undivided attention.
I have no problem with giving sick animal antibiotics, especially given the regulations on the drugs having to be out of their systems before meat/milk can be sold. I completely agree with @kassyfry that we aren't at risk for having antibiotics in our food/milk. The use of antibiotics for growth is what I find disturbing because it's just not necessary and is not helping out antibiotic resistance issues.
Me: 34 DH: 35
Married: July 2009
BFP: November 2012 after 2 years of TTC DS born August 2013
Diagnosed with PCOS April 2016
3 months of trigger shot with timed intercourse BFN x3
First IUI: 9/17/16 BFP: 9/30/16 EDD: 6/11/17
Like some others have said if I can peel it or wash it to remove pesticides and such I'm not too worried. Obviously with GMO there is no amount of peeling or washing that can change that so I'd pay extra to have something not GMO.
I'll also pay extra for organic if its something off the list @wearmi1 is talking about.
Oh and milk. I buy organic milk because otherwise my husband won't drink it.
TTC#1: January 2015- September 2016
Infertility, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
Rainbow baby born June 6, 2017 ❤️
Baby #2 due June 12, 2018
There was a pretty great discussion in July last week about the agricultural practice differences between conventional and organic farming. I always laugh at "non-GMO" labels because I find the concept ridiculous; humans have been cross-breeding and cross-pollenizing crops since the dawn of agriculture. Now that we can do more targeted cross-breeds to create healthy plants that can thrive with fewer chemical pesticides, people don't want them? It makes no sense to me.
https://www.businessinsider.de/foods-before-genetic-modification-2015-8?r=US&IR=T#/#wild-watermelon-1
DS1 - 7/2011, DD 12/2012, DS2 - 4/2014, MMC - 12/2015
For example: one of the companies manufactured a sugar cane seed that is resistant to pests (awesome!) but in doing so, the mature plants were rendered infertile and the farmers had to sign off saying they would only buy seeds from this company, lest new pests be introduced.
The end result is that the seed company knowingly locked the farmers into contracts to only buy seed from them and forced the farmers to buy new seed every year. It was no longer possible to harvest seeds from their own plants anymore...
Other GMOs have definitely made my life easier: Cuties, the easy to peel tangerines, are one of my loves!
Basically I just try not to buy from Monsanto...