Baby Name Issues!

We are having a bit of a time thinking of a name for our new sprog. We want a name that sounds nice (obviously,) comes from Scottish/Gaelic heritage and has a nice meaning. For example, we looked at the name Campbell but it means "crooked mouth" and Wallace (after William Wallace) means "stranger or foreigner." I don't like those meanings. We have for some reason been stuck on C names. Cailean, Callum, and Cullen have been options. Cailean (pronounced Kay-lin) means "child" which is sweet but is that setting him up for a lifetime of immaturity? Plus some have said it sounds too feminine. Callum means "dove" which is lovely but I'm not overly in love with the name. And Cullen-now here is a story.

Cullen is a town in Scotland in the county Moray, where we dream of moving to. We saw a program about it and decided we liked the name and it was perfect! Then I found this article about how many spaces the name Cullen jumped in 2009 in the social security top 1000. Due to the name Cullen being a character's last name in the "Twilight" series, morons have started to name their kids that. Apparently there were only 555 boys named that in 2009 but I can't take the chance that 5000 people will name their baby that in 2010 and then have people assume I am a "Twilight" freak who named my kid after a fictional vampire. So, sadly, Cullen was canceled out.

Then last night we were flipping through the channels and one of the late night programs had a guest named Kellan on the show. I stopped at that channel because I thought Kellan was a nice name. I didn't recognize the actor Kellan Lutz so I ran to the computer to see who he was and what his name meant. I checked the name meaning first- either "slender" or "descendant of the bright headed one." I thought- hmmm, not bad. So then I wanted to find out who this dude was- and was floored to discover that he plays the character Emmett Cullen from "Twilight!" WHAT?

I think that is just too weird. And I am still thoroughly confused about what to name this child!

Call to action RE: GMO Alfalfa

Lots to read but this is serious! I received an email about GMO alfalfa- please read and take action! It is already thought that GMO corn and soy either cause or worsen Autism (check out these- Huffington Post, Medicine Free Living (scroll down to topic about foods.) Also, GMO's have linked to infertility and other reproductive problems- Organic Consumers, Mind Body Health. It will be tragic to expand the GMO crops to alfalfa!

Also, I found this website- www.grist.org that is like an eco- newspaper. It is brilliant! Check it out some day! I found it after clicking on the references for this email I received:

Email:

Tell Secretary Vilsack to Save Organics Today!

Dear Ashley,

The battle continues in the fight to stop genetically modified (GMO) alfalfa from approval. For the past several months, Food Democracy Now! and our allies have fought against allowing GMO alfalfa to be planted in the U.S. In a recent victory for organic consumers, just two weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Monsanto v. Geerston Seed Farms that it was still illegal to sell or plant GMO alfalfa without USDA approval.¹ Already Monsanto is on the offensive, with their cronies in Congress and agribusiness lobbyists scheming to pressure Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to allow GMO alfalfa to be planted as early as this fall.²

Experts agree, if GMO alfalfa is planted, the $1.4 billion organic dairy industry will not survive due to the certain genetic contamination of organic alfalfa.³ Even the Supreme Court acknowledged that the threat of genetic drift is real and now the USDA must complete a full environmental review, still leaving the decision open for deregulation. Now the final decision is in Vilsack's hands.⁴ And he needs to hear from you today!

Tell Secretary Vilsack to stand up to corporate agribusiness and protect organics for future generations. It's time to make the ban on Monsanto's GMO alfalfa permanent.

Click here to add your name to the petition asking Vilsack to protect organics.

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/tell_vilsack_to_save_organics/176?akid=168.150856.lTtjO0&t=7

Already more than 200,000 citizens asked Vilsack to make the right decision and keep GMO alfalfa out of U.S. fields during the comment period in March of this year⁵, including more than 56,000 Food Democracy Now! members.⁶

More recently, thousands of members like you called and petitioned your congressional leaders to sign a 'Dear Colleague' letter initiated by Senator Leahy and Representative DeFazio calling on Secretary Vilsack to maintain the ban. Due to your pressure and that of our allies many legislators are now becoming aware of the health and environmental concerns of GMO's and the fact that their constituents care about these issues. Incredibly, 56 members of Congress signed the letter to Vilsack.⁷ We need to keep the pressure on.

The stakes could not be higher.

Leading organic farmers and agricultural experts from Fred Kirschenmann to George Siemon, CEO of Organic Valley Family of Farms agree that if the USDA allows GMO alfalfa to be planted, contamination of organic and non-GMO alfalfa is “inevitable”. In fact, contamination of organic and conventional alfalfa has already occurred in some Western states! Since pollen from GMO alfalfa can drift over 3 miles and studies have shown that honeybees can carry GMO pollen as far as 6 miles, any deregulation will deny all farmers who currently raise organic and conventional alfalfa their right to raise non-GMO alfalfa.⁸

As the 4th most planted crop in America,⁹ conventional farmers who raise alfalfa for export to foreign countries that have more common sense rules on GMO contamination stand to lose nearly $200 million in seed and forage exports alone.¹⁰

While Monsanto and its proponents argue that GMO alfalfa will help farmers, the truth is it's just the opposite. For more than 200 years America’s dairy farmers have managed without Monsanto’s Roundup Ready GMO alfalfa and introducing another genetically engineered crop will destroy the livelihoods of organic farmers, not to mention the disappearance of the wholesome organic products that more than 50 million American consumers rely on every year.

Tell Secretary Vilsack to be wise, act prudently and make the ban on Monsanto’s GMO alfalfa permanent.

Clicking here will add your name to the petition asking Vilsack to protect organics.

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/tell_vilsack_to_save_organics/176?akid=168.150856.lTtjO0&t=10

Please act today, the future of the organic industry - the most successful and profitable sector of agriculture - is at stake!

Thank you for participating in food democracy,

Dave, Lisa and the Food Democracy Now! Team

We need your help to keep the pressure on! Please donate to Food Democracy Now today – whether it’s $10, $25 or $50. http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/donate/133?akid=168.150856.lTtjO0&t=13

We rely on folks like you to keep us going. Thanks again for your support.

Source:

1. Supreme Court's Ruling on Monsanto's GE Alfalfa: Who Won?, June 21, 2010, Grist
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/177?akid=168.150856.lTtjO0&t=15

2. Lincoln and Chambliss decry rulings on genetically engineered foods, July 6, 2010, Hillicon Valley
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/179?akid=168.150856.lTtjO0&t=17

3. DeFazio wants rules on genetically engineered alfalfa, July 3, 2010, Natural Resource Report
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/180?akid=168.150856.lTtjO0&t=19

4. Supreme Court Rule on Monsanto's GMO Alfalfa, June 22, 2010, Food Safety News
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/181?akid=168.150856.lTtjO0&t=21

5. Join Bicameral Letter Asking USDA to Maintain Ban on Genetically Engineered Alfalfa, June, 2010, Organic Trade Association
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/183?akid=168.150856.lTtjO0&t=23

6. 48 Hours to Stop Monsanto's GMO Alfalfa, June 10, 2010, Food Consumer
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/184?akid=168.150856.lTtjO0&t=25

7. Led by Leahy and DeFazio, 56 Members of House and Senate Ask USDA to Keep Rules on Gentically Engineered Alfalfa, June 23, 2010, Website for Congressman Peter DeFazio
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/185?akid=168.150856.lTtjO0&t=27

8. Organic Valley - GMOs - Say NO to GE Alfalfa, Organic Valley Family of Farms Website
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/186?akid=168.150856.lTtjO0&t=29

9. Supreme Court to Hear First Genetically Engineered Crop Case, January 15, 2010, The Center for Food Safety, truefoodnetwork.org
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/187?akid=168.150856.lTtjO0&t=31

10. U.S. Lawmakers ask USDA to Deny Biotech Alfalfa, June 23, 2010, Reuters
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/188?akid=168.150856.lTtjO0&t=33

Random tidbit about my ex- life.

Today would have been my 5 year anniversary with American Eagle Airlines. That means that if I had not quit, I would have been finally able to fly anywhere for free. Yes, free to anywhere American Airlines/Eagle flies- Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Tokyo...free. It brings a tear to my eye (okay, several tears...buckets of tears) to think about what that could have meant for me and my family. How many wonderful once in a lifetime experiences that could have been. I am so grateful for the experiences I was able to have, I just wish that I was able to share them with the ones that I love.

However the flight attendant job is not a practical for a mom. I know several people who have done it but I don't see how. If I had actually had a schedule to anticipate, maybe things would have worked out. But after all this time, I would still be on what is called "Reserve." That means I know for the month what my days off will be and that's it- always 11 days off. On the day before I was supposed to work, I would have to call an automated system that would tell me what my assignment was for the next day. It could be a 6 day trip, airport standby, or I could have been assigned a home sit- to wait for a flight there with a 2 hour call out notice. I don't know how many days I would hang out at home without the slightest clue as to where I would be sleeping that night- maybe home, maybe Buffalo, NY, maybe Lawton, OK. It was so nerve racking! I ended up staying glued to the computer checking to see how many people were ahead of me to be called and how many trips were open. Then, once assigned a trip, I could have been reassigned at any moment to go somewhere else. The days I was working, I belonged to them and they could change my schedule 5 times in one day- actually not that uncommon. If you ever see a chipper flight attendant burst into tears near landing-don't worry that you are about to crash. Be assured that (s)he is a poor reserve who thought (s)he was going home at the end of a trip only to be sent a message through the pilots that the trip has been extended. If they were really short handed, they could take away your day off! You never answered your phone on your day off to a strange number- ever! That is no way for a mom to live! So when Finley was born, I took as long of a leave of absence as possible, and finally, in February did not return to work when asked back.

It really does make me proud to think of the experiences that I had. As much as I complained about it and tried to avoid working, I always had a surreal feeling when working- like, this is my life! This is too good to be true! How much fun is this? It's like I knew it wasn't going to last forever. I even got teary eyed while working at times out of sheer joy- like while serving drinks and looking out the window at the clouds flying by and thinking- I get paid for this! Don't get me wrong though- the job, for the most part, totally sucked. The crazy schedule that made you have to nap in the airplane in either searing heat or freezing cold. Yes, I would curl up in the seats where thousands of people's dirty butts have sat. And airport food is horrendous so on top of the 2 bags I had to carry around with all of my clothes for 6 days and necessary equipment, I carried a lunch cooler. I had a pilot say, "You're a flight attendant, not a camel."

Anyhow, I could go on forever. I am just trying to process it all. I miss the lifestyle but I wouldn't go back to that craziness knowing my little family was at home. Though I look forward to the possibilities when I am an empty nester!

Effing Hell

Fucking Hell.

Yes, it's a phrase liberally thrown around by Kevin during outbursts of frustration (blame Scotland.) And a phrase that our sweet Finley has taken a liking to as well. It all started right before his second birthday. For awhile, I totally ignored it. Now it's becoming more common so I feel that something needs to be done. Like, the other day he said, "I can't turn the music on by myself so help me, fucking hell!" I am not sure how to react since if we make a big deal about it- he's likely to think it's funny. But I want him to know that it is certainly not ok to say it. So we say that's not a nice thing to say.

These pictures are of him getting into trouble for saying it. Clearly he's not in big trouble- how can he be when Kevin sets the example.





If you are a fan of Saturday Night Live then you will know the character Gilly- I think he is making a Gilly face in these pics.