Slippery Fish Childcare Co-op

A website for Slippery Fish Childcare co-op in Potrero Hill, San Francisco is now available at http://slipperyfish-sf.com The co-op currently serves kids 18 mo - 3 years of age with a morning only program, offering kids a gentle introduction to the school setting while giving their parents a few hours off each week.

San Francisco Rents - what are they doing now?

This site uses data gathered from craigslist to plot things like rents in SF for studio - 4 br, average prices by .5 mile area, trends overall. It's often just what I am looking for. I hope they stick around! http://mullinslab2.ucsf.edu/SFrentstats/

Childbirth Preparation - Reading list

Here are my recommendations for the best books to read in pregnancy, especially if you are interested in a "natural birth". By which I mean, avoiding interventions unless truly necessary and using alternative methods of pain relief as first resort.


Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin
Written by a midwife at "The Farm" commune in Tennessee, where they achieved astounding results with very little medical intervention. It sounds just like something straight out of the 60's. Many beautiful birth stories are included, and a brief primer for midwives. Here is my favorite quote: "From that point on we just relaxed and tripped; each rush would get us higher, the vision got better, and folks got prettier." Yes, this is the book that refers to contractions as 'rushes'. They are also described as "an interesting sensation that gets your baby out." :)

Birthing from Within by CNM, MA, Pam England
Written by a midwife who was dismayed to have a very long labor and c-section in her first birth, despite her intentions and training. She then went on to a successful VBAC. "in the time it takes to frost and bake a chocolate cake." Many pain management techniques are discussed and readers are encouraged to try them using ice cubes to simulate pain. My favorite is the "make it stronger" method. She also explores and encourages healing through art of any emotional blockages that may exist in the mother to be. This is a great book to experience with a group in a series of workshops.


The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer and Rhonda Wheeler
Addresses all the common birth interventions and how they aren't needed as often as they are used. This will make some people paranoid, but for others, its better to know what all the possibilities are before they come up in labor (and thus, you are out of your mind, hee hee.)

The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine
This book is fun and you may need that! Not so factual, but you have other references for that. For ex: I don't think you need to worry about going through the airport metal detectors. Your plane flight will expose you to much more radiation than the metal detector will.

Feeling the Mama Jaguar Love

The Jaguar (Panthera onca) is the largest cat found in the Americas. In addition to their enormous tongues, jaguars have incredibly powerful jaws, able to pierce a turtle's shell. They are also excellent swimmers and climbers.

Jaguars are solitary stalk-and-ambush hunters, feeding on anything they can catch. (85 species on their list of prey) Wild jaguars expend considerable energy in the capture and kill of prey, and may consume up to 25 kilograms of meat at one feeding.

In Central and South America, the jaguar has long been a symbol of power and strength. In the Maya civilization, the jaguar was believed to facilitate communication between the living and the dead and to protect the royal household. The Aztec civilization shared this image of the jaguar as the representative of the ruler and as a warrior.

Top Produce to Buy Organic

I'm buying mostly organic produce now that I am feeding a baby. This list helps me prioritize my shopping. Items in red are on the CHEC top 10 list, so the most important.

Fruits

• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Apples
• Grapes (& therefore Raisins and Juice)
• Nectarines
• Apricots
• Pears
• Cherries
• Lemons - especially if zesting
• Limes, imported
  
• Bananas
• Kiwis
• Pineapple, imported
  
• Cantaloupe from Mexico
• Tomatoes

Veggies

• Potatoes
• Corn
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Green & Red Bell Peppers
• Lettuce
  
• Hot Peppers
• Green Beans
• Winter or Hard Squash
• Carrots

source of info is: http://www.deliciousorganics.com/Controversies/toptobuyorg.htm and http://www.checnet.org/healthehouse/education/quicklist-detail.asp?Main_ID=241

My mind is a blank

Well, now that the pressure is on, I actually don't have any thoughts.

Please insert fabric softener at the beep.