It Takes a Village

I was thinking the other day about just how much it actually takes for a family to raise a child. Most likely brought on by the fact that my boyfriend is away on military orders for a few weeks and I'm having to elicit the help of friends and family to take care of my daughter.



My mom has all but moved in for the weekend because I'm working nights. So, not only do I need someone to watch Reese at night while I'm at work, but I also need someone to watch her during the day so I can sleep.



I know my mom absolutely loves my daughter and enjoys taking care of her, but a baby is a lot of work. Not to mention she is dealing with my roommate and his 5 year old daughter who is staying with us for the summer, which is not always the easiest thing. She's a good kid, possibly spoiled beyond all help, but nonetheless, a good, healthily inquisitive five year old, who just screams for attention, literally.



Then there are my best friends. Katie has done so much for me. She will come to my house and pick Reese up while she runs errands just so I can go to the gym or get a few hours of much needed shut-eye. Rene', who recently migrated back up north from San Diego, is always willing to pitch in and help, too. Seriously, what better friends could you ask for?!



So, even though I'm "Baby-Daddy-less" for a few weeks, we have the childcare issue covered. I couldn't do it with out my amazing mom and great friends. It truly does take a village to raise one tiny little baby girl!

Help the Honey Bees

I recently heard about the problem we're having with honey bees. This is not just a local problem, but a dilemma that reaches to all corners of the earth. Did you know that one third of the food that we as Americans eat can be directly linked to honey bees? Ok, I'm not trying to get up on my soapbox and preach to you all about some tree-hugging hippy cause that no one cares about. This is actually a very serious problem. Can you imagine what would happen if there were no more honey bees?

No more honey bees would mean no more fresh produce like pears, cherries, tomatoes, cucumbers. No pumpkins for Halloween. No almonds or other nuts. Why what would our neighborhood squirrels eat? According to the San Francisco Chronical, honey bees are "responsible for $15 billion in agricultural crops each year." This number might be a lot closer to double that according to a more recent article by the same news source. That's a lot of money, people! And without the honey bee, that's a lot of people out of work, too! With an already increasing unemployment rate, this is cause for great concern.

Another cause for concern- prices of the goods we desire will continue to rise. As the value of the almighty U.S. dollar continues to deflate, the price of goods is already on its way up. Add to that the shortage of fruits and vegetables, and we are headed for some painful grocery shopping excursions. Don't think that this will only effect the cost of fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Oh, no. What is it that you think they make frozen, dried, dehydrated, less nutritional versions of these foods from? That's right, you have to have the real thing in it's purest form before you can start altering that which God created.

Help out by planting some flowers and avoiding pesticides and herbicides. Just a few plants can make a big difference.