It's a Fishy thing

So I heard back from Stop & Shop but not from Pom Wonderful, it has been 8 days now. I’ll post the S&S form letter (that’s what it was, nothing personal about it, they even got the town wrong) at the bottom.

Have you heard of freecycle? It’s an excellent little group and there is one in your town I’d be willing to bet. Last week someone offered a fish tank with all the fixings. Last year when we moved all our fish died.

27 dead fish. That’s a smell let me tell you.

It was a sad sad day in the Soapy Fresh house. So I promised the boys that when we moved for the last time that we would once again get fish. We gave that tank away to my ex-husband and his cheating whore that he refuses to marry.

So anyway, this guy offer’s a 10 gallon tank with all the fixin’s.. I went THREE times to find him and three times I got lost. At this point I have wasted more gas then a new tank would probably cost. I mapquested the directions, with maps and all and will try again tomorrow night. Kids better seriously appreciate this thing. Ugh.

Tonight I have to go sell back my last semester books. Does anyone have any idea how college book publishers get away with charging 140 bucks for a book?? It’s got to be like taking candy from a baby. I’m feeling pretty gripe-y today, can ya tell?

Stop and Shops crap letter..

From :

Sent :
Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:45 PM
To :
Granola
Girl
Subject :
Ref # 465428 - Reply from Stop & Shop
Consumer Affairs


Thank you for contacting us with
your request for more varieties of Pom tea. Because of the number of
product inquiries we receive for the many thousands ofavailable products, we
regret that we cannot research each request we receive. We wish we could
carryall available products, but that is not possible. So, we rely on
market research, information provided byour suppliers, and, of course, what our
customers are asking for. We make every effort to carry those productsour
customers want, and constantly review product selection and monitor customer
requests. Decisionsare based on product availability, customer requests,
and the selection of similar products in thesame category. Please know,
however, that we will forward your request to the appropriate buyerfor their
information and consideration. I have also forwarded your request for more
natural foods atyour Northampton (the store is on Northampton St, not IN
Northampton) store to our merchandisers as we know there is a growing interest
in these products. Thanks, again, for contacting us to let us
know how we could better serve you. We appreciate hearing from you.

Sincerely, Monica Johnson
Customer Care Representative
Ref: 465428

Be Prepared

Many of you might not be that familiar with the Boy Scouts of America and I wasn't either until just last year when Little Guy wanted to become a cub scout. Out of boredom at those meetings my Big Guy wanted to join the Boy Scouts.

And thus our lives were forever changed. No, seriously. Scouting is a huge commitment not just on the boys parts but on the parents as well. In my case.. that means me.

I didn’t mention it last week but Little Guy earned his bobcat badge and during the small simple ceremony I was called up to my surprise and red faced embarrassment. Little Guy had to pin me with a matching small bronze pin. It's on my purse now and I am extremely proud of it!

Big Guy went camping with his troop this weekend and came back Sunday dirty, stinky and tired. Just in time to wash up for an Eagle Scout banquet.. What a huge deal! Two state senators came, the mayor, the pope wrote him a letter as did the speaker of the state house and some other political figures spoke on the boys behalf. I cried a little, I admit. it was all very moving. When he pinned his mother and father, thanking them for all the help and support they had given him I wondered if I have it in me to support my boys all they way to Eagle Scout. I intend too. I know it will be a super pain in my ass now and then but I intend too. Being an Eagle Scout is like sticking your foot in the door to any college or job you want and being able to shove the door open a little wider.

I am already planning how to come up with the money for the boys eagle banquets and I have 7 years to go for Big Guy and 9 for little guy!

I mentioned this to an internet friend of mine, Fonce, yesterday and again to a mother at the party yesterday. It's sticking with me even today and has given me a lot to think about. What I said was this.. I can raise my boys to be fine young men, I can teach them right form wrong and how to be good and kind and smart and recycle. How to treat a woman on a first date, how to use the oven.. But I cannot possibly teach them how to be regular guys. I can't teach them to throw their stinky socks around and watch football on Sunday with their friends while throwing popcorn at each other. I cannot even hope to teach them the secrets of boys, the codes of men. And I don't want too. Since my ex-husband in more interested in fighting with his cheating girlfriend then hanging out with his sons.. I am hoping that scouting will help my little men become annoying, bothersome, pain in the ass men someday.

Preferably after they have moved out.

What's it worth to you?

A super cool lady at on a message board I waste valuable company time on posted an interesting question. What would you be willing to give up for a cause you deeply believed in? My knee jerk reaction is anything. I raise my kids to be the same. I believe we have no other options then to be prepared to give up everything for the right reasons. Like plastic. Just slowly. In my reply to her, I added the most touching quote I have ever read, I have a little print out of it that I keep in my purse (right next to the Love letter from Frank to Mia)

“In Germany, the Nazis first came for the Communists, and I did not speak up
because I was not a communist. Then they came for the Jews, but I did not speak
up because I was not a Jew. And then they came for the trade unionists, and I
did not speak up because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the
Catholics, but I was a Protestant, so I did not speak up. And then they came for
me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for anyone. To make sure
this does not happen again, the injustice to anyone anywhere must be the concern
of everyone everywhere.”
Yom HaShoah 2006/5766Rabbi Nina H. Mandel

Think about it. Really think about it. As a society we can no longer afford to shut our collective eyes to the horror and tragedy surrounding us. The things we say “it’s not my problem” to today will be your children’s problem tomorrow.

What would you be personally willing to give up? What is the one cause that inspires you to want to do great things? For me it is the environment and cancer. Cancer is pulling too many of my most loved friends away from me. I want to hear your thoughts!

How to make your own yogurt and save the world.

Ok , so maybe you're not saving the world, but Beth from over at Fake Plastic Fish (A must read blog, especially for the fantastic photos she has up of her trip to Hawaii to fix her hair dryer.. see, now your curious) brought up a really good point abut making your own yogurt. I do make my own fage (thick Greek yogurt with a wallop of muscle building protein) But I have never tried to make my own regular 10 o’clock snack yogurt to reduce my use of yogurt containers. Because while I have given up my morning Dunkin Donuts coffee and opted for making coffee at work every morning and I have given up all forms of plastic wrap, plastic bottles and any beverage in a plastic bottle, I am not quite ready to let go of my yogurt. The 8 minutes when I shut my office door and slowly eat my yogurt are way too precious to me!

Baby steps, people! :o)

Maybe the best way to reuse my containers is to simple refill them with my own yogurt. It can’t be any harder then making fage, right?

Yogurt Recipes

http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/2007/12/plastic-free-yogurt-well-almost-plus.html

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Whole-Foods-and-Cooking/1980-03-01/Make-Your-Own-Yogurt.aspx

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Your-Own-Yogurt_1/

And my favorite recipe for Fage!

http://bean-sprouts.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-to-make-greek-yogurt.html

I’m going to try making some regular yogurt this weekend. Classes start up again for me Friday and the kids have a boy scout trip and I have a lunch date with a very dear old friend. But maybe I will forgo sleep for yogurt, sleep is overrated.

Attack of the containers!

Every day around 10 in the morning I have some yogurt, lately it’s been Dannons Activia (they have a yummy cottage cheese version too) With live active cultures which helps keep your insides clean. And, seriously, who doesn’t a want shiny clean and fresh intestinal tract? Plus peach is yum. But what to do with all the plastic yogurt cups? I so admire the people I hear about who bring glass containers back to the store etc but there is no place within 100 miles of me that offers anything like that and even if there was I’d be left with the dilemma of burning gas to drive there or using plastic.

So I thought I would do a spot of research on what people do with their plastic yogurt cups. I found a few little ideas here and there and came up with my own, here is a short list.

• Pots for starting seeds
  
• Crayon cups
  
• Bath tub cups (for little ones)
  
• Pre-meausred instant oatmeal so the kids can grab and go.
  

Then I found this!! http://www.terracycle.org/yb/yb.htm How exciting! Schools could actually collect yogurt tubs, butter tubs, cottage cheese etc and get money back for sending them in. It’s a win win. Please check it out and pass it along.

Sadly it seems that my little dannons, having to reusable lid, aren’t good for a whole lot. But I’m still thinking! The Fage (greek yogurt, very thick and slightly sour) make great Tupperware type containers for my work lunches, I fill them half way, the single serves that is, and get a good months use out of one. I just need to find a better way to store them.

I heart POM

Pom Wonderful is best known for those funky fat hourglass shaped bottles in the produce section of Stop and Shops and Big Y. While I always admired the bottle (Which seriously was kind of sexy looking) I cannot stand straight up Pomegranate juice, blech. So imagine my joy when just last week I popped across there newest product.. Pom Tea! My Stop and Shops only carry three flavors.. Pomegranate Lychee green tea, Pomegranate Peach Passion White Tea and Pomegranate Blackberry. According to the Pom website

http://www.pomwonderful.com/lightpomtea.html

They have several other deeelish flavors. I will be sending them (and Stop and Shop) a quick note to let them know I would be simply orgasmic if they could expand their selection in my local area. I would bet Whole Food or possibly Trader Joes carries them but those are both 40 minutes away and thus I only shop up there once a month.. mostly for the Hummus and Fage and soy chips. Trader Joes rocks. Anyway.. Where was I?

Oh right, the letter!

Dear Stop and shop,

I shop at my local Stop
and Shop between two and five times a week and spend an average of 500 dollars a
month in your stores. That figure is on the rise now that I have discovered the
wonderful Pom Teas in the produce section. I am writing to ask if you might soon
be carrying more flavors of the tea? According to the Pom website they have
light Tea as well with half the calories and different flavors.


Also, is there any chance you will be expanding your natural foods
section and selections any time soon? I primarily shop at the **edited** street
location.

Thank you,
**edited**

And to Pom.

Dear Pom,

I am writing to compliment you on the Pom Tea's I recently
discovered in my local Stop and Shop. I love the size of the drink and the fact
that it is nearly plastic free. Is there any chance you will be getting rid of
the plastic film on the product any time soon? My family and I are trying to
greatly reduce our plastic waste this year.

I also noticed on your
website that you have several more flavors than my local distributor carries, so
I have written to them as well about expanding their selection. Is it possible
for a consumer to order directly from you? And do you ever have coupons?

Kudos on a great product!

Thank you
**edited**

Hopefully I will get replies and let you know how that goes. Now I just need to know what to do with all these six and half inch tall narrow glass bottles. I mean.. how many glasses slash vases can one woman have before it becomes a serious problem? :o)

And before I forget in my area (North of nowhere) a 13.5 fluid ounce bottle is 1.99. Its two servings, each serving has 16 grams of sugar (I avoid sugar but 16 grams isn’t TOO bad, though it could be lower.) No protein which kind of sucks cause I don’t eat much and I like to only ingest things that I need. 18 carbs.. bad carbs, bad! 5 mgs of sodium, and I don’t worry about sodium since we never salt our food. 70 calories.. Not bad! And no fat or trans fats. So while its not .. well straight up good for you water.. it’s certainly going to do you more good then harm. Plus its jam packed with anti oxidants! Those bad boys kick some butt!

Welcome to the Revolution.

This first post won't be an auto biography. Well, maybe a short one. I am a single mom, divorced (and happy!) I work full time doing interesting things with paper and soothing irritated men with my clothes on, I go to college part time, online and I live a little north of nowhere.That said I am trying very hard to do my part (and sometimes a few others parts) to make the earth outlast my kids kids kids. At no time will I profess to be perfect and I am not going plastic free, just plastic minimal. I started this blog because my poor sweet friends are probably really sick of my daily IM's spouting off about some plastic offense someone committed or I committed, or the newest thing I found or simply how plastic bags are ruining the world and if we don't turn down the heat were going to fry up all the polar bears.Hopefully I don't sound that hysterical though, heh. I won't always just rant about plastic though, I promise. Sometimes I might blog about a TV show or my kids or some great new recipe I snagged off another website. So stick around, grab a drink (preferably something in a sustainable glass cup) and join the revolution.

Disclaimer: I cannot spell, feel free to correct me.