I immediately sent an email off to him and it was followed up by a phone call. Michael Schott is a writer in Chicago and he was kind enough to allow me to ask five follow up questions. I’m going to publish without editorial. He’s clearly a bright man, and I’d like you to hear his voice, both on video and in print.
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Why? Uh, because I’m human. If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I’m fallible. I’ve talked to her. I’ve given her the facts of life, intercourse, menstruation, puberty, hair, smells… I literally cannot write in complete sentences. Every conversation is punctuated with blushing, and I refer her to Granny. “Please, ask your Granny.”

Today the email came. You know the one. It’s from the Science Teacher and it outlines the Fourth Grade Sex Ed Cirriculum. I showed it to my husband, and he just laughed, “talk to your daughter.”

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The DVD is lovely, it’s a great story, a classic even. Thumbelina is a fairy that lives in harmony with nature. If you have a little girl, you already know that they love faeries, and glitter, and shiny things. Some folks hate Barbie, I think she’s the ultimate feminist. She’s had almost 100 jobs, and done them all with grace.

Thumbelina is the classic tale of even the tiniest person making a difference. In this DVD Thumbelina lives in the forest, in harmony with nature. Thumbelina is instrumental in keeping the Twillerbees’ home from being demolished.

Who doesn’t love a story that kids can apply to the headlines? Overdevelopment is a very real issue in our world and if our kids have a heightened awareness of it, perhaps they will opt against it in twenty years when they have the checkbooks.

It’s a great story, much along the lines of Hoot, only it’s a magical fantasy. The Thumbelina doll that I was given to review opens up into a flower when you press a button. It’s very simple and reminds of the Barbie’s I used to play with. I love that the doll is packaged in matte recycled cardboard, but I’m sure that Thumbelina’s curviness and a short dress will not delight some. The movie is far less seductive than the doll, but still if you are wildly protective of your daughter’s modesty this is not the toy for you.

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This year to celebrate Earth Day Disneynature, Disney’s new independent film label, will release their first film, Earth. Earth is narrated by James Earl Jones and tells the remarkable story of three animal families and their amazing journey across the planet we all call home. Earth combines rare action, unimaginable scale and impossible locations by capturing the most intimate moments of our planet’s wildest and most elusive creatures. Directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield, the acclaimed creative team behind the Emmy Award-winning “Planet Earth” series combine forces again to bring this epic adventure to the big screen, beginning Earth Day 2009. To celebrate the film’s theatrical release, Disneynature will be planting a tree in the endangered Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest in honor of every person who sees the film during its opening week!

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Let me be very clear here, that a baby died is a horrendous tragedy. Not learning from this would be even worse.

My friend, and fellow Mom Blogger, Amber Watson Tardiff wrote a compelling piece that asks the question everyone sidesteps, is homebirthing a crime? Amber notes:

You may have even seen quotes from Janet calling c-sections and episiotomies “birthrape” and insisting that “survivors are angry and we are starting to talk about it.”

What you may not know is Janet’s baby suffered cardiac arrest during her cherished unassisted water birth and died on March 27th at her home in Australia.

Apparently the possibility of “birthrape” was much more important to Janet than the safety of her child.

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One of the great blessings of my adult life was a summer vacation spent with my husband and children at Catalina Island Camps. We spent the better part of the week learning about the ocean, our food supply and our ability to affect change.

Jean Michele Cousteau (son of Jacques Cousteau) would call himself an ambassador of the environment. I would call him a hero to us all.

Most recently Cousteau has discovered many populations of killer whales are contaminated with toxic, synthetic chemicals known as PBDEs, or flame retardants. I understand the wisdom of not wanting your children’s pajamas to catch fire, but how many of us are living in gaslight districts? At what point do we ask for change, and at what point do we demand it?

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There’s a new Loft Community popping up and it’s really exciting. Live/work spaces are automatically desirable to anyone with kids. The day I became a mother there was an intense need to be near my kids, to keep them close. I didn’t realize how sustainable my decision to stay home was. I’d fogotten about commutes, dry cleaning and pantyhose within moments of changing my first diaper.

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Can you imagine?

Because I’m so green I won’t be taking my private jet up to San Francisco, but I am extending an invitation to all you.

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I know that looks impressive until you scroll down and see this.

I love Girl Scouts. My Mother was a Girl Scout, her Mother was the Troop Leader, but the Girl Scouts have been setting a terrible precedent. They’re asking young girls and their mothers to endlessly solicit from friends and family without adequately compensating them. If we’re raising our girls to be strong, let’s also raise them to be clever capitalists.

Okay Jessica, but what does this have to do with a sustainable lifestyle?

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Yipee!

Finally, there’s a book for moms who are looking to go green that doesn’t make them feel like a failure. I’ve always been pretty green. It was recent that I realized that a lot of my peers don’t think about sustainable living. I’d just assumed that everyone went through the same processes that I did.

What I didn’t realize is that a lot of women (especially parents) felt like they had to do everything. By “everything” I mean everything from green cleaning products to the diva cup to growing their own food, and by being made to feel like a perennial failure, many parents are unwilling to attempt any part of a sustainable life, for fear of being mocked.

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Frito Lay thinks you are an idiot.

Rather than traditional delivery trucks, Frito Lay has announced that they will buy a fleet of Dodge Sprint Delivery trucks. Unlike bullets at wartime, frankenfood is not something we need delivered.

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Then I wrote it anyhow.

And I’ve never been more delighted to be wrong.

I don’t dislike it, I detest it. I don’t need yet another bill from AT&T to sit on my desk. I pay it all online anyhow. I’ve signed up for internet only billing with a few companies, but for some I’m so panicked about not receiving the email (think mortgage) that I really want it sent to my physical address.

I’ve eliminated some of the obvious junk with 41Pounds, but there’s got to be a way for me to still get traditional mail without the 42 dollar footprint (no that’s not a typo), well, someone had the idea to stop fighting the postal system and migrate to a virtual mailbox.

Zumbox.

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I know it’s difficult being married to me. I won’t eat fast food, partially hydrogenated anything, red dye or any other Frankenfood. A box of chocolates will just send me into orbit because of the high fructose corn syrup and cut flowers leaves me cold.

I did make a few itsy, bitsy requests of you last week. But really, Valentine’s Day is like my Superbowl, and I’m getting all excited about it.

Darlin’ I want a dog. Yeah, I know, no dogs because puppies keep you up all night, pee all over the carpet and gnaw at the kids’ toys.

Guess what? I can totally fix that. I want Jimmy! Jimmy is potty trained and little (doesn’t eat much), he’ll occupy the right side of my lap (I’ve got one for the left), he doesn’t shed AND I doubt he has many teeth left.

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I was sent a sample of Eco Store’s Automatic Dishwashing Soap, and I almost fell over when the box arrived. Peanuts, it was packed to the brim in packing peanuts.

I don’t even know what to say. I was (and am) startled that a company who wanted to be sustainable would ship in a packaging that will outlast my Great Grandchildren. What’s worse is this.

I love the product.

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The last 13 years have been wonderful. I’ve had necklaces in champagne glasses, a proposal on Wesminster Bridge and gourmet dinners lovingly prepared when we lived on love (because we sure as heck weren’t living on money).

This year Valentine’s Day will be on a Saturday. I think we all know what that means.

This year Valentine’s Day is about all four of us being together. We’ll bake something pink and do a pomegrantine lemonade.

But darlin’ you’ve still got to pony up with some gifts. Here’s what I’m demanding I’d really like.

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The Consumer Product Safety Commission probably thinks the same way. But wait, they’ll change their tune.

Come Wednesday, the US will see crafters differently. Crafters are coming together on Wednesday and for a blog-in to talk to the CPSIA about the negative ramifications of a new law that’s scheduled to be enacted on February 10th. Forbes has great coverage.

The law can be read here, and I’m a little concerned. I like resale shops, I don’t want to see them legislated out of business.

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I noticed that the headlines are 2 face death over China poison milk scandal, wow, who will face death over our very own melamine scandal? Okay, not death, but will anyone be held accountable?

Here at ECP we’ve covered melamine in China, on own shores and the failure of the FDA as it relates to food safety.

Of course today MSNBC tells you that you need to know 125 foods recalled due to salmonella outbreak, we warned you about it some time ago.

All of this begs the question, what is the role of a blogger in health? Am I yelling fire in a crowded theatre or am I screaming smoke and letting y’all choose to stay or go?

I can’t wait to hear what y’all think about the role of bloggers and the healthcare community? In a few short hours the experts will sound off and I’ll be bringing it to you here at ECP. If you have a question you want answered please find me on twitter or leave it here in the comments.

Kudos to Kellogs for preemptively pulling their cookies from the shelves. Yeah, I said that, Kellogs, pimpmaster of all things packaged,  high fructose, genetically modified, partially hydrogenated, frankenfood. Yeah, they’re doing the right thing.

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Who doesn’t love a party? I’m having an Inauguration Watching party at my house next week. I planned on ten attending because everyone is so busy and whatnot, right?

Wrong.

Everyone is going to work late. Everyone will be here. Everyone will be hungry.

Excuse me a moment while I freak out! I’ve got service for 15, how am I supposed to have an oatmeal bar without bowls? It’s my secret weapon, and if you promise to keep it a secret, I’ll let you in on it.

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