Will's Thoughtstream

Years ago I got sucked into Graham Hancock's books, such as Fingerprints of the Gods. They are fascinating and fun, and I wanted to believe in the mysteries that they propose, such as a long civilization that lived in Antartica. But today I found it fun to read Bad Archaeology's debunking of Graham's lost civilization. (Via RB.)

Posted by will hertling at 7:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm a big fan of cloth diapers: our children rarely get diaper rashes when they wear cloth diapers, children potty train themselves earlier when they wear cloth diapers, the diapers are free from endocrine disrupting chemicals, and with a good washing machine or diaper service, they are very easy to maintain. They are also a small fraction of the cost of disposable diapers.

That said, I think there are a few key things that can make the adoption of cloth diapers easier.

1. For the first two or four weeks, use only disposable diapers. You'll have enough going on in your life, that you don't need to also try to figure out how to correctly put on cloth diapers, and wash them. You'll also have to deal with the packaging material that babies come with, a.k.a. meconium. That's super sticky and messy, and not something you want to mess with on your nice new cloth diapers. Just set a firm date at some point two to four weeks after the baby is born, and then transition to cloth diapers.
2. Use disposable diapers when you go out. We've used cloth diapers when we go out, and the truth is that is it a pain. Sure, you can do it. And if you are a totally gung-ho environmentalist, you probably will do it. (Get several washable, water-proof bags to store dirty diapers while out and about.) But we decided to simplify and use disposables when we go out, and use cloth at home. The babies are home 80% or more of the time anyway, so we still get most of the benefit of cloth diapers while avoiding the worst of the pain.
3. Invest in a high quality water-saving, front-loading washer. Whether you use cloth diapers or not, the amount of laundry doubles once you have a small baby. It's ironic, given how small their clothes are, but true. An excellent front-loading washer such as the Whirlpool DUET will not only get all of your clothes clean using less water and energy than your current washer, it will also consistently get diapers (even yucky poopy diapers) spotlessly clean. In fact, when we purchased our Whirlpool DUET, we eliminated any prewashing or scrubbing of the diapers, and they are still brilliantly clean, using only environmentally friendly detergent and no bleach. The Whirlpool DUET is just outstanding.

Posted by will hertling at 5:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For the most part, I think expecting dads should steering clear of trying to influence the diet of expecting moms. But  there is one item I would strongly recommend after reading an article at my pediatrician's office: cod liver oil. As reported in Psychology Today and elsewhere, cod liver oil supplements during pregnancy and while nursing have a strong correlation with increased I.Q. Take cod liver oil through pregnancy and while nursing, and raise your child's I.Q. by 3-4 points, in addition to reducing the risk of premature birth and low birth weight. Carlson's Lemon Flavored Cod Liver Oil tastes pretty darn good too: My partner and I, as well as all three kids love it.

Posted by will hertling at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is a favorite recipe we acquired from Dianne on one of our trips to Cortes Island in Canada.

Nutritional Yeast Dressing by Dianne West

Ingredients: 

Gallon recipe	½ gallon	1 quart
20 cloves garlic chopped	10 cloves	5 cloves
1.5 cup tamari	¾ cup	3/8 cup
1.5 cup cider vinegar	¾ cup	3/8 cup
1.5 cup water	¾ cup	3/8 cup
4 cup nutritional yeast flakes	2 cup	1 cup
Oil to desired consistency

Instructions:

1. Place first 4 ingredients in blender and blend.
2. Add nutritional yeast flakes.
3. Add oil to mixture in blender.  There is enough oil when funnel closes in blender.

Our notes: 

This recipe makes 1 gallon but it is easy to quarter the recipe.  This dressing tastes great on salad, rice and veggies and just about anything else you can think of.  The dressing lasts for several months in the refrigerator.

Posted by will hertling at 2:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We all loved this recipe when E made it for the first time last night. We made a triple batch and gave some to friends who loved it too.

Shepherd's Pie

From back of Original Mashed Potatoes box 
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 lb. ground beef
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can (14.4 ounces) Italian stewed diced tomatoes, drained
• 2.5 cups fresh green beans, cooked
• 8 servings prepared Idahoan Original Mashed Potatoes
• 1 egg, beaten

 Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large frying pan, brown onion, garlic and beef.  Add salt and pepper.
3. Drain meat and place in ½ quart casserole dish.  Pour tomatoes over meat, top with green beans.  Mound potatoes on top and brush with egg. 
4. Bake for 30 minutes.  Broil for 1 minute to brown top.

Our Notes:

1. You can substitute fresh green beans for one 15-ounce can green beans drained.
2. We used frozen green beans which we cooked first and then put into the recipe.
3. I took the garlic cloves out at the end.  I think I will just chop the garlic next time and leave it in.
4. This is super yummy comfort food.

Posted by will hertling at 2:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When we were expecting our first child, I remember my partner E reading book after book about being pregnant and the experience of childbirth. I am not exaggerating when I say that she probably read close to twenty books on pregnancy and childbirth. When we woke up the morning after our daughter R was born, I remember E saying something to the effect of "What do we do now? I read all these books on pregnancy and childbirth, but I didn't read anything about being a parent."

Indeed, after the act of childbirth is finished, and you find yourself a parent, there will be no time to read books on parenting.

So while expectant moms are worrying about things like where to have the baby, what vitamins to take, and what exercises to do, it is up to you, expectant dads, to go learn about things that new parents, not expecting moms, need to know.

Here's a list of skills and other things that you should learn about, and preferably practice, prior to the birth of your baby:

1. How to cook meals, clean the house, do dishes, do the laundry, contact key doctors and friends without having to ask your partner. No kidding, this may sound silly, but after childbirth the last thing mom wants to do is worry about any of this stuff. Ideally you will have friends and family helping you with many of these tasks, but you should be able to do them without having to ask your wife questions. You may never have called your wife's best friend before, but you may need to do it after the childbirth. Do you know her last name? Her phone number? Could you get it without waking up your wife when she is taking a precious nap?
2. How to hold a baby. Read about it in a book, and practice with a friend's baby, a doll, or a pet.
3. How to feed a baby. This is sort of a trick question. With luck, mom will be nursing and you won't need to feed the baby. If you do need to feed the baby because nursing isn't going well, you'll probably have a lactation consultant or doula on hand to help.
   
4. How to change a diaper and dress a baby: This is kinda obvious, isn't it? You'll be doing this 20 times a day in the beginning so get good at it. Oh, and a hint: changing diapers before your child starts solid food at about six months is a piece of cake compared to afterwards. So get started early and enjoy the easy ones.
5. How to clean up spilled milk and baby spit-up. You'll be doing this lots.
   
6. How to pack a diaper bag. Make a list of everything that needs to go in the diaper bag. Put this by your front door or closet - where ever you keep the diaper bag. Check the list every time before you go out.
7. How to install a car seat. This is so much easier if you have a LATCH-ready car and LATCH-ready car seat. If not, make sure you try it out ahead of time.
   
8. How to put your baby in the car seat.
9. How to get a baby to sleep. This is probably one of the most fun parts. I love hold babies and watching them fall asleep. Very much related to...
   
10. How to sling a baby. Ah, the modern day baby sling is a relief. You can hold your baby and send email, blog, or surf the web. You can hold your baby and wash dishes. You can hold your baby and garden. There are lots of slings out there, try a few. Practice getting babies in and out, because it isn't always obvious.
    
11. How to burp a baby.
    

If you have these skills, you'll be a master dad.

Posted by will hertling at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is a really funny blog from a guy that has a love-hate relationship with Hello Kitty:

I should know by now that there is no such thing as a normal conversation when you live in Hello Kitty Hell. If the conversation has anything to do with something that might be needed, I will find it at our doorstep a week later in all its Hello Kittiness. That is how the Hello Kitty yoga mat arrived...

Posted by will hertling at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I found two fascinating looks into the future of customer service and support today:

• Satisfaction is a new company, founded by Lane Becker, that provides "People-Powered Customer Service for Absolutely Everything". In his Expanded View of Customer Service, Lane talked about how, once customer service goes two-way (i.e. Web 2.0), then it becomes community, evangalism, and co-creation. Very interesting article.
• Fixya is "consumer electronics support, products repair, manuals, and troubleshooting". It works via a virtual network of "support experts" - self-selected people who choose to participate in providing support, either live chat based support, or forum-style support. Experts get paid a 60% commision for chat support, and a flat-rate $5 payment for solving posted problems.

Posted by will hertling at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Although parenting advice is not a usual part of my blog, with three guy friends expecting babies (congrats Gene, Dave, and Nathan), and two of them being first time dads, I figured it's time to share some of my hard-won parenting experience.

There's just three parenting books that were useful enough to me that I'd want to recommend them to others:

• The Baby Book by Sears: This is the bible of attachment parenting. Attachment parenting is not a parenting style for everyone, but I do think everyone should make a conscious decision about how to parent before becoming a parent. Exposure to attachment parenting via The Baby Book is something that I would heartily recommended, even if parents don't end up using attachment parenting whole hog.
• Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child by Zand, Rountree and Walton: This book is worth it's weight in gold for the number of visits to the doctor that we've avoided. It is very complete - I can't ever recall not finding what I was looking for. And what makes this book so amazing is that every entry contains a descriptive of the ailment, followed by information on conventional western medicine treatment, herbal treatment, vitamin and nutritional treatment, dietary recommendations, homeopathic treatment, and folk medicine treatment. It's so great to see all these different healing modalities in one place.
  
• No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers by Pantley: If you start out by always "wearing" your child to sleep, at some point you'll need to transition them to learning to fall asleep on their own. This book explains exactly how to do that.
  

Good luck Dads everywhere!

Posted by will hertling at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)