Hello New WIC Programs, Goodbye Anyway

Like most government food programs for the poor, the supplemental nutrition program for Women Infants and Children (WIC) is more about the support of big agribusiness than helping the poor climb out of poverty. According to the Wall Street Journal:
"Nearly half of all infants in the U.S. are enrolled, and 54% of infant formula in the U.S. is distributed through WIC.
Since the late 1980s, states have negotiated contracts with formula manufacturers, who returned rebates to the states totaling $1.64 billion in 2004, the last year for which statistics are available. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29% of WIC recipients are breast-feeding at six months, compared with 46% of women who are eligible for WIC but don't receive the aid and 47% of ineligible women."

Eew. So WIC makes it more likely that a woman will use formula. Each state gets to choose which company to jump in bed with and gets rebates for generating formula consuming customers.

As the new WIC food packages roll out, none of that is likely to change. An enrolled family will still get milk full of hormones and antibiotics (coming soon: milk from cloned cows); breakfast cereal full of sugar and GMOs; genetically modified infant cereal of dubious, artificially added nutritional value; cheese from the above tainted milk; lots of fruit juice, some from the most chemically tainted produce available; low quality, allergen filled peanut butter; dried beans; factory farmed eggs, and canned fish. Added to the new package are bread and vouchers for fruit and vegetables with each state getting to put the kibosh on organic if their budget is eaten up by handing out formula.

To sweeten the deal for breastfeeding moms (since WIC says they promote breastfeeding), they will get a whopping $2 more a month to buy vegetables under the new standards and no one else gets the cans of sardines. The "downside" is that her baby is only eligible for for one can of formula the first month, after that the mom can apparently choose to breastfeed as little as once a day according to what the new interim rule and get both formula and the breastfeeding mom food package. That way the formula companies still get their money for helping keep the poor fat , stupid and sick.

To give WIC some credit, even their food is better than starvation and some families really don't have access to wholesome foods so any food is a blessing.

Personally, I have found that my family eats much better and cheaper without WIC. To begin with, I'm not making special trips to grocery stores that take their vouchers and shopping for the rest of my groceries there because its more convenient than going elsewhere for real food. Secondly, I'm not planning my family's meals to use up all that breakfast cereal and milk. Even with recent increases in food prices, dropping WIC has helped me make changes that really are less expensive and better for me and the kidlets.

For example, Sugar Pirate likes cottage cheese and peas for breakfast. Lots more protein than plain milk and Kix without added sugar.

I can also get our probably unnecessary dairy calories from kid friendly organic string cheese and pro-biotic yogurt tubes (or ice cream sticks, according to the kids). Juice is a treat, not something to slog down instead of water so that I can make room in the freezer for frozen berries and veggies. When we do have cereal, we get Gorilla Munch or Panda Puffs which are so much cheaper than the genetically modified WIC cereals and we can put organic cow, soy or nut milk over the top depending on what was inexpensive and fit in with the rest of our menu.

Lest you think I am out there with my food choices, and really do spend a ton: my monthly food budget is about $100/person. When I was on WIC, it was closer to $150 and led me to give in to the old soda temptation as well as other bad eating habits (darn those Little Debbies anyway). We still have some bad habits like Zombie and I eating microwave popcorn in front of Lost and using too much half and half in our hot beverages; but after getting out from under all the WIC junk, I know I feel better and the kids aren't as grumpy.

So goodbye WIC. Goodbye false economy of eating pseudo food. Goodbye missing work to go to uninformative "classes" or have my babies' fingers stabbed. Goodbye getting sent home with formula because I don't work enough to get a breast pump on loan.
We are so much better off without it.

Nancy Drew Got Nothin On My Girl

Easter was wonderful. The kids and I had brunch at one friend's, went to Imago for the amazing Easter service and went to an amazing single mama's house for fabulous pizza afterward.

The only blight on the weekend was the theft of Zombie Mac's MacBook. She was watching her little brother at a playground and a "bad guy," in the words of Sugar Pirate, came and just picked it up off the ground next to where she was sitting and helping Sugar Pirate with his jacket. I'm really upset because I can not replace it for her and it was a very generous gift from her grandmother. Of course we don't have renter's insurance because its been so hard to pay even basic bills like rent and electric.

Still, she impressed me with refusal to play victim in the whole thing. Through her detective work, she managed to get enough information about the guy so that he now has a warrant out on him. I am also very pleased with the work of Officer Justice of the Gresham Police Department. His response has been prompt, respectful, responsive and as proactive as a police officer is allowed. I really like the fact that he has allowed Zombie to be her own advocate and did not try to minimize her involvement or treat her "like a kid."

Its pretty doubtful she'll get the computer back and I'm not so sure that I would lay down over a grand to teach Zombie this type of self advocacy, but this has to be happening for a better reason than just random evil. Pray for the thief that somehow he gets the help he needs through all this. Pray for Zombie that nothing further happens to her and that she can be compassionate and wise as well as smart and spunky.

Babes on the Bus

Since our new life means that I don't have access to a car, the current discussion over at UrbanMama is particularly relevant. I really don't understand why everyone is so much more important than children. Maybe because they are not powerful consumers? Maybe because they can't talk very well?

Tri-Met should certainly stop acting in a discriminatory way toward the families that ride. What is up with a community that lets crime reach crisis proportions on public transit, but a mom with a babe is basically told to stay off and stay home?

Easter Goodness

I am almost done with the kids' baskets.

Since we're "starting over" we don't have a lot of holiday paraphernalia. What a blessing: no tacky dollar store plastic ugliness to make our holiday full of useless trash; no excess of awful artificial weirdness called candy to fight over; just a few simple gifts for the kids because I love them!

I'm pretty proud of the baskets themselves. I made some paper mache bowls and added a handle of scrap yarn for the little egg hunters. Zombie Mac and I will have our baskets sans handles. Sugar Pirate painted his of course - any opportunity for the boy to use acrylic craft paint must be embraced.

After Easter, the bowls will be put into service as holders for our growing collection of pine cones and rocks.

These are super inexpensive (just right for my budget) and could be adjusted to suit your family very easily.

Supplies:
torn up newspaper or paper bag
a couple handfuls or so white flour
water
a glob of white glue or modge podge
paint
a plastic grocery bag
a small bowl for the mold

Directions
1. Tear up your paper (Great project for any paper tearing kid. One year old Ninja Monkey loved it.)

2. Mix water and flour until it is runnier than pancake batter and stir in the glue (This is good for goo loving kids like two year old Sugar Pirate.)

3. Put your bowl upside down in the plastic sack and start dipping the paper in the mix and laying it on.

4. When it is thick enough to seem sturdy, let it dry for a few hours before you take it off the mold and plastic sack.

5. Let dry completely (about two days), and paint if you want. To add some color to bowls I didn't want to paint, I put the paint in the paper mache paste.

6. Punch some holes in the side and thread with some yarn you tie off or anything else you think would make a great handle.

Workin' It with Gratitude

Started my new job today, finally. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude about it: leaving my kids with someone else 5-6 days a week, seven if you count Sundays at church. So here are the great things about it: its easy to get to, money, I'm done at 2:30, money, independence, money. Obviously this is not my calling and the money is not very good, but we are NOT making it on what I "make" being unemployed.
Child support would be such a blessing, but I can do this; with the help of God and Church and family and friends of course. So thanks to Peggy and Imago and Barney and Janine and Charlotte and Mom and Steve and Dad and Grandma and Kerri and Aunt Judy and Robin and Shannon and Brother for the prayer, financial help, breakfasts at Rumpspankers, the ride to Sugar Pirate's surgery, great conversation, the Zoo membership and just general love and sweetness. Thanks to God for all of you. You have seriously carried me through these last few months.
Here's to solvency - cheers!

Morning Music March 16th

The goal with Morning Music is to get my little ones familiar with various types of music and composers/artists by listening as we get ready in the morning. Since I try to have coffee with the compy in the morning before I get caught between the Ninja Monkey and the Sugar Pirate, putting it on my blog should make it easy to access.

This week we'll listen to the 1812 Overture by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky performed by the Skidmore College Orchestra.