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About Ana Gazawi

Single mom of two boys trying to live a greenier, crunchier life. Lover of life and all things that bring good people, great conversation, and lasting memories together.

Keep It Healthy Thursdays: The Genesis

December 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Pssssst. Pssssst. Hey you! Yea, I’m talking to you on the other side of the computer screen. Dude, stop giving me the funk-eye, already. Yea, I know. That befuddled look is because you’re wondering how you can hear me when I’m on the other side of the screen. Never mind that, just accept it. And since were on the subject, don’t you think it’s pretty darn cool that you can? I thought so, too. Now that I’ve gotten your attention, I’m sure a million questions are going through your mind. Easy. Easy. We’ll get to all that. Care for a virtual cup of tea? Oh, coffee’s your thing? No probs, we can still hang. How’s that chair working for you? I don’t fluff pillows or prop up feet, but I’ll wait while you get comfortable – take your time, I’m not going anywhere.

Good deal. You look much better now that you’ve gotten a good cup of joe  in you. You had me worried there for a minute with how white your face turned when you spotted me tapping on your screen. So you drink coffee black, eh? Woosah! You’re hardcore, aren’t you? I like you already. I’m pretty hardcore myself. Specifically, about the things I’m passionate about and I certainly don’t ride the fence on those issues. You’ll never see me engage in something unless I fully intend to see it to the end. But, don’t get it twisted though. It doesn’t mean I always finish unscathed – believe me, I have a few bumps and bruises to remind me of some of tough spots I had to meander through to finish what I started. Nonetheless, I do manage to maintain my level of energy and not lose the passion to continue. I’m not a half-ass kinda girl.

Anyway, I know with all the ramblin’ I just did, you’re probably more confused than ever. I know you wanna know who I am, why I just appeared at your screen unannounced and uninvited, blah, blah, blah. Well, to give you the skinny, I’m a single mom of two boys, I work for myself (although my clients think I work for them), I did the college thing many moons ago (I really need to dust off the ‘ole brain cells) and well I’m just plain happy with the state of my life these days. But here’s the real kicker – every Thursday I plan on tapping on your screen so you and I can have a conversation of sorts. Yea, exactly! Like girlfriend chitchat. The subject matter? Well, there will be some wellness, some parenting… well actually A LOT of wellness spun in the form of green living, health, kids, creating a village, and parenting colloquy. Huh? What do I mean by wellness?  Hmmm, let me see the best way to explain this. I suppose I’m hoping that we will have a dialogue that inspires both of us to live better, to be healthier, and to want to move to a higher place – mind, body and spirit. Does that make sense? No, but you’re still interested in these chat sessions anyway? Cool. We’ll carve it out as we go. Really, the most important thing is that if you show up that you are honest and open. I’ll warn you straight away, we won’t always agree, but that’s okay. Just as long as you can handle a healthy, friendly debate that ends with a kiss on each cheek and rescheduling the session for next time. How does that sound? Did you say copacetic? Awesome! Same time, same place next week…

image credit: Tony the Misfit

Ana Gazawi

Single mom of two boys trying to live a greenier, crunchier life. Lover of life and all things that bring good people, great conversation, and lasting memories together.

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Organic Food vs. Conventional Food: a goverment conspiracy?

September 29, 2010 by 1 Comment

Why Is Organic Food More Expensive?

Most people assume that organic food cost less to produce. Why wouldn’t they be? Isn’t organic food grown on organic farms that are free from chemicals and pesticides? How expensive could it possibly be to cultivate a farm using the most basic elements that earth supplies – soil, rain and sun? It would be nice if growing organic food was truly this simple. However, it’s a lot more complex than this. The agricultural businesses are heavily subsidized through our tax dollars, whereas organic farms do not receive any government help.  This is the reason that conventional foods are far cheaper to buy. Our tax dollars underwrite a substantial part of the financial burden that conventional agriculture incurs.

This ludicrous situation was birthed out of an honorable intent by the American government to help ease the severe food shortage of the Great Depression in the 1930’s. In a desperate attempt to prevent further wide-spread starvation and famine, President Roosevelt introduced the subsidies to help sustain the farm industry.  Albeit the subsidies, were predetermined as a temporary solution, the allocation of them persisted far beyond the Depression, developing into the multi-million dollar political platform that it currently is.

Organic food is also more expensive by virtue of agrichemicals that are created to make conventional farming methods cheaper to practice. The agrichemicals agricultural industry was developed with one purpose in mind – to make mass production of food cheaper and quicker. There was never any forethought on nutrition, health or the environment in the design of agrichemicals.

So, has the government conspired against organic food?

I’ll let you answer that question for yourself. Despite the fact that agribusinesses receive government subsidies, there is another vitally reason that hikes up the cost of organic foods – supply and demand. You, as a consumer, tell the government what you are willing to pay for food and what quality of food you want on account of your purchases. Since the demand for conventional food far outweighs the demand for organic food, the government will continue to subsidize traditional agribusinesses thus maintaining the high costs of organic food.

While the demand for conventional food is higher than that of organic food, the issuing of government subsidies to the conventional agricultural industry is an archaic policy that should be defunct. Or at the very least these subsidies should be open to organic farmers as well. Subsidies that are issued to agribusiness are creating an excessive food surplus that is simply disposed of each year. Over 100 billion pounds of food is wasted in America each year and this is largely in part to food production that can’t possibly be eaten. Hunger should not be an issue in America because there is far more food produced in our country than can be consumed. The disturbing fact is that a very small percentage of this surplus actually goes to food banks and organizations that help the needy.

Government subsidies would be better served by helping small local farmers, organic farms, community supported agricultural programs, food co-ops, etc so America can eat healthier and have better quality foods.

Ana Gazawi

Single mom of two boys trying to live a greenier, crunchier life. Lover of life and all things that bring good people, great conversation, and lasting memories together.

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Black women’s health: Fibroids

September 15, 2010 by 1 Comment

I was watching a documentary on infertility recently. My heart just wept for some of these couples that desperately wanted babies. I was particularly saddened by a black couple that had put a second mortgage on their home to help cover the costs of infertility treatment only to be left with a massive debt and no baby. Years before the husband and wife had met each other, the woman had suffered from large fibroid tumors that had to be removed surgically.

I thought about my own journey to have children. I was a young 22 year old college grad. I was engaged to a man I thought was my prince-come. He was incredibly handsome, my a gorgeous mahogany man. He was smart and ambitious and had two degrees in both mechanical and electrical engineering. As soon as I graduated I dashed off to Belize so that we could be wedded in marital bliss and begin our lives together. We didn’t want to start a family for several years so the decision was made that I would go on birth control. His sister-in-law took me to the pharmacy where she purchased her pills and I soon discovered that buying birth control in Belize is no different than buying a pair of shoes. You look at the selection available on the shelf, pick one, buy it and move on with your life.

That decision nearly cost me my baby making parts. A few weeks into taking those pills my life began to crumble – literally. The guy I thought was my prince-come ended up being my prince not-at-all. In the midst of dealing with my deteriorating relationship, I also started having massive bleeding issues. A Belizean doctor told me that I needed to continue taking the pills so that my body could adjust to the new hormones. I didn’t agree with his advice so I quit taking them. By this time my relationship with my ex-fiance was over and I flew back to the US.

A few weeks after returning to the US, the bleeding started again, so I consulted with a gynecologist who prescribed an ultrasound. It was discovered that I had developed fibroids. For the next year different attempts were made to reduce the fibroids, but they continued to grow. Eventually, the doctor decided that a myomectomy was necessary.

Just before my 24th birthday the surgery was performed. At my first doctor’s appointment following the surgery, the doctor solemnly told me that I might not be able to have children. At the time it didn’t seem like a big deal to me, since I wasn’t interested in having children. I had decided to throw myself full throttle into an international career. A good friend and I were making plans to move to the Europe in a couple of years for a French and Spanish language immersion program so that we could be recruited by foreign aid groups such as CARE, UN, CARICOM and UNICEF. This type of career choice wasn’t ideal for a woman with children anyway, so I accepted the bleak prognosis with a stiff upper lip.

Long story short, 4 years later my girlfriend flew off to Europe alone to begin her international humanitarian career with the UN and got married in the early part of the year and had a bouncing baby boy by the end of the year. My pregnancy was a huge unexpected surprise and happened with no effort. However, I recognize my story could have been very different.

Fibroids are a common health issue among black women and most of us know someone who has suffered with them. According to the WomensHealth.org black women are at a greater risk to developing fibroids than white women. The cause of fibroids is unknown, nor is it understood why the prevalence of this abnormality is higher in black women.

Despite the obscure facts about fibroids and black women we do have some level of control over our risk and the following list dictates some of the actions we can take:

  • Be informed about fibroids and all health conditions common in black women so that you will know what questions and tests to ask your doctor
  • Know your family medical history so that you will know if you fall in a high risk category
  • Maintain regularly annual check up with our gynecologist
  • Limit your intake of red meat and increase your intake of dark green vegetables
  • Manage a proper diet and exercise regime

At this time medical research has not found a way to prevent fibroids. However, the good news is that early detection by a doctor, in some cases, can lead to a treatment course that will cause fibroids to shrink on their own, thus bypassing surgery.

Ana Gazawi

Single mom of two boys trying to live a greenier, crunchier life. Lover of life and all things that bring good people, great conversation, and lasting memories together.

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7 ways to go green and save money

September 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Going green is about saving money as much as it is about doing something great for our planet. The more we get into the mindset that living an eco-friendly lifestyle is economical in the long term, it will encourage us to switch from conventional products to energy efficient, greener products. The following tips help our environment and will also help your pocketbook too. Win! Win!

Use Rechargeable Batteries: Rechargeable batteries are a great way to reduce, reuse and recycle. Many of them can be reused up to 1,000 times. More than 15 billion batteries are thrown away each year. Add up all that landfill and you could make a row of batteries that could reach the moon. Batteries are extremely toxic for our environment and should be kept out of our soil through proper disposal.
Kill the Phantom Energy Guzzler: He goes by various names like standby power, lopomo or low power mode. How do you permanently get rid of him? Simply pull the plug on his energy source. Devices such as coffee pots, microwaves, hair dryers, COMPUTERS, TVs & PRINTERS (major offenders) are known to increase your energy bill noticeably. When these devices are not in use, unplug them. If we reduce our usage of electricity it which will help reduce our dependency on oil.
Have Bills Gotcha Down? Is your mailbox stuffed with letters from creditors? You’ve got to be tired of seeing them by now. I’ll tell you who is definitely tired of your bills. Mama Earth. Tons and tons of bills are ending up in our landfills. Millions upon millions of trees are being cut for no reason. Here’s a no-brainer. Switch to receiving your bills via email or setup automatic bill pay.
Save Ink. Save Cartridge: You can save on ink by clicking on preferences on your printer, then clicking on the paper/quality tab, and then on draft. The image will be lighter than if you use the regular setting, but it’s readable and saves on cartridge ink. To save on paper, simply print on both sides of the page when printing multiple pages. You can take your empty cartridges to Walgreens for refills. Hewlett Packard and many other companies will actually take back your empty cartridges. Plug your zip code into Earth911.org”>Earth911.org for nearest drop off location.
Tame the Loo: Put a 1-liter plastic bottle full of water (smaller sizes can float) inside your toilet’s water tank. Each time you flush, instead of using 6 liters of water, you will be using only 5 liters.
Paper? Plastic? Neither: Make it a habit to use your own bags for purchases you make. Most stores offer branded bags for purchase. If you have old canvas bags or if you are crafty and would like to make your own bags, these are other options you can consider.
Keep Your Tires Properly Inflated: When you keep your vehicle’s tires properly inflated, you  increase your fuel economy. The life of your rubber will be extended as well. For every three pounds that your tires are below their recommended pressure, your fuel economy drops one percent. Calculate that on a national level and that adds up to a lot of unnecessary maintenance and gas purchases for our vehicles.

I hope these tips encourage you to green up and in the process I hope they help you save money.

Ana Gazawi

Single mom of two boys trying to live a greenier, crunchier life. Lover of life and all things that bring good people, great conversation, and lasting memories together.

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Portraits of immigrants life

August 18, 2010 by 1 Comment

A few months ago I saw a tweet about a White supremacist rally in LA that sparked anger among some immigrants. Immigration issues always perk my interest because I am an immigrant. Beyond that, immigration issues seem to be, almost singularly, the most effervescent issue faced by this country since it’s birth. Whether or not you agree that English should be the sole national language (*raises hand in support*) or that the wet foot dry foot policy should apply to Haitians too (*lowers hand from raised position in disagreement*); the fact remains that behind every immigrant, is a very unique story. Here is the story of Grandpa and Grandma Bear.

It was a warm August night in 2007. I was running late to a school function. At break neck speed I drove to the school and skidded into the only parking space I could find at the far side of the lot. I dashed to the front of the school and I entered the crowded room where the program was in full swing. Timidly, I squeezed between chairs, floor fans and people seated on the floor to find one unoccupied seat at the rear of the room. The room was hot and muggy and the walls were bursting at the seams with parents’ of students. There seemed to be little circulation of air, to which later I discovered the AC had shut down hours before the program had begun and there was no time to fix it.

Seated next to me was a robust older gentleman with a deep tan and hairy arms that were speckled with gray. Immediately, I noticed his large, coarse hands. The were the type of hands that have toiled the ground for many years. Hands that have labored strenuously. Calloused hands. The hands of a devoted provider; a protector. The look on his face was firm and set. His eyes were deeply entrenched into his broad inscrutable face and his slender lips were tightly circle downward. He reminded me of a bear and from that time on whenever I saw him I would kindly think of him as Grandpa Bear.

On the other side of Grandpa Bear was a boy around the age of my own son. He had the most shockingly blonde hair and pale, pale skin that noticeably contrasted against Grandpa Bear’s darker complexion and graying black hair. To the right of the boy sat a petite frail older woman with a kind, gentle appearance that seemed to have gracefully accepted what life had to offer. She had a head of silver hair that she secured in a bun at the nape of her neck. I kindly think of her as Grandma Bear. She appeared uninterested in the program, but very concerned about making sure the child on the other side of her behaved. He was a smaller replica of the older boy described earlier.

I leaned over to Grandpa Bear and whispered to him if it would be possible to take a glance at the program in his hand since I didn’t get one. He gave me a brief look through his peripheral view and then shifted his position somewhat uncomfortably. I pointed to his program, assuming that he might not have heard me properly and he nodded his head and handed it to me. I ran my eyes over it quickly and returned it to Grandpa Bear. As the program continued I couldn’t help but notice that the older boy was translating everything that happened at the open house.

The program ended and everyone was dismissed to go. I didn’t think much about that encounter until the first day of school. Once again, Grandpa and Grandma Bear came with their two shockingly blonde haired boys and the older child did all the translation. In the process of helping my son set up for his 1st day of class, I found myself watching and wondering about this family. Was Grandpa and Grandma Bear the parents or the grandparents? If they were the grandparents, where were the parents? Why didn’t the parents come to the open house or the first day of school?

I continued to see Grandpa or Grandma Bear either walking the older boy to school or picking him up. My curiosity grew with each sighting of this family. I wanted to know their story. I asked around and it was confirmed that Grandpa and Grandma Bear were the children’s grandparents. If the teachers knew more to the story than they shared, they remained tight lipped about it and I appreciated the way they respected the family’s privacy.

One day I was fortunate enough to get a few brief moments with Grandpa Bear outside the school as we both waited for our boys to be released. I greeted Grandpa with a cheerful Holla! to which he nodded his head. I began talking to him in slow easy sentences with lots of inflection and hand gestures as I talked about our sons. I could tell he understood me. Our conversation consisted of simple phrases & expressive hand gestures, many nods, a few grunts and an occasional short response in Spanish. His demeanor was polite and reserved, but he wasn’t unfriendly.

The door to the classroom flung open and the students began briskly emptying the room. I gave Grandpa Bear a quick wave, he nodded and then I stood positioned to wait for my son to exit. I saw his grandson exiting first. I could see the excitement and pride rise to his tired, worn face. In the whole time we spoke he never smiled, he never made eye contact. However, at the sight of his grandchild, his face lit up with irrefutable joy and love. With a strong, firm hand he grab his grandchild from the swarm of children and gave him a heartfelt head rub and side hug. On the drive home I thought about Grandpa Bear and his grandson. There was more to this story than just merely grandparents who are raising their grandchildren because the parents can’t or won’t do it. No, the bond between this man and his grandson seemed more like a testament of perhaps great loss (maybe to the boys’ parents), tremendous sacrifice (perhaps in immigrating to the US) and immense hope. While I’ll never know the depth of their story, inadvertently they’ve touched me and maybe even made me a more understanding person. Our nation was built on immigrants and she shall remain strong on account of people such as Grandpa and Grandma Bear.

Adapted from a previously written post on Quiskaeya.com

Ana Gazawi

Single mom of two boys trying to live a greenier, crunchier life. Lover of life and all things that bring good people, great conversation, and lasting memories together.

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The case for adoptive breastfeeding

August 4, 2010 by 2 Comments

August 1 – 7 is World Breastfeeding Week. Breastfeeding is a topic close to my heart. Another topic that is close to my heart is adoption. In light of World Breastfeeding Week, I share with you an article I wrote last year that highlights both the importance of breastfeeding and adoption.

A few months back I was visiting a friend at her home. At the time, she and her husband had been anxiously waiting for the day they could bring home their adopted son. Over sips of tea and freshly made bread, we discussed her plans to bring home her adopted newborn boy. Excitedly, she shared about the cloth diapers that she had made and we laughed and talked about how her first handmade diaper had been a disaster.

After a while of chatting about diapers, I switched the subject to breastfeeding. I asked her how her relactation efforts where coming along. Her face lightened up as she said that she was able to pump and store 3 oz of milk the day before. I could tell that she couldn’t wait to have her adopted son in her arms, while she nursed him at her breast.

The idea of breastfeeding an adopted child is quite foreign to most adoptive parents. Some parents are aware of milk banks, facilities that process and store breast milk that can be acquire through a doctor’s prescription. I even remember as a child a family in my neighborhood bottle feeding breast milk to their adopted baby. I have vivid memories of coming over to their home and witnessing women from our community expressing milk that would be stored for feeding the baby later on.

Barbara Wilson-Clay states in her article, Induced Lactation, throughout history infants have been nursed by surrogate mothers. Wilson-Clay goes on to say that in the event that no already-nursing mother was available, anthropological reports from several different continents describe efforts by a non-lactating woman to induce lactation by putting the baby to her breast. These surrogate mothers, also known as “wet nurses” would nurse another mother’s child the same way a biological mother nurses her own child.

Adoptive breastfeeding takes feeding an adopted baby to a very personal and unique perspective in that it helps to develop a physical and emotional bond between mother and child. According to Adoption.com, more and more frequently mothers planning on infant adoption are considering this option as a way to promote attachment.

Adoptive breastfeeding can happen through thorough planning and preparation. One of the most important steps a mother can take to ready herself to nurse her adopted child is to educate herself about it. Although, there isn’t a lot of written information about adoptive nursing, through research you can find information coming directly from the experiences of mothers who have breastfeed their adopted children. This is invaluable information because it gives a firsthand account of what the process is like.

Many mothers discount adoptive breastfeeding because they feel if they aren’t currently breastfeeding it will be impossible to stimulate a supply of milk. Furthermore, mothers who have never breastfed are often concerned that they will not be able to produce milk. Whether you were an experienced nursing mother or you are contemplating breastfeeding for the first time, you can re-lactate or induce lactation. A woman’s body is uniquely created in a way that if she stimulates her breast she has a good chance of getting them to produce milk. Stimulation can be done through breast massages, nipple manipulation and sucking. Sucking can either be directly from the adopted baby or from pumping devises.

The amount of milk that each woman is able to produce varies from woman to woman. Predicting the volume of milk is very difficult. However, for a normal healthy woman she should be able to produce some degree of milk. Some women consider galactagogues which are substances used to increase milk supply. Some common forms of galactagogues are herbs and prescription medications. While there are no guarantees that a women will be to produce a large enough supply of milk to feed her baby through her breast alone, the more often that she nurses her child the higher her chances are of increasing her supply.

There are instances when no matter what steps a mother takes to increase her production of milk, she is not able to do so. In this situation a mother may want to try an alternative feeding method. One such method is the nursing supplementer. This devise is a container that holds expressed (or formula) milk that hangs from a cord around the mother’s neck. The container sits between the mother’s breasts and a thin tube that leads down from the contain, is taped to one of the mother’s breasts and extends slightly past the nipple into the baby’s mouth. Kellymom.com mentions that if your baby is latching on well, a nursing supplementer can be a big help in that it encourages the baby to nurse at a mother’s breast by giving him a constant flow of milk. The baby’s sucking action will further stimulate the mother’s breast and this could increase her supply.

In conclusion, if you are interested in adoptive breastfeeding you may want to contact La Leche League, a great resource for information regarding breastfeeding.

Previously posted on Quiskaeya.com

Ana Gazawi

Single mom of two boys trying to live a greenier, crunchier life. Lover of life and all things that bring good people, great conversation, and lasting memories together.

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