Who is Gidget, anyway?

The first time I associated myself with the character “Gidget” was in junior high art class where I made a bookmark that said “Gidget” on one side and “Moondoggie” on the other– I was a romantic at an early age. I had recently seen, and fallen in love with the 1959 movie Gidget (and with it, its companions Gidget Goes Hawaiian, and Gidget Goes to Rome). In girlie games of passing notes in class, “Gidget” was often my nickname of choice.  A few years later, I started surfing, probably in part so I could truly be like my “namesake.” Almost immediately, I was hooked on the sport, and despite my minimal talent I loved, and still love, being in the ocean, a place where I feel truly connected to God. By then “Gidget” was the nickname I used for notes, email, you name it.

Yep, I still have it!

Then, in college, I discovered that Gidget was indeed, a real person! The movies were based on a book, also called Gidget, by Frederick Kohner, who wrote it based on the experiences of his daughter, Kathy, as she learned to surf among all the guys in Malibu. I read it and of course, loved it.

My copy of "Gidget;" it reads "the next wave is for you!"

The summer after I graduated from grad school, CSULB had a special event through the campus extension, a visit from Kathy Kohner Zuckerman, aka Gidget. I was probably the youngest one there in a small classroom with maybe 50 attendees. But it was amazing. She shared pictures, history and excerpts from her diaries.

Me with the real Gidget, 2006

Gidget is an icon in surfing; many say the Gidget movies are what catapulted surfing from a small brotherhood of guys to a mainstream phenomenon. So, in a way, I’m not really anything like Gidget. But I think there’s a part of me that still identifies with her immortal character.

Legacy is important to me. I don’t want my life to be meaningless. She didn’t mean to, but the real Gidget really changed a small corner of the world. I guess I hope I can have a lasting impact on my little corner, my home and the people who enter it.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Here’s the basic process for making HFCS:

corn –> (milled into) corn starch –>
(processed into) corn syrup + enzymes (change glucose to fructose)
= high fructose corn syrup

Google high fructose corn syrup and you’ll find a plethora of articles about it being bad for us. There are possible health concerns with diabetes and high cholesterol, and it may or may not be the cause of rising obesity in the U.S. But hey, eat foods filled with HFCS or sugar (can or beet) and you’re going to be putting your body at risk.

There’s another issue with HFCS though, and here are 2 of the reasons Wikipedia gives as to why it is so controversial:

• The preference for high-fructose corn syrup over cane sugar among the vast majority of American food and beverage manufacturers is largely due to U.S. import quotas and tariffs on sugar. These tariffs significantly increase the domestic U.S. price for sugar, forcing Americans to pay more than twice the world price for sugar, thus making high-fructose corn syrup an attractive substitute in U.S. markets. For instance, soft drink makers like Coca-Cola use sugar in other nations, but use high-fructose corn syrup in their U.S. products.

• Some critics of HFCS do not claim that it is any worse than similar quantities of sucrose would be, but rather focus on its prominent role in the overconsumption of sugar; for example, encouraging overconsumption through its low cost.

An article in the Washington Post says, “What makes corn a target is that federal subsidies — and tariffs on imported sugar — keep prices low, paving the way for widespread use of high-fructose corn syrup and, in the process, keeping the American palate accustomed to the sweetness it provides.” Add to that the problem of how much energy it takes to process the corn into HFCS, and the fact that corn is grown without rotating the crops, which is damaging to the soil, and requires even more pesticides.

I’m not yet very educated on the subject, but let’s just say the evidence suggests that HFCS is a real bad guy when it comes to our health and the planet. Maybe down the road, government corn subsidies will be properly addressed by a future farm bill, because for now, the subsidies are forcing us into eating more sweets than healthy alternatives, simply because they are cheaper.

One of these years, the eaters of America are going to demand a place at the table, and we will have the political debate over food policy we need and deserve. –Michael Pollan

More Resources:

• Wikipedia
• Mayo Clinic article
  
• Washington Post article
  
• You Are What You Grow, by Michael Pollan

Book Giveaway!

Click on over to simplemom.net to read her interview of the author and for a chance to win this awesome-looking book, The Creative Family. I hope I win!

SuperMarkets and Snacks

Here’s a nice little article/interview sent to me from #1 research assistant Sarah about supermarkets.
http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200611/supermarket.asp

I like this quote:
It’s clearly good to have fewer pesticides in the soil and water–not to mention in your body and your children’s bodies–which is why it’s good to buy organic. But organic junk food is still junk food.

I think she makes a good point here. We definitely need to read labels, even on organic foods, but I will say that I’m glad there are (organic) alternatives out there for snacks that are better than the name brand versions.

My main thing with these snack-type foods right now is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)*, which I’m trying to avoid. Here are a few yummy snacks that I buy for Gigi (and mommy & daddy too).

• 365 Organic Quack’n Bites (a Gigi-friendly alternative to Gold Fish)
• Cascadian Farm Organic Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (David’s new Favorite!)
• TJ’s “This Blueberry Walks Into a Bar…” Cereal Bars
• O Organics for Toddlers (Safeway) Organic Cereal Bars
• Hansen’s Creamy Root Beer (not for Gigi, don’t worry!!)
• TJ’s Joe’s Os or Cascadian Farms Os

Do you have any tasty (& healthier than name brand) snack recommendations to share?And while we are on the subject of grocery stores, let me again mention how much I desperately miss Trader Joe’s out here in Colorado! (Heck, we did drive 5 hours once to go to one!)

*Check Gidget Goes Green again soon for a post with more information on HFCS, and why I don’t like it.

Just came across this… twice!

I read this quote on 2 blogs today… Okay, God, are you trying to tell me something?

“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris

I’m working on simplifying…

Win Free Cloth Dipes!

I just entered and you can too.
the Baby Cheapskate blog is giving away free Bum Genius diapers (my cloth dipe of choice!).
Here’s the link:
http://babycheapskate.blogspot.com/2008/07/giveaway-12-bumgenius-30-diapers.html

Book Review: This Organic Life

I just finished a book that may have changed the way I look at eating produce. The book, This Organic Life, 2001, (see link to right under “Good Reads”) is by Joan Dye Gussow, a woman who must be in her 80s now, and writes about her experiences growing all her own vegetables (and some fruit) in her suburban home in New York.I thoroughly enjoyed this book– Gussow’s writing style is easy to follow, honest, poignant & sometimes funny. Although I don’t plan to start growing all my own produce, I have always loved the idea of growing some (waiting on my 2 tomato plants & 1 jalapeno plant as we speak!). She gives great info on (organic) gardening techniques, and tasty recipes to use those ingredients you grow too.

But what I took most out of the book is the idea of eating locally (not a super new idea) and eating fruits & veggies in season (a very new idea to me). I honestly had never thought about this. Our American Consumerism stretches to even foods here as we (my generation) have grown up in the SUPERMarket era of being able to eat whatever, whenever, with very little restrictions due to something being “out of season.” This practice has negatively impacted our environment, local farmers, and even our own tastebuds! Unlike those dumb AM/PM minimart commercials, I think there can be “too much good stuff” (especially when it’s been bred to be not so good), because we become dulled to taste; we don’t savor things, knowing that we only have certain time of year to eat them.

Gussow’s greatest example of this is the tomato. Here’s an excerpt from her chapter called “Lessons from the Tomato:”
“The item accompanying iceberg lettuce in the standard winter salad is the sliced or sectioned orange golf ball deceptively called a tomato. Everyone over fifty knows that the tomato used to be a soft, juicy, sweet-sour fruit… Science has converted this succulent summer treat into a hard, orange, bland, starchy ball that can be sliced or sectioned and served “fresh” any time of year” (page 184).
Mmmm, sounds appetizing, doesn’t it? But seriously, we’ve all had tomatoes like that! And we’ve probably also had a delicious home-grown summertime tomato at least once! I for one, am looking forward to looking into trying to eat more locally and more seasonally!

Now go read this book! It’s awesome!

My Cosmetics Reviews

I’ve been working on a spreadsheet of some reviews of the new, natural cosmetics and skin care products that I’ve tried. Here’s what I have so far! I’ll let you know when I update it!

There will also be a link on the right for this if you want to access it later. Please leave comments if you try one of these items and have any further comments!
Click here:
Nicole’s Cosmetics Reviews

STUFF

Here’s an educational, and actually quite entertaining, short video (about 20 min.) about Stuff, going through the stages Extraction, Production, Distribution, Consumption, Disposal. It gives an interesting background on consumerism and how our country wasn’t always all about shopping, using, wasting, etc. like we seem to be now. And to be honest, a lot of what she says just makes sense.

Click HERE for the video.

On a spiritual level, I think the bombardment of stuff we “need” by the media is a major contributer in our putting people & things above God in our daily lives. In a book I’m reading called No Other Gods, the author, Kelly Minter, says,
“We’re at a significant disadvantage when it comes to the barrage of information society and the media continually propagate… We are constantly bombarded with what is sure to make us “happy” and “satisfied.” (Although it rarely feels like bombardment– that would be too easy to discern!) It feels alluring and promising, packaged in glossy magazines and inviting comercials, on gripping sitcoms and melodic pop songs, on the bodies of models and even in the words of friends. I don’t know how to fashi0nably state this except to say that we are being lied to every day, and greater still, we are being deceived by those lies (page 58-59).”

First Craft Post!

Maybe you’re wondering what being “green” and being crafty have to do with one another (or maybe it’s obvious to you!) … well for me, one of the benefits of having some craft skills (thanks, Mom!) is being able to make things I would otherwise buy. I still have to buy the materials, but usually it costs less, and if not, I at lease get the pleasure of making it and seeing my craftsmanship. It also is a fun way to give gifts for me!

Here’s a project I made recently– a pretty checkbook cover. I also made a similar one (different fabrics) for my mom for Mother’s Day. I got the tutorial from a fun blogger, Kristine, here. She has a link to her tutorials on the right, under her cute little-girl picture. I found her by way of Sew, Mama, Sew, an awesome reference for sewing.

Here it is! I love it, thanks Kristine!
Secret tip: I stole the plastic off my former checkbook cover to use with my duplicate checks! Ignore my crooked stitching by the way!