This week seemed to be filled with big ups (like the federal judge's overturn of Prop 8) as well as big downs (like the new garbage patch that was discovered in the Indian Ocean.)

 

In the world of green parenting, this past week was World Breastfeeding Week and it was certainly encouraging to see all of the funny clips and encouraging stories about breastfeeding all over the web.

 

But for me there were three stories that really stood out this week and they seemed to represent the good, the bad, and the ugly of parenting.

 

The Good: Apparently, gasoline demand is now at its lowest point since June 2004.  That's pretty huge considering that we are smack dab in the middle of the summer vacation season.  Yes, I know that the sluggish economy is the reason for this low demand, and while that is not good news, I'm glad it is at least producing a welcome outcome.  Maybe, just maybe, if folks get used to driving a little less now, it will become more common place, even when the economy recovers.

 

The Bad: Ellen DeGeneres (and other celebs like Jennifer Anniston) and their promotions for bottled water.  Come on gals.  We love you, and we know you don't need the money.  So why oh why are you shilling bottled water to us when you know it's so bad for the planet?

 

The Ugly: The ugliest story that I read this week was one on Parenting.com about the most ridiculous parenting products in the marketplace today.  I mean, the Swarovski crystal binky and the high heels for babies were bad enough, but these "infant pillows" in the shape of human hands (pictured above) have been giving me the creeps all week!