I Dream of Cows

The Cow 
Robert Louis Stevenson

The friendly cow all red and white,
I love with all my heart:
She gives me cream with all her might,
 To eat with apple tart

She wanders lowing here and there,
And yet she cannot stray,
All in the pleasant open air,
The pleasant light of day;

And blown by all the winds that pass
And wet with all the showers,
She walks among the meadow grass
And eats the meadow flowers.

*   *   *   *   * 

The other day I went to the grocery store, for just a quick trip.  We already had produce from our co-op basket, and staples in our home storage, so I loaded my cart with a few gallons of milk, a pint of cream, a tub of yogurt, a block of cheese, and a quart of ice cream.

"I need a cow." I said to myself. 

And I laughed, because I'm really serious.  Because that wasn't the first time I've had that thought.  I've been thinking about it more and more.  (And even looked at dairy calves on Craigslist!)

Beyond the issue of how much dairy we use, the biggest draw for me is the quality of "homegrown" dairy products versus what is available in the stores.    Particularly the difficulty in finding grass-fed dairy.

 I recently found out that I could get "grass-fed" butter at our grocery store.  Kerrygold, "pure Irish butter", half as much butter for twice as much money as the store brand. 

It's delicious bright yellow butter.  But it's shipped from Ireland!

The ecologically-minded side of me doesn't think that's a very responsible purchase to make.  But it makes the capitalist side of me wonder. . .  why is there a market for expensive butter shipped in from Ireland?  Why don't commercial American farmers realize that there is a market in the US for grass-fed dairy products, and they are letting the Irish farmers capture that market and all the profits?!

A local dairy here started selling their own butter recently.  That's great, and I'd love to support a local dairy--but still the product is not really what I want.  Their cows are completely grain-fed.  Some of it grown by the dairy itself, which is admirable, but still, a cow's body is built specifically for digesting grass, and has a really hard time on grain. And in turn, the milk that comes from cows fed on a diet of "minimum input for maximum output" does not contain the same nutrients as milk from grass-fed cows.

It's fine, people that don't mind don't mind.  All I want is the choice to eat the food that I want.  And I'm just realizing with more and more things how difficult it is for me to find what I want in the grocery store. 

(Even venturing out further doesn't quite give me everything I want. We bought milk off the farm for a number of months last summer.  It was a 15 minute drive each way, we could only get 4 half-gallons at a time, they were in nice milk bottles, which look great, and make for easy pouring into glasses, but not for easy cream-skimming.  And, frankly, very expensive.  I believe a cow will be expensive to have as well, but it would provide for all our dairy needs, and maybe for bartering for other needs beyond that.)

Add to the lack of what I want being found in the grocery store, my growing family size compared to package sizes in grocery stores and it's making less and less sense (or cents) to buy there.  I think the time is coming (and I'm excited for it), when I will get my produce by the bushel, my grains in 50lbs sacks, and my dairy products straight from the (very generous) backyard cow.     

My future as a milk maid is waiting for me. 

img. Forgotten Household Crafts, by John Seymour

The Dirty Life

Someone lent this book to Jeremy to read a long time ago.  One technique I'm using for de-cluttering my house is returning things from my home that don't belong to me back to their actual owners.  (Obvious, right?) So I finally sat down to read this so we could return it. 

The author tells her story of "city-girl-mets-hippy-farm-boy."  Interviewing him on his sustainable farm, and becoming interested in him and his "manly work", eventually hooking up with him and moving to a new area to start a larger farm, and finally get married. 

Her boyfriend's vision was a whole-diet farm.  So where some local farms will offer the community weekly or bi-weekly baskets of produce for their membership, he wanted to provide everything for the whole diet: milk, meat, eggs, fat, and something sweet like maple syrup, along with a basket of produce.  Along with that goal he wanted to run his farm sustainably through using draft horses and renewable energy sources.  The author does a good job of not glossing over the tough aspects of starting up a farm from scratch--which are plentiful--without sounding too whiny.  And it was interesting to see the progress of how they went about trying to create this farm. 

(On a side note, there were two sentences in the book I had a problem with because of their sexual nature, one sentence describing an intimate moment, and one retelling a dirty joke.  I really had to ask why they were necessary.  Sometimes it really feels like people are trying to prove something through including unnecessary lines like those.)     

In terms of philosophy, although I respect the idea of the whole diet-farm, I wonder if it is actually counter-productive to some of the ideals her husband believes in.  The cost of the yearly membership to Essex Farm is $3700 for an adult (I looked up their website) and $3300 for a second adult. And for children it is $120 per year of their current age.  So for a membership my family would have to pay $8,920 for the year.  And yes, it is meant to supply all our food needs, and they let you take all you want to can and preserve extras for the winter etc, but that is $743 dollars a month to feed my family, and next year with the boys a year older it would be an additional $40 dollars a month, or $783 a month.

Where is that money supposed to come from?  I'm not saying the food is not worth that much, I believe in paying farmers a good wage, but I'm asking where it is supposed to come from.  He detests commercialism, and consumerism, and "the man", and electricity, but for people to afford buying his food they have to go out into the economic world that he claims to be against in order to earn the cash to buy from him.  He requires that by the very nature of being a whole diet farm.  He leaves no way for people to offset the costs of their membership in a natural, sustainable way.  For example, I can't be a dairy farmer, or an orchardist, and earn money from that and just go to his farm for my other produce needs or my meat.  I have to go to him for everything, and he wouldn't even be interested in bartering or trading with me, because he does it all.  So he requires that all the members have the type of job that pays large amounts of cash in order to support his "sustainable farm".

And along with that he is monopolizing the business from any other small farm farmers in the region.  If he offers only one type of membership--a whole diet--and requires such a large fee to do so, then his members will not have money or need, after picking up their food from his farm, to go support any other regional farmers that sell, just eggs and chickens, or similar.  Instead, he employs ten full-time farmers working for him on his farm.  It seems if he were really so against the commercial system (he only buys second-hand clothes, etc.) that he would be more encouraging of similar choices in others.  In which case it would make more sense to perhaps support and be a part of a local network of a number of small farmers in order to provide the whole diet for a membership in the network, rather than just supporting his farm.

Simply, in our family, we raise our own chickens for our egg needs and some of our meat needs, and we keep bees to provide for a major amount of our yearly sweetner-usage.  We also do gardening that supplies small amounts of produce for our family.  We do these things naturally and chemical-free.  We do it because we think it is good for the earth, and it offsets some of our food costs.  However, a membership at Essex Farm would be a discouragement from our doing those things since they would be redundant to our farm membership benefits, and increase our yearly food budget even more.  Ultimately, if multiple people stopped their small-scale home efforts to just use the farm membership benefits, I feel that is a net loss both to the earth, and the type of sustainability and stewardship mentality that farmers like her husband are trying to promote.

                    

A New Pair of Shoes

I finally bought myself a new pair of shoes, since I've needed to for quite some time (years, even?). I've been disappointed by the cheap shoes I've bought the last couple of summers--loosing their shape after just a few weeks and falling apart shortly thereafter.  But even though I found a great quality shoe that I liked, and knew would last a long time, it was still difficult to swallow the $90 price tag.  I had birthday money from my mother-in-law, however, and decided to "splurge".

However, over spring break I gained a bit of a perspective change.   



For spring break we visited Historic Nauvoo, and learned all about life in 1840.  An interesting fact we learned was that a pair of shoes cost a person about one day's worth of earnings.

I've heard facts like that before, but for some reason it made me actually stop this time and literally compare it to my own situation with the "expensive" pair of shoes I'd just bought.  Jeremy isn't employed full time right now, but if he was employed full time, at his current rate of compensation, a $90 pair of shoes is a completely reasonable purchase according to the standards of the 1840's.

I've been learning a lot more the last few years about cheap clothing--how we have way too much of it as a nation, and how the price of clothing has actually dropped over the decades encouraging people to buy more and more, and how this has brought with it personal dissatisfaction, and other social, economic and environmental problems.

My friend Aleatha sews new clothes from "old" clothes she picks out at thrift stores-- she was the first one to introduce me to the fact that our country ships bales of all our old donated clothes off to "charity" to other countries where they often are turned away, because the poor countries already are swimming in an excess of American hand-me-downs!

It's hard to not buy cheap clothes when you feel like you don't have much of a budget for this basic necessity of life!  But I've been realizing that I definitely feel the burden of cheap clothes in my life, and that maybe my life would be better with fewer, better clothes.  It's frustrating to waste a limited budget buying things that fall apart or stretch out quickly and need to then be replaced.  I also have plenty of things in my closet I bought because it was a great deal--but it wasn't really what I wanted, or doesn't fit right.  I hang on to these things guiltily because I recognize the lack of social responsibility in throwing out something I've only worn once or twice, but of course hanging on to them makes no sense at all.

I have a major problem with clothes for my little boys too.  We live off of hand-me-downs for them.   We've received hand-me-downs sometimes from multiple sources at once.  I was never selective--I'd put it all in the drawer, because "beggar's can't be choosers" --right?  And, yes, there are 3 pairs of khaki corduroys, but one pair might wear out and we'll need a back up. . . and a back up for the back-up--right?.  At one point a few years ago I literally gave away half of our 2T clothes to a friend with a baby boy, and when Wyatt worked his way through the 2Ts last year, I couldn't tell that anything was missing. 

Our problem is that all these clothes take up space.  We have a big family and live in a small house.  We really don't have enough room for our closets and drawers to be filled with clothes we don't wear while the handful of things that we love go through the short cycle of body, to washing machine, to folding table, back to body, without ever even making it to the drawers!

If we only wear a few favorite pieces of clothing, then that's all we need in our house.  If they are well-made, they should last a long time, and when we need a replacement we can acquire it at that time.  I'm psyching myself up (see me?)  because it's time to purge.  I need to make room for the new baby, and there's no reason for me to hold on to things just because they are already here.

My goal would be to let these feelings of stress over getting rid of things make me think harder in the future about what new things we bring into our home.  And really, I hope that I can keep the perspective I've been developing (really in a lot of areas in my life) about not insisting that the cheapest option is, by default, the best.  I want things that are high-quality and last, that I don't have to replace after one season.

And based on those principles and the lesson I learned over spring break--I will now wear my shoes without any false sense of over-indulgence, but a sense of respect for quality, and responsibility to take the proper care of my shoes so that they will last me a good long while. 

Quick Change Vintage Sheet Curtains

My living room curtains were feeling very heavy and wintery.  I wanted something a bit more airy to reflect the bright summer days happening out of doors. 

With plans on moving in a year I really didn't want to spend a lot of money on fabric for something that might not work in the next house we live.  And to tell the truth--I wasn't really interested in spending time to sew something because I'd rather spend my time on my quilts right now. 

I found my answer in a thrift store sheet.  (It fit my parameters and was an eco-friendly option as a bonus.)  I have two windows so I took a queen-sized sheet and cut it right down the middle lengthwise.  The proportions may have been a little better for cutting it width-wise, but I liked the vine pattern better going in the up and down direction. 

Also by cutting it in half length-wise It already hat this great folded-over edging on the top and bottom.

Perfect for running a curtain rod through.

(Though my rods are a bit formal for these curtains--it's ok.)

I honestly didn't bother to even hem the edge I cut (ripped actually).  I can always go back and do it on a day when I have more than 5 seconds to work on it.  But meanwhile I have a new set of summery muslin curtains That only cost me $2.25 for the pair and required zero sewing.  (And as a bonus were friendly on the environment.)

Cloth Diapering Made Easy -- Sewing Tutorial

When Wyatt was born one of Jeremy's professors lent us a large stash of newborn-sized cloth diapers.  (Jeremy's profession is pretty "green" in general.)  We've done cloth diapering on and off with each of our boys, but enjoyed trying out some of the "fancier" products we'd never spent the money on.

The all-in-one cloth diapers are the easiest cloth diapers.  They have a waterproof outer cover and thick inner lining, and you either velcro or snap the diaper on the baby just like a paper diaper.  When it's wet you throw it in the wash pail, and 2-3 times a week you do laundry.

The drawbacks to the all-in-one diaper are that the laminated waterproof cover breaks down fairly quickly because you wash it every single time it is worn, and the diapers take a really long time to dry because they are so thick.  A pocket-style cloth diaper has an opening at the back where you slide in the large soaker pad, but then pull it out for laundering.  This way the thickness is in two pieces and the diapers dry faster, but still the diapers must be washed every time.

The favorite product that we tried from this stash of newborn diapers was the Thirsties wrap.  It's a waterproof cover with no inner lining.  You put a cloth diaper on the baby and then put the waterproof cover on over it.  The cloth diaper gets wet but the cover stays dry so you can reuse the cover over and over until wash day.  (I also think the wrap seems a bit smelly after a messy diaper, so I usually retire it until wash day then as well.) 

The cloth diapers we borrowed were really nice, but I already had a stash of converted prefold cloth diapers that I made when Owen was a year old.  So we bought some Thirsties covers to use with those.  It's a lot easier than the plastic pants we used with Owen and Jonas.  Pulling the plastic pants on and off can be a pain especially when there's a messy diaper involved.  We are loving the diaper wrap covers, and the best part was--we only bought three and that is all we need. 

When I was pregnant with Owen I researched a lot about cloth diapers.  I wanted it to be inexpensive and easy.  Who doesn't--right?  An idea I came across that I really liked was converting a prefold to a contoured or fitted diaper.  Adding elastic helped the fit, and adding hook and loop tape helped the user-friendliness.  Gerber Prefolds are like $20 for 12 I believe.

Prefold into Fitted Diaper Tutorial

Supplies: Prefold cloth diapers, fold-over-elastic, hook and loop tape (Velcro), scissors, thread. 

Lay out the cloth diaper and trace the pink shape on each side.  Cut out on the pink line--set that piece aside, and then trim the diaper by cutting along the green lines.  Discard the piece marked by the blue triangle.  Use the piece outlined in green to extend the tabs at the top of the diaper and make them longer.  The pink pieces cut from the sides can be unfolded to create an oval shape.  Lay 4-6 of these on top of each other and serge or zigzag the edges together to make "doublers" for nap time or bedtime or bigger kids. 

Fold the elastic over the raw edge of the diaper to bind the edges.  Pull to stretch out the elastic as you sew along the back waist area and the two long sides that will stretch around the thighs.  (If you can't find fold-over-elastic you can surge the edges or bind them with something else but you will want to sew some 1/4 inch elastic at the back waistband and along the legs first.  Sew it in between the layers of the diaper so it's not against the  skin.)

Sew on hook and loop tape.  The placement of loop tape makes this diaper fit a number of sizes baby through toddler age.  Sewing a loop tape to the inside of the tabs allows you to secure the hook tape when washing so it doesn't stick to all the laundry. 

 Fold the top inside and overlap the tabs for infants.  Fold the top inside and use the large front hook tape for a bigger baby (that's the stage Wyatt is at right now.)  For toddlers leave the front up and use the hook tape in the upper corners.

We used to use these plastic pants, and they are still an acceptable option.  I love the wrap style of our new covers--it makes it really convenient.  Some people also like wool covers so they can avoid using plastics.  Any of those covers will work with these fitted cloth diapers. 

Tackling the Toy Surplus

It is really easy to accumulate too many toys.  With a number of children--particularly when they are all the same gender--the toys just accumulate with each additional birthday, or Christmas, or bored afternoon stroll through the big box store.  

It's hard to recognize the point where it becomes too much.  But I've definitely felt lately that there is too much.   I want my children to respect and feel a stewardship over their belongings.  That doesn't happen when there are toys all over the floor that they are stepping on because they pulled them all out looking for something else.  Having less toys would help help them appreciate and care for their toys more. 

Also we have toys of varying quality.  "Experts" say the best toys for children are ones that allow for open-ended creative play.  Toys that serve more than one specific function.  We really would rather have fewer toys and have them be ones that the boys end up playing with regularly rather than once in a while.  

But It's really hard to get rid of their toys.  For us and them (but mostly us). 

One thing we've done over the last few years to get rid of toys is giving them to friends that have babies.   I tell the boys "Don't you think Clark would love this penguin bowling?"   And then I let them help me wrap it up and give it to their baby friend.   I tell the parents that we're cleaning out toys and thought their kid would love it rather than us throw it out.   Then they see it as a great idea not as you giving them a cheap present--it's very hip to be "green" after all-- Then the boys are happier to see their toys go.  

A huge local twice-yearly consignment sale is coming up this weekend.   Last time I took a few toys/games and they actually sold better than my clothes (Since my clothes aren't that nice.) So I'm doing all toys and accessories this time.   Owen did start crying when I went off with the bin of toys (but I ended up bringing home the one he was crying over since it didn't sell so he was happy).   This time I took the toys this morning when Owen was at school.  What he doesn't see won't hurt him. 

I'm trying to get rid of toys that the boys don't play with much and toys that are doubles (Serve the same function of another toy) and toys that are annoying.  Like games that make a huge mess ant aren't really much fun anyway.   These are the easiest places to start because you don't feel so bad about getting rid of them.


But the actually getting rid of the toys is hard (as opposed to putting them in storage) because we --and I'm talking parents here-- often have emotional attachment to things like "it was from Nonny" or something.   But it's better to have a house that is livable and not stuffed to capacity rather than hold on to things that are past their useful stage.   The other thing that makes it hard is looking at the toys and seeing the money that was invested in them.   So to get rid of them we have to first "suck it up"  and realize that we are losing the money associated with those toys (or on the other hand say "Yeah, I got my $10 worth of fun out of that toy") and then use those two kinds of feelings to help us make more wise buying choices (or choices to not buy) in the future.  

As for the kids.   I've heard of a trick if you think your kids will flip out about you getting rid of their toys:
Take the toys you think they won't miss.   Put them away in a box in the garage. Leave them there for a month.   If your kid asks for a certain toy specifically you can go get it for them (without letting them see the box of toys) Anything they haven't asked about after a month you give away or sell or whatever. Most of the time they won't notice their missing toys--they'll notice the toys that are left behind--because all of the sudden they can see them because they aren't covered in clutter!  

I've really been feeling overwhelmed with toys recently, so I tried to over-purge rather than under-do it.  But I probably could have done better and gotten out more for this sale.  As Jeremy and I have started trying to get rid of things we have definitely realized that WE are a big part of the problem! This time Jeremy says any toys that don't sell we will just give away--we're that serious about clearing out. 

Conflicted

Recently I sold some children's toys at a consignment sale.  I've wanted to downsize in the toy area since since a third baby has necessitated that the toy and craft room now be a toy room/craft room/bedroom combination--including another dresser. 

So I sold a game we got at a garage sale that wasn't that fun.  I sold a little plastic 4 key piano since we got Jonas a much cooler piano.  I sold some squeaky plastic blocks in favor of keeping our larger set of wooden blocks. 

So it seemed like I was selling a lot of things that we had two of.  Double-type toys happen when you receive hand-me-downs, and also gifts from people who don't live in your toy room.  But having two of the same toy is obviously a waste of space.  And besides that I really am starting to feel like too many toys is not a good thing.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that Jonas has broken a number of unrelated things in the last week and his response to me is (just get a) "New one, Mom." 

But there was one choice I struggled over and in the end could not make.  The choice between two sorting cubes.

On the left hand we have a fun colorful sorting cube.  The shapes are peek-a-blocks that you can see into.  The thing plays music when a shape falls into it.  I think it was a gift from a family member.  And we have watched Owen and Jonas both play with is as babies and love it. 

On the right hand we have a wooden sorting cube that I got free from a swap meet at church.  That should be the one I want to give up--right?  But there's a part of me that really loves the "natural" things.  I love that it's made of wood, and seems so timeless.  Almost like that's the way toys "should" be.  Obviously I felt strongly enough about it to pick it up even when I knew we already had a sorting cube sitting at home. 

But I couldn't decide which one to sell because choosing one or the other would be defining me as a mother. --I know I'm nuts-- But what kind of mother am I?  Am I a buy cute, trendy, hip, techno-sporting toys. (Not too many, of course, but of that variety.) Or am I an all natural throw out all my Tupperware don't let my babies handle or teethe on any kind of man-made products kind-of mom? 

I love old wooden toys, but it's a serious commitment to go "all natural."  I read a blog post recently about someone's search for mattresses, pillows, and bedding that was all organic and made without any synthetic materials--because what's the one place where your children spend more time than any other?  In their bed breathing in all the chemicals being let off from their mattress and rubbing their little cheeks on pillowcases made from *gasp* non-organic cotton!!!  Going all natural is a huge commitment!

I just don't think I'm ready to make that commitment yet.  So until I do--the sorting cubes stay.

Snack Bags Revisited

I've been thinking of a variation on those reusable snack bags I made to let them open up a bit more in the bottom.  At first I thought of making a pleat in the bottom like those pleated sandwich bags have, but I like what I came up with instead better.  

Sew the bag the same as the older version.  Then open the bag, pinch the bottom corners open one at a time and sew them flat open, straight across about an inch from the point, creating a little triangle.  (That is a gray side seam running down the middle.)

Then trim off that extra triangle of fabric, and cover that seam with bias tape, and the bottom looks like this.

 It leaves a nice wide open space inside for filling.

And the best part is--it makes it a self-standing bag.  That makes filling easier too.

Come back tomorrow to see the whole system I have worked out for doing Owen's school lunches.  That is--IF he brings his lunch box and containers home.  I forgot to explain to him that that is how this "sack lunch" thing works: bring home the containers and mom will wash them, fill them up again, and send them back to school with you tomorrow.  I hope someone stops him from throwing his whole lunch pail in the garbage!

I'm sharing this idea at:

I Also Like Granola

My sister recently traveled to Oregon with her husband while he interviewed for a few jobs. While attending church that Sunday she met some women whom she excitedly told me about, saying that one homebirths and homeschools and is all "natural" and she was just sure that she and I would be friends.

I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and about natural parenting in general, and I'm just not sure I'll ever fit in. it just seems that a lot of natural moms I've come across seem to have have a list of lifestyle choices they deem appropriate, and if you don't subscribe to each and every one of those, then you aren't invited into the club.

I'm not looking to label myself or anything, it's just that I'd like to be able to have friends who I can talk to about topics that interest me, like canning or raising chickens. And maybe, sometimes even do those things together!

The problem is when I come across other people that are as off the beaten track as Jeremy and I, that they are actually in a completely different country. As in: "Do you vaccinate your children? --Yes?-- Visa denied!" Or "Do you plan on homeschooling all your children K-12? --No?-- Passport not accepted, go back to your own country--you don't belong here."

Isn't there anyone who will meet me halfway? Isn't there anyone who wants to come sew reusable ziploc bags with me on the weekend, who won't judge me for using shampoo on my hair?

If so. . .you know where to find me.

On Food and Eating

The other night Jeremy told me he was in the mood to make cupcakes. We were at Target and the trip lasted later in the evening than we wanted, so at the end we stopped in the "grocery" section and were considering the easy way out--purchasing some Hostess cupcakes.

"But do I really need a whole box?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, it is only eight of them." I said. I was trying to be a supportive wife.

While we sat there debating whether or not we would actually buy them, Owen noticed the aisle that we were on and pointed excitedly to the Hostess Zingers.

"Look! It's traveling snacks, for when we are traveling in our car!"

"You're very right Owen." We said, and moved along from the snack-y cake aisle.

************

That moment made me happy for a number of reasons. First, Owen recognized packaged convenience foods as something that we don't buy regularly, and he wasn't going to even ask for them. But second, that he recognized them as something that we do allow them to get once in a while for special occasions, like a family road trip.

This is really what Jeremy and I want: moderation in all things. We really try to eat healthy and naturally and eat "real food." But yet we don't want to be crazies.

************

Recently we have watched this:


And this:


And read this:
They all share some similar themes. They talk about how much processed food Americans eat and how much of that processed food is corn and soy-product based. How the corn growers vs. government situation is totally out of control. How this impacts the meat products sold in this country, and how unhealthy that whole system is. . .

It's alarming, thought-provoking and frustrating all at the same time. Really, leaving the question of what's a person supposed to do about food?

That's why I liked this one:

This one had the answers of what a person was supposed to do. "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants," explained in a few hundred additional and interesting pages. But the reason I liked it so much was because so much of this book was so intuitive to me. It just made sense.

Michael Pollan himself wonders in the book why we feel like we need anyone else to tell us what to eat.

There are so many lifestyle-diets out there that lay out a wacky food philosophy and then go into all these complicated explanations and obscure examples to explain their reasoning and why their idea has to be right. Things that leave me scratching my head thinking, "Did all that 'science' actually add up, and can that really be right?"

************

I personally believe in God and that he created our bodies and expects us to respect and care for them. Therefore I don't believe that God intended that the principles of feeding our bodies would be such a complex thing that we would require "experts" to lay each calorie out for us.

And as God created the earth, that's the place I believe I will find good nutrition. Plants that grow on the earth and animals that live on the earth. And from an evolutionary standpoint it would also make sense that our bodies would be able to be sustained by the things of our environment--not that we should require eliminations of whole groups of intuitive food sources, or necessitate scientifically calculated dietary supplements in order to actually maintain health.

See?! I already sound like a crazy, and that's just from me saying I want to eat food from nature, and not listen to people who tell me not to eat meat, or dairy, or whole grains or the ones who insist that I can only be really healthy from eating things made by scientist who engineered the food and supplements to provide perfectly for the needs of the human body (at least--as far as we understand the body this year. . .).

************

So although I want to eat healthy, Michael Pollan talks about the serious problem we have in our country about stressing too much over food and nutrition. So I really don't want to do that. I just want to eat healthy most of the time.

So here's my youngest, happy as can be after eating handfuls of yummy delicious red raspberries:


And here's my oldest, happily and tenderly caressing the most recent addition to our shelf-stable "food" supply:

And I don't feel guilty at all. . .

moderation baby.

Weekend Sewing

I love when I see a project idea that makes me want to just jump up right away and get started. Because honestly, if I'm not really, really motivated about doing something it probably won't happen.

I saw a great idea recently on the Progressive Pioneer for making reusable "Ziploc" bags. For a lot of things I just use a sandwich baggie--they are cheaper and I feel like they are less plastic to be wasting than a zip-top--but I also keep zip-top bags in the house, because some things need to be sealed up tight. But those little baggies and zip-tops are one of the things I really feel bad about for how many I go through and throw away.

Enter: reusable baggies.

("Sorry Mom, were you using this?")

The Progressive Pioneer suggested using a vinyl tablecloth as the lining and, of course, fun fabric for the outside. (I got my tablecloth sealed new in its package at the thrift store. I opened the package and hung it over my shower rod to air out for a day, then wiped it down.)

I brought over some zip-top bags to determine how big to cut the fabric. (The really cute farm fabric!)

Put wrong sides together and sew hook and loop tape on opposite ends of the vinyl side about 1/4 inch down from the edge. Then bind the raw top edges with bias tape. (I found it was much easier to do the binding for the top edge at this point, rather than wait to the end. Also, I got my 4 yards of bias tape at the thrift store for $0.35--sweet!)

Then press the hook and loop tape together. Sew straight up the sides and then bind the edges with bias tape. This way there are no seam edges inside the bag to collect crumbs.

So far I've made two. The second one was much easier, but it was my machine giving me grief on the first one, not that the project is hard. I'd estimate it took me about 45 minutes to make one. Now I want to make different sizes. I want to make one large enough to fit a loaf of homemade bread. But I was also thinking it might be good to make some of those little "snack-sized" bags too.

That is--if I get any "alone time" to work on the project!

True to Myself

I've never really been "big" on labels. Labels were a huge deal in high school of course where I dated two different boys. The first one was frustrated that I wouldn't place the label "going out" on our relationship. Why did it matter? We were seeing each other regularly, we would kiss. Why did we need a label just to let other people know what we were doing after school?

With the second boy I dated I did allow him to place the label on our relationship. But then it only caused problems when I didn't act the way he thought I was "supposed to" as defined by the label. Like when I had a party at my house and spent the night tending to my hostessing duties as opposed to being glued by his side like he thought a girlfriend "should" be.

But labels exist for adults too. I was recently looking at a book online about bringing more creativity into our childrens' lives. In the review section, there were comments stating that the book was not original the mom was simply practicing "Waldorf" education methods, so people interested in this book should just go buy a Waldorf book.

Another label that is big for adults right now is "Being Green" or "living sustainably." The problem with using either of these labels on yourself is that all of the sudden people start to nitpick every decision you make, product you use, or thing you choose to do. I was reading a woman's blog who said she loved to collect little "bits of nature" for her children to use in crafts. Things like pine cones, acorns, and sea glass. "Although," she admitted guiltily, "Sea glass isn't really from nature, but I just think it is pretty!" She had to defend herself before the whistle-blowing started.

Another label that adults take seriously and is pretty "hip" right now is "vegetarianism." Whether they abstain for ecological, social, or moral reasons, they are feisty too. They get angry about people who call themselves "semi-vegis" saying "a non vegetarian is simply a non vegetarian." Then there's always a "higher law." Because people who are really serious would be organic vegetarian. Or really more serious would be organic vegan. . .

Everyone is so anxious to label themselves and others, but labels put so much pressure on everyone. I just want to be able to live my life the way I feel good about.

I mentioned these three "adult labels" because they are all camps that I relate with but not that I want to feel pressured by actually giving myself the label. I want my kids to spend most of their time being active and creative. I want to help them to appreciate nature and enjoy the outdoors. But if I called us a "Waldorf home" then I'd be in trouble if I ever wanted to do a more =gasp= Montessori-based activity with my children, because those people are serious about the differences in their methods.

Jeremy and I would also like to live more "sustainably." (It's big in his line of work.) We've started recycling this year. We take our bottles and cans and cardboard three blocks down the highway and sort them ourselves. But if we say we are "Green" people others will ask why we only now started going to the recycling center after living here three years. And they may question why we even bother recycling when, for the majority of the time, we have used disposable diapers with our children.

Finally, our family rarely eats meat. We used ground beef in our delicious spaghetti and meatballs Jeremy made us for dinner last night. But, I can tell you the last time I bought red meat was in May when our families were out here for Jeremy's graduation. We had bison burgers--because it's a local novelty. I don't want to be "vegetarian" though, because sometimes I really want some bacon, and I don't want to hear the audible gasp of others when I do.

Jeremy said what we need is a family manifesto where we write down our goals ind ideas for raising our family--which aspects of popular thought we are using in our home.



We want our family to play outdoors, to appreciate nature, to have creative minds. We want our family to appreciate the things they have, and not be wasteful. We want our family to not buy too much into consumerism, and to be actual producers of many beautiful and useful things. We want to be good stewards of the earth. We want to be healthy. We want to be active and eat good foods. We want to enjoy the food that the earth provides us--grains, fruits, vegetables-- not just food that comes in plastic packages. Most importantly we want to be free to make the choices we feel good about. Free to follow inspiration not fads. Free from labels.

Won-Hundred

Welcome to my one hundredth post (if you don't count my fake posts for my button, contact info, or favorites list, and if you do count the two old school posts I just imported from 2006)! Apparently a 100th post is a big deal in the blogosphere--like it's the first step to having people take you seriously as a blogger or something. I don't know, but I do like a reason for a good celebration.

So I decided to celebrate my one hundredth post by naming it a "won"-hundredth post because for one of my lucky readers--there's a prize to be won!

Yes, I'm doing my very first bloggy giveaway. To thank you, of course, for indulging me and my "musings" on life at home.

I've been feeling crafty, but not the go-out-and-spend-a-bunch-of-money crafty. Also, I decided maybe no one wants any of the crappy crafts I make. So I decided to make something that was functional to raise it's perceived value (insert double eyebrow raise here).

So here's the giveaway gift I made. It's a reusable grocery shopping tote. It helps fish to not choke and die on plastic bags. Plus the real reason I use reusable shopping bags: for each one you bring in to use at a Kroger brand store you get five cents off your order. You know that 25cents a shopping trip really adds up.

When Jeremy walked by and saw the green ribbon on it he said, "Now that's cute." So at least he thinks it's cute.

But you don't need to use reusable shopping bags because they are cute, you need to use them because it's what all the hip people are doing these days. . . I mean, because it's good for the environment, and see it's even more "green" because I made it out of an old sundress that I used for a swimsuit cover-up, but I was going to get rid of it.

So to enter this giveaway just leave a comment on this post. You have until Sunday the 21st (Fathers' Day), and I'll announce the winner on Monday, chosen through the most democratic method I can think of. Also, anyone can enter, whether I know you personally or not, as long as you aren't "one of my enemies, I hate those guys."

Good Luck!

As I mentioned before, for the sake of interested parties . . . um you with the funny sideburns, and . . . you hiding behind the curtain, I have uploaded two posts that were actually my first attempt at blogging (over on geocities) a year and a half before I started this blog. I called it Jeanette's Mommy Blog: On Life, Love and Babies. At that point the only exposure I'd had with blogs was one my brother was doing for his son. I had found out I was pregnant, but ended up miscarrying a week later. But if you are interested in a trip down my memory lane, please enjoy:

Introduction and Pregnant

Spring Chickens

So we're nuts.

Since we're supposed to be graduating, getting a job, and leaving, we decided that now would be a great time for us to start the backyard flock of chickens we've been thinking about.

Oh you only think I'm joking.

And Mom and Dad you only wish I was joking.

But I'm not. Meet the girls:









They are currently in my 29 gallon glass tank with a heat lamp. They need to stay in-doors for 6 more weeks.

Amazingly that coincides perfectly with the date that my parents and brother will be in town for Jeremy's graduation. My dad "gets bored" on vacations and "loves" having random projects to do instead. Building a chicken coop and run will be the perfect way to keep him occupied the weekend he's visiting!

Holes

I feel like a real mother. Isn't this what mothers do? Sew patches on the knees of their children's jeans? (Well I cheated actually, I only used heat'n'bond.) I let Owen pick out the fabric scrap he wanted- he loves it.

We are starting to realize that Owen won't be passing a lot of clothes down to Jonas from this age. Owen is wearing them out! But It's good. It makes me happy because he's wearing them out by doing all those things boys are supposed to be doing like playing in the dirt, climbing trees, riding trikes.

Putting this patch on I got the same feeling as the first time I put a bandaid on Owen's knee when he scraped it from falling down--the feeling that this would be the first of many.

Sure having little girls would be fun. I'd love the cute little outfits and hair bows and playing tea party. But having boys is going to be a whole lot of fun in it's own way. And I'll be ready with a whole lot of bandaids and my box full of fabric scraps.

Sweep The 'Ville

Because college kids need even more excuses to drink, our local downtown bar and restaurant district (aka "Aggieville") hosts an annual "Fake Patty's Day" celebration held on the Saturday prior to St. Patrick's Day. The partying starts around 10:00am and goes on until who knows how early -or late- the next morning.

That next morning Jeremy and I went out to participate in "Sweep the 'Ville", a service project to clean up all the leftover garbage, put on by the college's Good Neighbor organization. (A group that tries to convince the permanent residents of our college town that not all college students are devoid of any feelings of responsibility, and some of us want to be considered a welcome part of the greater community.)

It was cold and had been rainy but we bundled up the boys in the double stroller and headed out with some garbage sacks to start cleaning up the refuse in the streets and alleys of Aggieville. We were not necessarily there to do service for the bars but the other businesses in the area like screen-printers, coffee shops, and an ice cream parlor that have to deal with garbage from the partying all day and night along their storefronts.

I was motivated to participate in the cleanup project this week when I read this month's visiting teaching message for the women of our church.

Elder Robert S. Wood of the Seventy: "For too many, responsibility seems to end with hand-wringing and exclamations of dismay. Yet talk without action accomplishes little. We need to be vigorously engaged in the world. If our schools are inadequate or destructive of moral values, we must work with fellow members of the community to bring about change. If our neighborhoods are unsafe or unhealthy, we must join with the civic-minded to devise solutions. If our cities and towns are polluted, not only with noxious gases but soul-destroying addictions and smut, we must labor to find legitimate ways to eliminate such filth. . . . We have the responsibility to be a blessing to others, to our nation, to the world"

That really spoke to me, as a mother that gets scared thinking of sending my babies off to scary public schools, or a lot of other concerns I have about our country and the world. It made me realise that I need to work to do whatever is within my "sphere of influence" to better the communities I live in, the schools my children go to, and maybe even the Internet my family surfs on.

I may be tired. It may be cold and rainy. And with children in tow I may only be able to work for an hour before heading back inside. But I know it made a difference for us. We felt good about serving the community, and doing so helped us feel more a part of that community.

Is It Worth It?

Yes, is it worth it? This is what I asked myself last fall as I bought two moderately-priced bags of peaches, and took them home to can. Why would I do that? The peaches weren't on some great deal. They definitely weren't coming hand-picked off a tree in my own back yard. So why bother?

It's just something I want to be a part of my life. I want my children to know that food comes from nature, not just tin cans. I want my children to know that food is something we create, not just pull out of plastic bags. I want food preparation to be a task that brings our family together, not just regarded as a necessary evil. Will canning store-bought peaches in the middle of the Kansas prairie accomplish any of those things? I don't really know. But I do know that when I see this...





I think the answer to my original question is "yes."