Why to Eat Organic

My last post makes a nice segue into this one. Organic produce is often more expensive (unless you belong to a great CSA!) and can seem hard to justify.

But organic has much more of the good and none of the bad, so even if you eat less fruit because you insist on organic, you'll get a lot more bang out of the fruit you do eat. And you'll be helping to restore the fertility of our soil, something even conventional farmers agree is seriously lacking.

This is a link to a study that analyzed nutritional differences in organic vs convention produce.
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089%2F107555301750164244

And if you get get everything organic, it's important to know which fruits and vegetables have the highest pesticide load, so you can insist on getting those organic or going without. Remember, pesticides are poison and a little bit adds up over time. They don't just wash out, they are stored in our fat cells. Which means some of us have significant storage capacity :) And they compromise our immune system so that we are less able to fight off all the other nasty stuff we come in contact with. Especially the very young (including the unborn) and the old.

So, here's the chart:

http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php (mom, you just click on the link)

Eat Healthy!

Organic Eating

We belong to a great CSA. Every Saturday morning one of us heads into town to stand in line in a convenient church parking lot to pick up the weeks produce. We all look forward to seeing whats in the box. We get 2 big boxes of locally-grown, incredibly tasty organic produce. I'm talking peaches the likes of which you have never tasted. Picked by the farmer that very morning.

It's a great deal for the farmer because the stuff is sold before he ever picks it, and next year's is sold before he even plants it. He makes more money because he cuts out the middle man and sells to us for above-wholesale prices.

And it's a great deal for us because above-wholesale is still below retail, the produce is fresher than anything I have ever seen in a grocery store, there is more variety because things don't necessarily have to pack and ship well since they are hand-picked/packed, and we get to put our money where our mouth is; supporting local family farms and eating organic. It's been really great.

Here is the haul from a couple of weeks ago

This was for 1 WEEK. Those are cucumbers in the plastic bags, and red potatos in the paper bag in the rear right corner. The drawers are from 2 different refrigerators and are full to overflowing. In fact, they did overflow - right into the blue bowl.

This weeks box had eggplant, which has all the kids in tears. But I can't wait :) It's hard not to eat your fruits and veggies when that's all that will fit in the fridge, so it's been good for us.

Enjoy the bounty of summer - we are!

Words to Live By

As a parent there are things you know you have to teach, "chew with your mouth closed," or "look both ways before you cross the street." Then there are the things it doesn't occur to you to say. Things that leave you shaking your head in wonder. Like, "After you watch daddy burn trash in the metal can, don't put your face on it as soon as he walks away! If you do, it will leave a peeling, wrinkled, burn on your cheek." Or even this, "Don't use your face to check if something is hot." I'm just saying...

Happy Birthday Eli

I am a bit delinquent in sharing the celebration which culminated Eli's 6th rotation around the sun. We had a family party, with extended family, something that was sorely missed when we were in TX. Not everyone was able to come, but a lot of our family was able to join us.

We started the day with daddy and I taking the birthday boy out for a solo breakfast. And ELI DIDN'T NEED A CARSEAT!

We went to The Apple Shed, a local restaurant in the town of all things apple.

On their birthday the kids get to order off the "grown up menu", which was convenient because The Apple Shed doesn't have a kids menu :) Eli wanted the Belgium Waffle, and he wanted bacon and an egg with it. I said, "Wow Eli, that's a lot of food. Are you sure you can eat all that?" "Yes, I eat a lot!" "Since when?" "Since I turned 6!" And he ate it all, along with a piece of daddys toast!

We got to have some nice conversations about what God is doing in his life and where he sees his life going. He said the best thing that happened to him when he was 5 was...tag.

When they learned it was his birthday, they brought Eli a chocolate chip cookie and sang to him. Then, as he skipped his little 6 year-old self out of the restaurant the patrons said "Happy Birthday!" "Happy Birthday!" he yelled back, waving. Then on the steps "I forgot what to say" :)

In the car he is admiring his cookie, talking about how big it is. He decides he will cut it into 5 pieces and give all of the children a piece. Then he decided it might be better if he cuts it in half, and the other children share half while he eats the other half. Then he recalls that there are cookies in the pantry and maybe he might just as well eat the whole thing. But later, because he is much too full.... A few minutes later, from the back seat..."MMMM, this is a good cookie!" With a big grin on his chocolate covered face.

Later, daddy took him to a farm not too far away where they did a straw maze and picked some fruit. But daddy couldn't get the camera to cooperate, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Hailey decided that her gift to him would be to make the cake. She dug through the cookbooks and planned the cake for weeks. She made a shopping list and bugged me ceaselessly to shop. I'm sure I could have purchased a cake for far less money than the mountains of candy this one required. But it wouldn't have been nearly as special. It turned out wonderfully and everyone loved it. She did an excellent job for her first cake, heck it would have been a great job for her 100th cake! And 15 seconds after the cake was served we all had raging sugar headaches.

Having horses saved us from Pin the Tail on the Donkey and goodie bags. All the kids got a ride.

Daddy gave the traditional birthday blessing (always my favorite part)

And then I crawled into my sick bed with the worst whatever-it-was that I have had in a really long time.

On My Knees

I have just spent the last hour or so reading this blog. And bawling. It tells the story of a woman named Angie, who learns that her baby girl will not survive after she is born, and how she is walking through that grief clinging tightly, moment by moment, to her God. It is raw, and heartbreaking, and such a testimony to the awesome God we serve. Her love and faith permeate every word she writes.

Angie happens to be the wife of Todd, who sings in Selah, a group I love. And while in the midst of the valley they are walking through, Angie's sister-in-law, Nicol (who is also in the group) and her husband lost their baby boy to sids. Please join me in prayer for this family and read the blog, it will inspire and humble you. Then go hug your kids.

CPS Run Amok

Have any of you been following the FLDS debaucle? I could write a tome about what I think of it, but The Common Room has already done it. She's so hot under the collar she can't stop writing about it. She does a great job and has some great links. I didn't link to one particular post because she has so much good stuff there I think you should dig around a little.

Let me just say. I do not support polygamy, or marrying off young girls to old men. And I most certainly do not support the government riding in and taking children based on anonymous, unsubstaniated phone calls. Unchecked power is never a good thing.

Spring

How Safe Is Your Stuff

I'm always trying to find ways to reduce the chemical soup that goes in and on our bodies. To that end I found a great website the rates the chemical toxicity of personal care products. It's been pretty interesting reading. For instance, non-organic products often rate a lot better than organic ones. (We're talking toiletries, not food).

I have loved everything by Burts Bee's, but lately I've been thinking I'm not crazy about the baby soap and lotion for Ty. It seems to leave his skin dry, especially his head. And I think it sometimes makes him a little rashy. Turns out California Baby has a much better safety rating, and you can get it at Target too. I think we'll be making a switch!

Check it out here

Last week we had the carpet cleaned. It wasn't done before we moved in and it was really yucky. We couldn't even let poor Ty on the floor once he was ready for church because when we picked him up he would look like Pig Pen.

First we drug everything we could to the kitchen or screen room, then we skeedaddled on out of there. It was a beautiful day so I took my sadly neglected mending basket out on the front porch.

I cranked up the sewing machine while the kids amused themselves falling on their heads on the concrete.

Well, only Eli actually fell on his head. Twice. But there were plenty of scraped knees and elbows on the others. They finally resorted to riding on their butts, which made big holes in their clothes instead of their skin.

They really enjoyed having me right there to watch their antics and I was wondering why I hadn't thought of sewing outside before!

Titus loved being in the walker with everyone outside. He talked to horses and wandered all over the patio. He especially enjoyed eating the flowers.

We should get the carpet cleaned more often :)

Kefir

So, we've all heard about kefir, right? That fermented milk drink so high in b vitamins and about 1001 other things so vital to your health. I've meant to try making kefir for a few years now and I finally decided it was TIME.

So, I go online (the only place to shop) and I order my grains. We wait with anticipation for them to arrive and finally...a little baggie of sour milk/water mixture with some cauliflower-like grains comes.

I get my pricey raw milk ready and read the directions. NO METAL. No metal collindar, or spoon or anything. Rats! I only have a metal collandar with mesh small enough for the precious kefir grains.

I send Mike to Kmart, the only all purpose store in town. No luck, so I'm off to ebay to buy "kefir accessories." A few more days and I have an appropriate collandar.

Back out with the directions. We add the milk, shake it up, and put it on the counter to ferment.

24 hours later it is thick and bubbly, fermented and... DISGUSTING!

Seriously, who drinks this stuff?!? I made a fruit smoothie with it and it tasted like rotten milk with fruit. Not a big hit. One drink made my stomach hurt, but maybe just because I was working so hard to keep it down.

UGH!

I tried again, thinking maybe I did something wrong. I'm just not feelin it.

So, unless so dedicated kefir drinker out there can give me some tips I just don't think we'll be able to be that healthy.

The View From Here

This is the view from the front porch. We are on the side of a hill and enjoy an incredible view of the whole valley. Sooo pretty.

Lookie!

We have started a new chapter in our experiences as a family. Last weekend we drove to Temecula and purchased 2 horses for the family. They are an Arabian mare named Misty and an Arabian gelding named Reeses Pieces (Reeses). The kids are over the moon and I hope the joy at working with them sticks :) Reeses is the bay. His mane was cut a little far back and is in the process of growing out, so he's got a bit of a mohawk going on :) And they both need a little weight. But aren't they pretty??

We stopped in San Bernardino and bought tack. Since they are Arabians, and since the seller didn't answer her phone, we bought all Arabian size. Which doesn't fit of course. It's all too small and needs to go back to the store, 2 1/2 hours away... Maybe I can mail it :) In the meantime, no tack.

I have this romantic idea of raising the kids with horses and farm chores. We both really want them to have the work ethic that comes with being needed and working hard. Our prayer is that the Lord will provide the opportunity to own some land that we can work, even if Mike keeps his day job. Hailey is nearly 12 and we know that the window of opportunity for her to really embrace that lifestyle will be closing soon. We also know that with many of the children still being young, most of the work will fall to us. But we decided to bite the bullet and jump in.

I want to raise another batch of meat birds soon. There are LOTS of critters here though, so we need something pretty secure. Chickens for eggs are high on the list too. And we are hoping to get a garden in next weekend. We'll see :)