Please note that you will need to pay to ship your bottles inbound to SIGG for replacement as this is a voluntary program – not a recall. SIGG is not offering refunds. This exchange offer is available through October 31, 2009.

So um, you still have to pay for shipping to replace their bottles. I do not trust them and cannot say enough words about how dissapointed I am in this company and will be recycling my Siggs. I have never actually purchased one, I got three as gifts and hate how tiny the necks are. We use Kleen Kanteens.

This is not the first time that BPA causes a stir in reusable bottle-land. Do any of you remember the Nalgene incident? They said that BPA was not a problem and that their bottles were fine, yet they no longer sell bottles with BPA in them… funny how that works huh?

Apparently Patagonia has also decided that they are no longer going to do business with Sigg.

What other options do we have to Sigg for reusable non plastic bottles?

Apart from the Kleen Kanteen mentioned above, good old Thermos makes BPA free bottles  There is also the Kid Basic Safe Sporter,  the New Wave,  the Camelback (which has a great bite valve), the ThinkSport, and the Green Feet bottle.

I have used the Thermos Foogo for the kids and really quite love it. I have a couple of friends with the Camelback and ThinkSport and they are really fond of them. I had issues with cleaning the Foogo because of the way that they are built but I think that if you are careful and use a small nipple brush they might be easier to clean.

All in all, we have many different companies to chose from that do not use shady practices to get our businesses. We do not need Sigg and hopefully they will realize that they need us and that if they come clean, are honest, and really respect their consumers they might be able to rebuild their reputation. Until then, I am voting with my pocketbook and have decided that they are not for me.

Katrina: which was obviously huge to Louisiana, Houston ended up with many of the refugees of the area and saw the toll that it took on the people of the south personally. It was devastating and scary.

Rita: My in laws saw this one personally, the hurricane demolished a great deal of the Golden Triangle area between Texas and Louisiana. They were without electricity for weeks and the towns are still recovering.

Ike: We don’t like Ike. I don’t care what anyone says. There are few things scarier than a hurricane passing over your house in the middle of the night while you sleep in a closed off bedroom with your small children. The sound of a train passing over your house. The pitch black. The loss of the food and of parts of your own home. We lived through Ike and the aftermath of it almost exactly a year ago.

Because of these recent events we have learned to prepare for hurricanes when the season starts. In our location we are more likely to get hurricanes in the later part of the season, around August-October.

In the beginning of the season we buy shelf stable foods in bulk. Canned tomatoes, dried fruits and veggies, powedered milk, shelf stable juices and milk in tetrapaks. We make sure that our generators are running and that we have enough fuel for them.  We bought some water containers for storing potable water in case of emergencies and made sure that we had some water purification tablets on hand. We have a family emergency preparedness plan together and I even made sure that our company bought a little emergency kit.

This is what FEMA tells us that we need:

• Water
  • Store at least 1 gallon of water per person per day for up to 2 weeks (family of 5 needs 70 gallons).
  • “Watersafe can help you meet that requirement.”
• Food
  • At least a 3-Day supply of ready-to-eat non-perishable food for each person
  • Manual can opener for canned foods
  • Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking and little or no water. If you must heat food, pack a can of sterno.
  • Select food items that are compact and lightweight. Avoid foods that will make you thirsty.
  • Choose salt-free crackers, whole grain cereals, and canned foods with high liquid content.
• First Aid Supplies
  • Essential medicines including:
    • Eyeglasses and contact lenses
    • Sterile adhesive bandages in assorted sizes
    • 2-inch sterile gauze pads (4-6)
    • 4-inch sterile gauze pads (4-6)
    • Hypoallergenic adhesive tape
    • Triangular bandages (3)
    • 2-inch sterile roller bandages (3 rolls)
    • 3-inch sterile roller bandages (3 rolls)
    • Scissors
    • Tweezers
    • Needle
    • Moistened towelettes
    • Antiseptic
    • Thermometer
    • Tongue blades (2)
    • Tube of petroleum jelly or other lubricant
    • Assorted sizes of safety pins
    • Cleansing agent/soap
    • Latex gloves (2 pair) Sunscreen
  • Non-prescription drugs
    • Aspirin or nonaspirin pain reliever
    • Anti-diarrhea medication
    • Antacid (for stomach upset)
    • Syrup of Ipecac (use to induce vomiting if advised by the Poison Control Center)
    • Laxative
    • Activated charcoal (use if advised by the Poison Control Center)
• Clothing, Bedding and Sanitation Supplies
  • Include at least 1 change of clothes and shoes per person
    • Jacket or coat
    • Long pants
    • Long sleeve shirt
    • Sturdy shoes or work boots
    • Hat, gloves and scarf�
    • Rain gear
    • Thermal underwear
    • Blankets or sleeping bags
    • Sunglasses
  • Sanitation
    • Toilet paper
    • Soap, liquid detergent
    • Feminine supplies
    • Personal hygiene items
    • Plastic garbage bags, ties (for personal sanitation uses)
    • Plastic bucket with tight lid
    • Disinfectant
    • Household chlorine bleach
• Tools
  • Mess kits, or paper cups, plates and plastic utensils
  • 2 coolers – one for food and one for ice
  • Emergency preparedness manual
  • Portable, battery-operated radio or television and extra batteries
  • Flashlight and extra batteries
  • Cash or traveler’s checks, change
  • Nonelectric can opener, utility knife
  • Fire extinguisher: small canister, ABC type
  • Tube tent
  • Pliers
  • Tape
  • Compass
  • Matches in a waterproof container
  • Aluminum foil
  • Plastic storage containers
  • Signal flare
  • Paper, pencil
  • Needles, thread
  • Medicine dropper
  • Shut-off wrench, to turn off household gas and water
  • Whistle
  • Plastic sheeting
  • Map of the area (for locating shelters)
• Special Items
  • For Baby
    • Formula
    • Diapers
    • Bottles
    • Pacifiers
    • Powdered milk
    • Medications
  • For Adults
    • Heart and high blood pressure medication
    • Insulin
    • Prescription drugs
    • Denture needs
    • Contact lenses and supplies
    • Extra eye glasses
    • Hearing aid batteries
      
  • Important Family Documents
    • Keep these records in a waterproof, portable container.
    • Will, insurance policies, contracts, deeds, stocks and bonds
    • Photo IDs, passports, social security cards, immunization records
    • Bank account numbers
    • Credit card account numbers and companies
    • Inventory of valuable household goods, important telephone numbers
    • Family records (birth, marriage, death certificates)
    • Photocopies of credit and identification cards
  • Cash and coins
  • Entertainment–games and books

I will admit that I am an over planner.

So tell me? What does your family do to prepare for the worst?

I over prepare everything… and that is ok. I accept myself and love myself.

So of course I have all sorts of things prepared, I even have grains and recipes for bread that dont need ovens. I am pretty sure that if the next nuclear holocaust were to come my family and I would be safe, you know like that movie “Blast from the Past” (oh man how I love Christopher Walken).

Anyways, I think that no matter where you live you have to prepare for emergencies. Be it hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, killer cockroaches, etc.  I think preperation is a big part of living green anyways so this is fine by me. I have found that we are the most wasteful when we are not ready for what is coming because we have to buy what is convenient.

The first step in this was getting a deep freeze.  We put meat, fruits, jams, nuts, dried stuff, etc. in there. It keeps for a long time and helps us stay prepared. We do not have to do huge grocery runs every week and are ready to feed our family at a moment’s notice. It also helps us avoid a lot of packaging by being able to buy things in bulk.

Home preperation is an important part of our life and it wasnt instant but I think that we are finally at a point where we can say we will be ok even if we are unable to purchase any new foods for a while.

Let’s talk. What is your family doing to prepare for the worst? Do you have any suggestions for me or anyone else?

I obviously vote yes, and I even go as far as to say that it is my duty as a savvy consumer and earth-lover to buy organic. I also add to this my distaste for GMO’s. What is a GMO?

It means Genetically Modified Organism.  There have been many foods in our world that have been genetically spliced and diced, for example soy and corn. They have been bred to resist bugs better, to grow faster, to produce faster, larger, stronger, better… so of course the stuff we are left with now is stuff that would not be found anywhere in nature.  It is my humble belief that we should stay far far away from them as well.

So other than going around with a little pesticide and gene tester in your pocket when you go grocery shopping…. how can you tell what is organic, what is a GMO, and what is not?

Pretty simple really.

Thanks for the food labeling laws here in the States our fresh fruits and veggies have stickers on them… and this is how to read them.

4 digits – i.e. 4536 or 3297 – This is not organic

5 digits that start with an 9 – i.e. 94536 or 93237 – This is organic

5 digits that start with an 8 – i.e. 83456 or 81242 – This is a GMO,

When you are looking food that is not fresh fruits and veggies you should look for the USDA Organic label, read the ingredients (you should always be doing this anyways) and make sure that they are what you want them to be, and dont be afraid to do research on the company’s website to find out more. I highly suggest this and this is why. Some companies have foods that are organic but the source of the fruits and veggies is from a country like China that has little to no control over stuff like this. If you dont trust China to be in control over testing of a few kid toys for lead or not, for tires, or for much of anything else… do you trust them to enforce a TRUE organic certification on their foods? I sure dont.

So for me finding the source of the foods that come to my home is an important matter. After all, if I am working so hard to protect my kids from the evils of the world outside, why not protect them from the evils of the world that can creep into our homes and into their bodies?

I just came back from vacation and realized how hard it is to keep a green lifestyle while travelling. They dont make it easy on you, especially if you have kids.

Mike mentioned that he was thankful that I always did what I could to make sure that even while travelling we were healthy and eating well but I honestly did not feel like we did a great job.

We went to a couple of parks and such.  Amusement parks are incredibly wasteful…and some make it almost impossible to stay green.

We went to Schlitterbahn and stayed on the resort at the rapids part.  My reasoning was this. We did not have to drive to the park, the prices at the resort were not that different than a hotel around New Braunfels, we could go back to the hotel to have lunch/dinner/etc. and it would be easier on the kids.

My reasons were all right and we did do all of those things… I have to say that I loved staying there and I loved the park. They encourage people to bring in their own food and drinks, they do not allow styrofoam containers and they really are friendly to packing your own stuff.  It makes it much easier to save money and eat healthier foods. You bring your cooler along and go to town. This part wasnt so bad…

Then we went to Sea World and it all went downhill from there.  Not going into the issues that I have with Sea World (which will be in another post rest assured) they are really awful at helping families eat well while they are there. Their food is outrageously expensive and they do not let you bring in any foods or drinks. For our family with two young children this is incredibly difficult because we have to give them water and food every few minutes, especially in 105+ degree heat in central Texas. We spent a fortune and the food was no better than a McDonalds or Burger King, two places where my children have never eaten and that I hope they dont in a long time…  I have to say that I have no desire to go back to Sea World and that I feel truly guilty for how wasteful we were during this day. They give you everything in paper/carboard. They have nowhere to recycle it, it is all just trashed. While they do have recycling for plastic bottles I saw 3 of those recycling baskets in the whole park (there might be more but not nearly enough) and while I wanted to purchase a reusable sports bottle that they give (a souvenir one with Shamu on it) so that we wouldnt have to purchase and throw away more paper cups with plastic lids, the 4 places where I asked about them were out. I dont understand it. Apart from being the most expensive (by far) day of our trip it was probably the one that we enjoyed the least. We went as part of a family tradition of going and because Mike thought that the kids would enjoy it. They did enjoy parts of it, I wont lie… it wasnt a total bust. The aquarium was really cool for both of them and Kate loved seeing the sharks… but I would have preferred an aquarium, not an amusement park owned by Budweiser. .. I digress. The quality of the food was just abismal. I got 7 strawberries for 5 dollars because I really wanted my children to have fruits/veggies and not just fried chicken strips and french fries while out.

Going back to the rest of the trip. What helped us in trying to both save money and not be wasteful was a) our cooler b) ice and c) local grocery stores and d) our Kleen Kanteens. We loaded those puppies up before we left and they lasted us 3 days so we did not have to get bottled water while we were in our rooms or pay for the overpriced stuff that was being sold in vending machines at the hotels.

We stopped at a Super S Foods is Johnson City and gathered some supplies in the middle of our journey across the Hill Country in central Texas. With those provisions we had fresh fruit, sandwich material, and were able to stop at Pedernales State Park for a picnic and eat at our hotel room. You can never have enough ice. Ever.

What would I have done differently? Had some more shelf stable foods. Made some more snacks like granola bars and cookies. I made muffins and they were great but they did not last very long with a family of 4 in a 7 day road trip.

I will be posting more random ideas that come to me as I get them but I learned a great deal on this trip regarding how to keep your ethical/moral beliefs while enjoying a vacation in a world that does not understand why you dont want to feed your kids doritos and koolad jammers for breakfast/lunch/dinner.

Should I stop breastfeeding my baby if I think I have come in contact with the flu?

No. Because mothers make antibodies to fight diseases they come in contact with, their milk is custom-made to fight the diseases their babies are exposed to as well. This is really important in young babies when their immune system is still developing. Breastfeeding also helps the baby to develop his own ability to fight off diseases.

Is it ok to breastfeed my baby if I am sick?

Yes. This is really important.

• Do not stop breastfeeding if you are ill. Ideally babies less than about 6 months of age should get their feedings from breast milk. Breastfeed early and often. Limit formula feeds as much as possible. This will help protect your baby from infection.
• If you are too sick to breastfeed, pump and have someone give the expressed milk to your baby.

If my baby is sick, is it okay to breastfeed?

Yes. One of the best things you can do for your sick baby is keep breastfeeding.

• Do not stop breastfeeding if your baby is ill. Give your baby many chances to breastfeed throughout the illness. Babies who are sick need more fluids than when they are well. The fluid babies get from breast milk is better than anything else, even better than water, juice, or Pedialyte® because it also helps protect your baby’s immune system.
• If your baby is too sick to breastfeed, he or she can drink your milk from a cup, bottle, syringe, or eye-dropper.
• If no expressed milk is available, you can give your baby milk donated by other mothers to a HMBANA-certified milk bank.

Is it okay to take medicine to treat or prevent novel H1N1 flu while breastfeeding?

Yes. Mothers who are breastfeeding should continue to nurse their babies while being treated for the flu.

Please check back to www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ often for the most recent updates.

——————-

The reason that I am posting this is because the search strings that have been leading a whole lot of people to my blog have been regarding the swine flu and breastfeeding. So I figured this would be a good thing to post.

Please if you dont listen to some random chick on the internet (i.e. me) listen to the center for disease control regarding this. Breastfeeding is TRULY important when it comes to this, it will help your babies.

Let’s begin with the facts… shall we? Yes please… lets.

When a baby is born they have a reserve of Vitamin D in their liver. Livers do a good job of storing that.. our body rocks like that. They have enough for roughly 6 months if they never see the light of day again.

But in reality, most children have left their homes by 6 months and are happily outside at least a couple minutes a day… going in and out of the car, waiting at a bus stop, etc.  It is possible that in really cold climates people could have a deficiency especially darker skinned people.. but most of us have nothing to worry about.

La Leche League had something to say about this topic, because breastfed babies are especially prayed upon on this topic. Formula is fortified with all sorts of stuff including Vitamin D so they arent worried about as much… I do find it hilarious that anyone would worry more about breastfed babies than formula fed babies… I mean… with the stuff found in formula nowdays and with the fact that formula is truly inferior…. but I digress.

Here is some info on the release.

No known risks of ‘vitamin D’ supplementation exist at the level recommended by the AAP. However, no research has actually investigated whether ‘vitamin D’ supplementation during the first six months has any negative consequences for infant health, such as vomiting and aspiration when supplementation is not tolerated, harmful alterations of the infant gut or increased risk of infection

Let me explain… so we DO know that exposure to some sun once in a while helps our bodies create this “vitamin”… and this is not harmful to us because it happens WELL before a sunburn would happen. But we DONT know how dangerous giving our kiddos this vitamin actually is. Ah… yeah.. now I get it.

Here is an article with more details, specifically how much sunlight we need to create the vitamin D that we need.

To make enough vitamin D, a baby in a diaper needs a total of only 30 minutes of sunlight a week-less than five minutes a day. Fully clothed and without a hat, a baby would need two hours of sunlight a week, or about 20 minutes a day. Medium to darker skin tones need a little more time in the sun.

Hard isnt it?

Um. no… it isnt actually.

Today my infant and toddler spent a vast amount of time under the sun making sure that I never have to spend a dime on supplements for vitamin D ever.

This is the daughter of one of my friends and behind her you can see little Aidan in his hat and pants, making sure that his mommy Devin doesnt have to buy any supplements for him either.

Here are the kiddos outside having fun.

These two little chunks are Greg and Calvin, both in red and ready to rule the world… they are inside now after spending some time outside with their crazy older sisters. These two have to stick together.

Today was had playgroup and I feel tired but refreshed. Like minded moms who really arent afraid of rocking the boat. We talked, we co-parented our haggle of kids, and had a great time.

I hosted at our house and I made sure that we do what we can to tell the vitamin manufacturers where they can stuff it if they want to have us give our kids supplements for vitamin D.

I love seeing how happy we all look…  no deficiencies here.

Next week my husband is out of town so turning off the boob tube is going to make me spend more time outside with the kids (in this beautiful weather might I add) do more games with them and do more stuff around the house.

Is there anything special going on in your state for this? Unfortunately there isnt in Texas, but I might get together with some friends and celebrate in our own way.

Tell me, what are you going to do for this week?

Both Michael and I went to public school (well I went to private for a while but lets not go into how much I hated that system right now) so we know the good and bad for that system.  We really dont agree about what to do with our kids though.

Mike believes that the public school system is fine. That any shortfalls that the system might have we can supplement at home. He believes that children need interaction with other children and that they need to be exposed to things that are different and that they might have problems with. It teaches them to cope in the real world.

I believe that the system itself doesnt permit children from learning what I want my children to learn, and that it hampers the development of other skills… in our current school system they are taught to take tests so that their school will have enough kids passing that they dont lose funding.

As you can see, we are an at empass.

My preferance would be to homeschool the children. While I know that it will be hard since we both work full time… I know it is possible and I have a tremendous amount of discipline when it comes to schooling. I think a happy medium for us might be a Montessori or Waldorf school… so I have been doing research on both…

We are already incorporating aspects of both in our lives… so here is what we have learned: Waldorf v Montessori

Both have the child at the center… not a test.. not goals… just the child. Respecting the child as a person, their own schedules, their creativity, their wants, their needs… their mental and emotinal wellbeing. This is important for me.

Both are very much into making sure that the child doesnt need stimulation from technology. No TV and video game addicts… they both have programs where the kids either plant outside or play outside.. if nothing else they feel the dirt beneath their fingernails and the sun in their faces.

Both are very much about nature and things found in nature. Wooden blocks, wool, handmade… little plastic/no plastic. The things that are used can be made at home and creativity with basic shapes and toys is encouraged.

Both stress the importance or art, music, instruments, acting, etc.

Both of them seem to be flexible when it comes to adapting to the ways that different children learn.

However they have key differences:

Waldorf is more about letting the child be a child. It involves fantasy, fairies, pretend, make believe. It relies heavily on storytelling and fantasy and the children are encouraged to be creative and there is no limit to how materials can be used.  Actually materials that are unfinished and freeform are a big part of the curriculum. Playsilks, wooden block, sea shells, dolls with minimal detail on their faces (waldorf dolls). Playstands where children can pretend, act, and delve into a world of their own is a big part of what is encouraged.

From the book “Magical Child” by Joseph Chilton Pierce

The great rule is: play on the surface
and the work takes place beneath. For the child, the time is always now; the place, here;
the action, me. He has no capacity to entertain adult notions of fantasy world and real
world. He knows only one world, and that is the very real one in which and with which
he plays. His is not playing at life. Play is life

Academics are actually kept away from children under the age of 6 or 7, their “job” so to speak is just to play.  Children are not introduced to reading or writing until this age as well. Books are not even present in the classrooms.  The idea is to allow the child to bloom on their own and not to try and push them into learning because that gets in the way of them being children and of them developing their creative mind. The structure is more traditional than Montessori is as Waldorf does have teachers that lead classrooms and that lead teaching. This teacher also helps in the social development of the child, guiding in song and dance and in developing group consciousness.  The curriculum changes with the seasons but there is a great deal of rythm in the school day.  Waldorf seeks to nurture the child’s imagination instead of the child’s intellect, especially in the younger years. Kids are kept with kids of their same ages. The schools are more like homes, they are warm and inviting.  Importance is given to “feeling” intelligence.

Montessori does not stress the make believe as much, it leans towards “practical life”.  It is grounded in reality. Children are given the opportunity to take part in learning while doing. They have little “jobs” and are given responsbilities appropriate to their age and ability.  This is supposed to help give the child sense of accomplishments and opportunities to learn how to do things that they otherwise would not have been given the opportunity to do.

Kids are kept with kids of similar age ranges but not necessarily the same age. Younger kids learn by mimicking and they teach each other sort of. The teacher is not really a leader but just helps facilitate. The teacher gives one on one instruction to children throughout the day but the children are not told what they must play with at a certain time period. There are schedules that could be suggested that some children do like to follow but it is never forced and the child is permitted to follow what they might feel like doing at this time. It is more “real life”. Drawings of things are not used, but real photographs or if possible the real example of the object being discussed. They describe playing as “work” because it is considered a real adult activity.  Creativity is encouraged but Montessori believes that there is creativity in everyday things, like cooking and cleaning and discovering plant life in your backyard.

Intellect is nourished and it is more structured. The idea is that you dont tell the child what to learn but you give them the opportunity to learn all sorts of things by making sure that they are exposed to them and allowed to move from one to the other at their leisure. It believes that children are like sponges and will absorbs what they are given. It is less of a “group” way of thinking but more individual. There is a high protection of the child’s choice and children are taught to respect other’s choices by waiting their turn and helping others reach their goals and learn.

Learning is seperated into critical “periods” that are when a child is more prone to learning a specific skill and the skills build upon themselves. There is a high importance put on the child’s environment and on there being order which then in turn allows the child to really be themselves without interruption.

What are we doing?

Right now we are doing a little of both. We have a broom for Kate to clean up and she knows how to clean after herself. She puts up her clothing and has little tasks around the house. We believe in helping her learn “practical life” things like cooking and while we cook we learn counting, fractions, counting, chopping, etc. This is a version of the Montessori ways of teaching.

We also have waldorf dolls and believe in communing with nature. We have open ended toys like nesting bowls and playsilks that let Kate explore her imagination and we pretend often. We tell her stories and she tells us stories. We also talk about fantasy and fairy tales and encourage the learning of mythologies. This is heavily waldorf  influenced.

We read a lot. She loves to read and she knows letter and numbers. This is a direct violation of the Waldorf belief that children of this age should be kept away from books and intellectual stimulation. Yet it goes along with the Montessori belief of giving them the opportunity to learn about all sorts of things and letting them chose when they want to learn certain things. We very much believe that she is a sponge and want to give her the opportunity to learn what she wants, whens he wants to.

Digging in the eart is a fave past time of hers, she has her own shovel and rake, and her own yard boots and gloves for this. This is part of both philosophies.

I want to start up a nature table for the kids, with living plants and small wooden figures that will change with the seasons. Kate is taught that the seasons change what is around us and within us. We tend to live in a more Waldorf manner when it comes to this. Our family beliefs tend to run more in this direction.

So as you can see, we are firmly in the middle of this… which is why I still believe that homeschooling might be a better option for us because I dont believe that we would fit 100% in either label. We could always send the kids to one and supplement with the other at home… and I do believe that my children will need to socialization that they wouldnt get if they were homeschooled.

Again, I hate labels… but this is something where we need to make a decision as to what way we want to go.

While public school is still an option I dont believe that I would be ok with it. The more I learn about the public school systems the more issues I have with them and Houston has an awful public school system. Texas in general does. We are in the bible belt and we cant even teach scientific fact because it insults the delicate sensibilities of the religious right that control our region… this is not the way that I want our children to be raised.

We still have a whole lot to do when it comes to deciding what we want but I figured I would compile what we have learned here for our information or anyone else who is thinking about looking into these methods.

The more I look into living a more ecofriendly lifestyle and the more that I try to infuse my children with the respect and love for the planet, the more that I realize that it is sort of like a religion.

We have what Thoreau called a hypaethral temple of sorts. It really isnt a true temple… and it really isnt a true church… it is just a respect, nurturing, and devotion for the world we live in. We admire what our world has become and we try to preserve it. I am very open with my children about what impact we have on our earth. Saturday morning when discussing animals and their sounds we talked about how the meat that we consume comes from animals. The dairy. The eggs.  We discussed how she should thank the animals involved and understand that they are part of our circle of life. She sees me pump for Calvin so she knows that milk can come from animals so I explained that cows, goats, sheep, etc. have similar breasts and thats how we get milk from them as well. She seems intrigued and we went further. She knows that cooking changes things because she helps me cook so much so we discussed how cooking made food and how veggies and fruits didnt need to be cooked to be eaten.  She had a few minutes where she was amazed at what things come from “moo cows” and I told her that we need to revere animals because they give so much to our life.

I know that this leans to a pantheistic view of life and that it involves worshiping animals and nature.. but I dont believe that it is exclusive of other beliefs that we may have. Maybe because of my own culture, knowing that my family stems from people who lived on ranches and had to work for their food in a way that is completely unfamiliar to most of us… I really want to make sure that my children know what food really is. Revering animals and nature comes naturally to me because I truly understand that the earth makes my life possible. While I dont worship in a church, my way of life does include being thankful for the forces that permit me to live my life the way that I do.  Sometimes that force is the sun. Other times it is the rain.  Our family adores rain. Not just in a “wow it cools down the heat here in the south”… but I allow my kids to play in it. Dance in it. Taste it. My children are not afraid of the rain and the wetness. My husband takes pictures and sits in awe studying the power of what our heavens have provided us.  We are truly thankful for it and watch its effects on our vegitation.

We try to eat locally, from farmers markets or Consumer Supported Agriculure shares… I know the man who grows the animals that end up on our plate. Our veggies arrive to us with dirt still firmly attached and I have been known to shake hands with the person whose hands tilled the soil that they grew in.  Kate knows that our family attemps to search within ourselves and our surroundings for sustenance.

This weekend I made her a toy snake, she asked for a toy snake when I gave her a choice. Instead of buying new filling or using new fabric, she helped me look through old fabric scraps that I had.. she picked out the scraps that she wanted me to use and she watched me sew her snake together by hand. We took an old pillow that was probably going to be retired soon and repurposed the innards of it for our snake. I used some smaller scraps for eyes and a tongue… and her snake was finished. It is made out of some black fabric with red flowers on it. It doesnt really look representative of any snake that you and I have seen.. but she loves it and she knows that we made it together.  We didnt have to buy a new toy at the store and we didnt have to buy anything to make it.

Kate loves yoga and understands peace and quiet time for meditation. We look within ourselves for peace and relaxation… we look at what we have on hand.

My hopes is that through living our life the way that we do our children will have a roadmap that will lead them to a true love for the earth that they live in.

Part of the definition of religion is a faith, a belief system… our religion doesnt involve prayers but it does involve music and art… we dont have scared texts but we do have the history of our earth and rituals and meditation. It doesnt have to do with the supernatural… but it is all about the natural. We give thanks and our practices are governed by our ethics and convictions. We do not have things that are divine, but many things in our world are sacred.

I find it distasteful to try and label ourselves…  but I also find it distateful when people say that to have ethics and beleifs you have to have an organized religion… I obviously dont believe that to be true.  We take what works for us from different systems and incorporate it into our lives. No organization needed. I have found that our family is happiest when it is allowed to grow and change… Michael and I have come a long way from the lives we used to lead and we will continue still to be dynamic in how we manifest our “faith”  but our beliefs remain steadfast.

Our way of life, or religion if you may… can be simply described as living in a way that shows respect for ourselves, our future, and our world…. and everything that encompasses that. However simple or complicated some may find that. It is us.

A little bit of family history here… my brother wont eat veggies. My father wont eat veggies. My mother would try to force feed us canned green beans and spinach which would promptly make us gag and puke yet we were not allowed to get up from our chairs until it was all off of our plate. So… I grew up hating veggies. One of my youngest memories is of sitting at a table with a plate of green metal smelling goop in front of me that my mother called spinach that I saw her pour out of a can and into our plates, it looked like sludge. I have vivid memories of the juices that my mother would make us with her extractor… all carrot based. I hate carrots.  She would try to trick us by putting apples, pears, and other fruits into it… but it was just a waste of good fruit to us. The carrots killed the yummy fruit flavor, worse when celery was put in it. ICK.

To this day I still believe that this harmed the way that my family views healthy eating. I cook and if the words “healthy” are uttered it is almost like a bad word… yet if I dont tell them what is in it.. they will eat it… and ask for seconds… so I have stopped saying what is in food and we are good to go.

WHen cooking for MIke and the kids I dont have the same struggle. Mike and i eat most veggies and Kate will too, we are starting Calvin on eating everything and hope that we dont have troubles with him. Yet sometimes all kids, even the best eaters…get picky.

There are days when Kate wont eat anything but soy cheese and crackers with maybe two grapes and 4 raisins. I have realized that this is why all kid food is “fortified” and has “100% of the needed supply of vitamins and minerals”.. because you dont know if that is all they are going to eat for the day… so you want to make sure that your food packs a serious punch healthwise.

This explains the allure of books like  The Sneaky Chef,and Deceptively Delicious. They are all mother’s desperate attempts at trying to trick their kids into eating better.

This becomes a real issue for those of us with kids with allergies or who are veg*s. I remember the phone call from my own inlaws that were concerned that Kate wasnt getting enough calcium in her diet because she couldnt eat dairy. I of course dont worry since I know that soy milk, tofu, and other products that we have on hand all have calcium in them. Leafy greens also have that and her diet is balanced enough that we arent concerned about her calcium intake.

I found the Pyramind website that the government has set up has some interesting info on where veg or dietary restricted families can get their nutricion from.

As for us?

I have been known to put turnips, brocolli, and cauliflower into mashed potatoes. I put tomatoes and spinach into breads. I bread meats with oats and whole wheat flour.  Grated zucchini and carrots taste great in cakes.  My family loooves quiches. Some phyllo dough and cream cheese/tofutti is a great device for delivering greens and other veggies into picky eaters.  Raw green beans are crunchy like chips and are well loved, sprinkle some paprika and salt on them for a twist. Or better yet, make your own baked veggie chips. Soups are a staple here. We make our own broths that are boiled down veggies and bones or something similar…  the list goes on and on…

Want some fun drinks for parties?  Here is one from Veg Kitchen:

Sneaky Peppermint!

Makes about 2 to 2 1/2 cups

• 1 cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup brewed, then cooled, peppermint tea (fairly strong)
• 1 cup ice cubes
• Handful of fresh spinach leaves (don’t let anybody see you do this.. it will make the drink green but not interrupt the flavor, adds nutrition)
• Raw sugar to taste, optional

Whirl away until in a food processor or blender until smooth. Pour into glasses to serve.

Teas are a great way to get nourishment into kids too. Red Raspberry Leaf and Nettle Tea which I drank when i was pregnant is a great sources of potassium , iron, and other goodies for your blood. Make a tea of these and make it into a popsciple for kids while sweetened with honey or stevia makes a good treat that they will LOVE to eat…. and they will think that they are getting away with something when they do!

Now I am off to find a way to sneak peas and liver into cream cheese icing. Wish me luck!