My little ones are so energetic that it can be so hard to find a book to keep their interest. They love words, but usually it's running off at the mouth as opposed to listening to me read them. 2 read that seem to please ALL FOUR of my kiddos are fantastic books by Leslie Patricelli called Higher! Higher! and Baby Happy Baby Sad that
Higher! Higher! The first is geared towards older kids, and every millimeter of space on that pages is filled with vibrantly colored pictures. My 7 and 4 year old loves it! The words are simple, but it allows him to make his own detailed story by describing the pictures and telling me what they feel is happening in the story. I love that their imaginations become highly involved in this book, and it is so fun for us to read together!
Baby Happy Baby Sad is a board book meant for younger kids, but all of them love it. This is a great book to use in teaching children to identifying their emotions. As my oldest has grown we have encountered many a time where he was frustrated or mad and couldn't define why he was feeling that way and what caused it. This book gives some great examples as to what makes children experience positive and negative emotions, and also helps them identify the cause and effect of a situation and changes that can arise.
I highly recommend both of these books, and encourage you to check out the entire line of books by Leslie Patricelli!
I'm going to start a series of tips on how to sneak that green into your house. I want to show everyone just how easy it is to substitute or replace mainstream products with green ones.
Sneaky Green Tip #1
Replace soy sauce with liquid aminos. Say whaaaaa? Liquid aminos are the building blocks of protein. Also derived from soybeans they have a similar to flavor to soy sauce, you can use it in all the same places that you would use soy sauce, and the health benefits are phenomenal. Check check check check check it out!
supports energy metabolism
help maintain blood sugar levels
helps bone loss and osteoporosis
growth and development
supports healthy reproductive system
helps circulation
helps long-term memory
aids digestion
helps with depression
healthy for hair, skin, and nails
promotes healthy cholesterol levels
This list is by no means comprehensive, but this gives you a sneak peak at just a few of the benefits. A 10oz bottle of soy sauce will cost you around $3 and the same size bottle of liquid aminos is close to $5, so the price is a bit more but it's worth the small increase. Happy sneaking!
Kermit the Frog was really onto something here. He captures the melancholy and uniqueness that comes with the territory of being green. Let's take an in depth look at the lyrics of Kermie's song, and we'll see just how true his sentiment was... and still is.
It's not that easy being green Having to spend each day the color of the leaves When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold Or something much more colorful like that
Being green can most definitely be a challenge. Avoiding all of the colorful dyes that our foods and health and beauty products have become laden with can seem an impossible task at first. Not to mention that there is a reason people use and like them - they're appealing! They look pretty, they smell yummy, and most often they work great. When you've been using mainstream products your whole life it can seem like such a daunting thing to even begin a green lifestyle, let alone transition completely. It's not that easy being green... although cloth diapering can be colorful!
It's not easy being green It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water Or stars in the sky
Go Green Pocket Diapers
And he hits the nail on the head again. While there may be some controversy over the green movement itself, few people have drawn attention to themselves because of what they were doing on a day-to-day basis while living this green life. In my world, the steps I've taken towards a more natural lifestyle have resulted in lots of raised eyebrows, a few giggles, some name calling {anyone other Mother Earth's out there?}, and, my favorite, the ever popular, "I don't know how you do that!" That last comment is usually in reference to cloth diapers. And while no one looks glamorous sloshing a poopy diaper in the toilet, you might just get some sparkly water on you. har har har.
But that's sort of the point, isn't it? To get back to an organic way of living not only in the foods we buy, but in the lives we live. I laugh every time I hear people complaining about the new organic fac, and the usual follow-up about how there were no organics 40 or 50 years ago. Wrong-o. The fact of the matter is that up until 40 or 50 years ago ALL foods were organic, they just didn't need to be labeled because why would you need to tell someone that food is simply food? There was no need to classify it because it was as nature intended it to be. Natural pesticides have been used throughout our world's history, the most early one being sulphur, but it wasn't until the 1940s and 50s that synthetic pesticides began being mass produced. The 1970s saw the formation of the EPA and ever since then growing, selling, and buying organic has been an uphill battle. If only finding organics was as easy as spotting a star in the sky.
But green's the color of Spring And green can be cool and friendly-like And green can be big like an ocean, or important Like a mountain, or tall like a tree
Green is cool. The move towards organics, homesteading, homemade, and healthy has been gaining momentum over the last few years, and it's safe to say that the green trend is on the upswing. My hope is that more people, more families, will find how easily this lifestyle can fit into their homes and being green will be be big, important, and the norm! It will not be a choice, but simply the way of living. As obvious as a mountain, and ever growing in it's reach, like a tree. (Would you like some wine with that cheese? HA!)
When green is all there is to be It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful And I think it's what I want to be
Picture courtesy of www.environment911.com
For me, greenis all the there is to be now. I'm so far from perfect, and not every aspect of my life is cleaned, so to speak, but I am ever conscious of the way we live, the impact my family makes on our world, and the way the world we live in impacts us. When you know better you do better, right? And to toss in another cliche, with great power comes great responsibility. What greater responsibility is there than to be raising, training, teaching, nourishing the next generation of people? Everything I do, say, and give to my children impacts their development in some way. I can either make a positive impact or a negative one, and I choose to be a positive force in their lives. I also want to protect them in any way possible, and when you start to learn what is in the processed foods, and the super-duper-yummy-berry-blasted health and beauty products for kids you can't help but think twice before you make your next purchase. And each purchase we make is a choice. It's our voice in the market saying, "Yes, I want this." or "No, I refuse to buy that." Choose your words wisely my friends. And learn to love being green, just like Kermit. It's a beautiful, healthy, impactful, and responsible way to be. I think Kermie and I came to the same conclusion.... in the end, it IS easy being green.
I live in a pretty rural area and my organic fruit and vegetable selection is limited to a very small portion at my local grocery store. Recently my friend and fellow doula presented me with an opportunity to join an organic c-oop in Birmingham called Manna Market, and I jumped at the chance! Not only are they providing local organic fruits and veggies, but their ordering and payment options are very flexible. Most co-ops or CSA's require you to pay up front for an entire season, which works out to be a big chunk of change all at one time. A big chunk of change that not everyone has lying around - myself included. I usually grocery shop for my family 2 weeks at a time, and Manna Market delivers orders every 2 weeks. Perfect for my family! You have the option to order every 2 weeks, or you can only order when you need/want to. They also have different size orders depending again on what you're able to spend and/or your family size.
This being our first experience I ordered the smallest bag, but was still thrilled with our loot! Like buying from a farm, the exact fruits and veggies vary and in this bag we got apples, oranges, kiwi, bananas, beets, eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, romaine, spring mix greens, okra, sweet potatoes, and green beans. Quite the haul, no? I picked up my order from a local herb shop and after setting the bag in the car, before I was even able to get back in the car from saying "thank you" to the mama who delivered the order, the kids were raiding our booty. The little pirates. Arrrrrrr! They went straight for the apples and bananas, but I was able to save them before they fell to an early demise.
We came home, I layed everything out, and took the above picture. My little man wanted to model several fruits for you guys. He's such a giver. We've had our fruits and veggies for 5 days now, and in order to make it last I had to stash our fruits in the microwave. (which doesn't work.... well, as a microwave. It's a broken built in, so it is working as a hiding spot for me!) Our veggies are waiting patiently in the crisper drawers. We've used several things now and the taste is so superior to what I buy at the grocery store (even organic) that I am thoroughly shocked! Take the apple for example. I buy apples frequently, all different varieties, and use them in a number of different ways. I feel like I had never eaten a real apple before I tried the one from Manna Market!!! It was SO crisp, had a great firm bite to it, with a minute graininess. The flavor was out of this world! So sweet and fresh, I can hardly describe it. It made me want to bake, and melt some cinnamon laced scentsy, and go rake leaves all at the same time. They just screamed FALLISHERE!
I have plans to make gumbo with the okra, the green beans will be sliced and added to a chicken pot pie (made with whole fresh organic farm raised chicken I buy from Goose Pond Farms), the sweet potato will be baked into yummy chips, and the tomatoes and green peppers are going into pasta. The only things I don't have plans for are the beets and the eggplant - neither of which I've cooked before. It's just one eggplant, so I feel like I need to use it in something to make it stretch, but I have no clue what. If you have any recipes or ideas for me please comment below and let me know! I encourage everyone to look for a local CSA or co-op, there are budget conscious organic buying alternatives out there, if you're willing to spend a little time looking and make a couple of phone calls. I can now say 100%, it is SO worth it!
Did everyone like my pitiful picture from yesterday? I know it looked like I was subjecting my little man, Noah, to some sort of medieval punishment, but I promise no one was harmed in the making of this blog post.
Typically I am in charge of haircuts for our 3 boys. They all have a unique sense of style, and I try my best to keep that in mind when choosing a hairstyle with them. Before our last round of cuts my Noah took my haircutting scissors and took a chunk right out of the middle of his hair on the front of his head. I did my best to hide it with comb overs, but had been looking forward to it growing out all summer to a semi-normal length. Yesterday I was getting the boys pumped for their new haircuts (they usually whine and fight me on it) and I guess the excitement got the better of them. When I went to lay the baby down my hubby was working on his truck outside and somewhere in the midst of both adults being occupied my 4 year old, Luke, found my husband's electric hair trimmer andbuzzzzzzz, right down the middle of Noah's head it went. By the time I came out my hubby was halfway through "fixing" Noah's new do, and I couldn't help but take this picture of the funny stage. He looks a bit like Mr. Zorg, no?
So now his head is like a little dome of velcro and I can't stop touching it! But if you think that's the only wrench that was thrown in my day, oh no! You'd be very very wrong indeed. Let's see, first was the impromptu haircut, then came the breaks on my van sticking so now we have to bring it in to be repaired. Then while inspecting the brakes we found that both of my front tires are showing the metal threads (these are 45k mile tires and I've only gone 16k on them) so they have to be replaced. Next came my oldest son's football game, which was supposed to be scheduled for 6, but wound up being at 5:30... and we had to be there an hour early. Lastly, and probably most disturbingly, our cat, who just had kittens 4 weeks ago, started getting sick. It's pretty graphic and gross, and I don't know how strong of a stomach you have, but I'm not even through my first cup of coffee so for my own sake I'm not going to rehash it right now. I'll suffice to say that she is going to the vet at 10 this morning. With my brakes getting fixed after that. And my tires (hopefully) getting replaced under warranty after that.
TGIF, right? HA! When you're a mom/wife/homemaker/domestic-engineer-extraordinaire, there are no Fridays! At least Noah likes his haircut, and I now have a good luck charm to rub. What has life thrown your way this week?
Oh friends, I have so much to share with you! But alas, the football field is calling my name, 2 pages of homework need to be done, and we have a truck we must deliver to an auction. So, for now, I leave you with this. I'm such a tease!
When it comes to sneaky tactics the switcheroo is my favorite. Take old product, exchange it for new, don't tell a soul, pray no one notices. Good strategy, right?
Tonight's Switcheroo was made possible by me and my awesome homemade Sneaky Valley *giggle* ranch dressing. We had baked potatoes and salad for dinner last night and instead of using the plastic-bottled toxic ingredient super yummy ranch we usually have on hand, I made up a batch of homemade salad dressing. This was only the second time I've tried to make dressing, and the previous one was a really easy balsamic vinaigrette. I was nervous that my ranch wouldn't be creamy or tasty enough. I assembled the plates, passed them out, and crossed my fingers that no one would notice. My husband usually has the most discerning pallet, and he's been suspicious of substitutions ever since I put soy crumbles in our Hamburger Helper as newlyweds. Everyone cleaned their plates and the only one who said anything was, of course, my husband. Know what he said? "Dinner was really great!" I wanted to milk the compliment for all it was worth so I skipped to the fridge, pulled out my jar of homemade ranch, wiggled it in the air and said, "I made the dressing!" He still stood by his previous comment that dinner was great... despite the fact that I had switcherooed our old faithful dressing for my homemade one.
I think we all, myself included, tend to be scared to use homemade products in place of store bought ones because we are worried that our families won't like them as much. Kids will complain that they taste funny, the texture might be off, or a husband with a picky palette might say it's just plain bad. But if you give it a try you will see that your successes far outweigh the failures. Not to mention that when you control the quality of the ingredients as well as the amounts, you can not only customize your foods to the exact taste preference of your family, but you can actually feel good about what you're feeding them. You know they are receiving nourishment and not just filling them up. Not to mention, it will do your self-esteem a world of good to have your hubby freely tossing compliments your way.
I encourage you to switch ONE store bought item for a homemade one this week. Just ONE. You can totally do that! Tell me what you switched and how it worked for you. If you want to try making some homemade ranch for yourself, here is my recipe.
Sneaky Valley Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tb minced garlic (you can use garlic powder if that's all you have, but use much less)
1 tsp minced onion (chives, green onions, or onion powder work too. Adjust your amounts accordingly)
1 Tb parsley
salt and pepper to taste
milk
Add the mayo, sour cream, garlic, onion, and spices to a clean speghetti jar. Put the lid on and shake like you're trying to sculpt Michelle Obama's arms. Check your consistency and thin with a little bit of milk if the mixture if too thick for you. Shake again and enjoy! You can use it right away, but the flavors combine so much better if you let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours.
My little ones are so energetic that it can be so hard to find a book to keep their interest. They love words, but usually it's running off at the mouth as opposed to listening to me read them. 2 read that seem to please ALL FOUR of my kiddos are fantastic books by Leslie Patricelli called Higher! Higher! and Baby Happy Baby Sad that
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