Price of Groceries, Gas...What is America Learning?

Listening to NPR this week, I heard a story where they were talking to people about the prices of groceries and gasoline. People interviewed were discussing what they were doing to make income go further and how they are adapting to the huge price changes in feed & gas. Here's examples of the changes they were talking about:

1) Eating left-overs, buying food in bulk and cooking from scratch.
2) Car pooling, buying a smaller car and not traveling to far for vacations.

I have been bitching about the cost too, but...in hearing this story I began to think about how the inflation in these areas may help to shift America's priorities. Maybe we will eat less crap, use up food in the fridge, plant gardens and choose to make better choices on how we travel.

Maybe!

pics...

Update

We took our fantastic camping trip, one where everyone was happy, except for a temper tantrum on the part of a very tired 3 year old. It was one of those trips where you look over at your spouse and your both laughing and smiling with one another. You suddenly realize why you were together in the first place and the numerous tasks of everyday life just seem irrelevant. For us, these moments do not come all the time. It usually comes in moments of relaxation and contentment. For those who have the type of marriage where you have that level of connection daily, do not comment here I am happy for you. I think we'll get there someday, but for now each sentence is interrupted and each meal includes spilled milk and trip back and forth to the table with this and that. For us, each night to bed alone results in a 3rd party by morning. For us, the prospect of grandparents to care for our kids or a big inheritance so we can relax is not there.
Anyway, it was a wonderful trip, with dirty tired kids and a young man who stayed up late by the fire with mom and dad sharing so many intellectual comments on life and his support of Barack Obama.
We listened to the IPOD in the car and enjoyed a ton of music, listening to songs we have not heard in a long time, everyone singing along. I remembered how certain songs remind me of experiences or times in my life. Fro example, Janis Joplin reminds me of the dozen or so days I skipped with my girlfriends in high school and went to Creek Road drinking beer and sunbathing. Blues Traveler, reminds me of walking into Dineen's Bar in Herkimer my first year of college-gosh that song "Runaround" was always on the Juke Box. The Grateful Dead reminds me of many many days and evening with beautiful friends dancing and singing. Those soulful songs like "Standing on The Moon" and "Foolish Heat" and the party songs like "Saturday Night" all seem to hold a special day, place or person I shared it with. Van Morrison reminds me of Claire's birth, playing softly as she came into the world. Also, given my music selections on this drive I am pretty sure my kids can sing Phish's songs "Contact" and "Reba" on cue.
Still staying on the wagon with my Vegan diet, with the exception of Veggie Dogs with egg in them that we took on the trip and several licks of my kids spoons when cleaning up their yogurt.
It feels like I am always eating. Little plates of salad, beans on chips, apple, tempeh, pasta, little here little there. However I do feel like I am making progress

Last day of freedom....

I just got home from a hike and lunch alone... I must now get going to take a long bath and tidy up the house before I head out to shop for our camping trip to Canyonlands. This is the last day of school for the kids and I am celebrating my last day of "fucking off"--actually yesterday I celebrated too with a trip to the library, lunch with the studio ladies at the Indian Restaurant and a hike. Really, I am excited to spend some quality time with the babes!

I had an amazing sandwich today...vegan with roasted mushrooms, hummus and grilled squash topped with some funky flavored vinegar. Yum! This vegan thing is pretty easy, except for the habitual stuff I must break myself of. Mostly, eating without consciousness, licking a spoon or finishing the kids mac and cheese. This also goes for parties or places with snacks. It certainly narrows the "grazing field" for me. I have now not had meat to eat at all for a month and not dairy, eggs or meat for a week. I really feel good and have spent a significant amount of time cooking. I have also discovered some Vegan Snacks to appease my sweet tooth such as Lara Bars and Mini Soy Ice Cream Sandwiches.

I am pissed off a bit about our local Health Food Store, when I let Claire out of the cart because she was whining me silly and even then I knew she cannot be let out of the cart for any time. Well immediately she was trying to reach in the bins to get a yogurt covered pretzel which was placed exactly at her level and since I took my eye off her while ordering at the deli, she has a good 4-5 second head start. Before I could confine her a male employee of the store who is "in charge of the bulk section" scared her, yelled at her and then publicly humiliated me saying, "Miss, please take care of your child, she's out of control and your eyesight, she tried to sneak into the bulk bin and that's unsanitary." The other people in line said to me "What a jerk!" . But really, I feel like a jerk because often I don't feel like I have my kids under my control. Here I was with my little criminal acting as an accomplice to her thieving ways (not to mention the germs she was inserting into the bulk bin). I feel like no matter how strict the rules are, I can never 100% know what they will do. So I accepted his public chastising of me and shopped on holding back tears of embarrassment and humiliation.

Then, I had to go into the bulk aisle again to get Soba Noodles, when I struggled with the tongs getting the noodles into my bag, I heard over my shoulder a loud sigh and again he was in my face. You are supposed to use gloves for that! I put everything down and asked him why he was so rude. He began berating me about the procedures for the bulk food aisle and I finally said that I had to end our conversation because I was afraid I might say something rude. Maybe he had a bad day, maybe I had a bad day and probably kids destroy that aisle all the time and he is sick of cleaning up the mess. I wish he understood shopping with 3 kids can suck.

Still I am mulling it over, should I complain to the owners? Is my ego taking over because someone dared correct me in public? Should I ever shop there again?

It bothers me on some level that they are just not kid friendly, its a drag to take them in to this store. It also bothers me that I spend a good 80.00 on a bag of groceries and an employee believes he can publicly chastise me and scare my child. What happened to the customer being right? I always thought I would shop local small markets, but if Whole Foods opens here, I am shopping there because at least my kids can have a snack and they would not allow an employee to scare children!

Maybe I can let this go...huh?

In other news I am still heavy...a solid 175 lbs about 15-25 pounds above what would be healthy.
After I get the hang of this vegan thing I think it will be time to quit sugar for a while and maybe even gluten. Other things that should be eliminated are coffee and booze :( I suspect Candida and some adrenal fatigue. going on in my body so we will see.

Kitty lost a tooth, her first and swallowed it with her dinner. Needless to say we did not search for it.

My baby is ONE!

Her Birthday:

My daughter loves BEEF! Yes, beef. I pulled a roast out of the oven a few weeks ago and she started howling from across the room:

MMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Smacking her lips, drooling, the whole thing. It was hysterical! I could barely put the little pieces on her tray before she snatched them up and swallowed them down- practically whole! She had never eaten meat before this day and it was hours from dinner time! As a side note (I just thought of this!!), prior to my pregnancy with Bea, I was a vegetarian (even vegan!!) for a VERY long time. Suddenly, just a few weeks into my first trimester, we were camping and a friend was grilling a burger (NOT a veggie burger : ) and I had to have one!! It was insane- the craving. My little carnivore daughter just took over and the rest is history! Needless to say, we had beef for her first birthday dinner. Beef.

As is our usual tradition, we began our day with the birthday child in mind; apples & honey for a sweet and fruitful year ahead. We all took a piece of apple, dipped it into the honey & made wishes for our birthday girl. Liam hopes she catches her first fish this year. We'll see Liam...

We baked her her very first cake using blueberries that we picked late last summer, and the last of the applesauce that we made from our trip to the orchard on Liam's birthday this past September. We called it Bea's Blueberry Applesauce Molasses Cake! We also made her her very first ice cream- blueberry vanilla!! It was so much fun to make! The rich cream, frozen blueberries, decadent vanilla- who needs sugar? The boys were mesmerized by the whirring & churning! Highly recommend this ice cream maker!

She was a crack up! She dove in, first with her hands, moving on shortly thereafter with her whole face buried deep into the bowl! Demure you say? Ha! We all sang her song, in a round, again & again and she was beaming! She knew it was for her. All for her.

Beatrice Lily you silly dilly
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockleshells,
And pretty maids all in a row!!

It was the first time Keegan was able to hold his own part- boy was he proud! She loved the attention. We adapted this little ditty for her when she was teeny tiny. We wrapped her gifts in silk for our little angle. She was thrilled! She wore her beautiful new amber necklace, laid on her lambskin, held her new book tightly, tried desperately to pull off her new slippers, lounged happily in her handmade birthday sweater from auntie Amy, and thumped her first drum! The boys decorated their bodies (in her silks) and had a full on hoe down to round out the evening! Keegan blew his flute, Bea played her new drum, Liam shook & gyrated to the beat- he's our little dancer!!, Dad clapped & stomped, Daniel drummed & thumped away, as we all sang & carried on late into the evening. We just couldn't see it end. Our little Bea- ONE! This called for a real celebration.
What a girl we have!

*************************************************************************************
She came into the world with her hands on either side of her face. I thought she was so demure and girly- already posing.

I was wrong.

Actually, those hands were balled up little fists! My tough girl, ready to defend...and protect! She has many sides. She never fussed, never had crying jags (until the dreaded teething late in her first year), loved everyone- especially strangers with bad attitudes. I would have to strategically plan my grocery trips b/c she would constantly attract droves of people & it would literally takes hours!! I would wake up to nurse her at 2 am, 3 am, 4 am- and just feel so lucky. Me! I get to take care of this little, perfect person! She was nothing but a blessing every moment, still is. Smiling from birth.

I never thought I would have a daughter, just boys for me. I secretly wanted a little girl- so badly. She is the daughter of my dreams! I love her sweetness, her feistiness with her brothers, the way she fake coughs for attention, the way her lips pucker when she's trying to imitate my mouth, the way she pays attention- from birth, and countless other little things that are so big to me. I surrender myself completely over to my babies. Especially this baby. There's quite a learning curve to raising children. It goes so quickly that it seems their infancy is over in a blink! I know it's not exactly PC to give up of yourself so that your entire identity is someone's mom. But I gladly did, and would do it again. I am Beatrice's mom. That's all I've known for 1 whole year (and 9 months) and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Some people may regret not learning to paint, or not taking that trip, or fill in the blank. I will never regret being there for every moment of my daughter's first year.

Never.

And, I am learning new things all the while! I love this girl of mine more than I could ever express on this page. She has taught me how to be in the moment more than I ever realized. You cannot predict the future, so why dread it? Expectations are never what you imagine them to be. I have learned more, done more, and seen more of the world right here by my daughters side then I could ever experience anywhere else. I am eternally grateful that I get to be in her life.

"On Children" by Kahlil Gibran

Your children
Are not your children.
They are the sons and the daughters
Of life long before itself.
They come through you, but they are not from you,
And though they are with you, they belong not to you.

You can give them your love, but not your thoughts;
They have their own thoughts, they have their own thoughts.
You can house their bodies, but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the place of tomorrow,
Which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You can try to be like them, but you cannot make them just like you.
Strive to be like them, but you cannot make them just like you.


Here is a link to a photo album of Bea's Day!

My Day (in pictures)...

Link to my Mother's Day album.

LOVE THURSDAY~

You are all goodness.

My freckle faced son.

You see the good in all and minimize

What too many see first.

Your deep brown eyes watch everything

Studying the way life works.

You lie in our bed reading,

You push your sister on her little trike,

You hand over to her your last piece of gum.

You love the Yankees.

Your Grandparents.

Your teacher.

Your friends.

Could your heart always be so open as it is today?

I wonder what pain your heart will deflect?

You will grow.

Always good,

Maybe tough,

I pray confident.

When I think of you I see the goodness,

Of the grandfather whose name you carry,

Be patient with me,

I want so much for you

Tell me I'm too much

And you in your own way will show me

Exactly who you are.

My Surprise Rhode Island Mother's Day

First, a decadent breakfast prepared by none other than super dad! Next, open presents & marvel over handmade cards while the huz packs for our trip. Then, all scramble into the car for a 2 hour drive to the coast. I must have asked, "Where are we going!??" 10 thousand times as my husband grinned a terrible grin!

Truth be told, I love secrets! However, I hate (HATE, HATE, HATE) not knowing...I'm a need to know kind of gal! It's a double edged sword you see.

Next, a romantic stroll through a beautiful zoo (we were there for like 6 hours!!), followed by a sea side dinner (that the huz packed) & sunset walk on the beach.

Ahhh.

I love my family. They are my everything.

Oh & the outer spacey looking thing was a jelly fish stranded after the tide went out. How BIZARRE! It looks as though it were left behind by an alien ship!

Happy Birthday Earthmama!

Happy Birthday Earthmama~
I must honor my co-blogger here, she is full of grace, dignity and strength.
From nearly 3000 miles away I am always inspired by her wisdom and her discipline.
In the years I lived closer, I had a role model and peer in parenting our young children.
Earthmama parents with such patience and calm that I often wonder how lucky a thing it is to be her child.
Earthmama gives of herself and her time like no other person and in the process has learned to give to herself (YEAH RIGHT, get Bea and hop a plane babe). She can cook, bake and entertain like no other always making it look easy.
A talented writer, crafter and thinker...
Earthmama is my sister, my friend and my hero...
She's got kick ass hair too!
Happy Birthday Sweetie! LOVE YA

Hiking with Sammy....

Documenting the wildflowers...

You saw the Lupines...here are more!

Vermicomposting, the backyard, soccer and hiking adventures with Sammy doodle, the lab

OUR WORMS

The MEDALIST Defender

The Sprouting garden

Cherry Blossoms

Yours truly- morning hike

Firstly, the yard is getting nicer and more pleasurable to spend time in, I am really excited to see things changing and growing in such positive ways! Its now becoming a place I WANT To spend time in. We are now composting in several ways with two bins and a vermicompost bed. The kids are crazy for the worms!

Yesterday was the Mothers Day we all dream of! I spent it at the soccer field, at a tournament that won first place medals fro my young son and his team. You see though, I am not a "soccer mom", I try very hard not to live vicariously through my son, but enjoy being present with him. Beyond that healy feely piece, I do not relish travelling all over, digging out $ for hotel rooms, buying new cleats every 2-3 weeks because his feet are weeds growing at a whopping rate. I also resent the elitist atmosphere cultivated by this club where it costs $200.00, plus a uniform which costs $125.00 minimum and tournament fees totaling nearly $300.00 a year. The children are expected to go to summer camp for soccer which costs another $250.00. I try to cut corners whenever possible, but I can afford it so....

and in all reality I could never have participated in any of it when I was a kid! It make me happy to see him excel and compete. Ok. back to that unlived lives of ones parents... So, I guess I can vow to move the club forward by giving out more scholarships, recycling uniforms, cleats (I have so many to give away). I also can vow that many of the "soccer moms" are wonderful women who I just adore and a few I just do not know.

In many respects my favorite part of the day was having a picnic in the park with the kids, mushroom pizza, and warm late spring air. I must say, however, that the championship game was super exciting and worth every minute of my time. In addition, my little guy was so proud of his medal and is reaping the rewards of working out hard and practicing. I like that.

On another note, Doodle Dog and I hiked about 9 miles today, while I photographed all of the flowers, so that I can document how many types of wildflowers I can find here in Southwest Colorado. My feet hurt, I smell and I am happy.

Getting away for a few miles...

For me, sanity means getting away from the never ending laundry, the dirty bathroom and being taskmaster of the home.

I can take my my camera, my dog or kitty lou and have splendid break from life. As the months and years go by, my realization that short breaks form daily life and renewal are found more in nature than in a cocktail, a nap or even a massage. The huz and the kids sometimes are down for a hike and sometimes not. My 11-year-old would rather ride his mountain bike up these treacherous trails with a buddy, as he does most days, my toddler would rather be carried and my huz needs to stay behind to be an eye on them both. However, my Kitty who is 5 and up for it all is always willing to oblige me in finding peace in nature. She is the power hiker turning every stone, squatting down to examine each flower and climb trees along the way. The two of us have decided to begin documenting all of the flowers and plants we come across.

Lupine have taken over most of the trail we walk on, little characters full of grace and personality.

Life changing...

This week I have spent caring for my soul and for the soul of this family. Several days have been spent at the pottery studio throwing some coffee cups and bowls. As I look out the window of the studio, I am able to see for many miles and the mountain peaks, whose solid white caps have been broken this past week. The spring outside is intoxicatingly beautiful and so full of promise I could cry. WE have hummingbirds, many of them at our 3 feeders. Claire runs from feeder to feeder..."Hi Red Necky. Hi Green Backy. Hi are you a bug or a bird?"

I am seeing the neglect that has built up while I was working and have vowed to change some things. Scott and I have been caring for our relationship and went to breakfast, alone with the paper this morning. We walked and talked and planned. I am also seeing that Ike is exhausted from playing two sports right now and no matter how much he begs me in the future, we will make him choose. I want to see him more, I want him to play more so...when summer comes I am leaving it all wide open! I want to let my house be a hang out. Maybe I will buy him and his buddies some tubes for the river??? I also have vowed in my private journal and now here, I will not model anger for any of my children or at least the outward throw a bag, slam a door kind of pissed off. Ike and I talked about this, I explained to him that it is easier each time to lose it over stupid stuff and that I won't either.

On my side, I have been detoxing myself for a while. Lots of water, herbs, tea, vitamins and exercise. I am limiting sugar and coffee. I have eliminated meat and booze. Next week, I hope to move on to eliminating coffee and refined sugar. I do not plan this forever, but for 40 days until I can "Change my habit and cultivate new". My plan for today is to hike for a long time alone and spend some time in the sauna. I also need to get back to Vinyasa classes. Each night I have been cooking too, real meals full of nutrition. Nothing fancy though, sorry. I will let you now how the curried lentils, potatoes and peas comes out tonight.

Thoughts are like clouds in the sky...

Locavore Nation

This is a great link!

Locavore Nation follows 15 people who blog about their year long effort to eat regionally based food. The participants are divided amongst the Western, Central, and Eastern Regions. Happy reading...AND eating locally! Be a local hero & support your local farmer! Join a CSA or get on the wait list today! Our farm (Brookfield) is the best! Our entire spring, summer & fall completely revolve around the farm! Remember, farmers are my rock stars!