I'm a bookseller!

After years of dreaming, I'm finally doing it.  I am in the book business.  Someday, maybe I'll have an actual store but for now I just have a few boxes of books that I can sell out of my house.  My inventory is mostly books from the TJED lists, classics for children and adults.  I'm not the cheapest source for these books but if you live near me, I'm pretty convenient.  A lot of these titles are not found in your typical big box store, though they will happily order them for you at no additional cost.  And I think amazon.com carries them all, usually at a discount.  Order $25 or more and you get free shipping.  One of my favorite online stores is www.classicbooksandgifts.com.

I also have a lot of luck finding great deals on the bargain shelves/tables at big box stores and Half Price Bookstores.  Lots of my friends get great deals at second hand stores like Goodwill.  There are lots of ways to get cheap books.

But if convenience and a TJED focused inventory are important to you, and you live close, I might be able to help you.

Let me know if you want to stop in sometime and peruse my books for sale.

Rachel's Mine

Rachel and Oliver DeMille are the authors of several TJED books, founders of George Wythe University and the family that started the whole TJED thing in the last 20 years.  I am very inspired by them both.  Rachel writes a great column on the tjedonline.com site called, Rachel's Mine.  I particularly loved her recent article, Kindling, Carrot Sticks, and Kidschool.  Check it out.  You have to register your name and email with the site to access the content but there are lots of great free things there.

I’m Thinking about Homeschooling…AGGHHHHH!

Is this you?

Most people I know who have decided to homeschool did not come to the decision through a peaceful, stress-free, planning process.  As soon as they allowed the possibility to flit through their head a racing heartbeat and cold sweat followed.  Most people push this “ridiculous” idea right back where it came from and move on.  But for some people, the idea just won’t leave them alone.  Eventually, they verbalize this thought to someone who most likely looks back at them with wide, stunned or even horrified eyes.  So, they try to forget about homeschool.  But the idea just keeps nagging at them.  If they are lucky they soon find a family or two of “normal” homeschoolers and they may be gently ushered into the world of homeschooling.  But for many, they make the decision to homeschool all alone and a panic attack ensues. I recently spoke to my sister’s friend who was in exactly this spot and it made me wish I had everything I wanted to say and share written down and neatly organized.  So here is my offer of help for anyone who finds themselves in a similar place.

If you are just exploring the idea, keep exploring and don’t commit until you and your husband KNOW it is the right thing for your family.  I’m a big fan of homeschool and I think anyone can succeed at it but I also firmly believe that each family needs to do what’s right for them.  Whatever education system and philosophy you choose to participate in, your experience will be better if you are united as a family and choose it together.  And honestly, it will be doubly hard to get through the hard times (which will occur no matter what you choose) if you and your spouse are not on the same page.  So if you have decided homeschool is right for your family and you’re trying to stop yourself from totally freaking out, proceed.

You are now facing several decisions as well as lots of fears and concerns.  Here’s what I recommend for dealing with and alleviating these things.

1.  Find Out What Your State’s Legal Requirements For Homeschooling Are.  It’s different for each state.  Some states make it easier than others but usually it boils down to a few forms that have to be submitted every fall.  Google “homeschool in [your state]” and you will find state homeschooling organizations that will probably have it all outlined for you.  Even better, find someone in your state who homeschools and ask them to help you figure it out.  I’ve noticed that the paperwork/requirements sound a lot simpler when explained by a real live homeschooling parent than all the legalese that appears on homeschooling websites. 

2.  What Educational Philosophy will you follow?  If you already know the answer to this, immerse yourself in the philosophy’s literature.  If you don’t, you don’t need to decide right away.  Plan on learning about your options, trying a few things out and taking AT LEAST a year to settle on something.  

There are homeschoolers who use a K-12 program that looks just like public school with a virtual teacher, standard curriculum, homework, and a lot of guidance/requirements.  On the other extreme are unschoolers who don’t do anything that “looks” like school but swear that their families are getting great educations.  In between are a billion other options.  You don’t have to investigate all of them.  I believe you will be led to the one or few that are best for your family.  Put your feelers out, see what comes back and check out the things that resonate with you.  You don’t have to adopt one philosophy either.  You can be an eclectic homeschooler and do a little of this and a little of that.  As a reminder, my family has chosen Leadership Education as our educational philosophy and I’m pretty biased in favor of it so take what I say with that in mind.  Homeschool conferences, usually held throughout the summer, are great places to get exposed to different philosophies and ideas.  I’ve never been to one but I hear they are fabulous.  They can also be overwhelming so don’t go to one yet if you are afraid this could be bad for you.

3. Take It A Year At a Time. You don’t have to decide what you are doing for school for the next 12 years, just focus on this year.  Every summer you can reevaluate and adjust as needed.  If you discover mid-year that something is really not working, you can make changes then too.  

4. Demystify Public School and Homeschool.   If you’ve never spent real time in a public school classroom you probably have some totally unrealistic ideas about what goes on there.  I’m not saying it’s bad – a lot of great things happen there.  My best friend was a 4^th grade teacher for several years and I visited her classroom many times.  She’s the best teacher I know.  She once told me, “If I could have a class with just 5 kids, at the end of the year I could give you 5 little geniuses.  But I can’t do that with 25 kids.”  Yes, the teachers have been specifically educated and trained for this but even the best ones, like my friend, only get to use a fraction of their skills and knowledge to teach in the public school environment.  They spend most of their energy on classroom management, not teaching.  Seeing is believing.  Find a teacher who will let you visit/help in their class and you will see what school is really like.  It will help you feel less stressed about trying to do it yourself at home. 

      You probably have some unrealistic ideas about what successful homeschoolers do in a typical day too.  Find a family who will let you be a fly on the wall for a day.  You will learn how much can be accomplished in the home environment and see how it actually happens – it’s not magic and you don’t have to be superwoman to pull it off.  There are families that follow a rigorous K-12 curriculum with Mom putting together daily lesson plans and elaborate field trips.  I must confess that I don’t know how they do it—the few I’ve known do seem ultra stressed or have a lot of paid help.  What I do, Leadership Education, feels easier, more family friendly, and the most effective.  But that’s my bias.


5.  Find The Right Resources. There are thousands of homeschool websites with curriculum for sale, project ideas, networking groups and online communities.  Once you know which philosophies you want to explore (choose just a few) find the best resources associated with them.  Ask your friends, join the online community, talk to people, you’ll find what you need.

Here’s my list of resources

a.     A Thomas Jefferson Education

b.     Leadership Education (My favorite of the TJED books)

c.      TJED Home Companion

d.     TJED for Teens

e.     www.tjedonline.com (sign up for a monthly subscription for additional resources each month)

f.    https://www.facebook.com/groups/TJEdDiscussion/  (Facebook group)
g.  www.familyforum.co  (Annual Family Forum event in SLC and the audio downloads of past years talks and classes)
h.     www.familyforum.co/store/family-builder  (The Family Builder Training Program)

i.       www.gw.edu (get your own leadership education)

j.       www.goodreads.com (Become my Good Reads friend if you want to see what my family reads and my reviews of the books we’ve read.  Find other like-minded Good Reads friends and scour their bookshelves for ideas.)
j.  www.tjed.org/twih/sample/  (This Week in History, online resource for bringing history to life)

k.     www.mathusee.com (I don’t recommend using this as curriculum and requiring your kids to do it every day, just have it around and when your kids ask a question with numbers, get out the manipulatives and show them the answer.  Let them “play” with the workbooks as often as they like.)

l.       Core Knowledge Series (I don’t recommend using any curriculum as curriculum, just have it around as a resource.  These books are great for helping you see what is age appropriate, giving you additional ideas for things to expose your kids to, and as a springboard for deeper studies.  I love that these aren’t just lists, they actually contain the content they recommend.)
m.  The Student Whisperer (on Mentoring Scholar Phase)
n.  For the Love of Learning: Give Your Child a LOLIPOP Education  (all about Love of Learning Phase and organizing clubs and classes for kids ages 8-14.)
o.  The Life of Fred (Math Curriculum that teaches math through a series of very amusing stories.  Covers beginning math all the way to calculus.)

6.  Fill Your Tank.  If this homeschool thing is right for your family you will know it and at some point, you will feel great clarity, peace, hope, excitement and enthusiasm about the whole thing.  Then, you will panic again.  It’s a cycle that most people go through several times.  This is normal.  The key is to keep your tank filled.  Figure out what inspires you, makes you feel at peace, gives you clarity, hope, and enthusiasm and get some of it regularly.  For me this is book clubs, talks with my TJED friends, TJED seminars (attending them live or listening to them), reading with my kids, reading with my husband, dates and getaways with my husband.  If you keep your tank filled, your panic attacks will be less frequent and less severe.  You will start to recognize the cycle and head off the panic attack before it really hits.

7.  Only Talk About This With People Who Will Support You, For Now.   Some people will take the news that you are homeschooling very badly.  That does not mean you are doing the wrong thing.  You and your husband are the only ones that need to agree on this decision – if you KNOW it’s right for your family, you don’t need anyone else’s permission.  But, at the beginning of this journey, you do need support and encouragement and you really don’t need anyone else’s doubts piled on top of your own.  So protect yourself.  Don’t discuss it with anyone who just wants to talk you out of it.  Later, when you are feeling sure of yourself you can have a long discussion with them, hear all their concerns and maybe even resolve some of them.  Sometimes a loved one just needs a chance to express all their fears and concerns.  They care about you and your kids and they are afraid.  Or, they may think your choice, being so different than theirs, is a judgment on them.  If you can listen sincerely and not engage in a debate, it may relieve some pressure and tension.  As you plod ahead on the path you’ve chosen your family and friends will begin to see the proof in the pudding and most of them will line up in firm support of you.  My best friend, a public school teacher at the time, didn’t really want to know anything about Leadership Education until she started noticing how much my oldest daughter was learning and doing as result of our homeschool.  After reading A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille, she realized she wanted to do this too and is homeschooling her daughters. 

Good luck!  Tell me how your journey is going.  I love to hear other's experiences with this.  

Online Coupon for Spud

I just got my spud.com grocery order (yea!) and noticed a coupon code for my friends who sign up.  If you are in Seattle, Portland, LA or San Fran and want to give it a try use this coupon code for $5 off each of your first three orders and $10 off your fourth.  CRSEA-JARJEN

Bad News

I just heard from the twins birthmother - she had a miscarriage.  Very sad.  I was looking forward to another little one.  We'll make the best of things and enjoy the three we have.  Plenty to keep busy with and enjoy.  I may be able to do two consecutive semesters of school now.

What I Don't Do

I discovered, in the last few years, that the secret to getting a lot done is in what you don’t do.  Whenever I find a new, inspiring friend who seems to accomplish amazing things and who I’d like to emulate in one way or another I try to learn what it is she doesn’t do and this helps me determine if/how I could also do some of things she does.

It’s a fact that we all have the same 24 hours a day to do things.  How we each spend that time varies wildly.  No one can do it all.  And there are times in life when the choices you made earlier mean you don’t have a lot of wiggle room now, like when you have a houseful of babies and toddlers, a really demanding job that you want to keep, or a time-consuming volunteer assignment.  Yes, some people can operate on less sleep, work faster, or multi-task but that really doesn’t explain how most of the “amazing ones” do what they do.  Their secret is in what they don’t do.

Please don’t think I’m trying to lump myself in with the “amazing ones” as I share my don’t list.  I just thought it might be helpful to know all the things I don’t do.  I’ve traded a lot of things in for more time and I’m generally happy with the choices I’ve made.  Also, I am NOT suggesting that my choices are “the best ones” or trying to convince anyone to make the same ones.  I’m thinking for myself and I want to inspire others to think and choose for themselves, which means we will likely choose different things.

1.  I’m not very social. 

Other than 3 nights a month for booklcubs/classes with my home school group, I don’t do much socially.  When my husband is not at work (nights and weekends) we spend time as a family.  On occasion we get together with another family but not that often.  Most evenings are divided between time together and time where we aren’t interacting but are in the same room doing our own things.  This is when I get a lot of reading done.

2.  I don’t do my hair or wear makeup, often.

My college roommates would really laugh at this.  Back in those days I would spend over an hour every morning on hair and makeup and then after school, wait for it, I would take a shower and do it all again so it would be “fresh” for my evening social activities.  Ridiculous, I know.

After brain surgery I had a shaved patch of hair on the back of my head and had to wear an eye-patch for a couple months, which totally defeated the purpose of doing hair or makeup so I didn’t.  I lost a lot of vanity and it became a habit and I found better ways to use that time in the morning.  I do makeup for church, dates with my husband, and anytime I want to look my best but I think my kids prefer me in a chair with a book than in the bathroom with hair and makeup done.  I don’t really care what random strangers think of my looks and I know my friends love me regardless.  My husband loves me either way but I know he appreciates my efforts for our dates.  Looking my best is one way I show respect for God, hence makeup for church.  My hair is finally growing in more normally and I desperately need a haircut but I don’t think I will go back to the days of blow-drying and flat ironing.

3.  My house is not that clean.

I hope this will not always be the case but I’m not willing to give a lot more time to it than I already do.  Ideally, one day, I will have enough storage for everything in the house to have a neat, accessible, place behind closed doors but today, I don’t. So I’ve purged and purged and purged but I still don’t have a good place for everything which means there is a bit of clutter about which makes cleaning a little more difficult.  And, I have very active baby/toddler twins that I must watch while they are awake. As my children get older, they will help with a lot of cleaning but that’s a few years off.  So I try to keep the kitchen and bathroom sanitary, not necessarily pretty, and the living room and bedrooms get picked up once a day and vacuumed 2-4 times a month.  Laundry gets done every week but not always folded and put away.

4.  My family doesn’t have a lot of clothes.

This is my secret for getting all the laundry done in a day.  When the twins were first born, we all had way too many clothes.  It became possible to do two loads of laundry every day in a week and still have piles of undone laundry lying around.  So, I purged.  I didn’t touch my husband’s wardrobe, that’s his affair, but I have noticed him purging on his own.  I got rid of everything we don’t wear.  Then I looked at what was left for the kids, I picked my 10 favorite outfits and got rid of the rest.  I didn't really need to do this with my wardrobe because it was already so small.  I never keep things I don't wear and only have a small wardrobe of things I like.  We only need enough clothes to get through the week, not two or three.  With the babies, I also had to get rid of a lot of blankets and burp cloths.   That eliminated A LOT of laundry. 

5.  I don’t do yard work. 

I’m not proud of this one and would like to change it, just haven’t made it a priority yet.  Our yard is pretty bad looking as all my nice friends could but wouldn’t say.  In the summer my husband mows the lawn.  I’ve weeded maybe twice in 3 years and pruned a rhododendron, very badly, once.  I did do a bit of gardening last summer and loved it.  I hope to spend time in the yard this spring/summer.  We have a play area with swings.  I need to get a second baby swing and then I can pop the twins in swings while I work in the yard. 

6.  I don’t go a lot of places.

As home schoolers, being at home is pretty important.  I don’t have to drive anyone to school, which is nice, and I’ve chosen not to enroll my kids in many classes or other activities so I don’t drive them many places.  I would like to get Isabel in swim lessons soon.  We go to our homeschool group once a month, a field trip once a month and to the park or a friend’s house twice a month.  We go to church every Sunday.  Other than that, me and the kids don’t go out during the day.  I have nearly all of my groceries and produce delivered.  If I really need something my husband will kindly pick it up on his way home from work.  Sometimes I make a solo errand run on a night or weekend for diapers, toiletries and other odds and ends.    I don’t take the kids to the library often.  Instead I use the library website to put books on hold and my husband picks them up every week.  We do most of our book and clothes shopping online.  Sometimes for fun on weekends we all go to the mall or bookstore together.  Yes, we are a sight. 

7.  I don’t facebook the way most people do. 

My husband recently convinced me to sign up for facebook.  I have it set up so that I never get any emails about anything from facebook and when I check my facebook page I skim over everything and only respond to messages from friends and a few comments here and there.  When I blog about something I want to share, I post a link on my wall.  I know facebook can take up a lot of time but I don’t spend much on it.  I prefer goodreads.com and blogs for connecting with distant friends and family.

I’m sure there is more that I don’t do but that’s the big stuff that comes to mind.  What’s on your “don’t do” list?

UPDATE:  I just remembered a very important one.

8.  I don't berate myself for what I don't do or don't do as well as someone else.
I've chosen the things I do and don't and even if it's not all perfect, what good will it do me to feel bad about it?  If I haven't chosen to do it, it's not as important as the things I am doing.  If I need to add something to my do list then I can work on that but not by dwelling on what a rotten person I am for not doing it.  I just don't believe in that kind of thinking.  I am not superwoman but I am capable.  If something really needs to get done, I can do it.  But first I'll have to decide what not to do, so I'll have time for the new something.  And what is the point of comparing myself to anyone else?  I don't do it.  If I want to be really good at something I'll have to put more time into it.  How my effort stacks up against someone else's similar effort is irrelevant.  I love to be inspired by what others are doing but I don't waste my time comparing myself to them.  I get good ideas and move on.

Bread Baking and Spinning Wheels

I just started reading, The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book:  A Guide to Whole-Grain BreadMaking.  Thanks Christina, for the recommendation. 

It looks like a great cookbook and I’m looking forward to trying out recipes but at the moment, all I can think about is the inspiring introduction titled, “Always a Choice.”

It tells the story of Ghandi’s efforts to free his people from British rule by teaching them to be self-reliant.  “He believed the people of India, the vast majority of whom lived in villages, would be in no position to take responsibility for governing themselves effectively until they were also able to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves.”  

Reading about the way the British overtook the Indian textile industry and thereby suppressed the Indian people reminded me strongly of our nation’s oppressive food system.  A very small number of corporations grow, raise, harvest, prepare, package, and sell the vast majority of our nation’s food.  Most of us have lost the ability to feed ourselves.  If we couldn’t get to a grocery store or restaurant, what would we eat?  I agree with Ghandi that our ability to feed, clothe, and shelter ourselves says something about our ability to govern ourselves.  I don’t think we’re doing a great job at any of those things.  But Ghandi offers hope.  He believed the revolution he hoped for would take years and it would happen as individuals got out their spinning wheels and learned to use them.

The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book urges readers to engage in our own self-reliance revolution by learning to bake our own bread.  I think it’s a great idea.

Here’s a link to a more eloquent article on the Story of Ghandi and the spinning wheel.

Cranberry, Apple, Pecan, Yogurt Muffins

I'm finally taking my babies off formula (hurray!) but I have to work hard to make up the calories for my tiny ones.  So, I'm experimenting with ways to add healthy fats to their diet.  Some of what I've learned recently has made me reconsider dairy products.  I think they are ok if they are organic, and especially for kids who need more fat and calories than adults.

I found a yogurt muffin recipe online and adapted it for my purposes.  These were really yummy.  I was surprised to see no eggs in the recipe - I think the yogurt acts as the binder instead of the eggs.

3/4 C whole wheat flour

1 C all purpose flour

3/4 C sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup vanilla yogurt

2/3 cup whole milk

1/2 cup frozen cranberries

1 apple, peeled and diced

½ C very finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400°F

Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Stir in yogurt, milk, melted butter and fruit, stirring only until mixed.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake 20 minutes of until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Serve warm.


VARIATION
This morning I tweaked the recipe a bit based on lack of time and a few ingredients and a desire to try all whole wheat.  It turned out fantastic and my whole family gobbled the muffins up.

1 and 3/4 C whole wheat flour

3/4 C brown sugar

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 and 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt

1 cup frozen cranberries

½ C very finely chopped pecans

Same mixing and baking instructions.

Back in School

I am so excited.  This morning I enrolled in summer semester online at George Wythe Universtiy.  I took classes for a couple semesters before the twins arrived in 2008, put things on hold to focus on the babies,  hoped to enroll again this January and then brain surgery nixed that plan.  So, I finally think I'm ready to do another semester.  If baby # 4 comes as planned I should just be able to squeeze this semester in before taking another break.

Summer semester begins mid-May and ends mid-June.  I registered for Government II.  I will be reading and studying

selections from The Federalist Papers
The Roots of American Order
Democracy in America
The Declaration of Independence
The US Constitution

I can't wait to meet my mentor and attend my first online class.  GWU has changed their distance program and now students meet in online classrooms several times a week for colloquia.  Before, I participated in conference calls and they were great but I think this will be even better.  I will be doing a lot of writing and I will post some of my work here.

It may take me 12 years but I will get a degree from GWU and then I'll enroll in the masters program.  While I'm in the early years of raising my children I just have to squeeze in a class here and there as I can.  When my children are older I will devote more time to school.   I know, I know, life just gets busier.  This will require that I say "no" to a lot of things.  I have to make space in my life for this.  I know I need this education to fulfill my mission.  And, I think this is the best way for me to inspire my children to begin their own scholar phase.  The 2 semesters I've already done were some of the most life-changing and inspiring experiences of my life.  It is really hard work and heavy reading but it's worth the effort.  Until you've experienced having a mentor, you can't know what a difference that makes in the educational process and I know of no other university that uses the mentor model to help students get a leadership education.

Yea for George Wythe University!

No we are not crazy

My husband and I learned this week that we’re going to have another baby!  I know we sound crazy.  The twins birth mother is pregnant and would like us to adopt the baby.  We discussed and prayed, and pondered all week and we know this baby is supposed to be in our family.  We are thrilled.  I always wanted a large family but didn't think it would be possible for us.  Not sure when baby's coming exactly but probably 6 or 7 months if all goes well.  The twins will be not quite 2.  I will have some good stories to tell.  

So I’ve been thinking a lot about motherhood this week.  Today I was listening to a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” (by Adele, really great!) and the lyrics describe how I feel about my children really well. I suspect many mothers would feel the same.  There is something there that especially speaks to the journey adoptive parents take.

"Make You Feel My Love"

When the rain is blowin' in your face

And the whole world is on your case

I could offer you a warm embrace

To make you feel my love.

When the evening shadows and the stars appear

And there is no one there to dry your tears

I could hold you for a million years

To make you feel my love.

I know you haven't made your mind up yet

But I would never do you wrong

I've known it from the moment that we met

No doubt in my mind where you belong.

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue

I'd go crawlin' down the avenue

No, there's nothin' that I wouldn't do

To make you feel my love.

Though storms are raging on the rollin' sea

And on the highway of regrets

Though winds of change are throwing wild and free

You ain't seen nothin' like me yet.

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true

Nothing that I wouldn't do

Go to the ends of the Earth for you

To make you feel my love.

It also reminds me of a passage from The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett, which I recently read.  One of the main characters, Dickon, a 12-year-old boy, befriends two motherless 10-year-old cousins, Colin and Mary.  Dickon’s mother, Susan Sowerby, is the archetypal loving, gentle, understanding mother.  Colin finally meets her one day and when it’s time to say goodbye he

“stood quite close to Susan and fixed his eyes on her with a kind of bewildered adoration and he suddenly caught hold of the fold of her blue cloak and held it fast. 

‘You were just what I—what I wanted,’ he said.  ‘I wish you were my mother—as well as Dickon’s!’

“All at once Susan Sowerby bent down and drew him with her warm arms close against the bosom under the blue cloak—as if he had been Dickon’s brother.  The quick mist swept over her eyes.

‘Eh! Dear lad!’ she said.  ‘Thy own mother’s in this ‘ere very garden, I do believe.  She couldna’ keep out of it.’”

I can’t read that passage without choking up.  I’d love and mother all the motherless children in the world if it were possible.  My husband is afraid I might try.

Thanks Juli, for helping me connect all these dots.

Day at Greenlake

We went with our homeschool group, Little Acorns, to Greenlake today.  We're having very weird weather in the Seattle area this year.  It's Feb 19 and there were crocuses and daffodils in bloom at Greenlake today.  It was cold enough to want a jacket but the sun was bright, the sky was clear, and we got lots of vitamin D.  It was beautiful.  Chloe and Liam crawled on grass, ate dead leaves, and swung in a swing for the first time today.  We will definitely go back soon.

Food: Fast, Good, or Cheap

I used to work at and advertising agency and our clients always wanted the work we did to be fast, good, and cheap.  We used to tell them, “you can have it fast and good, or you can have it good and cheap, or you can have it fast and cheap but you can’t have it fast, good, and cheap.”  I believe it’s true with everything in life. 

Most of our food today is fast and cheap so what does that say about its quality?  It’s not good!  And it’s killing us.  I’ve recently watched 3 documentaries that have really reinforced this:

Super Size Me

Food Inc.

King Corn

You can watch Super Size Me on hulu.com for free.  If you have a Netflix account you can watch Food Inc. and King Corn on Netflix streaming. You can rent them from itunes.com too.

I knew a lot of the things I saw in these films but seeing it all on screen gave me the extra motivation to make more changes in the way my family eats, now.  I can’t bear to support such a corrupt system and I’m very concerned about losing our freedom. And I want to eat good food.

If you want good food you’ll have to decide if you’re going to pay for it with time or money. 

If you need it fast and convenient, you’ll have to pay for it with money.  My family does this by purchasing our produce from a local CSA, Klesick Family Farm.  It is definitely more expensive than typical grocery store produce but it is organic, sustainably produced and it is really, really good.  Google CSA in your town to find some alternatives to the grocery store in your area.  I received my first order this week from a local, online, home delivery, grocery store, Spud.com.  More than 50% of their products are locally produced and 50% of them are organic.  It is a lot more expensive than the grocery store.  I have to rewire my thinking on this.  Yes I could get triple the stuff for the same amount of money at the grocery store but it won’t be good and do I really need that much food?  We suffer from overabundance.  Most of us eat too much.  Paying more for my food means I buy less, making me appreciate it more and it’s difficult to overeat.  If you want good, fast, food you’ll probably have to stop buying something else so you’ll have more money for good food.  As you begin to eat better you’ll notice you don’t have to spend as much money on medicine and doctor’s.  I’ve discovered I can give up foundation (make-up) if I eat good lettuce regularly.  (I swear it makes my complexion smooth and blemish free!)  I’m sure there are more ways that eating well can pay for itself.  Check out the Eat Well Guide for more alternatives to the grocery store.

If you want your food cheap, you’ll have to pay for it with time.  You’ll need to plant a garden and learn to save and store food.  You may want to start raising some chickens, bees, goats, or cows.  You’ll need a big freezer.  Learn to bake and cook.  If it can’t be made at home you probably shouldn’t be eating it anyway. Check out the Slow Food Movement.

My family does some of this and I hope to eventually produce or trade for all of our own food.  I have experimented with bread baking but I don’t have a wheat grinder and I want whole wheat bread.  I’m working on an arrangement with one of my friends to buy homemade bread from her.  I hope to begin making homemade pasta and salad dressing and then I’ll offer to trade or sell it to my friends.  One of my friends is going to start raising chickens and keep bees and I will be able to buy eggs and honey from her. 

It’s important to me to feed my family good food so I’m paying for it with time and money.  What will you do?

Here is some more food for thought.  I haven’t read most of these yet but I plan too.

Nourishing Traditions

The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It

The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book

The Farmer's Wife Guide To Growing A Great Garden And Eating From It, Too!: Storing, Freezing, and Cooking Your Own Vegetables

Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits and Vegetables

Keeping the Harvest

Putting Food By

Making Your Small Farm Profitable

The Encyclopedia of Country Living

Square Food Gardening

Cooking Light Recipes

As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of my favorite cookbooks is Cooking Light: Salads.  You can get most of the recipes on line.  Here are links to some of my favorites:


Cuban Beans and Rice

Greek Dinner Salad

Barley Pasta Salad 

Curried Couscous salad with Dried Cranberries 

White Bean and Roasted Chicken Salad 

Summer Garden and Lentil Salad

Here's another salad recipe we make for dinner in the summer.  I adapted it from a recipe in Shape Magazine.  I've played with the proportions and you can too.  Add more of what you like, less of what you don't.

Couscous, Tomato and Basil Salad

1 cup whole wheat couscous

2 cups very warm water

1 cup frozen or fresh peas

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, diced or 1 fresh tomato, diced

1/2 cup feta cheese

2 T fresh basil, chopped or julienned

Olive Oil

Mix the couscous and water together, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and add peas, tomatoes, cheese, and basil.  Season with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.  

Alternative preparation:  Mix all ingredients together, cover and chill in the fridge overnight.  The water doesn't need to be warm for this and there is no need to defrost the peas either.  The flavors will meld better and you serve it cold instead of warm. 

Favorite Chapter Books for Young Children

My oldest daughter, Isabel, is 6.  Over the last two years she’s really begun to enjoy listening to me read chapter books to her.  During the day it’s just the two of us and most evenings we read with Dad too.  Before moving into chapter books we spent years reading hundreds and hundreds of picture books, nursery rhymes, and fairy tales.  We still read these.

The good books we have read have had a powerful influence on Isabel (and me too!).  I see her being inspired by favorite characters to try new things and behave in better ways.  We’ve had many sweet discussions over these books.  Her daily play is usually based on one of our current novels.  I love the effect reading these books has had on her.  Every child has different interests and attention span so I would expect them to all like different books at different times of their lives.  But, for what it’s worth, I thought I’d share Isabel’s favorite chapter books and how old she was when she was able to truly enjoy them.  

Often, after I read a book to her, I then get it on audio from the library and she loves to listen to them over and over.  I like to re-read them with her too but there’s something about listening to the book in her room while she plays with her toys that’s different than when I read to her.  There have been a handful of books that she didn’t love the first time I read them to her but after listening to them on her own, she fell in love with them.  Then, we re-read the books together and it was a totally different and better experience.  I've also learned that great illustrations are important to her--they keep her engaged and interested.  I wish I had realized this before I bought many cheap books without illustrations. 

We’ve read lots of great books that aren’t on this list but I wanted to share just our very favorites, things I think every child should have read to them at some point.  And to reiterate, I’m not suggesting the age that Isabel enjoyed something will or should apply to any other child, but it might be helpful to see which books are easier to start with versus those that were harder for her.  We’ve tried lots of books, found them beyond her interest/comprehension and waited and then tried again and found her finally ready for them.  There’s a long list of books I can’t wait to read with her that she’s just not ready for yet.  So here are our favorite chapter books from the last 2 years.  My specific reviews of the books can be found on my goodreads.com bookshelf.

                                                                 

Little House in the Big Woods, 4                       

Little House on the Prairie,  4           

Farmer Boy,  4           

On the Banks of Plumb Creek, 6

By the Shores of Silver Lake, 6           

The Long Winter, 6                       

Little Town on the Prairie,  6           

These Happy Golden Years, 6           

The First Four Years, 6           

The Secret Garden, 5           

Charlotte’s Web, 4           

Trumpet of the Swan, 5           

The Magician’s Nephew, 6           

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, 6          

The Horse and His Boy, 6

Prince Caspian, 6           

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 6           

The Silver Chair, 6           

The Last Battle, 6           

What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know, 5             

A Christmas Carol, 6           

Dinotopia, 6

Winnie the Pooh, 5

The House at Pooh Corner, 5

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, 5

The Wind in the Willows, 6

Alice in Wonderland, 6

Alice’s Adventures Through the Looking Glass, 6

Bible and other Scriptures, 5