Reading food labels

It all started 7 years ago when my dear sweet baby boy was born. This addition to our family of three was just what my husband needed after being raised by mom & sis, and then having me and daughter. A boy who, as he began to grow, was "all boy." You know what that means. He's masculine, he's daring, he's compassionate, he's not shy, he's not afraid to dance, and he's a huge fan of superheroes and StarWars.

This boy, as my daughter who is six years older, were the product of two full time working parents. Because of our financial situation, we both must work, and I found loving home daycares for each of them in their toddler years. And, we'd come home every night, cuddle up on the couch after a home cooked dinner, and laugh and sing and play. Weekends were made for my pretend-to-be-a-stay-at-home-mom time. We bake, we cook, we shop, etc. I love cooking for my family.

So...as my boy grew, parts of that "all-boy" were not the best behaviors in a school setting. We noticed that he indeed had a high energy, and that he "vibrates on a different frequency" as his chiropractor said. After a friend mentioned that the chiropractor that she worked at was helping many children become more calm and relaxed through chiropractic adjustments...I thought I'd check around our area and see if there's someone who treats kids. I found an amazing wellness center that has not only put him on a plan to straighten out his spine, neck (infant torticollis) and hips...but she asked us to try giving up a few food items as well.

I didn't think much about it when she felt he should give up peanuts/peanut butter, eggs, and anything containing Red 40. Artificial colorings & flavorings are something that have been linked to hyperactivity in children...and I had no idea!! Why wasn't I paying more attention to my upbringing of whole foods? Mom had a huge garden in the suburbs of Minneapolis as I was growing up. We always had fresh veggies, and my children love to eat veggies. In fact, my boy has been known to sneak sweet red pepper slices as I'm cooking, and down a whole pint of cherry tomatoes in one sitting.

In December, we began watching labels and avoiding the above culprits, and found that his learning and attention in school indeed did improve. We've got a great 2nd trimester report card to prove it. I chose to give up sugar and white flour, potatoes and white rice for Lent. It's almost Easter, and I must say I do feel better. An interesting experiment in food awareness may just have me for good. Wondering if this food awareness will continue...stay tuned.

Planning and dreaming

My neighbor, Jen, and I have decided that the past couple of years of veggie gardening has not gone well. Not because we haven't tried, but because we just barely have any time or accountability. As busy full time working moms,whose husbands are all working full time, we simply find that all that gardening is too much for one person to do alone. So...we've vowed to keep each other accountable, and will share a 2 family community garden this year. Hopefully our hubbies will be willing to help a bit with hauling away branches, reworking garden structure, and maybe even weeding a bit. We also know that they'll be happy with the yummy results if we can pull it off.

We already share a compost heap - that really is just a grass clippings and fall leaves dumping ground. We have yet to see what's in that pile. I'm a little afraid to see if mice are nesting there...or if we've really got ourselves some black gold. We (and I mean our husbands) are going to build a better compost bin with wood pallets and  we'll be able to add fruit & veggie scraps, egg shells, and coffee grounds to the mix.

So...over a pot of coffee and some muffins, we discussed in my 20' x 9' (that's a size guess) garden. We looked at options for a smaller shade garden in her yard where we'll raise the bed and add good soil. We're planning to grow snow peas, green beans, carrots and radishes all from seeds. Yum!

If anyone is interested in chives or green onions, I have a ton to share. And we'll want to remove them to make room for the other veggies. Bring your own container - and you can dig them up yourself. They grow and spread like weeds. They need to be contained because of that - but they are very hardy, easy to grow, and delicious. They also serve as a good deterrent to some critters.

Early blooms

It's hard to believe it's still March in MN. The weather has been unseasonably warm and dry for the past 8 months. And, so it's not surprising that the crocus and narcissus have arrived 3 weeks earlier than last year.

  

Loo what the above average temps have sprouted. I'm afraid to uncover the groundcover plants at this point, since it's very possible to get another few evenings of frost in April. But, it's so hard to wait when they're peeking out of the dry leaves.

 

Leap Day 2012

Leap Day only comes once every four years and in a very strangely warm weather pattern for the past 7 months, the Minneapolis area got hit with a huge snowstorm. The day before was dry and cloudy. The no-snow photo is from earlier in February.

Wet, heavy snow fell overnight and my driveway got about 6 inches, with 26-inch piles at the ends of the driveway where the snow plow came by.

Of course, with that much snow, it would take a significant amount of time to clear the drive and get the car out of the garage. The schools closed for the day and the kids and I were "snowed-in" for the day. Hubby insisted on making the trek to the bus stop and taking the commute downtown. It took longer than usual, but he made it and there was considerably less snow on Nicollet Mall than there was in our backyard.

So...I finally get off the couch and head outside to shovel and try our snow blower for the second time of the season. I know, right? Only the second time all year? YES! My seven-yr-old son had been ill on Monday and Tuesday, so this Wed snow day had him so bored he was going stir crazy. I just had to get both kids outside and enjoy this phenomenon.

We had a lot of fun, and yes, everyone was fully soaked to the bone, but we got the neighbors out to help with some fun.

Sidenote:  Yes this is my garden blog, and I can only imagine what was going on with the grass underneath the play area. But life is made of moments to remember. Grass will mend. My children will only get this chance to play in snow on Leap Day once in a very great while. And, the snow will run off or melt into the grass and we'll all be happy.


Enjoy these photos of my kids, the neighbor kids, and a great memory of Leap Day 2012.