"Mommy, Can I Help?"

Welcome to the November Carnival of Natural Parenting: Kids in the Kitchen
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how kids get involved in cooking and feeding. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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Preparing to make a cake

I will admit that recently I often don't have the patience to let my kiddos come into the kitchen with me. Mostly, it's because they interfere with my cooking flow...and partly it's because they sure make a mess! It's not that I never let them help out, it's just that it's so much easier to do things myself. Especially these days when my cooking time is so limited. But I do realize that it's so important to have them watch me cook and to help out too. And they do have a great interest in helping out and learning about food preparation. They run in the kitchen when they hear me start clanking pans around and ask in their sweet kiddo voices, "Mommy, can I help?"

The best part of helping out!

So, on days when I make something that's easy for them to help out with {and I'm in a good mood!}, I will give them a kid-friendly part of the recipe to do. I remember when Maddie was just 2 years old {and I had all the time in the world to devote to only her}, she started to help me out in the kitchen. I have this very vivid memory of her helping me put together a lasagna so carefully with her little tiny fingers.

I think it's very important for them to learn not only about food preparation but also safety in the kitchen. Real-life tasks, such as cooking, help kiddos develop common-sense and "real-life smarts", so to speak. Which are, in my opinion, so very important.

I clearly remember Maddie telling me a while ago that she had to help me cook or else she wouldn't ever learn how to cook for herself. And she's right. Who else is going to teach them the tricks of making tortillas? Of building the perfect lasagna? Or of making delicious, chewy {healthy} cookies?

"Yes, I'm going to lick this clean!"

I want my kiddos to be prepared for when they are off on their own. I want them to be able to know where their food comes from and how to make a tasty, healthy meal.

And I don't just focus on teaching Maddie (and one day Elsa). I want Isaac to know just as much about cooking too. Sure, he may not be as interested, but he should still know how to prepare a meal. I'm sure that will come in handy for him one day when he's trying to win over the love of his life!

My mom taught me so much in the kitchen. And she had so much patience with me, or at least that's what I remember!!! And although at the time I didn't realize it, everything she passed on has come to be extremely helpful to me in my kitchen.

All I hope is that I can do the same for my kiddos.




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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Baking & letting go — Cooking with kids can be a mess. Nadia at Red White & GREEN Mom is learning to relax, be patient, and have fun with the process.
• Family feeding in Child of Mine — Lauren at Hobo Mama reviews Ellyn Satter's suggestions for appropriate feeding and points out where her family has problems following through.
• Children with Knives! (And other Kitchen Tools) — Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy teaches her children how to safely use knives.
• "Mommy, Can I Help?" — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment writes about how she lets her kiddos help out with cooking, despite her {sometimes} lack of patience!
• Solids the Second Time Around — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes recounts her experiences introducing solids to her second child.
• The Adventure of Toddler Tastebuds — The Accidental Natural Mama shares a few things that helped her daughter develop an adventurous palate.
• A Tradition of Love — Kelly at Becoming Crunchy looks forward to sharing the kitchen traditions passed on from her mom and has already found several ways to involve baby in the kitchen.
• The Very Best Classroom — Alicia C. at McCrenshaw's Newest Thoughts reveals how her kitchen is more than a place to make food - it's a classroom!
• Raising Little Chefs — Chef Mike guest posts on Natural Parents Network about how he went from a guy who couldn't cook to a chef who wanted to teach his boys to know how the food we love is made.
• In the Kitchen with my kids — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine shares a delicious soup recipe that her kids love.
• Papa, the Pancake Artist — Papa's making an incredible breakfast over at Our Mindful Life.
• Kids won't eat salad? Try this one! — Tat at Mum in Search is sharing her children's favourite salad recipe.
• Recipe For a Great Relationship — Cooking with kids is about feeding hearts as well as bellies, writes Hannah at Wild Parenting.
• The Ritual of Mealtimes — Syenna at Gently Parenting Twins writes about the significance of mealtimes in her family’s daily rhythm.
• Kid, Meet Food. Food, Kid. — Alburnet at What's Next? panicks about passing on her food "issues" to her offspring.
• Growing Up in the Kitchen — Cassie at There's a Pickle in My Life shares how her son is growing up in the kitchen.
• Harvesting Corn and History — From Kenna at School Garden Year: The kids in the school garden harvest their corn and learn how much history grows in their food.
• My Guiding Principles for Teaching my Child about Food — Tree at Mom Grooves uses these guiding principles to give her daughter a love of good food and an understanding of nutrition as well as to empower her to make the best choices for her body.
• Kitchen Control — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro writes about her struggles to relinquish control in the kitchen to her children.
• Food — Emma at Your Fonder Heart lets her seven month old teach her how to feed a baby.
• Kitchen Fun? — Adrienne at Mommying My Way questions how much fun she can have in a non-functional kitchen, while trying to remain positive about the blessings of cooking for her family.
• Kitchen Adventures — Erica at ChildOrganics shares fun ways to connect with your kids in the kitchen.
• Kids in the Kitchen: Finding the Right Tools — Melissa at Vibrant Wanderings shares some of her favorite child-sized kitchen gadgets and where to find them.
• The Kitchen Classroom — Laura at Authentic Parenting knows that everything your kids want to learn is at the end of the ladle.
• Kids in the Kitchen — Luschka from Diary of a First Child talks about the role of the kitchen in family communication and shares fun kitchen activities for the under two.
• Our Kitchen is an Unschooling Classroom. — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle explores the many ways her kitchen has become a rich environment for learning.
• Montessori-Inspired Food Preparation for Preschoolers — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares lots of resources for using Montessori food preparation activities for young children in the kitchen.
• My Little Healthy Eater — Christine at African Babies Don't Cry shares her research on what is the best first food for babies, and includes a healthy and yummy breakfast recipe.
• Two Boys and Papa in the Kitchen: Recipe for Disaster? — MudpieMama shares all about her fears, joys and discoveries when the boys and handsome hubby took over the kitchen.
• Food choices, Food treats — Henrietta at Angel Wings and Herb Tea shares her family's relationship with food.
• learning to eat — Catherine at learner mummy reflects on little M's first adventures with food.

• The Night My 7-Year-Old Made Dinner — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares how her 7-year-old daughter surprised everyone by turning what started as an idea to play restaurant into pulling off making supper for her family.
• Cooking With a High-Needs Toddler — Sylvia at MaMammalia describes how Montessori-inspired activities and a bit of acceptance have helped her overcome hurdles in cooking while caring for a "high-needs" child.
• Kids in the Kitchen – teaching healthy food choices — Brenna at Almost All The Truth shares her belief in the importance of getting kids into the kitchen using her favorite cookbook for kids to develop healthy food choices now and hopefully into the future.
• Make Milk, Not War — Tamara at Tea for Three remembers the daily food fights as she struggled to feed a picky eater.
• teaching baby birds about good food. — Sarah at Small Bird on Fire writes about the ways in which her family chooses to gently teach their son how to make wise food decisions.
• 5 Ways to Enhance Your Baby or Young Toddler's Relationship with Food — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares simple ways to give your child a healthy beginning to her lifelong relationship with food.
• Toddler at the Table: 10 Creative Solutions — Moorea at Mamalady shares tips for preventing meal-time power struggles.
• How My Child Takes Responsibility During His Mealtime... — Jenny @ I'm a full-time mummy shares how she teaches and encourages her 32 months old son on adopting good manners and responsibilities during his mealtimes...
• Kids in the Kitchen: 6 Tips Plus a Recipe — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings shares six tips for overcoming some of the the difficulties of cooking with multiple young sous chefs, and a recipe they all can agree on!
• How BLW has made me a better parent — Zoe at Mummykins shares how baby-led weaning has changed her approach to parenting.
• My Budding Chef — Jenny at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom is no cook but is happy that her daughter has shown an inclination and manages to whip up yummy goodies for their family.
• Kids in the Kitchen: An Activity for Every Age — Gaby from Tmuffin describes how she keeps her kids busy in the kitchen, whether they are one week old or two years old.
• The Phantastically Mutlipurposed Phyllo — Ana at Pandamoly shares how Phyllo is used to create enticing dishes at home! Anything can be made into a Struedel!
• Kitchen Kids — Laura from A Pug in the Kitchen shares her children's most favorite recipe to make, experience and eat.
• Independence vs. Connection in the Kitchen: won't you please get yourself your own snack already? — Lisa at Organic Baby Atlanta wishes her daughter would just go make a mess in the kitchen. But her daughter only wants to do it together.
• Grandma Rose's Kitchen — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter reminisces about her childhood and dreams of filling her kitchen with people, love, noise, and messes.
• Healthy Food Choices for Kids — Jorje offers one way to encourage children to make their own healthy food choices at MommaJorje.com.
• Cooking food to thrive rather than survive — Phoebe at Little Tinker Tales is trying to foster a lifetime of good food habits by teaching her children about the importance of avoiding junk, cooking healthy meals, and learning about the whole food process.
• Evolution of a self-led eater — Sheila at A Gift Universe shares the story of how her son grew from nursing around the clock to eating everything in sight, without her having to push.
• 10 Ways Tiny Helps In The Kitchen — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama explores the ways in which her toddler actively participates in kitchen-related activities.
• The Complexity of Feeding a Child — Feeding children a healthy diet is no straight-forward task, but Lisa at My World Edenwild shares some general guidelines to help your child thrive.
• Lactation Cookies — That Mama Gretchen shares a fun recipe that will benefit both mamas and babies!
• 50 of the Best Books, Websites, & Resources to Inspire Kids in the Kitchen — Need inspiration to get your kids in the kitchen? Dionna at Code Name: Mama rounds up some of the best books and websites that can serve as a source for ideas, recipes, and cooking with littles fun.
• A 4-year-old's smoothie recipe — Jen at Grow With Graces and her son set out to make a smoothie without the usual ingredients. She let him improvise. See how it turned out.
• Independent Food Preparation (My Toddler Can Do That?) — Megan at Montessori Moments shares simple ways for children to prepare their own healthy snacks.
• Follow Your Gut — Amy at Anktangle shares her philosophy about intuitive eating, and how she's trying to foster her son's trust in his own inner wisdom when he feels hungry.
• A TODDLER-STYLE LUNCH + RECIPE — Manic Mrs. Stone photographs how to have messy fun during lunchtime with a helpful toddler.

Fresh Pesto, Eaten Consciously

Oh My God. On Saturday we went to our local specialty market and splurged on several mouth watering treats. The most delicious was fresh {as in green, crisp and fragrant} basil. Another thing it had going for it was that it was grown in Canada. So at least it wasn't super un-local. We love basil. We love to make pesto. So we planned an easy but delicious pesto pasta and salad dinner and we just had to share with someone so we invited our dear friends over. It was fun. It was a treat because normally we don't eat things out of season, like basil. Now I'm totally mentioning this from memory, but in her book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle", Barbara Kingsolver mentions something along the lines that it's not about becoming fanatical or completely idealistic about eating, but more simply about becoming conscious about where your food comes from...to know what journey it has taken to be on your plate...that not all foods are naturally available year round...to actually know that carrots grow in the ground and pineapples on trees thousands of miles away. By becoming aware and conscious about our food, it becomes easier to eat healthier and make more sustainable, eco-friendly choices. And so if you do make the choice to eat something like basil in the dead of winter, you know very well what it's costing to get that tasty treat on your plate.

So, we truly did enjoy every aspect of the experience, from washing the basil, to preparing the pesto, to savoring it. Oh man, even thinking about it is making me salivate. Even the kiddos enjoyed it. One thing's for sure, we can't wait for spring so we can start planting our own!!!

Midnight Pancake

Isaac has been waking up a little too often these last few nights. Usually he just needs a little reassurance and his soother (of course) and he's back off to sleep. But somethings been going on with him and all the usual tricks just weren't working. Ken is the one who gets up with him. If I do, the quick get-him-back-to-sleep plan turns into a huge ordeal (probably remnants for the breastfeeding days or maybe he just loves me too much, he doesn't want to see me go...?). And so I coach from the sidelines. We thought about teething, earache, cold/hot, dirty diaper, thirsty...we went through the list. Except for one thing. Hunger. It's been a long while since we've had to do middle of the night feedings. I finally suggested Ken go get something to feed him, so he did. He got a plain leftover pancake, warmed it up a little and fed the half asleep, laying down Isaac little pieces. He chewed slowly and then reached his little hand out for a drink.

It worked.

He didn't make a peep the rest of the night and we all got some rest.

He even slept in, which never happens

It's a good thing I'm Mexican

My previous attempts at re-introducing wheat into my diet have been total and complete failures. After the third attempt I simply decided the pain and agony was just not worth it. Yes, I miss croissants...but everything else I might crave I can get in a wheat free option. Recently I have been craving tortillas. The warm, fresh, corn tortillas my grandma makes. It's a good thing she (and my mom) taught me how to make them because I've been making them at least once a week. Years ago when I would make them, they never poofed up, but now they do...must mean I'm a pro now! Hahaha! I even got Ken's seal of approval: "these taste like your grandma's." Ah. Tortillas how I adore you (especially with cheese in the middle and a little side of guacamole).

A {surprise} party

At some point in early December I began planning a party. For Ken's 30th birthday. I always knew I would make the big three oh special in some way. So I decided it would be a surprise party. I had no idea if it would work out, after all planning a party with a very perceptive 4 year old around who might spill the beans would be tricky.

I made the guest list.

I booked the restaurant {Ken's favorite}.

Ordered the cake.

And then waited.

Near the time some final details had to be arranged. The menu, the pickup of the cake. And I have to say that the owner of the restaurant is amazing and so accommodating, she even made us a special order of wheat free dishes. And the cake was divine, also wheat free.

Of course it wouldn't be truly exciting without snow. Yesterday morning it started snowing and it didn't stop. All day. I was at my course and I kept looking out the window and hoping for the best.

But us Maritimers don't get phased by snow.

Everyone was there despite the slush and ice and unplowed streets.

When we arrived Ken was genuinely surprised. He thought we would be going to dinner and just our families would be there. His friends were there too. And together it was a surprise indeed. And he got to laugh and talk and eat.

And now he is thirty. And I am so blessed to be in his life and able to wish him a

Happy Birthday!

The day {of today}

I love weekends. Even though they are often more hectic that our regular weekdays, there's lots of fun to be had.

I the morning, after our traditional weekend morning waffle breakfast, we accompanied Ken to the hospital as he had to check on his surgery patients from yesterday. There is a huge sea water fish tank there and the kiddos loved watching the fish. The clown fish was unable to swim, he was laying on the bottom of the tank and would swish his little fins every now and again to no avail . I hope it's OK.

Then we went to the farmer's market. It was a bustling adventure as always. Today's favorite purchases were dill infused havarti and delish apple cider. Then we went to the playground to burn off energy. The kiddos had a great time even though everything was pretty wet. After lunch we all had a nap. Maddie asked me ever so sweetly if I could please, please have a nap with her in her bed. We don't do this often as she doesn't sleep well if I'm there, but I thought it would be a nice little treat for her {and me} to snuggle. We did fall asleep easily, but then she started squirming and wiggling and eventually woke up much sooner than she normally does. I kept "sleeping" but eventually she started touching my face and hair and it was wake up time. Then I cleaned the bathrooms {oh fun!} and then we headed over to our friends' place. My friend and I had planned to go out, so we did, and the Daddy's stayed with the kiddos. It was fun. I love a girls' night out. We get to talk about stuff our hubby's often don't care to listen to. Besides the lackluster service, dinner was delish. The restaurant has a 'support local' philosophy, using locally grown veggies and meats, which always makes me happy. I actually ran into the farmer we buy our beef from. He was there enjoying the food, which came from his farm. And, I found out tonight that brussel sprouts can actually taste good. Who would have thought? Maybe next week I will actually get some at the market. Maybe.

Now I am ready to pass out on my comfy bed. And hopefully get a good night's rest for another busy day tomorrow. I am planning to take Maddie to watch Tangled tomorrow afternoon. But first we have a lot of chores to get done, and hopefully get a little nap too. Can you tell I love naps?

Buenas noches!

A New Favorite

A couple of weeks ago Maddie asked me to buy her some "yogurt drinks" because she's seen a couple of little girls have them after her swimming lesson. I remember drinking those yogurt drinks {you know what I'm talking about} on occasion when I was a kid. But I also remember my mom used to give them to us hesitantly. I would soon find out why. On our next trip to the store I checked them out. And they are FULL of sugar. More sugar than yogurt I'm sure. But I didn't want to take away the experience of drinking yogurt from Maddie so while we were in the Natural Foods section I remembered that I'd seen a yogurt delivery truck a few days ago drive by with a big picture of a person drinking yogurt. But it's called Kefir. Now I know I have heard and read about Kefir before, in fact I think even my mom had mentioned it before, but of course it didn't stick because I hadn't needed the information at the time. But it all came back to me and I bought some. It's quite delicious. I bought a plain and a strawberry and I mix half and half in a cup for Maddie and she drinks it up. And it's healthy so I don't feel guilty {what is it with the guilt anyways!?}.

All that's left after a minute is her cute little Kefir moustache.

The Not-So-Helpful Doctor Visit

I can't believe I've forgotten to post about this. Perhaps it's because I felt like such an idiot after that I just wanted to erase the whole ordeal from my memory. Whatever the reason, I figure it's time to write about it because it's good therapy and also because it might help someone in a similar situation.

So as you may know we have had issues with Isaac's digestive system since day 1. To recap, since he was a tiny newborn I could tell something was bothering him. He would reflux, squirm, writhe, grunt and groan. He would eat but in small portions and he constantly wanted to suck (hence the soother addiction-something we will have to deal with later). Anyways, the biggest symptom was his awful tummy discomfort, bloating and gas! The poor kid. In the depths of despair I took him to see our Naturopath who did a thorough assessment. Her initial concern was the trauma to his digestive system from having come into this world via c-section; which entailed getting antibiotics and not being introduced to healthy maternal bacteria in the birth canal. She also highly suspected food intolerance/sensitivities. So I began tweaking my diet. Since I already didn't eat much dairy the other things left to remove where soy (I also didn't eat a whole lot of it so that easy) and wheat. Well, when wheat was gone, he did so much better. At first I didn't believe it, so I would eat wheat products now and then. And I paid for it dearly. After a while my stubborn self had to finally acknowledge that yes indeed there did seem to be a link between wheat and Isaac having awful tummy pain, reflux and gas. So I said goodbye to wheat for good. Well, mostly. If you recall a few months ago I had a brief moment of weakness which I did pay for dearly...again.

Seaport Market, Chester and Finally Walking!

Even though we didn't sleep all too well last night, we were up and ready to go early in the morn. Today was the grand opening of the new Seaport Farmer's Market and we were excited to see what it was like. Ken was hoping to get our shopping done quick because we wanted to go to Chester and enjoy the beach and the sun.

The market was packed. We lucked out with a parking spot. When we got in we realized pretty quickly that all our regulars were all in the same section, so despite the throngs of people we were able to get our stuff in record time. We had a few memorable moments. I was offered a free peach (delicious) by our fishmonger Mike. I was also offered (well more like gently forced) to eat a raw scallop by him too. It was actually delicious. After I got over the fact that I ate a raw scallop I actually enjoyed it and next week I may opt to buy some fresh scallops and eat a few raw, I may. We also bought, for the first time, a beef heart for the dogs, which according to our butcher, they will just love. Maddie was pretty interested in seeing the heart and asking what all the parts where.

Overall, I was very pleased with the new Market. All the vendors were excited and there was a fresh, vibrant energy all around. I just know there are people out there complaining and pointing out all the negatives about the new location, but in all honesty, I think the new market is great. And I am not an easy critic. Yes there were a lot of people, but it's not going to be like that all the time. It was just today, because it was new; the first day. I am actually looking forward to having some of my favorite foodstuffs accessible more often and to seeing how the market's vibe evolves over the next few weeks.

So after our market adventure we headed home to put the stuff in the fridge and then headed right back out to Chester. Isaac napped on the way there (thankfully). It was a sunny, but windy day. When we first arrived I was actually cold. We flew the kite around for a bit and then found a quaint little beach where the wind wasn't too annoying.

Ken and I ventured out in search of fish and chips while my parents and my grandma who is visiting from B.C. (oh yeah, I forgot to mention they came along) stayed and played with the kiddos. I love those little, short getaways with Ken. We found a classic Nova Scotia pub type restaurant and ordered. While they got it ready we walked around. Chester had an art show happening so we got to see the artists' works. I honestly can't wait until I can afford to spend money on art. I fell in love with a painting, but it was $300. We just don't have that kind of mula to spend on that right now!

I digress. When the food was ready we headed back and had a picnic on the beach. After lunch there was some time to spare so the kiddos played in the sand and water and got themselves nice and dirty and tired out. When Isaac started to get whiny and Maddie started to say "No" to everything we knew it was time to head home for a nap. Isaac managed to stay awake on the way home by playing "throw-Maddie's-hat-back-and-forth" with Maddie and by an ABBA sing along performed my Maddie and me; it was the only CD left in the car that wasn't kid songs (which we were sick of!). Nap was great and then we had a delish supper of fresh haddock and sweet corn.

After supper Isaac surprised us by walking around more than he had ever done before! The little stinker finally decided it was time to try out his sea legs. So far he'd been pretty keen on just scooting around; he did amazingly well! You could tell he was so proud of himself and we are so excited!

All in all today was a superb day. Let's hope tonight is a better night. I think he might be getting a tooth, or maybe it's the walking milestone, but something's got Isaac worked up and not sleeping well. Oh well, it's always something with these little ones.

On that note, I am off. Better get some sleep while I can.

This Mom's Food Journey

Welcome to the July Carnival of Natural Parenting: Let's Talk About Food
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about their struggles and successes with healthy eating. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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If my present self could go back 10 years to have a chat with myself, I am pretty sure my past self would be quite surprised. Not about some things; I always knew I would be a mommy. But I would be surprised that I am an earth hugging suburbanite, with a cosmetics and household cleaners conscience, a stash of cloth diapers and a fridge full of organic and/or local produce, grass fed beef and free range chicken and eggs.

Looking back now, I know exactly how I got to be this way. Growing up I was pretty ignorant about food. Not in a bad way, just in a  "kid way". My parents, specifically my mom, always tried to include us in food shopping, preparation and we always sat at the table to eat together. But childhood and adolescence is often characterized by the "in one ear, out the other" syndrome. So, many of the things my mom tried so hard to teach me, were not learned.

But then one day things began to change. I was finally pregnant. During the time I was trying to get pregnant, I remember reading it was good to eat a diet of whole, pesticide free (or at least low in pesticides), organic foods. So I did what I could because I wanted to do everything possible to be healthy and have a healthy baby. Back in those days, this consisted of eating a lot of veggies and fruit and whole wheat bread. Not much attention was placed on where that food came from. But when our beautiful daughter was born I knew there was no way I could ever knowingly give her anything that might cause her harm or damage her health. So I began buying organic, in spite of the price. Not everything I bought was organic, but everything I fed her was. For a couple of years we slowly added to the list of what we bought organic. We read more and learned more about food, but still we were just skimming along the surface.

Then my husband read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver and that's when everything truly did change. I don't exactly remember why he read that book, but I do know that after he did he was a changed man; who then changed me. He kept on reading many more books and I read some of them too. Many of the issues raised in the books were things my parents had tried to share with me, but I suppose at the time I was not ready to take them in. But now I was. Our entire view on food completely changed. We began buying our produce and meat from our local farmer's market. We met and talked to farmers and learned about the agricultural climate and issues in our province. We grew our first pot garden (the kind where you grow plants in containers...hehe) with a few tomatoes, peppers and basil. The next year we started our first square foot garden plot. And this year we have our suburban garden mega box, which is growing bountifully. It is fun, we are learning a lot, but most importantly we are immersing our children in the world of conscious eating. Our daughter is so happy to help and she loves getting her hands dirty digging and weeding. She looks forward to our weekly trip to the market and gets excited when we receive our weekly organic CSA produce box. Rare is the time we buy out of season ingredients, but if we do, at least now we do so with the knowledge of what that box of blueberries has been through to get to our plate.

On the flip side, eating healthy, whole, organic foods is not without it's issues. First, there is the money issue. But if we are going to dish out the cash we choose to do so on food rather than on other expensive items. Then there is the fact that outside our little orb, many people are eating not-so-healthy foods that are made to look, taste and smell appealing. I know one day my kiddos will ask for the processed foods their peers eat and to drink pop and eat foods that resemble plastic more than they do food. But I hope that somewhere in their heart and mind they will remember what their Mommy and Daddy taught them about food; so that they may decide to continue down the earth hugging path.

I know there is still so much we need to learn and by no means are we experts in gardening or whole-organic-foods-local-eating knowledge. But we try our best and for us that means doing what we can to create a positive food culture so that our kids can grow up immersed in it and pass it on. Hey, if we can manage it then anyone can! My dream is that by the time my kiddos reach adolescence, it will be cool to grow your own food, cook from scratch, have chickens, eat less meat and shop local. I hope that one kiddo at a time, we can eliminate junk food. Forever.

This may very well be just a dream, but I have to try to make it a reality.

Hubby and Isaac Watering the Garden

Maddie Watering the Garden Before Bedtime (showing off her PJ's!)

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be updated July 13 with all the carnival links.)

• Welcome to Two — All About Food — In case you hadn't heard, there is a conspiracy afoot from the two year olds of the world. Shana at Tales of Minor Interest stumbled onto their newsletter!
• Four Seasons of Eating Locally — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction has pointers for what fresh produce can be found year-round. (@MBJunction)
• Happy Families Can Have More Than One Diet — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now has figured out a way for her family to live happily as vegans and vegetarians with relatives who eat meat. (@DebChitwood)
• My Own Omnivore’s Dilemma — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante prioritizes responsible consumer choices for her family.
• No Gluten — No Cry — Joni Rae at Tales of a Kitchen Witch Momma learned to cook balanced meals when her son's food sensitivities prompted a diet overhaul. (@kitchenwitch)
• Try, Try Again — Stefanie at very very fine has become an enthusiastic consumer of locally grown food.
• CSA — Week 1 — Casey at What Love Is wants her children to know where their food comes from, so she joined a friendly CSA. (@CBerbs)
• Food: Parenting or Homemaking? — Michelle at The Parent Vortex sees food as part of a parent's nurturing role. (@TheParentVortex)
• 5 Tips to Help Kids Develop Healthy Eating Habits — If you struggle with healthy eating, helping your child develop healthy habits might be a challenge. Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares five easy tips that will help your kids learn to make good food choices. (@CodeNameMama)
• Family Food: Seeking Balance Between Healthy, Sustainable & Affordable — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings has a whole list of ideas for how she can improve her family's eating, both now and into the future. (@sunfrog)
• Whole Foods in, Wholesome Feelings Out — Jessica at This is Worthwhile has turned her back on the processed, preservative-ridden food of her childhood. (@tisworthwhile)
• When to Splurge on Organic (and When It Is Okay to Skip It) — Becoming Mamas tell you what foods to prioritize when buying pricier organic food, and where you can find it cheaper. (@becomingmamas)
• A Locavore's Family Meal — Acacia at Be Present Mama tells a story in pictures of her family taking a trip to the local organic farmers market and then preparing a summer meal together with their bounty.
• Eat Your Food, or Else — Why should we not bribe a child to eat? TwinToddlersDad from Littlestomaks (Science Driven Real Life Toddler Nutrition) explains. (@TwinToddlersDad)
• Food, Glorious Food! — Luschka at Diary of a First Child describes three easy ways her family has started eating healthier. (@diaryfirstchild)
• Celebrating Food — Mrs Green at Little Green Blog believes in food as medicine and thinks it's worth paying more to keep healthy. (@myzerowaste)
• Oil and Yogurt — What have you been motivated to do with the current oil spill crisis? midnightfeedings has started making her own yogurt. (@midnightfeeding)
• Growth-Spurt Soup (AKA "Beannut Stew") — BeanMa has a special stew to help her baby through growth spurts that keep her up all night. (@thebeanma)
• Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the "real food" philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom)
• Feeding a Family of Six — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children gives helpful tips for feeding a family of six.
• Starting Solids at 6 Months — Did your doctor recommend that you give your baby cereal? Sheryl at Little Snowflakes discusses how whole foods are so much healthier (and more delicious) than traditional cereal. (@sheryljesin)
• Am I What I Eat? — Andrea!!! at Ella-Bean & Co. has figured out a way to avoid grocery stores nearly altogether.
• Are We Setting Our Kids Up To Fail? — Megan at Purple Dancing Dahlias found that cutting out the junk also transformed her sons' behavior problems.
• Changing your family's way of eating — Lauren at Hobo Mama has techniques you can try to move your family gradually toward a healthier diet. (@Hobo_Mama)
• Real Food — What kinds of fake foods do you eat? And why?! Lisa C. at My World Edenwild talks about why she chooses real food.
• A Snackaholic’s Food Battle — Julie at Simple Life wants to stop snacking and get into the old ways of cooking from scratch and raising her own food. (@homemakerjulie)
• Food, Not Fight — Summer at Finding Summer doesn't want her kids to grow up like her husband: hating everything green. (@summerm)
• How Do You Eat When You Are out of Town? — Cassie at There's a Pickle In My Life wants some tips on how to eat healthy when you are out of town.
• Carnival of Natural Parenting: Food! — Sybil at Musings of a Milk Maker hopes that by serving her children healthy, balanced meals, they will become accustomed to making good food choices. (@sybilryan)
• There's No Food Like Home's — NavelgazingBajan at Navelgazing revels in the Bajan food of her upbringing. (@BlkWmnDoBF)
• This Mom's Food Journey — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment made a journey from not paying attention to food to growing her own.
• Who Knew Eating Was So Hard? — The challenges involved in changing to healthier eating habits take on a whole new dimension when you have a child who has difficulties eating. kadiera at Our Little Acorn shares her own experiences. (@kadiera)
• Loving Food — Starr at Earth Mama truly believes food is her family's medicine and is willing to spend days preparing it the traditional way.
• Food Mindfulness — Danielle at born.in.japan details how her family spends money on each category of food. (@borninjp)
• Food for Little People — Zoey at Good Goog wants to bless her daughter with happy traditions built around good food. (@zoeyspeak)
• Eat Like a Baby — Have you been told that you should not equate food with love? Kate Wicker at Momopoly shows us why that's not necessarily true. (@Momopoly)
• Food — Deb at Science@Home tries to teach her children three rules to help them eat a healthy diet. (@ScienceMum)
• Healthy Eating Lactose-Free — MamanADroit gives us tips on how to eat healthy if you are lactose intolerant (or just don’t want cow milk). (@MamanADroit)

What foods to buy Organic...

Waiting for me in my inbox this morning was an email from EWG. Their new 2010 "Shopper's Guide to Pesticides" is out. There are a few changes from their previous list. But the worst offenders are still ranking up there. A new offender has made the list: Blueberries, ranking at #5. For me this news is disappointing, although not surprising. My kiddos love blueberries and we eat them almost on a daily basis. Thankfully, we had been buying organic blueberries. And as a matter of fact, a while back I had emailed one of the blueberry farms to inquire about their pesticide use and of course never heard back. Well to be precise, I heard back from the customer service rep assuring me she would pass along my question to quality control and that I would hear from them at some point. That never happened. I'm sure they thought I was some reporter undercover, presenting myself as a concerned mother. Oh well, now I know for sure what my gut was telling me. So go check to see what the new "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean 15" are! There is also a video of an interview with Dr. Weil. It's only 3 minutes long but full of info!

I am so happy to be signed up with Home Grown Organic Foods! Getting our weekly box is awesome and I don't have to worry about whether or not the produce is safe. If you've been wondering about what a weekly food delivery of organic fruits and veggies is like, wonder no more. It's awesome and not as expensive as you might think it is! We pay $30 bucks and the stuff lasts us all week. The peace of mind that we are eating as healthy and safely as possible is well worth the price! If you are in the HRM, check out their website for more info. If you live elsewhere, do a search for "local farm co-ops" and/or "organic food box delivery" programs. Trust me you will find something!

Fresh Food

Not too long ago I decided to see if I could cook without using food from cans. I was inspired to try this because almost all canned foods are lined with plastic that has BPA (for more info check out EWG's blog). In addition, the benefits of eating whole, fresh foods go far beyond just avoiding BPA, so in my opinion eating less packaged food is a win-win situation. Anyways, I thought I'd update on my no-can endeavour.

In the kitchen...

For my first official post I thought I'd ask some questions I've been pondering recently. If you feel inclined to answer I'd love to hear your answers!

The other day I was cooking, well chopping mushrooms to be precise and one fell to the floor. I couldn't pick it up right away, but when I did I held it in my hand and wondered, what do other people do in this situation? Do they use it as is? Do they wash it first and then use it? Do they just eat it right then and there as a little while-cooking snack? Do they toss it?

Then today I was chopping green onions and when I got to the green part the chopping became harder and the shoots didn't cut up as nicely as the white part of the stalk. Then I wondered, what do people do here? Do they use the whole stalk? Only the white part? Only the green part?

Lastly, when I was washing my dishes tonight (well, the ones that don't go in the dishwasher) I realized that the way I wash my dishes is the way my mom does and her mom does. Funny how a thing like washing dishes gets passed down like that. Anyways, I wondered how do others wash their dishes? Do they fill up the sink and add soap? Do they have a container with soap and water and a sponge? Do they have a scrubby sponge with a soap dispenser? The options are endless!

I know, I'm weird to think these things, but human behaviour interests me! I guess those four years of undergrad in psych have to count for something!

For those that are interested this is what I did/do:
-Rinsed and cooked it along with the other ones
-Used both white and green parts, but realized that the green parts are more stringy and maybe next time will use only the white and part of the green parts up until it gets stringy to chop).
-I have a small stainless steel bowl that I fill with water and dishsoap and use that with my trusty sponge to wash the dishes.

Moo=Ouchie?

Today was exhausting (well the last 9 months have been, really). But today in particular, Isaac was extremely cranky and on top of that had 2 episodes of awful gas pain. One of them lasted for an hour. After trying all sorts of positions, belly massage, bicycle legs, burping, nursing, and any thing else I could try, he finally let them rip. Man it was a load of air! Poor little guy. I feel so very sad he is going through this. It sucks even more at night because I know if it wasn't for the gas waking him up he would sleep quite nicely and for longer stretches. Working with our Naturopath we have tried several things, but when it comes to the gas, he is not all better. His eczema has almost disappeared and his cough is gone, the only thing still bothering him is his gas. So this has me wondering, what is causing it? What can I do to help my little boy? I know sucking on his soother might cause air swallowing, but we don't give it to him during the day anymore, only when he first falls asleep, and within a few minutes he spits it out. So I don't think that's the problem. Plus I always burp him before laying him down. I have already cut out the major tummy troublemakers from my diet and he doesn't eat them either. All of them with the exception of dairy. But oh how I love cheese and yogurt! I think I am going to have to say goodbye to my friends for a while. I will do anything to see if it helps Isaac. Enough is enough with all this tummy trouble!!!

Giving up kiwi

I love kiwi fruit. It's tasty, it's easy to eat and it looks so pretty. Maddie also loves to eat kiwis. In fact, it is one of the few fruits she will eat. Ken doesn't love it per se, but he does eat them and enjoys them. However, when it comes to little Isaac, well, he eats them, but then instantly breaks out into an awful rash.

This morning we were eating breakfast and Isaac was having banana. Ken was passing him slices of it, but some of them were contaminated by bits of kiwi (from the fruit salad bowl). The poor little guy was eating voraciously, so of course, in went the kiwi. Ken reported that he saw how as soon as the kiwi touched his lips he began getting red and rashy. I went to the grocery store and resisted buying more kiwis. I can't have them in the house right now if it means Isaac is this sensitive to them. Tonight he is still red and his eczema looks very awful again. We'll have to find some other fruit to enjoy for breakfast!

It all comes down to D-Day...

Well there were no improvements over the weekend. The only change was that Ken and I are now sick and that Isaac slept even worse. We are still tired. Today he napped OK in the morning but the afternoon nap was a whopping 30 min! He did sleep in the car and stayed asleep for another 30 min at home in the carseat, but he was ready to crash at 6pm.

Today was his appointment with our ND. Basically she said his intestinal tract got effed up during his Delivery Day. All the antibiotics I got during the c-section, plus the lack of breastmilk for the first 24 hours, plus the antibiotics in the breastmilk once he was nursing, all added up to equal reflux and a sensitive, gassy, food-intolerant intestinal tract. Poor little fella. The good news is that we can do something to help:

- Big time probiotics. Triple the dose I had been giving him so far. Helps with restoring the intestinal tract's flora and to reduce gassiness and sensitivity to foods. He should take these until he is at least 1 year old. She said it's also important to prevent him getting asthma later on in childhood (as he is already at risk).
- Fish oil high in EPA (lots of Omega-3 fatty acids). This is an anti-inflammatory and will help with his rash, his eczema and his bronchiolitis. Plus, it's good for the brain, body and all sorts of other stuff. The good thing is he can have this directly now, so he will get maximum benefit.
- Vitamin D. Also triple the dose he was getting. Immune booster and will help with his eczema too.
- Vitamin C. This he will get in a multivitamin powder and through breastmilk (I have to take 3000mg/day).
-Echinacea. Also an immune booster and antiviral. He can take this directly too and it will help get rid of his cough and cold.
-Clover cream. For the eczema on his face.

Oh and yeah, she confirmed what I suspected, he does have a sensitivity to something he's eaten. Most likely it's the bread he had, but to be on the safe side she said we should stop all solids for 3 weeks while the probiotics build up his intestinal flora. I asked if it was OK for him to have something (Isaac loves to eat, he will miss munching), and she said it would be OK if he has veggies (sweet potatoes are best) and fruits (bananas and apples mostly). And, I have to stop wheat and dairy (she said it was OK if I had it a couple times a week, but not everyday. I will surely miss my cheese!). I was very pleased with the visit. Now I just have to stick to the program and religiously ensure he gets all his "stuff" everyday.

I don't have any expectations for tonight. I feel like crap and I know Isaac does too. I just hope we get some rest and tomorrow will be another day...