Garden Geek

It's been raining a lot here lately, but I'm not complaining. It's refreshing. And, my garden loves it.

The Knight teases me because the girls have started to refer to the garden as "Mommy's outside babies." I guess I am a little attached to it. I go out every morning to say good morning and check on the plants, and again in the afternoon. I take lots of pictures of it. And when I'm outside playing with the kids, it is not unusual to hear me talk to the plants.

Oh well. I'm just so thrilled to have finally been able to grow something, I'm am completely geeking out over it. I'm already trying to see if there is a way to expand the garden next year. Plus, I can't believe how incredibly easy it has been! Square foot gardening is definitely the way to go; I've had to weed the garden only twice now, and it took about five minutes to do. Super quick and easy.

I've got plenty of fresh green in my fridge and my spinach is coming up nicely. The onions and carrots are getting bigger, and the broccoli plants are huge!

How is your garden doing so far? What is your favorite vegetable to grow?

Garden Geek

Gardening Update.

Our garden is coming along well, or at least I think so. Since I have no previous experience with gardening at all, I don't have anything to compare it to.

We have kale, romaine, mustards, snap peas, spinach (not up yet) and carrots in one box.
Then broccoli and onions in the other. Still eight more boxes to fill; I'm going to put in bell peppers and strawberries.

Trying to plan out the garden has been a little harder than I thought. I'm trying to get three harvests out of every square foot, but I'm not sure if I am planning it right. The charts in Square Foot Gardening are helpful, I just need to find the time to sit down and plan it out.

I'm not sure if I am doing the composting right. It just doesn't look like it's doing anything.

I also have a bunch of herbs that a friend gave me that I am going to plant on a porch planter.

I really want this garden to work out, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

What are you growing in your garden?

Gardening Update.

Gardening Obsession

The Mermaid is now obsessed with gardening.

She is going to be participating in a homeschooler's fair later this year and her project will be...gardening!!

Today we planted some veggies and herbs to be transplanted later into our garden:

Lavender
Broccoli
Bell Peppers.In addition to the avocado we are attempting to sprout, we also sprouted a garlic clove and are attempting to sprout a sweet potato. Here's the garlic clove on day one.Here it is on day three. It sprouted fairly quickly.
By the end of the week I had switched it over to soil.Still no sign of sprouting on the potato yet.
We're also trying to grow a pineapple plant. Like the avocado, it can be difficult to succeed and it will take at least a couple years for the plant to produce fruit, if any. But it looks cool and we'll have fun trying.



We've also attempted to sprout lentils, with no real success so far.
And we did an experiment to see how plants drink.

For every plant or project, The Mermaid has a gardening journal in which she writes the date planted or project started, and if applicable, the day sprouted and harvested. Then she draws a picture and takes notes.

She also has a page in her journal dedicated to the layout of our 32 square foot garden that we plan on putting together this weekend.

She's so excited and her enthusiasm is contagious. I'm looking forward to the warmer weather!!

Gardening Obsession

What Does A Vegan Bring To A Party?

So what exactly does a vegan bring to a birthday party?

I brought vegan lasagna, vegan chocolate cupcakes, and tomato bruschetta. Yum!!

Right now I'm reading Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows by Melanie Joy. Very intriguing, I highly recommend it.

What Does A Vegan Bring To A Party?

This is Good

Yesterday I went grocery shopping with a two page list.

I got 98% of my groceries from the produce section. This felt really, really good.

I've been studying nutrition lately, specifically how it relates to health. And as a family, we've started the slow process of becoming vegan. Healthy vegans who get the bulk of our nutrition from nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables (and beans, etc.).

As someone who does not like to cook, this has certainly made for an interesting experience in the kitchen. But, I'm getting better. I'm actually starting to enjoy cooking. And shhhh, don't tell anyone, but it is even starting to become a little relaxing for me.

I did tell The Knight that our next house needs to have a large kitchen. No compromise there.

It's been a nice way to start of the new year. Doing something for myself and my family's health.

Any other vegans out there? Would love some tips, tricks, favorite recipes....

This is Good

More on Eating Wholesome Foods

I recently came across a couple more links with great information about the dangers of additives that are in our food.

First, Simple Mom has a great post up written by a health columnist about the three top additives to eliminate from your diet. According to the author, by eliminating High Fructose Corn Syrup, trans fats, and dyes with numbers after them, we will eliminate 90% of the junk food that we eat. It's great article that is very helpful for when you are checking out the nutrition labels, so head on over and check it out.

Also, if you want more specific information on what exactly the dangers are with High Fructose Corn Syrup, then you must read Change Your World. Evelyn not only outlines the dangers of HFCS, but also gives a list of the most popular products that contain HFCS and a link to where you can find out which products do not contain HFCS. From her post:

Excess fructose intake has been associated with adverse health effects such as:metabolic syndrome, elevated triglyceride levels, hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, excess uric acid levels (associated with gout), and elevated levels of advanced glycation end products (linked with aging and complications of diabetes).Excess fructose intake may contribute to hypertension. High blood pressure is a well-known comorbidity associated with obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperlipidemia.

I know that we have been trying to eat less products that contain HFCS, but now we are going to eliminate it as much as possible.

What are your favorite links that guide you in eating wholesome foods?

More on Eating Wholesome Foods

Feeding My Children Wholesome Goodness

My birthday is coming up and I want a bread maker.

I'm sick of reading labels on food and seeing things I can pronounce, things that can be potentially harmful to my children.

Today I am over at API Speaks, the official blog for Attachment Parenting.org giving tips on feeding your children wholesome foods. Click here to read my post.

Feeding My Children Wholesome Goodness

Yes, I Really Am That Much Of A Dork...

I think a lot of people know how dorky I can be, but here is proof....

Yesterday I got my package from Mountain Rose Herbs. I adore this store, love it love it love it. Anyway, I was so excited to get this package that I was jumping up and down and frantically trying to call my lovely SIL, who I knew would be just about the only person who understood. Unfortunately, she didn't answer, so I grabbed my camera and took pictures, shouting "I am sooooo blogging this!"

I ordered three bags of loose leaf tea, a facial scrub, and four unbleached cotton infuser net thingies. One of the teas is for children, one is for the morning, and one is for at night. And they sent me thing handy guide to explain just how to prepare my teas and care for them, which is great, as this is the first time I bought loose leaf tea and I was pretty clueless.

I decided to try the morning tea first, Dawn Chorus.

Isn't it sooo much prettier than the tea in tea bags?

Infusing. Love the cotton tea net thingies (I don't even know their official name).

The only thing I didn't like about the cotton bags was that I had to empty the tea into the garbage and it was a little messy. However, the bag itself was very easy to clean.

The tea? Delicious. Sooo much better than tea bags!!

In fact, I am so much of a dork that I took a picture of the tea sitting in my cabinet. 'Cause it looks so pretty sitting in there!!!!

Anyways, I really love the tea because it's organic and healthier for you. And tastes great. Plus, Mountain Rose Herbs is not only certified organic, but it is also a Fair Trade company and Kosher certified. Plus, their prices are fantastic and their customer service is great: all teas are made fresh to order! I've bought some of my essential oils for my doula bag from them and they are great as well, so I highly recommend them!

And if you've gotten this far into this post, then congrats: now you know I am a true dork. At least I didn't blog about how I got so excited about washing cloth diapers that I took pictures of them hanging on the line.....that would be truly dorkish....

Yes, I Really Am That Much Of A Dork...

Wordless Wednesday: She Loves Her Na Nas

Wordless Wednesday: She Loves Her Na Nas

Formula for the Sweet Tooth

Thanks to Hathor for informing her readers about this story.

It turns out that the popular Similac Organic formula is made with cane sugar. According to the story:

Parents may be buying it because they believe that organic is healthier, but babies may have a reason of their own for preferring Similac Organic: it is significantly sweeter than other formulas. It is the only major brand of organic formula that is sweetened with cane sugar, or sucrose, which is much sweeter
than sugars used in other formulas.

No health problems in babies have been associated with Similac Organic. But to pediatricians, there are risks in giving babies cane sugar: Sucrose can harm tooth enamel faster than other sugars; once babies get used to its sweeter taste, they might resist less sweet formulas or solid foods; and some studies
suggest that they might overeat, leading to rapid weight gain in the first year, which is often a statistical predictor of childhood obesity.

You can read the full story here...

Formula for the Sweet Tooth

Year of Action

The year of 2007 was a great year for our family. The Knight and I call 2007 the "year of enlightenment." It was the year that we realized that life could be different, that we could live however we wanted, and the way that we wanted to live was with as much freedom as possible.

Our first area of learning was in finances. We decided that the only thing between us and financial freedom was debt. After the Mermaid was born, we got into some serious credit card debt, on top of our student loans. We learned that getting out of this debt was the key to being able to set aside money for a savings, and to being able to afford a house on just one income. So, we went on the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover Plan. From March to December, we paid off about $12,000.00 worth of debt and saved up for a down payment on a house. Our goal is to be completely free of debt, except for a mortgage, by the end of 2009.

Our second area of learning was in health. We did some research on nutrition and decided to become vegetarians. We are seriously considering going vegan. Being vegetarians is simply healthier: in fact, eating meat is seriously detrimental to your health. Books that we read in our research include The China Study, You Don't Need Meat, and The Mad Cowboy. The science is there, we just accessed it.

Our third area of learning was in lifestyle. First, we made a conscious decision to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. While we did take some positive steps in this direction (switched to cloth paper towels/napkins, set up a recycling center, etc), I still think we need to work on this one. Second, we decided that we did not want to live the traditional 9-5 lifestyle. We want to both work from home and be home with our kids. We want to homeschool them, be there for them, and raise them with our values, so that they learn the importance of family. Since right now we are relying on the Knight's income, we decided to take steps to allow me to work from home first. This decision led me to starting two of my own home-based businesses: the first was my Doula business, the second was my Direct Marketing business. I adore doing both businesses, and have a blast with each one. Once we are more out of debt, the Knight wants to open his own business as a financial advisor for the Dave Ramsey plan. Then we will both be home to raise and school our children.

Now that 2007 is over, we know that we have definite goals in all three areas and we also have plans laid out to reach those goals. So, for us, 2008 is going to be the year of action. We are both going to work to develop and build my businesses, to help us get out of debt. We hope to get even more out of debt in the spring, and get a house. We've started homeschooling the girls. And we are gazelle intense on reaching all of our goals, and getting the lifestyle that we want.

Will we succeed? We have to. We have officially removed the option of quitting from the table. It is this or nothing. And we are determined.

As for personal resolutions, I do have a few. My general resolution is to improve as a person. The specific ones I have are:

~ Find value in myself, and know that I am worthy of the all the blessings I receive.
~ Don't let other people's opinions rule how I feel about myself
~ Be more positive/optimistic (including doing some positive affirmations about myself and my life every morning)
~ Move forward in both my businesses
~ Yell less (I hate it when I lose control of my anger and yell at the Mermaid)
~ Lose weight (kind of cliche, I know, but the Knight and I are going to TTC in September/October and I want to be as healthy as possible for the pregnancy.)

So that is our outlook for the year. I would love to hear what your goals for 2008 are!

Year of Action

Dangers of Animal Products

Cancer has run through my family like a sword. My grandmother died of cancer, my mom has had it, and the girls and I are at risk of getting it. Cancer has ravaged through the Knight's family. All three of his aunts died from cancer, and his grandmother also has it (and is now in remission, thank God).

So as you can imagine, one of my goals is to keep my girls away from as many carcinogens as possible. We do this through breastfeeding, cloth diapering, eating organic food, checking our beauty and cosmetic products for safety at the Skin Deep Database.

There is also one significant thing we do to avoid carcinogens, help protect the environment, and help protect ourselves from autoimmune diseases: we are vegetarians/vegans.

Every substantial, legitimate study on nutrition and health has pointed to the same thing: Casein, the protein found in milk and other meat products, have been linked to cancer. Eating meat and other meat products has also been shown to increase your chances of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other autoimmune diseases. If you are interested in learning more, I would highly suggest you read The China Study and You Don't Need Meat.

I have been a vegetarian/vegan for about six months now. I am healthy and strong, and I have been losing weight. I am not suffering from lack or protein or calcium. And I love what I am eating.

Do the research. Read the books. You'd be surprised at what you will learn. Try becoming a vegetarian for a short time, let's say a month. You'll be surprised at how healthier you feel and how easy it is. Just try it. What do you have to lose?

The Dairy and Meat industries are some of the strongest industries out there. They infiltrate our schools through "sponsored lesson plans." They infiltrate WIC. They pay big bucks to politicians. That is why we are taught from a young age that eating meat and drinking milk is vital to our health.

We are slowly killing ourselves. And our earth.

For every 25lbs of grain, 1lb of beef is created. What if we had taken that 25lbs of grain and fed it to starving people instead of to an animal? Cattle raising ravages our land. It upsets the fragile eco systems in the environment.

Read for yourself. Research this topic and learn. Knowledge really is power.

Some examples of the power of the Dairy/Meat industry and the dangers of meat products:

Dangers of Animal Products

Buying Organic and Breaking the Bank

The Knight and I recently decided to become vegetarians, and as we work towards paying off our debt, we've also been trying to buy more organic food. The problem? Organic food can be very pricey. However, I did find this nice online guide on which produce you should buy organic and which ones you can buy just conventional and still be okay. It's a handy guide, which can help with costs. For example, we were buying organic bananas but since we now know bananas generally tend to have less pesticides, we'll stick with conventional bananas and go organic with the apples. Enjoy!

Buying Organic and Breaking the Bank