My husband and kids were gone for the day. I had the whole blissful day in front of me, coffee in hand, a book and a gorgeous day to sit on the deck and enjoy both.

I let the chickens out in the yard. I enjoy watching them, my buxom ballerinas with fluffy bottoms, flouncing around the raspberries jumping and twisting for the perfect berry. Bathing in the dirt, a cloud of dust surrounding them like Charlie Brown’s Pig Pen. Full of joy at the very thought of laying their precious egg in some unbeknownst spot that I will never find! They bring me peace for some reason. I was savoring it all when a loud crashing came from the woods and the girls sounded the alarm and flew for the coop.

My dog, Sheriff Shadow was on the case! We’ve had multiple chicken homicides around here in these parts. Coyotes are the usual suspect, but bobcats, raccoons, neighborhood dogs and even bald eagles all have a mug shot on file. It was at this point that all of my fantastical ideas for a relaxing and peaceful day came to a blazing and abrupt halt.

I reached for the axe and walked down into the yard. Today was the day. It was time to get to work.

The daily spring deluges turned the girls outside pen into a mud pit, perfect for a couple of wallowing pigs but most definitely not appropriate for 7 classy ladies (and 1 ugly one).

The posts were in, there was just one crumbling, old log standing between me and a new and improved chicken run. The chainsaw was out of commission, the saw blade was dull, and I’d eaten way too much ice cream lately!

I decided I would simply chop that tree in half. The axe was sharp and I’d split exactly ONE piece of firewood before. Why not this old dead tree I thought?

Now let me just pause here a moment. I have brilliant ideas, lots of them. Way, way too many of them. In fact so many that they’ve managed to clog my filter of good sense and spill out at will. Too often leaving the affect of not having thoroughly thought through the task of which I wish to accomplish.

Of course, that wouldn’t be the case today.

Feeling very in touch with my inner Paul Bunyan, I started swinging my axe. The first couple barely scratched the surface but then the wood chips started flying! Half an hour later, I’d made a pretty good dent in the tree, but come to find out that tree wasn’t only old and dead, it was also water logged. It was time for a break. After water and a few minutes of rest I was back at it, chopping away. It was all going really well until the muscles in my hand decided that they’d had enough. I pushed through the ache, but I knew it was only a matter of time before my grip gave out and the axe slipped and went through my shin. .

It was at this time that I realized that I would have been back from Sears with the new chain for the chainsaw already.

I started to miss Chief in Charge of Manly Things. Where was he when I needed him? Who did he think he was leaving me all alone with no children to complete this huge project?

It was at this time that their car pulled in. My husband and kids were home! I had hoped they’d find me napping on the swing with ice cream pooling on the cushion.

Why hadn’t I stuck with that plan?

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My little ray of sunshine popped out of the car. “Mommy, did you blow up my pool yet?” I’d previously promised my daughter that I’d blow up the pool she’d gotten for her birthday and apparently NOW was the appointed time. I pulled out the bicycle pump and went to work sculpting my “abs of steel”. Half an hour later the princess palace was wafting in the breeze.

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I’ve talked about my staunch requisites compromises surrounding beef and chicken. However, the topic of pork came up in a readers comment the other day. So, let’s address The Pig.

First off, yes, I am aware that pigs wallow in their own filth. I started cogitating on the concept of what we eat in regards to feces (aka: Poop) and it became clear that if one were to try to stay away from anything that was grown in poop, one would have pretty slim pickings.

A vegetarian, you say? Nope, not even a vegetarian.

How about a vegan? Nope, wrong again.

Vegetables are best grown in dirt right?

Wrong! Tricked ya! They are best grown in manure. Bat guano (poop), worm castings (poop), cow manure (poop), chicken manure (poop). Yes, a little tree bark might be mixed in for good measure, but basically it’s all poop.

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to spoil dinner.

Moving on…..

Over this past year I’ve done a lot of research regarding pigs. It all started after I’d read Michael Pollans Omnivores Dilemma. He spent a bit of time talking about how pigs are treated in the large factory farms and let’s just say the picture ain’t too pretty. Basically, in industrialized hog production farmers “dock” the pigs tails. Meaning they snip them off using a “pair of pliers and no anesthetic.” Why would they do such a thing? It’s simple, states Mr. Pollan “…in CAFO’s (huge factory farms), where ten’s of thousands of hogs spend their entire lives ignorant of earth or straw or sunshine, crowded together beneath a metal roof standing on metal slats suspended over a septic tank. It’s not surprising that an animal as intelligent as a pig would get depressed, and a depressed pig will allow his tail to be chewed to the point of infection. Since treating sick pigs is not economically efficient, these under performing production units are typically clubbed to death on the spot.” Which is again, not economically efficient.

Just as Pollan points out, pigs are intelligent creatures. Pigs are considered as smart as a dog, if not more-so. They are animals that need other pigs around for social company, and for fattening (competition). They get lonely and when a member of their family goes missing they make it well known that they feel terrible. I had a friend who raised pigs and sold them at the county fair. The first year she did it she came back without one of her two pigs. The other pig that was left cried and yelled and hollered about it for days.

Anyway, that brings me to one of my “food values.” Ultimately, I care how my food is raised. This includes pigs. If it’s lived a good life, been treated fairly and humanely I’m totally okay with eating it. However, I don’t want a thinking, feeling being tortured for my benefit.

That is why when I do buy pork it’s from a farmer’s market or a local source. I talk with the farmer about how they raise their pigs, what they feed them, how they’re butchered. I let them know that I care. Because, every time I ask, and every time I buy, I’m voting with my dollars. And even if it doesn’t seem to count now, I know that over time, as more people ask and vote, it will impact the way, we as a nation eat.

Before you go……

I do want to make one thing clear. I am NOT eating pig hooves. (I would say EVER, but I don’t want to jinx myself. At some point I may be in a remote village in Uganda, with pig hooves being proudly placed before me, and I may find myself compromising, yet again.) I don’t care if a pig is organic, fed only tulips, whatever. It would have to be raised upside-down for me to even consider eating a hoof. Blech!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to send out a big “THANK YOU” to all of you who checked out my Oprah Audition video and voted for me. The results aren’t in yet but I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything. As a reward my snarky husband, who’s too technical for his own good, put this little ditty together. Enjoy!!!

The last couple of posts have been about beef, specifically buying beef and my extremely stringent standards compromises surrounding that choice.

Well today I was at the grocery store with the sole intent of purchasing roasted chicken. I had perused the add, read about how this particular chicken (Draper Valley) was born and bred in WA with all sorts of love and care and blappity, blappity, blap. I have a really hard time bringing myself to spend the big bucks to buy a free-range, organic chicken. I feel like I might as well buy fresh fish or crab, or quite possibly even lobster (definitely NOT local =]. It’s not about the price, it’s also about how they are raised. Being a chicken owner myself I do not believe that chickens held in huge warehouses and fed organic feed and offered a door to a tiny outdoor lawn (that they never use) makes for a healthy chicken. It also does not talk me into spending those big bucks.

Anyway, back to the story. I was at the store and had this green ad (no, literally, it was green) and the picture of the farmers who owned this chicken I wanted to buy were pictured right there on the ad. They looked like nice people. They looked like they wouldn’t hurt a chicken. I was sold!

That’s when I got to the actual chickens. Here is where my conundrum started. They had two types of roasted chickens on the sign. One was a dollar more and “all natural.” The other was the one pictured in the ad, a dollar less and did not say “all natural.” So, I asked. “Um,” pointing to the ad “What exactly is the difference between the chicken in this ad and the “all natural” chicken that costs a dollar more?” The nice lady at the self check-out stand bustled over to where the “ad” chickens were hidden and brought them to me. “See, this is the chicken in the ad. What you’ve got there is an “all natural” chicken.” Hmm, well that explains it! I see, one is featured in the ad as all natural, and this one is labeled “all natural” and they are both from the same farm and…..I’m still confused. Check-out lady, ever helpful, went on to point out that the dollar more chicken clearly stated on the label “all natural” and the other one did not.

By this time my children were leaning on the self check-out thing and the computer was yelling at me and I thought “I will do anything to get out of here!” At which point I said “I’ll take that one.” Which one did I choose? Well let’s just say the grocery got their extra dollar.

I have two criteria for the beef I buy. I prefer it to be local and grass fed. It doesn’t need to be organic and they can label it “natural” all they want. I’m still not sold unless it meets my two criteria.

Well, okay, let’s just say, exceptions have been made….

Since local, grass fed beef is the only beef I’ll buy I’m always on the look out for a deal. I could just buy a side of beef but that’s more than we can use up in a year and I’m decidedly picky about the cuts I use. So, the other day we got a line on a country butcher who was having a great 4th of July sale on (what we thought) was grass fed beef. We put the kids in the car and off we went.

After pulling over for both fresh strawberries and raspberries, we arrived, smudged in red, at the butcher’s door. It was on a country road, with a huge driveway, a few houses and not a cow in sight. I walked in first greeting the friendly butcher with a stunning raspberry seeds-in-my-teeth grin. It’s amazing he didn’t just hand over the beef then and there. Especially since my husband and kids were still outside in search of a cow.

I asked him about the beef he was selling. Where did it come from and was it grass fed? He said no it wasn’t grass fed. Now, I could have turned around then and there and walked out the door. However, my “local” criteria was still on the board. Pictured on the wall were proud pictures of 4-H kids with their prize winning cows at the local county fair. That was where his beef came from.

I thought about my choices for a minute. Here I was, in the middle of nowhere, in a sour economy, with a man who supported his family by supporting local farmers. His business was neat and tidy, he was clean, and his house was just out back. Nothing special, but he was making a decent living for his family. The beef that he was buying wasn’t rock bottom cheap because it came from 4-H kids, on the other hand, it was probably more expensive because of that very same fact (my 4-H friends growing up made good money off of their cow and pigs at the state county fair). It was grown on local family farms where the farmers couldn’t afford to give antibiotics to their cattle unless they were really really sick, and yes, maybe the cow got grains for breakfast, but likely it also got put out to pasture for lunch and dinner.

So, did I buy the beef? Yes, I bought a lot of it. Steaks and hamburgers, and even some hot dogs for the kids.

We all have to ask ourselves what is really important when feeding our families. It’s not a question that I can answer for anyone but myself. It’s what I call “Food Values.” What’s most important to you? Is it the use of petroleum getting it to your plate? Is it the way the animal was raised and who it was raised by? Is it what it was fed? Does it matter how it was killed? How it was hung? What was done to the meat? Whatever your food values are be open to asking the questions. It’s okay to be confused and it’s okay to get it wrong. It’s a process and if you ask the questions, the answers will come over time and it will become easier. I promise.

Now, where are my husband and kids?

I grew up with a dad that’s allergic to basically every protein but beef, pork and eggs. Yep, that’s right, no fowl, wild game, seafood of any kind or beans. This left my poor mother with the choice of making two different dinners or all of us eating a lot of pork and beef. As a mother myself, I can see why she chose option II much of the time.

Unfortunately, beef has never been appealing to me. I just don’t care for the flavor. Pork is okay, but again, not something I relish. As a teenager I read all about how cow and pigs were raised for slaughter. That their conditions were inhumane and how they were killed and processed. Of course, this put the proverbial nail in the coffin. I began bringing tofu salads to school for lunch. At one point I even brought enough for all of my friends in hopes they’d turn over a new leaf and join the crowd. Oh, did I mention I grew up in Alaska? Not exactly the vegetarian capital of the west.

Over the years I’ve tried being a vegetarian and just steering clear of beef and pork. This did not bode well for my carnivorous, steak loving husband or visits from my parents. Luck came my way though in the form of grass fed beef. GFB has come back onto the scene. What do I mean “Back onto the scene?” Isn’t it a new creation? Funny you ask. My dad (who is in his mid-seventies) and I were having a discussion about beef and cattle and the way it’s raised. He was telling me how he remembers grain fed beef coming into popularity. It was so tender and marbled and juicy that people would pay big bucks for it! Forget the whole idea of raising your own cattle in the pasture out back, get these cows some grain!

Now, it’s the flip side. We pay big bucks for grass fed beef. It’s sustainable, better for the environment, better for the animal, and ultimately better for the consumers health (grass fed beef has the wonderful benefit of being full of those hard to find Omega 3 essential fats).

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m NOT talking about organic beef. Organic beef just means that the GRAINS that the cows were fed were organic. A step in the right direction, yes, but cows are ruminant animals. They have two stomachs which are meant for digesting grass. Over time they become sick when fed only grain. This in turn is why the humongous feed lots also include such preventative measures as antibiotics in their feed (smaller cattle ranchers cannot afford such luxuries). For in-depth detail regarding the raising of cattle for the American consumer read Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma.

part II coming tomorrow….

Come September both of my kids will be going to school and instead of struggling with the question of “What’s Next?” I’m trying not to fret and worry about what my life might look like without a child at my hip constantly. Instead, I’m focusing on sitting in that uncomfortable place, being open to what’s next and staying true to what I do know and want for my children and my family.

A couple of weeks ago I had a very strong feeling that I was supposed to send in an audition to Oprah’s new “OWN Network” where she and Mark Burnett are working together to cast a reality show to find the next talk show host (with one of the categories being Health and Well being). I didn’t feel like I was supposed to send in the audition tape so I would “win” but because I needed to go through the exercise of actually doing it. I took the plunge and asked my Naturopath if she’d let me interview her and she graciously accepted. (She isn’t in the interview much (we only had 3 minutes) but you can look forward to the full interview just as soon as we get it edited! ).

I’ve had an amazing response to the audition tape and it’s slowly becoming clear why I needed to do this. I’ll be sure to let you know as Life’s Plan unfolds itself….

Breast cancer is a concern on every woman’s list and we have to realize that when we shave under our arms, get out of the shower and immediately clog our open pours with chemicals it’s going to have an effect sooner or later.

I quit using traditional store brand antiperspirants years ago after the aluminum in the antiperspirants was linked to Alzheimer’s. Since then I’ve been on a quest to find a deodorant (all antiperspirants contain aluminum) that actually works. I’ve tried many many different brands and “flavors” but none have been anything that I would highly recommend.

I tried the Crystal type of natural deodorant and many people have recommended it to me but I never liked it much. Now, Dr. Mercola has reported that it actually contains aluminum as well and that he recommends to discontinue it’s use.

The other day I was reading a post on Fake Plastic Fish about alternative deodorants and someone commented that they used baking soda under their arms put on with a fuzzy powder puff. The gal said it was way better than any of the alternative deodorants that she’d tried. Dr. Mercola also suggested baking soda. He puts a pinch in water and I guess wipes it on. You could also add a drop of tea tree oil or lavendar oil if you wanted a smell. I personally like the idea of putting the baking soda on dry but I’m going to give both a try.

All of that being said I would like to suggest the idea that not everybody has bad body odor. I know that after I had my babies I had terrible body odor. I would stink upon exiting the shower. Something with my hormones was going on and only the strongest antiperspirant would work. However, now, I generally do not have bad body odor ( Friends: if I am misinformed please do not hesitate to set me straight ) After working out I take a body shower or a spit bath (okay, I don’t use spit, but a washcloth and water sounds boring). I don’t usually wear deodorant unless I am speaking or in a situation where I know I will perspire.

Remember, perspiration in the body’s way of getting rid of toxins. Where do those toxins go if we block their exit?

Bisphenol A, otherwise known as BPA, has been in the news for the last couple of years and, as many of you already know, is a known endocrine disruptor. The endrocrine system is basically the body’s hormone control center and is directly related to reproduction. Unfortunately, it is our children who tend to get the most exposure to BPA. Baby bottles and water bottles have gotten quite a bit of attention regarding BPA but what about those handy dandy little cups that keep spills at bay?

Sippy cups

These are generally made out of #5 plastic and are considered relatively safe. BPA- free is, of course, a safer choice, with food grade stainless steel being the best choice.

I believe that liquid should not be left in plastic of any kind for more than a few hours. This includes BPA free sippy cups.  Why? Because I don’t trust plastic. I have lost all confidence in the FDA to keep us safe from plastics and just because they claim that anything BPA free is safe doesn’t mean that next year there won’t be another plasticene that is found to leach. I would rather just be safe and stay away from all plastic. That being said, stainless steel sippy cups can be pricey and I know that even I still have two sippy cups made with BPA sitting in my cupboard. So my general guidelines for plastic sippy’s of any kind are:

• A good rule of thumb is to use a new sippy, with new liquid in it every day. If water has sat overnight in a sippy, it’s a good idea to dump it and get a new one out of the cupboard.
• If you wash your sippy cups in the dishwasher (top rack only) I highly advise to replace them every 6 months to a year. Anything that’s been through the dishwasher many times, chewed on, or is damaged in any way is worth replacing frequently. (Keep this in mind when pricing stainless steel sippy’s which do not need to be replaced ever.)
• Never leave in the sun, a hot car or microwave.
• Anything acidic such as juice makes plastic leach. If at all possible serve juice in a glass or stainless steel sippy.
• Anything fatty such as milk makes plastic leach.  If at all possible serve milk in a glass or stainless steel sippy.

Where To Buy Safe Sippy Cups

In the past two years manufacturing of stainless steel sippee cups has drastically increased. Plastic used to be the only choice. Now BPA free sippy cups are even available at such places as Target. However finding stainless steel sippy’s can be a bit more challenging. personally, I really like the Kleen Kanteen stainless steel sippy cups. They can be used as a regular water bottle or converted to a sippy. I got mine online at Reusable Bags and have been very happy with it. We also have a cute OGGI brand pink stainless steel sippy that has yet to leak.

Amazon is always a great place to read comments from other moms. There are many brands out there so, do a little research, find which brand you like best and then Bing it. Overstock.com and other discount online stores often have just what you were looking for only in last years color. That being said, I will again, suggest Reusablebags.com. They have excellent customer service, reasonable shipping prices and a wide variety of brands and designs to choose from.

I have found that REI has pretty comparable prices when it comes to water bottles and sippy cups. They don’t have a lot of sippy cup selection but if you’re near an REI they’re worth checking out.

Don’t Be Fooled by Aluminum

I have been fortunate enough to find stainless steel sippy’s for really good prices at discount stores such as TJ Maxx and Ross. However, usually when I find what is seemingly a stainless steel water bottle or sippee for a really good price, they are actually aluminum. I don’t recommend aluminum because it has to be coated with……drum roll please………. plastic in order for it to be food grade. Like  in the aluminim cans that our canned goods come in, that plastic coating contains BPA.

Washing Sippy Cups and Water Bottles

Since sippy cups and water bottles have become an “investment” I now wash all of them by hand. Especially the lids (which I’ve ruined in the dishwasher, even the top rack). The key to keeping germs and creepy crawlies out is to let that container dry out completely. Moisture is bacteria’s best friend so make sure it’s completely dry between uses (and before putting the lid on and putting in the cupboard).

There’s no need to buy special cleaners for your stainless steel bottles. Simply use dish soap or, for the bottle with a really small neck, spray in some hydrogen peroxide and (from a separate bottle) spray in some white vinegar. This combination has been proven to kill bacteria such as e.coli and salmonella as well as bleach. I keep a baby bottle brush around just for my water bottles and sippy cups. This gets all of the hard to reach places and makes the job go quickly.

Baby Shower Gift Idea!

Although I do love to buy a cute outfit for a baby shower I now spend that money on a stainless steel sippy or two. For the price of an outfit you can give a gift that will be used on a daily basis, carried countless miles, and most importantly, you will play a part in lessening that child’s exposure to a truly toxic chemical.

I pride myself on being a moderate. I’m not a raw foodie and I’m not a junk foodie. I try to be right in the middle. Although it sounds easy enough moderation is seemingly hard to grasp. It never fails that when I give a talk the women I am presenting to feel overwhelmed. I don’t want to overwhelm them and I encourage them to not let themselves feel overwhelmed, to take it one step at a time but it’s a really hard thing to do. It’s taken me years to get where I am now. I didn’t just start making my own bread, farming chickens in my backyard, and collecting water in barrels at once. It’s taken baby steps and perseverance over a long period of time and I’m not even close to done yet!

In my talks I share that juice is a treat. Nothing more nothing less. It’s fructose and water. Albeit maybe a little better than cane sugar and water and definitely worse that high fructose corn syrup and water, it’s still sugar and water. One’s body still treats it as just that. However, that doesn’t mean that it has to be all or nothing. My kids get juice here and there. Do they get it everyday? No. But, during the summer they get it more often. They might get it in the form of popsicles or fizzy drinks where I mix juice with sparkling water. They might even get a small juice box but it is considered a treat. We don’t sit down to a picnic outside with juice and chocolate chip cookies. It’s one or the other.  I keep track of treats and it’s counted as such.

That doesn’t mean that it’s all bad and your kids should never have juice. However, if they’re starting their day out with a glass of orange juice, washing down lunch with a juice box and topping it off with a glass later with snack, I’d say that’s way too much. If you throw some in when you’re making a smoothie or as one mom said, putting a bit of pineapple juice on her sliced apples so they don’t turn brown, it’s not going to add up like sucking down cupfuls everyday.

If you’re kids are used to getting juice on a daily basis it’s easy to cut back a little at a time. Fill up a smaller glass (versus leaving a larger glass half empty), cut it with sparkling water, half it with water and put in a half packet of Emergen-C (not for toddlers without asking your Dr. first), buy smaller juice boxes. If they complain then explain that juice is a treat and that you hadn’t realized before how much sugar it contains. Remember you’re the adult. It can be really hard to make changes but if it’s something you believe in then it’s worth the battle. And isn’t our childrens health well worth the fight?