Open Your Heart Meat Eaters!

In the heat of the holidays we are surrounded by traditional meals which usually are centered around meat. If you are a vegetarian this time of year can be a struggle. I am writing this for my  mother. My mother has been a vegetarian for 25 years and vegan for the last 3 years. For her it was not a choice made to save the animals but for health reasons. In her early 30s meat started causing painful gout like symptoms. Back then vegetarians were not as socially accepted as they are today. She was made fun of by family and struggled to find anything other than a pile of iceberg lettuce at restaurants. In more recent years it has become much more accepted, especially here in the Pacific Northwest where we have whole restaurants dedicated to vegetarian cuisine.

Even with this recent acceptance of vegetarians there is still an attitude carried by meat eaters that they are somehow superior to the vegetarians. Some people, men in particular, I have found seem to think that eating meat makes them more of a man. Some of the men I have encountered are so proud of it that you might think they killed that grocery store bought steak themselves! Some meat eaters seem to think that vegetarians are out to take their meat away! Most vegetarians do not belong to PETA in case you were worried about that.

I personally eat some meat but prefer less meat in my diet. I actually enjoy the taste of Field Roast Sausage (a vegetarian sausage alternative). My husband eats a modified Paleo diet for health reasons so he consumes more meat than I am comfortable eating myself. He is supportive of my eating habits and has no problem throwing some Field Roast on the BBQ alongside some beef patties. I still always hear someone open their mouth about how stupid it is that vegetarians eat something that looks like meat but isn't. My response to this is to just look at what you call meat. Sausage in general is stuff in a tube that in no way resembles natural meat of any kind. I am also pretty certain that vegetable patties existed well before ground meat patties. If I wanted to copy meat I would have to figure out how to get bean curds to look like a cow and frankly I don't have that kind of time.

For some people eating meatless is a choice and for others it is medically essential. Whatever the reason is think in the holiday spirit and enjoy the company of those around you and not what is on everyone's plate. At our family meals we now commodate meat eaters, vegans, gluten allergies, nightshade allergies and low sodium diets. Why do we try so hard? Because regardless of these people's personal choices or allergies they are my family and I love them all! For that I can live with a little less here and there. 

November Paleo Turkey Meatloaf

My husband eats a modified Paleo diet due to an autoimmune disorder that affects his digestion and skin. Our cooking involves a lot of vegetables, so we get a weekly CSA (farm share) from Sauvie Island Organics. This farm share forces us to eat a more seasonal diet. In order to use all the veggies each week I often make what I call a kitchen sink meat loaf the night before our new share arrives to clear out space for the fresh incoming veggies. This week turned out to have a bit of a Thanksgiving taste so I decided to share this one. Another great place to find recipes for this kind of diet is the blog Autoimmune Paleo.

Ingredients

- 1 tbs coconut oil

- 1/2 roasted pie pumpkin, pureed or 1/2 can pumpkin pulp

- 2 small or 1 large parsnip, grated

- 1 beet, grated

- 1 small onion, minced

- 4 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 tsp sea salt

- 1 tbs dried oregano

- 1 tbs dried sage

- 2 tbs dried parsley

- 1 egg

- 2 lbs ground dark turkey 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, heat the coconut oil and saute the onion, parsnip and beet for about 5 minutes, adding garlic and pumpkin at the very end. Let cool.

In a large bowl mix egg with herbs and salt. Add the meat and vegetables to the bowl. Mix gently with your hands until incorporated.

Transfer the mixture into a loaf pan, spread it evenly and into the corners. Cook for 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove from oven and carefully pour off liquid.

Cloth Diapers and Diaper Rash

The dreaded diaper rash! All babies get it no matter what you use or do. Yes, even cloth diaper babies. We can however, lessen the frequency of diaper rash by using certain products and techniques. The diaper design and creams can all play a part.  My first babe was constantly red until potty training and my second is less so but blisters terribly when she eats certain acidic foods.

I will start by stating I have had more diaper rash with the all in two style diapers over the pocket diapers. With my first I used Softbum Echo and Flip all in twos for awhile and saw improvement when I switched to the Softbum Omni and Sunbaby pocket diapers. The extra fabric layer between the insert and the baby's bottom seems to help bring down the moisture touching the baby. However this is still not enough sometimes.

With my first daughter the cloth diaper friendly balms worked great! My two favorite balms were Angel Baby Bottom Balm and Goo-Goo Baby Bum Balm. These products ready helped relieve the redness and chafing and washed out of her cloth diapers easily. Her sister however is a different case. The balms did very little to heal the open blisters on her poor little bum.

Zinc oxide based creams are considered the best moisture barriers for combating diaper rash. However, every cloth diaper manufacturer will say "Don't do it!" Zinc oxide  is a nightmare to get out of most fabrics. The cloth diaper world recommends using balms instead, but this does not work for all babes. For my youngest it was time to get serious. I did thirty minutes to an hour of diaper free time with each diaper change and I reached for the zinc oxide staples. In order to use a zinc oxide based cream with a cloth diaper you have to use a flushable liner to protect the fabric. This also increases the dryness in the diaper which will also help the diaper rash problem. I really loved Kushie Fushable Diaper Liners until I realized they are made from virgin timber pulp. As an environmental studies major this is a big no no! Bumkins Flushable Liners are the most popular liners on the market and generous in size for those solid food eaters. Bumkins are made using 100% viscose which is considered a much more environmentally friendly process. Once you have a good liner then its time for cream

I tried Boudreaux's Butt Paste and it stayed on but was terrible to get off when it came time to cleanse the affected area and did not wash out of cloth at all! It also didn't have any of the natural healing properties of the balms we crunchy mamas love so much. I tried Yes to Baby Carrots Soothing Diaper Cream and it worked alright but I really wanted to get these blisters healed. After some research I discovered Weleda Calendula Diaper Rash Cream. The Weleda cream is made in Germany and a combination of zinc oxide and healing oils. This cream in combination with a lot of diaper free time did the trick. I saw the rash improve in two days time.

Lyra and Etta (wearing a Sunbaby diaper)

Spider September

A month ago Lyra learned from one of her friends to scream and run every time you see a spider. This then lead to waking up in the middle of the night screaming that there were spiders in the dark. I have a background in field ecology so screaming about spiders is not something I do or have much tolerance for. In an effort to teach her that spiders were not something to be feared I declared September spider month.

I started by ordering a couple of spider books for her little library. I purchased Are You a Spider? and Spiders. These books are illustrated and designed to teach children the biology and life cycle of spiders in a simplistic way. Since I was already ordering books I decided to include

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders for my husband and I so we could properly identify the spiders in our home and yard. 

I also organized some spider coloring art on paper and the windows. There are crafty spider ideas all over the internet.

Spider window art using crayola window crayons

We followed this up with a visit to the Insect Zoo at the Oregon Zoo. Even though spiders are not insects they house a few Mexican red-kneed tarantulas there. This exhibit only briefly held her attention due to the exciting tiger exhibit next door, however she did not show any fear. 

Lyra checking out the Mexican red-kneed tarantulas at the Insect Zoo

Finally, I purchased a movie of one of the most famous spider stories ever written, Charlotte's Web. One of my absolute childhood favorites. She also fell in love with this movie. So much that she informed me yesterday that Charlotte lives on a web in her playhouse and eats lots of flies like a good spider.

This little campaign worked so well that I am considering making October bat month in honor of Halloween. 

I Am a Crunchy Vaccinating Mama

When I took our first daughter in for her two month shots she screamed for four hours afterwards. Her legs swelled from the vaccines and I called my husband crying. How could I have done this to my child? She then fell asleep for six hours and woke up like nothing had ever happened. I really questioned whether or not to put her through that again, but then I thought about what it would be like to have her go through the measles and I decided I would take four hours of discomfort any day!

The state of Oregon has one of the highest percentage of non-vaccinated children in the country. That number has been growing due to fears that vaccine causes autism and the dangers of ingredients such as aluminum and formaldehyde in some vaccines. The argument for vaccines is... well... pollio will kill a child...dead!

I am a crunchy health nut mama. My kids eat all organic and whole grain goodness so I understand the fears of injecting your baby with dangerous ingredients. That being said the toxic ingredients in vaccines are no worse for them then the toxins in a can of tuna fish if you think about it. The amount being injected into your child is nothing compared to what they pick up in their daily environment. As for causing autism well your risk for this disorder is the same with or without the vaccine. The risk of you and your child dying in a car accident on your way to the grocery store is much higher than the risk of an adverse reaction to a vaccine.

In these recent times we have enjoyed longer healthier lives, thanks to modern medicine (this includes vaccines). Somewhere along the line we have forgotten the horrors of the Smallpox epidemic. This horrible disease killed and disfigured millions of people throughout history. We would still be battling Smallpox today if it wasn't for a global effort to eradicate the disease in the 1960s using vaccine. The same can be said for pollio.

I am environmental studies major so I get really irritated when people think they don't have to recycle because everyone else is (Mom and Dad I mean you!). Some folks also think this way about vaccines. I don't have to vaccinate my kids if everyone else is vaccinated. This is true until everyone starts thinking this way and taking protection from those who really need it. My husband was diagnosed two years ago with an autoimmune disorder. The doctor recommend not vaccinating if at all possible since that could make his immune system crazier than it already is. That means it is important for our family to practice herd immunity. If we are all vaccinated then it lowers the risk of him catching something terrible.

As parents we have to make decisions everyday that will affect the health of our children for the rest of their lives. We are also making decision that will affect other children in our community as well. "It takes a village" remember that phrase? Well it really is true in so many ways. Vaccines work and that is not a religious belief it is a fact!
  

To Share or Not to Share?

There are some interesting parenting techniques out there today. The one I have been hearing a lot about is "I don't teach my child to share." This really bothers me and it bothers me even more when I hear peoples reasoning behind it. Its is simply not a black and white issue but a very grey one! There are things to share and things not to share and it is my job as a parent to teach both! Okay maybe I am a bit of a raving hippy socialist to start with, but hear me out.

One of the arguments of forcing a kid to share is that they will learn to take thing that are not theirs. Really?!? I am not saying you have to force your child to share everything but as a parent it is my job to guide them in learning what is their property and what is common ground. Example: Sippy cups and pacifiers are things parents are constantly trying not share even though our toddlers often seem cool with it. However, we know about germs and disease and they do not, so we step intervene in order to teach this. Toys at the toddler gym are common ground and this is where we guide them in the art of sharing. They do not own the red car at the gym and they must learn this even if they do not like it. Consider it their first real world lesson, we all have to do things we don't like.

The other argument I have heard is that kids will not learn how to cope in the real world it they are taught to share. They will think they are entitled to everything. Again, really?!? Maybe I am really teaching my child that they should give back some of the wonderful things they have to those less fortunate. Its a crowded world we live in today and if we do not learn to give and take then the less fortunate are going to be trampled! I want them to enjoy nice things, but also to be kind compassionate people that give back to society. My daughter has wanted toys that belong to other children and I have expressed to her the toy is not hers and then remind her of all the wonderful toys she owns. She may not like it but these are the norms of society I must teach her. I also express to her when another child want one of her toys how nice it is to share and to understand she will get her toy back later or maybe they can play together. She usually catches on and is happy to share. Someday she will grudgingly have to pay taxes but she will enjoy a clean park and good library as a result. She is learning that sharing can be a good thing through examples and parental guidance.

Children work out lots of issues on their own but every now and the parents step into settle major disputes guide them in learning the rules of our society. Just like the courts do for adults who have still not learned the rules. I respect other parents teaching methods so I will never make someone elses child share with mine but I will continue to encourage my daughter to share with others when appropriate because I feel that is my parental duty.

Kids, Chickens and Eggs!

Today most kids are very displaced from where their food comes from. It is very important to my husband and I that our kids understand their food from its beginning to end. Our quarter acer lot has provided enough space for us to do that. Two springs ago we started building garden beds and planting fruit trees which are really starting to produce fruits and vegetables this year and have been a blast for our toddler. I have wanted to raise chickens for sometime now and eggs have become a favorite with our two girls . If you have checked the price of organic eggs at your local grocery store lately its not cheap!

This winter we decided to finally get our chickens. In February I went down to Livingscape, our local feed store to check out what they had in the way of chicks. We had decided to get two chicks to start with since Portland has a limit of three hens chickens without a permit within city limits. When I got to the feed store there were only three chicks left. I couldn't just leave one there so of course I took all three. The man working that day was not a regular and was not exactly sure what breed they were. Lyra was so excited about the chicks she could hardly stand it. When we got home we set up a large cardboard box with a heat lamp in Etta's room since she was still co-sleeping with us. Lyra would drag every guest we had upstairs to meet the chicks. She proudly named the yellow chick Cinderella Chicken and the two black ones Tinkerbell and Fluffy.

Next we had to select a chicken co-op. With a four month old and two year old I was not really up for building one and my husband's handy skills are somewhat limited, so I purchased one from Chicken Gardener out of Eugene. We selected their small "Chicken Tractor" model with wheels that could be moved around the yard so they always had fresh grass and we could park the coop on our raised garden beds in the winter. They delivered the coop to our yard fully built for no extra charge.

From left to right: Tinkerbell, Fluffy and Cinderella Chicken

The chickens moved into their new coop in mid March. By May they were starting to look like identifiable adult breeds and we started to research what breeds we might have. We have identified Cinderella Chicken as a New Hampshire Red and Tinkerbell and Fluffy as Plymouth Rocks. Both known to be solid egg layers and good cold weather birds which is always a bonus for those cold snaps. As of yesterday Cinderella Chicken laid her first two eggs. The second one significantly smaller than the first which is fairly typical when they first start to lay eggs. It will be a few of weeks before she starts laying with consistency in size and numbers. The New Hampshire Reds are know to be early layers so it will be a few weeks before we see any eggs from Tinkerbell and Fluffy.

Daddy, Lyra and Aggie checking out the first egg!

"Is it worth it?" that is the big question that everyone asks. The cost of the coop, lamp and feeders are your big startup costs, which runs around $450 for 3-4 chickens, after that it is fairly inexpensive. We spend about $15 a month on organic feed and they consume a lot of our fruit and vegetable compostables. They will soon be laying around 60 eggs a month when they are all laying and that is about $0.25 an egg. If you buy organic eggs you are saving a little bit. Maintenance is fairly minimal as well. I spend a total of 5 minutes in the morning checking food, water and bedding and again at night. If I have to leave for the weekend they are usually fine on their own for couple of days with some extra food and a full tank of water. The excitement and knowledge Lyra has gained from the experience is worth every penny!