As requested.

I got six emails or facebook messages asking me what sort of veggies/quantities/whatnot we actually got each week from the CSA (this does not include the fruit share), so I decided to provide a literal example based on what we got yesterday. See what I mean about liking to cook?

No one requested pics of my poor sweet (sweet enough to eat, apparently) daughters mosquito bites, but here is a pic of a paltry few of the bites. Last night my dear darling much loved friend since 9th grade Jen was in town from MN with her astonishingly beautiful and sweet children. We brought the kids along so that they could take advantage of seeing their "cousins" Will and Julia, who they have not seen in a year. We had no idea that sweet Jules was being eaten alive as she romped in the grass with Mike, Will, Nate and Luke. Luke had not one single bite, while Jules has 24 (who else would quantify the actual number of ravishes but a Mother?). Hey skeeters? I HATE YOU AND I WILL LAUGH WHEN IT GETS COLD AND YOU SHRIVEL AND DIE!

In other news, I am officially a mom-who-does-things-fast. In much the same way that I procrastinated writing papers until the last minute in college, I leave off packing until the last minute in motherhood. I have officially packed up the kids and myself in 20 minutes for the next two weeks at the beach. The beauty of the kids getting older is that we literally need few things: some clothes, some diapers, some sippy cups, and a giant dose of patience. We get the vacation off to a raging start with a 2 hour drive to go to a water park with 25+ cousins and grandparents and family tomorrow....only to drive 2 hours back home, sleep, and drive 2 hours to the beach the next morning. I am interested to see what it is like taking a 2 and 1 year old to a water park when we arrive at 11 am, given the fact that my kids generally sleep from 12.30 to 3.30 every day. A learning opportunity which I am sure I will report on. I can't wait to see everyone tomorrow, and I can't wait to be at the beach for the next two weeks.

I am longing for the respite of the beach, August has been wrought with travel galore and I am anxious to put the keys to the car away, forego the gym, and the pool, and play dates, and settle in for some fun and food and family.

Farmin.

These pictures are of the kids helping us pick fruit and veggies last Friday at our CSA, Maysie's Farm. We coupled that with a fruit share this year (we split a share with friends) and we are eating almost 100% local and organic produce this spring/summer/fall. Our weekly ride to pick up our vegetables is a fun ritual, and I have loved watching the kids learn to pick and eat warm sunny vegetables right off the vine. The blackberry's were just turning ripe this past week and we had a blast picking together as a family. I love feeling like my kids know, understand, and participate in the process of growing and eating food. I know that it gives me a lot more appreciation for what I am eating, and I hope that it does the same for them.

Food was/is a huge part of my childhood and my relationship with my family. Most of our family celebrations are centered around food, and I associate almost all of our fun childhood memories as being linked to some sort of food ~ The 7 fish dinner at Christmas or eating crabs in old bay at the beach, etc. My Mom always cooked, and I grew up cooking along with her. One of my big goals when I found out I was pregnant was to raise good eaters. I believe that enjoyment of food is a big part of enjoying life, and I wanted to share that with my kids. I don't know if its just dumb luck, or lots of cooking, but our kids love food. Luke has just one food he will not eat, raspberries, and I can't think of a single thing that Jules will not eat. They shovel in things like kale, or salmon, or salsa hand over fist. I get a lot of pleasure out of watching them eat, and I feel like it helps them in innumerable ways.

I was talking a friend of mine recently. We were talking about the importance of food, and cooking and being a conscious consumer. We live in a country where food is manufactured and marketed specifically to toddlers, and where it is normal for toddlers to eat special "toddler food" instead of just "people food" like we eat. It has just been resonating so much with me how true and how strange that is. I went grocery shopping today and was just amazed at the entire aisle of "pick ups" and pre packaged "toddler meals" and whatnot. I know a few of you who read this live in other countries, is it that way there? (Wen, Carrie, Jen etc????) or is this a USA thing?

I hope that my kids grow up continuing to love going to the farm, and that we can continue to get closer to our goal of using 100% local pastured meats as well (They are SOOOO expensive it makes it painful to get there right now). Hopefully as demand goes up prices will go down. I encourage anyone who reads this to look into joining a CSA, this site is a great resource. I will say this ~ Do NOT join a CSA if you do not like to cook. I feel overwhelmed with the quantity and variety of things we have coming in right now, and spend pretty much every nap time cooking and freezing to ensure that nothing gets wasted. From purple green beans to garlic scape's to Oullins Plums and Delight Pears, the variety and quality has just been awesome. Its a lot of work, but well well worth it.

Farmin

So. It's been a long day.

We started out at 8 am, (Poor Nate started out at 4 am en route to the airport) to head to Becca's school. We had a great time with the kids, and Luke stood up in front of a class of high schoolers, grabbed his Aunt's hand, and started doing his little side to side dance as he sang the alphabet to them. I was grossly, unduly, proud of my brave little guy. It took his Mama 33 years and two kids to be so comfortable singing in public. It was so much fun. Thanks, Bec.

It was 11 by the time that we were done answering the childhood development questions of two classes of teens and following up on our September visit. Rather than ruin nap time pre lunch, we decided to head to a store that I had been getting emails from for about a year. I had a coupon, and they had announced a "huge sale", so we took a jaunt to check it out. It was a lovely store. The sort of place that I would have just eaten up pre children and pre one income and pre reality of life with actual dirt eating, food messing, bug hunting, toilet water splashing children. I put my foot in my mouth when one of my girlfriends called me to see what I was doing and I answered "Oh, just shopping in some grotesquely overpriced kids store"................ and then went to check out my two measly items with my measly little coupon, and had the owner say to me "I am sorry that you think that our store is overpriced, I try hard to be competitive". Foot. Mouth. Oops.

It was one of those moments in life where I actually was so NOT trying to hurt someones feelings, or call them out, but was just candidly (and I thought quietly) being honest. I went on to tell the now-I-know-is-the-owner that I knew it was not her fault, but the fault of the manufacturers of the children's clothing lines that she carried, and how my two and one year olds trash clothing in various almost incomprehensible ways, and how I love the clothes but simply cannot justify the cost(one dress that I thought was cute was $120....for my one year old. Um, no). We went on to have a lovely discussion about cloth diapers, and I am thrilled with the two small products that I did buy, but man was it awkward there for a moment. She was a lovely woman with a lovely store, and I totally probably made her feel bad, and it made me feel bad. Argh.

Pre me feeling bad, I was perusing the counter and found the business cards of several local businesspeople. I have to tell you that I was awed. There were maybe 6 business cards there. In no particular order:

*One for a babyproofer. Because, you know, you will very likely kill your child DEAD if you don't have someone professionally prepare your home for your own offspring. First thought: they are CHILDREN, not anacondas. Is it really that hard???? Second thought. No, there was no second thought. Mind was getting numbingly blurry.

*One for a professional errand runner. Because, you know, why should you have to bother getting your own sushi, or your own dry cleaning, or your own snowshoes/baby diapers/jewelery cleaning/whatever when you don't have to? Only $30/hour on weekends or early or late errands. What a steal.

*This was the one that really got me. One for a "baby concierge". I had no idea what that meant (in all honesty, I had no idea what any of them fully meant, so of course I grabbed their cards and went to their websites). I came to learn that a "baby concierge" is someone who will come and tell you how to be pregnant, and how to have a baby. They will actually "craft" your baby registry for you, and plan your nursery, and pretty much do everything but actually gestate your child. Now. Call me a cynic......but. I try not to be judgemental on my blog. I try not to even pretend to give other people mothering advice, or whatever. I just try to write about my kids. BUT. This one made me want to throw all that out the window. You know why? Because if you can't:

A. Talk to your friends, research on line, read some books on what a baby might need, than it is possible, QUITE possible, that you are not intelligent enough to actually raise a child.

OR

B. If you are too BUSY to talk to your friends research on line read some books etc on what a baby might need, you may just be too busy to have a child.

So. We went to lunch after that. It was just one of those perfect days where the sky was so blue, the breeze so fresh, and my kids being so edible and endearing, that I did not want it to end.

After naps we headed out amongst a whole nother set of folk. Those less concerned with purchasing $110 organic baby snuzzly blankets shipped in from another country, and those more concerned with actually bettering their own backyard via supporting local organic farms (do I sound judgemental? I just read back through this and it sounds judgemental. Forgive me. Maybe I am judgemental about this. Or maybe I am just a busy Mom living a real life. I can't decipher which it is). Mom Mom came along for the ride, as she was excited to see the farm. We picked peas (which we then consumed, feverishly, with dinner), got our food, and our pastured meat and eggs, and came home. I bathed my decidedly filthy children, and watered the plants, and here I am.

If only my baby concierge could come mop my floors for me, then give me a bath, then tuck me in bed.

Or is that more errand runner territory?

Maybe I should just call for a personal yoga lesson and chill-the-heck-out.

(As a disclaimer, as an ardent Capitalist, I think that it is totally fantastic that these people are doing these things. I wish them great success, even if I do not understand a bit of it.)

(As another aside, when I spell checked this post, my spell check cried foul at my use of babyproofer. It suggested just one term as a conceivable alternative : bombproofer. It is worthy of consideration that spell check is wiser than it seems, at times.)

No Dilemma Here

I am utterly infatuated with the book "The Omnivore's Dilemma". A friend raved about it recently, and I had to go and get it. During the first chapter I realized that I had already read one of the authors books, "The Botany of Desire". Although my reading time is severely limited these days, I have almost finished. I wont bore anyone with my personal philosophy about food (which this book is challenging and changing as I go) but I will say that I heartily recommend that every one read this book. Seriously, get it.

Moving on. Yesterday Buddy (owner of the farm in our backyard) let me know that the corn that we had been watching grow all year is ready to eat. As Jeannie was coming over for dinner last night it seemed like the perfect opportunity to sample the wares.

Earlier yesterday as we were playing outside I told Luke that we were going to pick some ears of corn. Hence the ear grab in the photo. Smart kid. (And speaking of "Kid" I cant believe how much my oldest baby looks like a KID in that picture.)

After I had gotten the kids in pajamas we went outside for one last hurrah of play and a corn picking mission. I read a little bit while the kids played. At corn picking time, Luke helped me pluck 4 ears, and I commenced to husk them while he looked on. Finished husking, I looked down at Jules, who had excitedly made her way over to my book and was eating it. Ah! I got the book away from her and cleaned up her face, to look back at Luke, who was noshing away on the raw corn. I got that away from Luke and was throwing the bag of corn husks away, when I looked back at the blanket to find that Julia had apparently ninja rolled several times until she was off of the blanket and happily eating some grass. My little ruminate.

My views on food are being challenged. My kids ~ No such dilemma. Grass, corn, paper, its all simple and straightforward and apparently delicious to them.