Food Rules Family Project

A few weeks ago while running errands I heard portions of an interview with Michael Pollan on NPR’s On Point. He was discussing his book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual. In this interview, I heard the term “pink slime” for the very first time. If you are hearing “pink slime” for the first time, go ahead and google “pink slime ground beef”. (Warning, if you gag easily you may want to have something handy). One of the links from my Google search declared “this isn’t food, this is industrial waste”. I have to say I agree. Except it is sold as food to many an unsuspecting consumer and worse yet, to millions of school children as part of a well balanced meal. The lobbyists have succeeded in making sure the consumer is kept ignorant. They have successfully managed to keep items off of the ingredients label by having them classified as “processing agents”. I am disgusted by this and all of the other ways that corporations have interfered with my ability to feed my family simple and nutritious food – real food.

I am a “glass-half-full” kind of a gal. If there is a good side to having ever heard the phrase “pink slime”, it is that my children get it. They don’t literally get “pink slime”, but they get that “pink slime” is not food and they think it is disgusting. All the credit goes to Michael Pollan though. It was his graphic description of “pink slime” that nearly caused my children to toss their cookies. They actually thanked me for being so careful about what I let them eat. Once they had recovered from a sudden urge to throw up, they announced on their own that they will never eat at a fast food restaurant again. (Not that my poor deprived children are ever given that opportunity often – but once in a while I indulge them to just to prove to them, and to myself, that I can relax).

Lashes9 asked me if in the future if I ever saw him about to eat “crap” that wasn’t good for him, would I please tell him. Noodle12 has, on his own, picked up my copy of Omnivore’s Dilemma and has begun reading it.

Spurred on my offsprings’ enthusiasm and interest and disgust, I decided to buy Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual and make it a family project. We will read two new rules each day – one at lunch and one at dinner. These rules will be a springboard for further inquiry into the ways we can nourish ourselves in a more healthful manner, where our food comes from, and how the corporate food production system has complicated what is a both a fundamental and pleasurable activity. As a bonus, since we homeschool, we can count this project both as science and current events.

For the record, I consider myself careful and informed about the foods I feed my family. I also admit that I have relaxed my standards a bit as our family increased from 2 kids to 6 kids in 2 years time. Food is expensive and I can no longer afford to buy everything from our local organic store. We are fortunate in that we are able to buy our milk, eggs, cheese, and meat locally. We attempt a garden every year. We shop at our local farmers’ market. I am able to buy grains and beans in bulk. Even with all of that, I still find myself shopping in a big box store buying breakfast cereal or crackers or granola bars.

I am so curious to see how we measure up to the “food rules”. I’m sure we are in for a few surprises and sacrifices, but ultimately all of us should end up healthier, better informed consumers going forward. Stay tuned to future posts about our discoveries and the life-style changes we make as a result.

Yet Another Reason to be Embarrassed that....

I live in South Carolina.

Our latest politician and gubernatorial want-to-be showed off his lack of understanding of complex issues such as poverty, his failure to live out his faith with words and actions that honor or understand Jesus's words and actions, and his failure to grasp that correlation is not causation.

Here is a post from Atl Journal Constitution. It includes a link to the video of Andre Bauer's town hall meeting where he made his comments comparing the poor to stray animals. His solution? Withhold food so they can't breed, because after all they don't know any better.

Here is a response from a local South Carolinian who represents an alternative view. Despite the perception, not all South Carolinians are conservative, fundamentalist hypocrites. Unfortunately, at times, they seem to be the majority.

We just spent yesterday afternoon at a local park feeding the hungry. It is always a good experience for us. We are so recognized there now that the kids are often brought gifts by those coming for a hot meal - simple things like bags of popcorn or books. We always feel that we walk away with more than we have given. I wonder if Andre Bauer has ever interacted with anyone outside of his elitist circles. I suspect not. You cannot make statements such as his and have broken bread with those who have fallen on hard times. And if you have and still feel as Mr. Bauer does, I fail to see how you can identify yourself as a Christian.

Gosh it sure is hard to live here sometimes.

A Life Interrupted

Lately I have been feeling rather defeated by the demands of having a baby/toddler again. My time is certainly not my own anymore. I had forgotten how "on" you have to be. Even when I think The Nugget1 is busy and I may have a 1/2 hour to cook or knit or read, I rarely attempt to take advantage of it. Why? Probably because I know that his "I-No-Longer-Have-Mama's-Undivided-Attention" radar will go off and he will drop whatever he was so thoroughly engaged in and suddenly need me. Why do I assume he is going to need me? Why don't I even try? and What if he does interrupt me? What is the worse that can happen? I can try and include him in my activity or if that doesn't work then I can just wait for the next opportunity to get back to what I was doing. My standard M.O. right now has been to just admit defeat without even trying. It makes me miserable.

Fortunately, I have read a couple of things over the past weeks that have given me encouragement to look at this situation in a different way with different eyes. It really is all about perspective and attitude on my part. The Nugget1 is doing exactly what he is supposed to be doing.

The first is a short statement that really resonated with me. It is "We may not all live holy lives, but we live in a world alive with holy moments." This is from the book Simple Truths by Kent Nerburn.

The second (and my apologies, because it is long) comes from the Plain and Joyful Living Newsletter written by Tonya. Details about the newsletter can be found at Tonya's blog, Plain and Joyful Living. Tonya writes about a section she read in a book called Praying While You Work - Devotions for the Use of Martha Rather Than Mary by Hubert van Zeller. Here is the excerpt she included in her piece:

"The only thing that really matters in life is doing the will of God. Once you are doing the will of God, then everything matters. But apart from the accepted will of God, nothing has any lasting reality.

So if God wills that you should be bowed over the sink in the pantry instead of over the bench in your favorite church, then washing up is for you, now, the most perfect thing you can possibly do.

If you once really appreciate this truth, and act according to its implications, you save yourself a lot of unnecessary heart-searching and resentment. The whole business of serving God becomes simply a matter of adjusting yourself to the pressures of existing conditions. This is the particular sanctity for you.

You will be tempted to say that it is impossible to serve God while worrying about the upkeep of a house, you will tell me that you get so irritable that you cannot see this principle of substituting the present duty for the envied prayer-time, you will point out your inability to direct your intentions towards God when you are so exhausted that you cannot think, you will quote your repeated failures, your bitterness, your manifest falling off from what you were before you came to be overwhelmed with household cares, your dependence upon all sorts of help which are denied to you. You will say you are unsuited temperamentally, physically, spiritually by training....

But none of these things disqualifies. It can only be repeated that your whole business is still to look for God in the midst of all of this. You will not find Him anywhere else. If you leave your dishes, your housekeeping, books, your telephone calls, your government forms, your children's everlasting questions, your ironing, and your invitations to take care of themselves while you go off and search for our Lord's presence in prayer you will discover nothing but self.

This is the first lesson for the Christian wife and mother today: to let go of what may once have been and under other circumstances might now be a recollected self and take on, with both hands, the plan of God. Indeed it is the lesson for every Christian in every age: it is the Gospel principle of dying on one plane in order live on another."

While I must admit that the language used in this piece is not language that I am completely comfortable with, that is solely my issue – one that I am working on. My issues aside, the piece spoke to me. I knew its message applied to me right now. As I have done in the past and in an effort to get beyond the language that bothered me, I tried re-reading the piece with Buddhist eyes. (Not that I am highly qualified in that area.) But, what little I do know about Buddhism does deeply resonate with me. So with my very novice and beginner Buddhist eyes, I re-read the piece. The Buddhist beliefs about suffering and mindfulness and impermanence and non-attachment are prevalent throughout this piece.

Any circumstance we may find ourselves in, whether it be one of sadness or happiness or anger or frustration, is impermanent. We can no more make the good times last than we can make the bad times last. Nothing lasts. Life is ever-changing. We suffer when we become attached to the idea that life should be a certain way for us. Being mindful of these ideas and bringing this awareness to all of our present moments is all we need to alleviate our own suffering and the suffering of others.

So what have I learned: I am causing my own suffering with my attachment to my life as it was before The Nugget1. The Nugget1 is not always going to be a toddler. He will grow up all too soon and will no longer need or even desire my attention. This set of circumstances I find myself in is certainly not permanent, but it is where I am right now. As I have tried to apply these ideas in my every day life, I have felt a transformation this week. I am more at peace. I have experienced more joy and less frustration. And although not specifically my goal, I have accomplished more this week than I have in the last four months combined. I have read. I have knitted. I have practiced yoga. I have cooked both alone, for the sheer pleasure of it, and with the kids. While doing all of these things, I have been interrupted too many times to count. But I have also seen the world alive with holy moments and most of these moments have come during the interruptions.

Communicating in Complete Points

It appears that The Nugget1 is going to be a man of few words. He is almost 17 months old and has very few words yet. He understands a lot of what we say, but he isn't communicating with us verbally very much yet. He can say "hello" and "bye-bye". He can say "uh-oh" and "up". When he wants to nurse, he usually pokes me in the chest and says "ya-ya". He says mama very clearly but does not use it appropriately. We think he is beginning to say The Politican10's name. He also thinks that "ruff ruff" is a word and shouts it with glee when he sees our dogs. More recently however, we have learned that "ruff-ruff" is also applied to all furry four legged animals, such as the deer was that crossing the road the other day. When he saw it, he pointed and shouted "ruff-ruff". He has also done this for horses and cats.

I can't say as I blame him for not talking more though. He really hasn't had much need yet. He has so many siblings at the ready and when a point and a grunt accomplishes the communication task so well, why bother with words? And he is growing more sophisticated each day with his ability to communicate via sign language. He now communicates in complete points. Case in point: the other day he came into the kitchen, arms raised in the air to be picked up. As soon as I had him in my arms, he pointed at himself, then at me, then toward a box of crackers, then to a bowl on the counter, and finally back at himself. With a series of properly sequenced points, he managed to communicate that he wanted me to put those crackers in this bowl and then give them to him. And of course I did it before I even realized he had not uttered a word.

Lashes9 with a Question for the Plumber

Not too long ago The Greek was fixing a plumbing leak under the kitchen sink. It was taking longer than he expected because some something or other would not come loose. At some point he rolled up a rug from the kitchen floor and placed it at the edge of the open cabinet so as to cushion his back from the hard edge of the cabinet bottom while he worked. Here is a snippet of the conversation I overheard between The Greek and Lashes9.

Lashes9: What are you doing daddy?

The Greek: Fixing a leak under the sink.

Lashes9: What is that rug for?

The Greek: It is so that I have something soft to lie on while I work.

Lashes9 (referencing the rolled up rug): How come you aren't taking it like a man?

The Greek laughs his laugh that I love. The one where someone's reply is funny but so different from where he thought the conversation was going that his laughter escapes from his body before I think he is even aware that he is laughing. As for Lashes9, he is a constant source of amusement. I honestly don't know where he comes up with half the things he says, but I do so enjoy his take on things.

"She Wants Us to Put our Wet Soccer Clothes Where?"

It was not my intention to be gone so long. In my long absence, I have relearned a few things I had forgotten. The first is that when you have a toddler toddling about the house, time to yourself at the computer is rare, therefore my lack of posts. My answer to this problem was to write the old-fashioned way - pen and paper - and then type it in some evening after The Nugget1 was asleep. This leads directly to the second relearning - months and months of interrupted night sleep are not exactly conducive to forming coherent thoughts. I have said to myself many times I should do a post about XXX only to find myself unable to organize my thoughts. My third relearning is that no two babies are the same. Who was I to think that just because Noodle12 and Lashes9 were great sleepers and nappers that The Nugget1 would be too? Sleep is just not a priority for The Nugget1. He rarely naps and lately he is up two or three times during the night. He is easy to get back to sleep, but I am not. I lay awake sometimes for hours only to finally feel sleepy just in time for him to wake up again. The Greek tries to share the load with me, but The Nugget1 is definitely a mamma's boy at night.

After spending many of the past months in denial I have finally accepted the situation. The Nugget1 may never sleep until he is a teenager, when inexplicably some switch will flip in his brain and then all he will do is sleep. What I am having a harder time accepting is that I have now become one of those women who feel like their brain function has decreased significantly since becoming a mother. On the bright side I suppose I should feel fortunate that it took six kids before this happened. I know many women who feel this way after only one or two children. I am now convinced this feeling is not a function of how many children you have but a function of how many sleep-avoiding children you have.

I find it very unsettling that my memory is now nonexistent and that next to nothing that comes out of my mouth makes any sense. My kids are convinced I've lost it. They often stare at me with expressions that are a combination of puzzlement (is that even a word?) and pity. "Does she really want us to put our wet soccer clothes in the dishwasher? "

The long answer is to that question is "No. Mommy doesn't really want wet soccer clothes in the dishwasher. What she REALLY WANTS is about a week where she can sleep when she feels like it and for as long as she feels like it. She thinks that might "fix" her."

Post script: As I typed this post, The Nugget1 crawled into my lap and swatted at the keyboard until I almost gave up writing this post. Then a most amazing thing happened. He got still and fell asleep. Now the question is: Can I manage to lay him down without waking him so that maybe I can catch a nap too?

A Terrible Job

Politician9: (to his sisters) Turn up the music so I can hear it.

SonicBoom6: It's girls music. It's about LOVE you won't like it.

Politician9: Momma likes love, turn it up for her.

Me: (being contrary) I don't like love.

Politican9: Yes you do.

Me: Nope. Can't stand it.

Politician9: Then why did you marry daddy?

Me: To make his life as miserable as possible.

Politician9: Then you are doing a terrible job. I think he really, really likes you.