A food experiment-

So, Kevin and I have been on a mission to unravel the tangled mess of our food system and how we can eat better- I never knew I would dive into such a complex puzzle!
 I want to start off by saying- I just thought Caleb was being a boy when he would run around the house like a mad man, do dive bombs off the couch and just about always appear to have just ingested an illegal substance- not to mention- have a hard time sitting still when talking to him, and the list goes on...
So after some research and an eye-opening view into what our diet contained- we made the switch-
 I have been a pretty healthy eater since I was about 19- mostly organic, only free-range meat, ect. but as kids came along and I started to stay home, relying on only Kevin's income- we were gradually slipping back into affordable food- after learning about Genetically Modified Organisms, watching a few documentaries on Netflix- and having a nice date night in front of the documentary/movie- "Food Inc."- I realized I was up against something more than" just feeling tired most of the time", Caleb "just being a boy", having a general feeling of "just not feeling right", and thinking that my skin breakouts were just from "hormones".
So, I started out by cutting all white sugar, any artificial dyes/sweetners, and 98% of any GMO food that was so easily obtained (as 80% of what you buy at your local grocery store is a GMO or contains GMOs- yet they don't have to label it- nice huh??)- we switched to only organic cereal, bread, milk, crackers, veggies/fruit (which we were doing anyway)- within 2 days Caleb was already more civilized, within a week he was a new kid- I had way more energy within 3 days and feel completely awesome 3 weeks into it- My skin is clear, my mind is clear, Kevin doesn't walk around looking like a total zombie from working nights- totally worth the switch-
Luckily- they make really awesome healthy/organic treats that taste good- or I think my Caleb would go crazy- So I always have some sort of fun treat for him around when he gets that "itch"- and for me too ;)
You never hear of how to eat organic, but not totally go broke-  So I decided I was going to eat all organic/free-range and spend the same amount (or less) than we were before we made the extreme cross-over- here is what I found has helped so far-

1 -FOOD SHARES- we bought 27lbs of free range/grass fed ground beef from South Shore Meats for $130.00- that will last us a good 6 plus months (we don't eat a ton of red meat)- it equals out to $4.81/lb- at the co-op right now a pound of free range/grass fed beef goes for $7.39- so totally worth the up front cost.
We purchased 5 lbs of free range/grass fed beef hotdogs- for $37- Kiddos love em and great for making corndogs!
We are splitting an organic Veggie-Share with some friends for all summer and winter- a bit over $300/family- we easily spend $30 a week right now on veggies at the co-op
- So once again- totally worth it-
We bought into a fruit share starting in June- going through the end of October- every other week for $170- Strawberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Cherries, Pears, Apples, Apples, Apples- did I mention Apples? Plus Jellies/Jams

2. SAYING ADIOS TO MOST PACKAGED ITEMS- So I have been on an adventure making crackers, dried fruit (banana and apple chips), granola and granola bars, chicken nuggets, and corndogs at home- I need to tweak the cracker recipe-

3. BUYING FROM THE BULK SECTION AT THE CO-OP-  I found you pay for the box/bag/package! Maybe bulk isn't as presentable or pretty to people- buying oatmeal and rice is less expensive in bulk organic that it is boxed/bagged non-organic-

4. EATING MORE FILLING FOODS- We do a lot of beans, rice and cheese meals, we eat eggs, oatmeal or a Kale smoothie for breakfast (all which keep you full for a lot longer than a giant bowl of cereal or 5 pieces of toast (not mentioning any names- KEVIN ;)), peanut butter and homemade hummus make yummy filling snacks- we find by eating more filling organic foods- we eat less and stay full longer- money saver!!

5. BUYING A WHOLE CHICKEN INSTEAD OF BREASTS- We did look into going in on the chicken share- but it was actually more money in the end- so we decided to buy chicken as we go- a whole chicken at the co-op costs anywhere from 10-13 dollars- but you can bake it- or crockpot it- and make several meals with it- freezing anything you can't use right away- I have found doing it in the crockpot actually makes it way tender and harder to deal with- oven makes it firmer and easier (for me) to work with.-

6. MEAL PLAN FOR THE WEEK- I find this to be the most important- if I have a plan of what I am making every night of the week- and shop only for what is on the menu- it ends up being cheaper than running to the store every other day for a "few"things- that turns into a pricey trip- as I see a "few more" things-

So- that's what I have found through my experiment of kicking GMOs, yucky milk and things that actually do more harm than good to me and my family out of our house!

Here are some interesting food facts I learned-

1. Non- organic tomatoes are picked green and sprayed with (toxic) Ethylene Gas to turn it red- (nice huh?) side note- Ethylene gas is actually a naturally occuring gas the the tomato itself makes to turn itself red, food producers tried to reproduce this- but it's actually toxic for our health- and... it doesn't wash off

2. Store bought beef today- is - awful- combine hormones, antibiotics, unsanitary living/processing conditions, plus some Irradiation (to kill the ecoli that cows have due to being fed grain)- not to mention the cows are fed in feed lots- GMO corn- not sure that any of that sounds like food to me! I won't even go into fast food beef- (and a "nice" gold n plump chicken is not much better!)

3. Genetically Modified Foods have been PROVEN to cause several several devastating illnesses/ailments, ect. in not only lab animals but people too- yet- it's too profitable to stop producing- so basically we are guinea pigs- and if you have an illness/ailment- go see your doctor- get your child on some ADHD medication, get yourself some prozac- and life will be fine!

4. 95% of breakfast cereals they sell in stores contain GMOs-

5. Monsanto uses pesticides that are so toxic they are killing the honey bees and hurting our earth- a basic reason for GMOs- is so the bugs would die from these chemicals- but the crop wouldn't- we need our honey bees!

6. When you hear of spinach being recalled (sometimes organic as well) due to ecoli- it is due to run-off from feed lots and unsanitary pig farms- buy local! Know where your veggies are coming from-

7. Here is a quick list of ingredients in items that also are GMO based-
Aspartame
Sodium Ascorbate
Vitamin C
Sodium Citrate
"natural or artificial flavor"
High fructose corn syrup
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Lactid acid
Malodextrin
Molasses (non organic)
Monosodium glutamate
Sucrose
Xantham gum

Sometimes it's hard to shed light on the truth- it costs something- but it's worth every penny, every time!

Babies babies babies!

We had our 20 week ultrasound, the wait was killing me! There were a lot of factors that made my hearts desire to have another little girl, but was coming to terms that it would be just fine if it were another boy too- I just always had a sister (several), and couldn't imagine Annaliese not having one, also there would be 6 years between Caleb and a little brother, which would make room sharing difficult in the future- the list went on and on.  Boys are awesome too- my sweet Caleb has been a snuggly little mamas boy since day one- he is my buddy whom I love dearly, we play legos, go on adventures and he bounces around the house happily. 

This pregnancy has been JUST like when I was pregnant with Annaliese- same cravings, very sick at the beginning, belly has done just about the same thing- so in those regards, I really thought this baby was a girl.  When Caleb took up residence in my body, it was so different, I craved weird things (pretty similiar to lizard tails-ick), had no morning sickness- just a bit of smell aversions and carried around a little perfect basketball- but as I was talking to people and looking a bit on Dr. Google- apparently all pregnancies are different and you just can't go off of that to determine gender.. so I pushed those aside and just figured I should prepare for either- so my feelings went from very much girl, to most likely boy- to ultrasound day when I found out...

Yup!! I was right from day one!! I get another GIRL, Annaliese gets a sister and Caleb gets to be the only mama's boy.  I was struggling and praying to muster up peace and joy if it were to be a boy- and now I know why it would never come- it wasn't suppose to, I wasn't suppose to have peace about having another boy, because I wasn't going to!

I have never been more excited to pull out all of A's old little cute girl clothes, buy new summer ones and get cute girly stuff.  

Winter for a bear

What do you do in the winter when you hibernate like me? My active boy (who actually has really mellowed out over the last year)- craves outside contact- so glad he is able to go to preschool 3xs a week- then they go outside 2-3 times a day- we are lucky if we make it from the house to car.  So when we do venture out, our options have been- 1. The Ymca 2. The library- in fact last week we walked in the skywalk for a bit then had a "picnic" lunch outside of the library- before heading in to check out books 3. The grocery store (those kids do love the tot spot!) 4. Church 5. We get to add one to the mix! We are getting a children's museum membership today (very exciting!)- We have cut playing at McDs due to it being so dang dirty there- and that ms. Annaliese wants to climb up into the play place- and I have no desire to crawl up there to rescue her.

Caleb still has restrictions- "No high impact/contact activity for 6 months"! 2 down- 4 to go?! So that pretty much cuts out karate that I wanted him to get into- He can't do gymnastics and us wrestling is out of the question- this poor kid! Also their Grandpa and "Nommy" got them a new trampoline for Christmas- that he can't go crazy on either- Girls are so different- mine is anyway- she is super laid back and mellow- she doesn't crave doing high dives off the couch and the slide that has taken up residency in our living room satisfys any craving for her to climb lately.

 I can't wait for spring/summer/fall- then the list is endless-  We could spend all day going outside- bike rides, walks by the lake, going to the park, oh how I love warmer weather! One day- we will live in a warmer climate- and that will be awesome!

Bye 2012, hello 2013!

I think my new years "resolution" for the last 3 years has been to blog more consistently- if not for anyone else to see, just for myself to look back on our life happenings- Lots happened in 2012, and 2013 is starting out to be an action packed year as well!

My sweet, adventurous and very detailed Caleb is 5 1/2, he never misses a thing and is very analytical- always asking questions that go way beyond my ability to give a satisfactory answer, always full of energy and so incredibly smart! He is always willing to help me around the house and is such a great brother (90% of the time ;)) He goes to Preschool 3 days a week (which he loves), loves legos and is always up for an adventure.  In November he had brain surgery to remove a cyst at the base of his brain, it went OK but it was a rough one when we were in it! So glad that time is over, and he is back to his self again!
2013 brings a big foot surgery this spring, turning the big number 6 and Kindergarten in the fall!

My funny, sassy and sweet Annaliese is 2! She is currently in speech therapy and receiving services for OT- as she has some sensory stuff that affects her eating and possibly her talking- I feel as though she is making progress with her speech, little by little. She just transitioned into a toddler bed which has been an interesting journey! It's been about 2 weeks now and she is finally falling asleep IN the bed, last night she actually fell asleep with her head on the pillow! She is still going to sleep a lot later than her bedtime, which I hope improves soon.  2013 for her is going to be about ditching the NUK, potty training, increasing her variety of foods and talking more!

And for the newest 2013 excitment- a new baby, arriving in June- we find out in 3 weeks if we will be adding a girl addition or a boy addition- Caleb's guess was girl, then boy, then girl, now boy- Kevin's guess is girl- I feel girl, but I thought Annaliese was a boy- so I am not exactly a reliable source! Auntie Cathy says boy...  So, we wait!

Here's the new baby! I always think these 12 week ultrasound pictures are so creepy

As for me- I quit my job to be a full time mom in September- I love it! Some days we are all lucky to get out of our pajamas- other days we have fun action packed outside lives- due to Caleb being such a social butterfly and craving contact with other kids- he is going to preschool 3 times a week- all day, so I have plenty of time with Ms. Annaliese- and she is a great napper- so that means I get good naps most days- which makes life a-okay!

Kevin is a busy one- in school and working one week on, one week off- and there is us- which we can be quite the time suck ;)

Life is good, I am very blessed

WE MOVED!!

She loves books!Caleb lounging They love this little cubbard!She is chewing on a pretend whipped cream bottleThe reading chairCaleb's impressive buildingAlways lugging around a book!Mr. Potato head's glasses

Well, it has been awhile- moving took a lot more time, energy and sanity than anticipated. We LOVE our new house! Caleb's teacher even said she noticed a big difference in him as he isn't as loud and wild as he used to be (due to him being able to be himself at home now instead of being shushed and corralled into not jumping and being a boy because either Kevin or baby A were sleeping!). Annaliese takes great naps now, it's been super great, A huge blessing.

The big Kindergarten debate has been on our plate as well- Do we send Caleb this year as he turns 5 in June or do we wait another year- after much back and forth and a TON of people feeling they know the answer- We decided he will spend another year in preschool where he is and start Kindergarten in 2013- crazy to write that date! His teachers also thought he would benefit to wait another year. I feel it will give him a bit of an advantage in school and then I get to spend some more time with him before he is a big school boy! Thankfully I won't have this probably with A as she is November- whew!

Running has been terrible- I haven't been doing it! But today I did go to the Y to workout so I feel it's a good start! Well- time to lay miss A down for a much needed nap!

Recent life happenings

Caleb's guilty face
She loves hats!

And she LOVES her purse!

He is so good at putting together lego sets! Go Caleb!

So I have been consumed by packing, cleaning and showing our place!! I am so sick of people coming to look at our place, we clean, we get everything perfect, then we wait... if they show up (which half the time they don't), then we give the gig about the place, show all the nooks and crannies and then we usually hear " oh OK great!!, we are super interested, but we have 1 more place to look then we will for sure get back to you..." well... we wait some more and then we never hear from them again... WHAT A WASTE OF TIME!!! My favorite people who came were the pregnant girlfriend and her boyfriend, who were very interested in the place, when it came time for the at least 30 year old guy to give his references and last landlords information- he says "well.. I don't actually have any landlords because I just crash on people's couches", so let me get this straight... for at least 12 years you have been crashing on people's couches??!! Can we say MOOCH?! Oh brother, it's been interesting!

It seems like sleep in hard come by... it never ends. If C isn't up from a bad dream, or a earache, A is up coughing or puking, and if they both sleep through the night at the same time (which is a rare happening), then I am a awake and can't sleep! I am quite used to this drooling while you are awake kind of fatigue- but wonder if it will ever end??

Running has been going great- when I get myself to the Y! When our tax returns come back I am getting a double chariot so I can take the kids running with me- that will be so much easier than having to pack us all up for the Y! Last week I ran almost 3 miles in 30 minutes. I felt great! I may try to sneak off tonight- K, my DH has been crabby from his own lack of sleep- Going for a nice run with great music will help me cope with him better!!

We move in less than 2 weeks- can we say dishwasher? Bathtub? Sun-room? Gas fireplace? Seperate bedrooms for all???

So we adopted a new sponsor daughter through Compassion International from Bangladesh, her name is Dipali and she has a very special place in my heart. She is 7 years old and very very poor. Where I am concerned about moving into a bigger place for my family- she is concerned and faced with the challenge of just getting to eat and have clean running water. I am so excited about being able to connect with her and teach the kids that they aren't the only one's who are important to me, and that there is a lot of need in this world. We are even wanting to meet her in the future and be able to connect our worlds even more.

Well.. life in a nut shell! Never a dull moment!