Food revolution continues

We had a birthday without cake! If that isn't a revolution in the food world, then I don't know what is! My oldest turned 16 and she was willing to have a fruit salad instead of a cake. I stuck one candle in a piece of watermelon. I didn't hear any murmuring from her friends about not having cake. Although, I must admit, a week or so after her birthday she said she wished that we had started this healthier way of eating AFTER her birthday.
My 11 year-old son said he wants fruit salad for his birthday, too.

And, my 4 year-old son will now he "eggs with nothing." He used to not eat eggs at all, but now he will eat them as long as I don't add any veggies to them. It's a small victory, but actually huge considering his limited palate. Once he said, "My only flavors are: chips, yogurt, cookies, cheese and milk." Oh, he'll eat bananas now, too, but only half of one, and then another half, and then sometimes another half. If I can promise there are no seeds, then sometimes he'll condescend to eat a few bites of watermelon.
Progress comes slowly.

Food for thinking

I wanted to share some lasting truths I've learned. A good bedtime routine with kids starts with a good dinner, preferrably prepared fresh with lots of vegetables that everyone is helping to chop. A good dinner starts with a clean kitchen. Nobody wants to cook or eat in a messy kitchen, but, there's just no avoiding eating if you want to live! And eating vegetables if you want to live long and well.

I just watched the first episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on hulu.com. It was good! I think I saw him on Oprah or some other talk show years ago, so I'm surprised the people in the show are so resistant to him. But, it's hard to change an institution like a school and it's hard to change lazy eating habits.

The timing is just right, because I'm starting a food revolution in my home, too. One son suffers from chronic constipation, so I took him to a nutritionist to find out why. He asked us what we eat and he told me that my son is 'starving,' nutrionally speaking of course, not in terms of quantity of food. We eat a typical American diet of processed and sugary foods, with fast food at least twice a week.

He suggested I read, "Gut and Psychology Syndrome," by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. So, I ordered it and have gotten up to chapter Five. What it comes down to so far is that all diseases start in the gut, and the gut affects the brain. And pretty much anyone who has ever taken anti-biotics will have an unhealthy balance of good and bad bacteria in the intestines, leading to all kinds of problems. Even if you haven't taken antibiotics because of an illness, you're likely getting them from the meat you eat, unless you know it's organic or cage free or whatever. Antibiotics kill good and bad bacteria, but don't affect Candida, but with the good bacteria gone then it flourishes and can grow roots through the wall of the intestine, causing leaky gut, letting toxins or undigested food get into the bloodstream. This is how food allergies or intolerances develop. Doctors used to prescribe a Candida killer after every round of antibiotics, but about 10 years ago they stopped doing that. Candida also thrives on sugar and wheat.
But, if you get the good bacteria back, and get the Candida in check, then food intolerances might go away.
It's very interesting. I think everyone should read it.

So, I'm on board with Jamie. It's time for a food revolution in America.

Funny Big Girl

Not to be outdone by her 13 year-old second cousin that created a Bananagrams grid using the word "antidisestablishmentarianism," my 15 year-old created this grid. (She had to turn a couple of 'u's sideways to have enough 'c's.)

She did have a little pile of leftover letters, so she doesn't get full points for using all her letters. Oh, and as for the crazy background that it is on, she chose that rug, too.

Funny Little Girl

My six year-old posted a clock on the door of her room and said that no one can enter when the long hand is between the two lines on each side of the six.



Her birthday is about half a year away, but she sure talks about it a lot! She decided to make her own birthday card, but on her first attempt the letters wouldn't all fit on the page, so this time, she had me write "Happy Birthday" and then she decorated it.

It's nice to have a kid who knows how to plan ahead!

The Internet

The internet is very useful for solving those questions that were nearly impossible to answer before we had ready access to unlimited trivia. For example, Chris and I did a fist bump type hand shake and he said, "Sorry the Wonder Twin powers aren't working."
I said, "That's because you have to use your hand with the ring on it."
So, he switched hands and I said, "Form of an eagle."
He said, "Shape of an ice cube."
I said, "It's 'form of.'"
But he was sure one of them said, "Form of..." and the other said, "Shape of..."
I sure thought they both said, "Form of..."
So, he looked it up on YouTube and found a clip and sure enough he was right, though it was the girl that always went first and she said, "Shape of..." since she always got to be some kind of animal and her brother said, "Form of..." since he always had to be some sort of water, which I always thought was a little weak, but they seemed to win their battles anyway.

Too bad the internet doesn't have the answers that we really need.
My sister was looking for ideas for her daughter's birthday and not letting her daughter see, but after she walked away, her daughter googled, "What is my Mom's secret?" Good thing she doesn't know about the History menu, or she might have figured it out.

I can search for houses, but I can't really know what it's like to live in a particular neighborhood by searching the internet.

At least I can check my bank balance and keep in touch with family and friends and friends I haven't met, yet.
So, I would surely miss it, if electricity was not available for a season.
If only it could tell me the end of the road on a particular course of action...
"...'Cuz if you don't like the end of the road, you better back-up, you know you better back-up fast..." (Carol Lynn Pearson, "My Turn On Earth")

Book Quote

"But just so you know that we are, each one of us...held together by the invisible threads of our histories. ...But these strings are all the good and all the bad that our families ever experienced. And when the world tries to pull you loose - and it will - there may be some stretch. But someone like you, with so much love holding her together, will never fall apart." -The Friday Night Knitting Club, p. 229, by Kate Jacobs

I don't love the profanity in this book, but so far I am liking the story and the characters and the way it is told and of course the parts about knitting! Only slightly more than halfway through, so we'll see how it goes.

Halloween

I wish I had gotten a few more pictures of Ravenna's costume. She was the victim of a 'cereal' killer.


Christian decided he wanted to be a goatherd and just hold the baby goat all night.


Spencer as the Grim Reaper


Geneva as a Goth Cheerleader


Dexter as a Vampire, complete with red eyes, (only in the photo of course, I didn't really make him wear red contacts)


Trevor as a Baby Goat Gruff