Seven Things About Me February 29, 2008

My mom (Babsie) and my friend Louisa (who lives in France) both tagged me on this meme.

Rules of “tag”:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog
2. Share 7 random and/or weird things about yourself
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. When I was 26, I developed arthritis and a host of other maladies including respiratory allergies, chronic sinus infections, thrush on my tongue and sores in my nose that wouldn’t heal. After doing a ton of research, I traced it to candida, which is an overgrowth of yeast in the digestive tract, due to an imbalance of gut flora. I reversed all my symptoms in 2 months with diet and probiotics, but it took 2 years to fully heal. I’m glad I made the effort, since arthritis is a degenerative disease.

2. I love stories about mermaids, witches, psychics — anything to do with the supernatural. However, I’m not a fan of horror — too upsetting!). When I was a little girl I had a book about mermaids that I loved so much, my mom had to buy it for me from the library (I think I said I lost it).

3. I am a published author. I wrote a cookbook, and even traveled around the country and did radio and TV interviews to promote it. I have also written one unpublished novel, and have two other novels in the works. However, I’m not sure if I will publish a novel next — or maybe another book about food.

4. I’m currently 20 to 25 lbs over my normal weight. This is the most I have ever weighed (other than when I was pregnant). Ever since I had the baby, I can’t seem to lose it. I’m sure this is a metabolic/hormonal thing. I think it is reversible. Still learning…

5. Having a baby has been far and away the best experience of my life. I also love Seth very much — I’m so extremely grateful to finally have a family (after all these years of being alone!). I am happier now than I have ever been.

6. I want a second home in Europe — either Great Britain or France. I also want some chickens and a cow. And I want to learn how to make wine and cheese.

7. I speak a little French, a tiny bit of Spanish, and even less Japanese. I want to brush up on all of these languages, so I’m going to teach my daughter and learn in the process. (I just ordered the Muzzy Spanish set!)

Here’s who I’m tagging:

Angelique
Riana
Fighting Windmills
Momma of Many

OK that’s not seven, I know — but a lot of the people I would tag have already been tagged. And I gotta go get my pallets now!

Expanding My Gardens February 29, 2008

I’m excited! I just scored 15 pallets. And they were free! I found them on Craig’s List yesterday.

I have to drive to North Hollywood to pick them up but I’m not working today and Alla will be here to take care of Kate so I’m going to use the day to do errands and get my taxes filed.

The pallets are going to be used to make compost bins. I’m going to secure them together with rope or maybe screws — maybe even bungee cords. We’ll see. Now I’ll be able to compost ALL our yard clippings in addition to our kitchen scraps. I’m going to start with two compost bins, and if I want to expand it, I can.

Last weekend my father-in-law, Ed, and I went and got everything I need to start my seeds. We got steel shelving from the restaurant supply store, and at the hardware store we bought fluorescent lighting incandescent lamps and a timer and S hooks and extension cords. Yensi and I set up the shelves yesterday afternoon in the garage. I’ll post a picture when it’s done.

I still have to buy vermiculite and perlite and more seeds. I’m amazed at all the things we can grow here in Southern California. Did you know you can start palm trees from seeds? And banana plants? And Ed and Nancy brought me back some seeds from Costa Rica — including a jacaranda tree and ylang ylang.

OK I gotta go get dressed so I can head over to pick up my pallets!

Daily Photo February 28, 2008

We got back from Santa Barbara last Friday but then we were busy all weekend and have had very long days at work every day this week.

So here’s an old photo — from last week in Santa Barbara — Kate at the zoo watching the penguins swim:

Oops gotta run now — I have to go to the office!

A Bee Story February 26, 2008

Somebody on one of my email lists posted this story yesterday. It’s so good, I have to share:

This morning, Vernon told me a bee story that he heard from Daniel and Jonas (his father and brother) who attended the organic beekeepers conference in Arizona.

One of the speakers described an experiment that he did with honey. One morning, he put some honey about 20 feet from the hives and the bees picked it all up. The next morning, he put the honey about 40 feet from the hives and again, the bees took all the honey. The next morning, he put the honey about 60 feet from the hives, and the bees gathered all of it. The next morning, he had a plan to put the honey further away from the hives and discovered that the bees were already at a location 80 feet from the hive—waiting for him.

Vernon said that Daniel and Jonas have a lot of bee stories to share.

Drying Clothes on the Line February 25, 2008

We are back from vacation and I’m excited about a new idea (okay, an old idea!).

Drying clothes outside on a clothesline.

The bottom line assuming a 5,000-watt unit is 50 cents per hour. And while this might not sound like much, it really adds up over the course of a month. Heat-producing appliances always use surprisingly large amounts of electricity and they’re the first things we should cut back on in an effort to become more environmentally responsible. Most people are surprised to learn that using your clothes dryer for one hour consumes the same amount of electricity as a 100-watt light bulb burning for 50 hours.

(Home Envy)

I’m not saying we won’t ever use the dryer. I’d just like to use it a lot less. I think line-dried clothes smell wonderful. And the sun naturally bleaches stains.

I already spoke to our housekeeper, Carla, about my idea. Since she’s been with us, I’ve made so many changes — switching to all-natural cleaners, using natural detergent, switching to cloth diapers, etc. I hated to tell her that I had another scheme brewing.

She was unfazed. She said, “In my country, we never use the dryer. We always hang our clothes outside.”

I think I’ll order an outdoor clothesline and an indoor one as well — for sweaters and things that you don’t want to hang outside, and for those rare times that it’s raining in southern California.

Best Foie Gras of My Life February 20, 2008

Tonight we ate at Bouchon in Santa Barbara.

Unbelievable food. The foie gras was outstanding. Best of my life — and I’m not exaggerating. And that includes all the foie gras I had in Paris.

They took the brioche and they prepared it French toast style, then slathered it with blood orange marmalade, and served the seared foie gras on top. It was like dessert meets breakfast meets an appetizer.

Yes, we are on vacation which is why we are in Santa Barbara (and why I have not been posting). This is our first vacation since just before Kate was conceived.

I got to swim in the pool, sit in the hot tub, walk on the beach holding hands with Seth, and take Kate to the zoo. And I ate chicken nachos (with extra jalapenos — my favorite comfort food) twice. And that foie gras.

Tomorrow I think I will just lie around and let Seth and his parents take Kate downtown. I need some mommy downtime.

Either that or Seth and I will go wine tasting. We are a 45-minute drive to the heart of wine country.

Bedtime now!

Daily Photo February 17, 2008

Here’s Kate having her morning bottle. I love the way she has her feet crossed, like a little lady.

She still has a runny nose and a cough. I really think it’s the Biokult causing a healing crisis. We upped her dose (per Dr. Campbell McBride’s instructions) last week from 2 capsules per day to 4 capsules per day. Mucus is a sign of detoxification; so is fever (she does not have a fever but she is warm).

We’ve decreased the dose back down to 2 capsules per day; Dr. Campbell McBride says to decrease the dose if the die-off symptoms are severe.

I just read an email on my DNT list from a lady who said that when she was in her twenties she stayed at a retreat and ate a raw food diet. Within a few days, she had lots of mucus and was miserable with a bad headache. They told her to up her vegetable juice (no fruit juice — just wheat grass and other veggies). She did and the mucus and other symptoms cleared up.

I think that’s very interesting because Dr. Campbell McBride is very big on juicing. When I did my candida cleanse in my twenties, I was taking immune strengthening supplements, including mega doses of vitamin C and bovine thymus gland. I guess maybe all the antioxidants and other nutrients in the vegetables help the body detoxify.

I actually have some bison thymus gland in the freezer. I’m going to dig it out and put it into Kate’s chicken broth today. I think I’ll make a stew of it, with some garlic and onion. Those are immune-enhancing as well.

And I’m going to juice up some carrots and beets for her. Can you give a 10-month-old wheat grass juice? I’m not sure.

Interesting — Alla was using an eyedropper on Friday, putting drops of freshly squeezed carrot juice into Kate’s nose. She said it is a traditional thing they did in Russia to help the mucus thicken.

This is why it’s not a good idea to give a child medications to reduce symptoms. Mucus and fever and diarrhea are all designed to carry toxins out of the body. If you inhibit the body’s natural functions, you are preventing the healing. The best thing you can do for them is increase fluids and antioxidants — juicing does both. And give them chicken broth — “Jewish penicillin”.

Another Science Experiment: Kefir Soda Pop February 16, 2008

The other day, an envelope from Northern California appeared in my mailbox. It was full of dehydrated water kefir grains (sent by Claire, a WAPF member I met on the Yahoo Discussing NT mailing list — thanks, Claire!).

I put the grains in some distilled water and BOOM they tripled in size within an hour or so. Then I drained them and put them in jars with more distilled water, Rapadura (unrefined sugar), and egg shell. I guess the egg shell adds minerals.

It’s starting to ferment. I can tell because it is getting bubbly. Whee! Isn’t that exciting? (By the way, that’s regular milk kefir on the left.)

Once it’s done fermenting, I’ll strain the grains, put them in more sugar water in the fridge to store them, and then I’ll add some flavors to my fermented kefir water will make kefir soda pop.

You can make ginger ale or limeade or lemonade or root beer or cream soda. The recipes are in the book “Eat Fat, Lose Fat” by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig.

I think I’m going to start with cream soda — it’s made with vanilla and lemon. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Daily Photo February 15, 2008

Kate was sick today. She was coughing and sneezing and her nose was very runny. And she was cranky — not her usual happy self.

Here she is watching her program in her jammies before bed.

I hope she gets better before we go on vacation next week! It’s just a little cold, so I think she will.

What We Can Learn From Saving Trash February 15, 2008

I can’t stop thinking about the guy who saved his trash for a year.

I read about him a while back but it didn’t really gel with me until now. I guess because all of this stuff is cumulative. You do one thing and it leads to another and another. It’s actually become a hobby for me now. Okay, not just a hobby. An obsession. (But it’s a good obsession!)

I want to respond to his post on what he learned from saving his trash for a year:

1. The vast vast vast majority of trash comes from food packaging. Packaged food is less nutritious, on the whole, than fresh food. Packaged food, ounce for ounce, is often more expensive than fresh food. I’ve learned that making less trash, by consuming less packaged food actually makes me healthier and wealthier. I’m in the best shape of my life right now and I can see first hand that it is related to changes in my diet that have come from this project.

I have noticed that we have a lot less trash since I have been cooking traditional foods. We stopped eating most packaged foods thanks to Sally Fallon and the WAPF — for health reasons. Avoiding packaged foods also helps the environment.

Some examples:

I used to buy yogurt. Now I make filmjolk and kefir. Just add milk and leave it on the counter. No more plastic yogurt containers.

I used to buy iced tea and soda. Now I make kombucha and beet kvass. No more cans and bottles. I’m also starting to make kefir soda pop (more on that in a future post).

I used to buy most of our vegetables from the grocery store. Now I buy most of it at the farmer’s market. They fill a plastic bin, which I carry home with me and then bring it back the following week. There are no plastic bags on any of the produce.

I’ve been making pickles, sauerkraut, and mayonnaise from scratch, reusing glass jars. I am going to learn how to make ketchup, salsa, naturally fermented soy sauce, and mustard. (By the way, ALL of these recipes are in Sally Fallon’s cookbook, “Nourishing Traditions”.)

Seth still likes fancy Italian mineral water. I’m looking into buying one of those seltzer makers. However, he is drinking a lot less since we started drinking kombucha.

We are also still buying distiled water. Soon we will buy a water filtration system and eliminate the need for this.

I still have to buy milk in plastic jugs. That is the way they come from Organic Pastures. It would be nice if they could someday go to a delivery service with reusable glass containers. Maybe I will write a letter to them to ask about the feasibility of this.

We are using less paper towels. A cloth rag works fine.

2. When I ask people to put prepared food in my own containers it disrupts their flow and makes them think. Some people like this. They enjoy the momentary distraction from monotony and the novelty of the experience. Others get pissed off. It makes they have to pay attention, it takes more energy. I don’t know what to do with this information yet I just know I’ve learned this.

I have noticed this, too, when I bring my cloth bags to stores like Target. I usually get a whiff of frustration. I’ve noticed it even when I don’t have a cloth bag and just tell them I don’t need a bag. They usually look at me like I’m crazy and try to foist a bag on me anyway.

I had to actually INSIST that I did not want a bag recently at Office Max. The guy REALLY wanted me to have that bag — even though I kept telling him I didn’t want one. “I’m trying to save the planet!” I said.

I have also had to stop people at Whole Foods from putting paper bags on my wine bottles so they don’t break in the cloth bags. “It’s fine!” I say, giving them back their bags. “I’ll be careful. I’m not going very far.”

3. Saving trash leads to increased consciousness of what I consume. I cannot purchase a single thing without wondering about all of the energy that went into manufacturing it, the resources use to ship, how far its component parts traveled until it was assembled, how far it then traveled to get to the store where I purchased it, the thousands of miles it may travel before finding its ultimate home in a pile of other unwanted manufactured souls.

I am thinking about this, too. If I have to buy foods and other products that come in packages, I would rather buy things that come in packages that can be composted.

Example: Buying detergent that comes in cardboard boxes (they can be composted) instead of plastic containers. This is an easy switch!

Another example: When I buy meat from Whole Foods it often (not always) comes wrapped in compostable paper. Unlike at Trader Joe’s where it is wrapped in plastic.

Another example: I am using my egg crates to start seeds. I can reuse them for this more than once — or compost them.

4. Recycling sucks. There, I said it. Of course recycling is a powerful first step in becoming more aware of what one consumes and it’s better to recreate something out of something than it is to gather up more raw materials to make something new. That said, recycling still sucks. It takes enormous amounts of energy and clean water to produce plastic bottles and containers, glass bottles and jars and cans of all kinds. It take enormous amounts of energy to collect these items at curbsides and ship them to recycling facilities. It take enormous energy to recycle items and ship them somewhere to be remanufactured. Almost all recyclable materials come from food or health and beauty products – both unnecessary items we have grown addicted to in our modern world. Less recycling also means fresher food. Health and beauty products is another conversation and I’m not sure we’re all ready for it yet :o)

I’m ready for it!

I stopped wearing deodorant. Corn starch (which comes in a cellulose bag) works GREAT!

Many of you know of my “no poo” experiment. I have been using Terressentials hair wash but after one of my readers (thanks, Rachel) suggested trying a little baking soda mixed with bentonite clay (I got some from Mountain Rose Herbs), I find that it works great on my hair. I’ve been using a little vinegar in my rinse.

I’ve stopped using moisturizer on my face; I use coconut oil now.

I’ve stopped using makeup (never really used much anyway — I put a little powder on on occasion). I just can’t be bothered.

I’ve stopped using tampons and now use the Diva cup and a natural sea sponge. Cloth pads and the Japanese toilet seat are next. (Shhh don’t tell Seth about the Japanese toilet seat.)

I’ve stopped using disposable diapers and now use cloth. Cloth wipes are next.

As for the recycling issue, I agree! If we can avoid buying these packaged foods and other products in the first place, that is the ideal scenario.

5. It doesn’t take much to make a big difference. If I can do this, someone else can do this. If two people reduce their consumption radically, 4 people can do it to, so can 8 people, 16 people, 32 people, and so on. Change is much easier and much more readily available than most of us are taught to think and lead to believe.

This is so true! It’s all the little things that add up. And if we all try to do little things, it will add up to making a big difference!

6. Trash sucks. 100 years ago most of the trash we produce now did not even exist. It did not even exist. Now it is at the center of a worldwide economic system that is lopsidedly built upon mass consumption to create huge profits for the few at the physical and environmental expense of the many many many. This makes me sad.

It makes me sad, too. Let’s change it!!!! If we stop buying it, they will have to stop selling it. The power really is in our hands.

7. Changing is fun, much more fun than it is stressful.

I agree!

People keep telling me that they are impressed that I am doing all of this stuff.

The truth: I can’t help it! It’s so much fun. It’s actually addictive.

8. Cleaning out food packaging takes time and is necessary to get rid of odors and to ensure bugs and rodents are not attracted to it.

I’d rather reuse glass jars and stick in the dishwasher. Or compost paper. I hate buying anything in plastic.

I also want to say this:

Blogging and the internet has really spurred me on in this endeavor. I have learned so much from people online — all the wonderful people on the Discussing NT Yahoo list and from blogs like Save Your Trash and These Days in French Life (just to name a couple).

Thanks, everyone. Let’s keep encouraging each other!

The Guy Who Saved His Trash For a Year February 15, 2008

This guy saved his trash for a whole year. He even brought back 16 days’ worth of trash from a trip to Hawaii.

He is an inspiration to me.

I know, it seems wacky. But global warming is happening, folks. If you haven’t seen An Inconvenient Truth, please watch it. It will change your life.

And if you did see it and haven’t yet changed your life, maybe there are some simple things you can start doing to make a difference.

Recycling some of your trash is good — but it’s not enough.

You don’t have to save your trash for a year. But maybe you can start by composting.

Or start using cloth grocery bags. And don’t just use them at the grocery store — use them at Target and the drug store and the mall.

Switch to cloth diapers. And cloth wipes! (I’m making some now.)

Use cloth rags in the kitchen instead of paper towels.

Get some reusable take-out containers.

Stop using toxic chemicals on your lawn. Go organic!

Or a reusable coffee cup for that Starbucks latte you get every day.

Make kombucha at home instead of drinking soft drinks.

Boycott food from factory farms and eat only pasture-raised, grass-fed beef and dairy. (Animal feedlots and factory farms are one of the biggest causes of methane gas which causes global warming.)

Buy a paper shredder and compost your junk mail.

Buy a Japanese toilet seat or bidet so you can use less toilet paper.

Get a Diva cup or a natural sea sponge and/or some Glad Rags or other reusable menstrual pads.

Stop taking the newspaper (read it online).

Use a pooper scooper to pick up animal waste — instead of plastic bags.

Stop buying chemical household cleaners and make your own or use an environmentally friendly brand.

Limit the number of packaged foods you buy.

Maybe just one little thing.

Remember, it’s not for you. It’s for your children. For your grandchildren. And for their children and grandchildren.

Because if we don’t change our ways drastically, there won’t be a world for them to enjoy.

I just read the other day that polar bears are about to be extinct.

You can save them. We can do it together.

Maybe you could just do one little thing. Maybe you could start today.

Homemade Kombucha Success! February 13, 2008

My homemade kombucha came out great this time! (Last time it was not quite fermented enough and it barely made any at all.)

Five bottles! Isn’t that awesome? And it came out so fizzy and delicious. I was so happy I squealed, which made Kate squeal, which made Alla laugh.

Here are the mushrooms (or SCOBYs):

I have four SCOBYs now. This time I’m doing 4 containers instead of 2. So in a couple more weeks we will have 10 more bottles. And 8 SCOBYs.

Yay! Isn’t this fun?! We are going to have so much kombucha! I love the way it reproduces.

Maybe I will graduate from Hippie University after all!

How to Make a Free Compost Bin February 13, 2008

I just found this great tutorial on how to make a compost bin out of pallets. (http://farminginsuburbia.blogspot.com/)

More info here: http://www.digitalseed.com/composter/bins/palletbin.html

Not sure where to get the pallets. She found hers on Freecycle.

I noticed some free pallets on Craig’s List — but they are in the valley and I don’t want to drive all the way up there. Maybe I’ll post on Freecycle and Craig’s List and see if anyone has any lying around.

I’m going to do this — it’s an easy, free way to compost.

Daily Photo February 13, 2008

Kate entertaining her friend Julianna in her kitchen:

Weeknight Dinner February 12, 2008

Holy moley, that was a good dinner.

Carrot Ginger Soup with Raw Cream (I froze the soup I made a few weeks ago; I’ve been feeding it to Kate)
Cress, Fennel and Apple Salad with Redwood Farm California Crottin Goat Cheese, Pine Nuts and Vinaigrette
Homemade Sourdough Spelt Bread with Raw Butter
Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc

This was the second loaf of sourdough spelt bread I baked and MAN I love this stuff. Especially slathered with raw butter. YUM! I’m still perfecting my loaf but I gotta say, even though it’s not perfect, it’s REALLY GOOD! It makes storebought bread taste like ass.

I’m through with Low Carb. At least for a while. (Still gonna do High Fat — LOL!)

I just can’t stand it anymore. I want to eat bread. I want to eat rice. (And — shhh — I want to eat chocolate chip cookies every once in a while.)

So I’m going to exercise more and I will eat in moderation. I plan to do pilates twice a week and walk every day. Also swim and do weights. I’m going to eat things like bread and kefir and raw milk and kombucha. I love these foods and they are so healthy. I need to be healthy and I need to feel good. I will lose the mommy weight in time.

Or I won’t. And I will have another baby. After that baby is weaned, then I can go on a militant diet for six months.

But not now. Because I’m enjoying traditional foods so much and I don’t want to limit myself. I just discovered traditional foods after all. I want to keep learning, keep playing. I want to explore this world.

Note: I reserve the right to change my mind.

Daily Photo February 12, 2008

This was taken in Seattle at Christmas. We were out to lunch with my sister. Kate is such a fun baby!

Kombucha Cocktail February 11, 2008

I made Seth his first (and second) kombucha cocktail tonight. He LOVED it!

So much that he asked for a second.

Here’s how I made it:

2-4 oz (to taste) GT Dave’s Cranberry Kombucha (Synergy brand)
2-4 oz (to taste) Bourbon — I used Knob Creek
Dash of cranberry liqueur
Dash of Angostura bitters

Pour into shaker with ice and shake. Pour into chilled martini glass.

Some fresh lime would complete this. I didn’t have any. It was still good (I tasted it).

You could also do this with plain kombucha and a dash of cranberry juice.

UPDATE: Seth has had this a few times now… he said he thinks it might be even better with a little less Bourbon and maybe less sweet. So next time I’m going to do twice as much cranberry kombucha, half as much Bourbon (I was doing 50/50) and no liqueur. I’ll see how he likes it. If it works, it would be nice since not everyone can find Italian cranberry liqueur (I got it at Surfas, a local gourmet/restaurant supply shop).

Snoring, Dentists, and Waldorf Schools February 11, 2008

We went to the dentist this morning. It was Seth’s appointment but Kate and I went along to meet him.

He is a WAPF (Weston A. Price Foundation) dentist. His name is Dr. Silkman and he wrote this fascinating article.

He had a shelf displaying herbal toothpastes and mouthwashes and cod liver oil for sale. And there was a copy of “Nourishing Traditions” on the bookshelf in the waiting room.

Seth and I are going to have all our metal fillings and crowns replaced. Dr. Silkman is also going to fit Seth for an “adjuster” to help with his snoring. Dr. Silkman believes that a narrow palette and high arch is what causes snoring, due to the fact that you can’t get enough air. So if you wear a special “adjuster” you get the air you need and you don’t snore.

Weston Price found that native peoples who ate nutrient-dense diets (grass-fed meat and dairy, seafood, whole grains, fermented foods) had very wide palettes and properly developed skeletal structure. He found that when they started eating “modern” foods like refined white flour and sugar, their palettes and faces became more narrow. (The women also had more narrow hips, and the men had more narrow shoulders.)

Hence, the cod liver oil in Dr. Silkman’s office. Not only does cod liver oil and nutrient dense diets help prevent cavities, it also promotes healthy development of skeletal structure. Proper skeletal structure prevents all kinds of problems, including snoring, sleep apnea, deviated septums, etc.

See Dr. Silkman’s article to read more.

After the appointment, I came home and put some turkey necks in the crock pot for turkey stock, took the dandelion out of the dehydrator (going to use it to make tea), and took the baby food out of the ice cube trays in the freezer and put them in ziploc bags.

Yensi and I made baby food this weekend. We froze lots of organic fruits and some vegetables (everything was stewed or boiled except for the mango, per WAPF guidelines):

Blueberries
Raspberries
Cherries
Blackberries
Mango
Peaches
Broccoli
Peas

I still need to do two more batches:

Strawberries
Kale

I’ve been working on planning my garden. I have GOT to get this done before we go on vacation next week.

I also found out some promising information about school for Kate. I got an email from one of the moms on one of my WAPF email lists, recommending Waldorf schools. I guess a lot of the WAPF moms are in favor of Waldorf education. She was responding to another mother who had concerns about the food her child was eating at daycare (sugary snacks, fruit juice with high fructose corn syrup, etc.).

She writes:

We go to a Waldorf school and love it. No concerns about food as they provide, nutritious, organic hot snacks - like veggie soup, lentils and rice, etc. Parents provide some of the food too, but we use all organic, local food mostly. When they have treats, which is on birthdays and some holidays, it’s usually made with flour they grind in class and they use only unrefined sugars. I don’t think I’ve ever seen candy in the classroom.

Regarding the education, she says:

Both my girls are still in kindergarten and they have lots of movement all day. Most of their ‘learning’ is through rhymes, stories, circle time, and such. They also have a great outdoor program so they are out in nature about 2 hours a day, just playing, hiking and being children. They teach to the hands, heart and head so although academics is taught it is not the only aspect of education they take into account. It is based much more on developmental appropriateness.

Apparently there is a Waldorf school right here in LA!

Here’s what one of the moms on my Peachhead list (an email list for LA moms) says about the local Westside Waldorf school:

“By the time they leave the said the average student can play 2-3 instruments, understand 3 languages, know how to do wood working and sewing. All of them get their #1 or #2 high school pick as well.”

YAY! Doesn’t that sound fantastic? I like the focus on nature, I like that they learn crafts and work with their hands, I like the focus on the arts, and it sounds like they eat really well. Sounds really good to me.

I’m going to look into doing a tour. Yes, it’s true, Kate’s not old enough for school yet but in LA, you have to start very early. All the moms here say you have to start touring when they are about 9 or 10 months old. And Kate will be 10 months on Wednesday. I gotta get cracking!

Back to my garden planning…

Greasy Hair and Clogged Caps: Living the Artful Life February 10, 2008

I realized something when I was in the shower yesterday.

Even the Dr. Bronner’s bottle of castille soap says that if it clogs (and it does, frequently), you should stick something sharp in there to unclog it.

Raw milk separates, castille soap clogs, every batch of kombucha tastes different. But I’d rather drink wine than Diet Coke, rather eat homegrown vegetables than Pringles potato chips that all come out shaped exactly the same — and all taste the same because they all have the exact same mix of chemicals.

Living an artisanal slow life is not about being perfect. It’s about eating well. It’s about enjoying life.

Here’s the definition of artisan in the dictionary:

ar·ti·san \ˈär-tə-zən, -sən, chiefly British ˌär-tə-ˈzan\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French, from northern Italian dialect form of Tuscan artigiano, from arte art, from Latin art-, ars
Date: 1538

1 : a worker who practices a trade or handicraft : craftsperson 2 : one that produces something (as cheese or wine) in limited quantities often using traditional methods

The word artisan comes from art. Not science. While it’s fun to try to figure out why things work, if I had to choose, I would always opt for an artful life over a scientific one.

Meanwhile, my hair looks and feels fabulous today. I washed with the Terressentials plain clay wash yesterday. No grease whatsoever. (And thanks, Rachel for commenting about your hair. I’m going to try your homemade clay mixture.)

As far as my weight loss, thanks, everyone for reminding me that I have a lot to be grateful for. It takes a body a while to readjust after having a baby. I’m going to do what a couple of you suggested and start trying to get more exercise in every day. Won’t be hard, considering I have a lot of gardening to do. The weight will come off when it’s ready.

I’m going to go plan my garden now!

Daily Photo February 10, 2008

This is from Christmas 2007. We were eating figgy pudding and drinking wine and port.

I figured it would be nice to post a picture of myself for a change — since they are all usually of the baby and Seth.