Good morning readers. We took the kids to Art Prize one last time Friday, but I won't talk about that today because I'm not quite sure how to gauge your interest. Maybe since it's a local thing it might not grab you…? SO, if you want to see more, go to my Flickr page. The only thing I will share here is the WINNER. It was the one I hoped would win, called “Crucifixion“. We took the kids there for a fun family thing to do, after a week of what seemed like constant yelling at them. I posted about it on Facebook and got a whole slew of comments about everything from homeschooling to unschooling, to dealing with homework from school. Read the Facebook comments, including the solutions we're trying in an attempt to fix our frazzled lives around here, and be sure to add your comments, too. I keep checking and reading them all. One thing I did was order a book someone suggested, Have a New Kid by Friday: How to Change Your Child's Attitude, Behavior & Character in 5 Days By Dr. Kevin Leman. If you've already read it, let us know what you think?
- I got a really fun comment the other day that I wanted to share. Christine commented at my homemade ice cream post:
“I realize it’s been a while since this was posted, but I had to put in my two cents about these recipes. I’ve been trying to perfect my homemade ice cream for a few years now, mostly with high-maintenance custard recipes that tasted ridiculously eggy or froze too hard. I am never going back! I tried the vanilla just last night (doubling everything except the maple and vanilla, using store-bought cream), and hubby and I both agree it is, hands down, the best recipe we’ve tested yet! And it comes together so fast! Even straight out of the freezer today, I was able to scoop some out with a spoon, which means it’s not going to take forever to soften for dessert tonight. I can’t wait to play with the flavors. Methinks my ice cream maker won’t be going back into winter storage this year after all.”
My reply:
“Well aren’t you a big sweetie for sharing this fun feedback?! We’re making the vanilla again soon to use in root beer floats – I found some Blue Sky root beer with only 4 ingredients! Thanks Christine. :)”
(Root beer floats are actually an incentive we're using as one of the solutions I mentioned above. If they go two days without Kent & I having to repeat ourselves on anything, I'll make root beer floats.)
- Here's an email from a reader friend, Deb, the other day: “Oh. My. Gosh. You won't believe what Big Phfood is touting as healthy. Take a look at this!” Health Magazine's Food Awards. I told her that I couldn't even finish looking at the list I got so upset. So if you had to choose, and I know it wouldn't be easy, which one gets you the most perturbed and why?
- Every once in a while, someone will ask me again if the fermented cod liver oil really is safe to take. They've heard that the vitamin A levels can be toxic, etc. etc. Here's my post on that: Cod liver oil and questions about toxicity. Also, you could read more about FCLO including other safety issues.
- Well, my post on grains last week got you all as riled up about it as I've been, as we try to figure all this out.
- Have you seen Dr. Kaayla Daniel's latest blog post, Lose your veganity? “Veganisms had major play in the media this year, and many of us have faced pesky questions from friends, family and acquaintances about the vegan propaganda movie, Forks Over Knives, starring T. Colin Campbell and Caldwell Esselstyn. This blog is for WAPF members who have asked us for comebacks and replies.”
kara says
Pretty much everything on that food list is terrible. I couldn’t believe how on the pre hard boiled eggs it talks about not having time in the morning to hard boil eggs!!! 6 to 7 minutes is how long I boil mine! You don’t have 7 minutes? You can hard boil an egg in the time it takes you to get dressed and brush your teeth! Hard boiled eggs is my go to breakfast when I’m rushed! Not to mention you could boil them the night before!
leah says
Love the Lehman book.
Melissa @ Dyno-mom says
The whole argument over what is healthy is super frustrated. I am so sick and tired of people harassing me over fat in milk! I saw the chocolate milk in that slideshow and thought of all the sugar in in it and if I remember, it has carageenan and nonfat solids added to it for body (but that might be the Meadowgold brand). I am familiar with the whole “whatever it takes to get the kids to drink it” mentality, but seriously the milk is watery so you adultrate it to give it body, add flavors and sugar to hide the flavor and then wonder why kids won’t drink the plain? If you start with garbage milk you still have garbage milk if you flavor it! The whole hit parade of extruded paradise is bad but the milk is what really chaffed me.
Meagan says
Thanks for the links!!
D. says
Foodies are finally going to have some activism on their behalf. Yay!
https://www.foodrightsnetwork.org/2011/10/local-food-ordinances-from-maine-to-california/
If only small parts of the message get through the thick skulls of some congressional peeps, it will be worth it to keep harping on this subject.
D. says
In that link to the list of foods being purported as healthy, check out the descriptions underneath each photo as you slide through them. Almost every single item makes mention of how it is low in fat, especially saturated fat. The Thai Curry Chicken junk even talks about the fact that there’s coconut oil in the soup “but it’s OK because it’s only a little saturated fat and it’s not too bad for your health” or something to that effect. Looking at the photos of all this junky food was bad enough but reading the “healthy descriptions” of each one nearly put me over the edge.
Linda says
Have you heard of the Waldorf schools? I read about it back in my “old” days of homeschooling. I would have investigated them but there were none where I lived. From what I recall they are as close to homeschooling as a school can get. I think it’s worth looking into if they are in your area.
Julie L. says
Kelly~
Man alive do I feel your pain! We are in a new school district in a new community and we deal with 1+ hour school bus rides both ways each day. The kids feel (and I agree) that their lives consist almost solely of school. I disagree with the “sixty minutes of homework if you’re in 6th grade” crud that we’re fed. Kids today are being taught that learning is a chore. And don’t even get me started on the overabundance of “projects”!! ARGH! We had one the very first weekend of school, and ongoing projects since then. It’s to the point where my sixth grader never really feels as if homework is completed, because there’s always another blasted project looming over her head. And they always seem to involve me…always! All of this combined with a grouchy busdriver who literally brings the kids to tears at the end of the day…sigh…I have been feeling the same as you. I don’t feel called to homeschool, either, but then I say, “Man, there’s got to be a better way!” Keep us updated on how you navigate this path…we can all help each other! 🙂 There will be brighter days for all of us! 🙂
~Julie