We have survived two days of Pre-school. Maddi goes two days a week and Olivia and I go with her one of those two days. Maddi's first day was on the day she goes alone and though she was absolutely fine, Olivia and I were sad. I had briefly filled Olivia in to how this was going to work and that Maddi would stay at school and that we could do whatever we wanted, but when it was actually time to leave Maddi at school Olivia seemed a little bewildered. We loaded back into the bike trailer and I rode like fifty feet then stopped and asked Olivia if she was ok. She kind of mumbled in response and then I asked her if she was sad which provoked a deeper sigh and nod. I told her we could do whatever she wanted and we ended up at the park. We had a good time, but I was still anxious in the afternoon to know how Maddi's day was.
Maddi had a great day. She has some friends that she already knew that are at school with her on one of the days she goes. One of the girls will yell "Maddi" and give her a hug no matter where or when she sees her, or if Maddi even recognizes her for that matter. She is super sweet and has helped Maddi's adjustment to school.
So, the next day Maddi went to school I went with her and Olivia was supposed to go, but got sick and had to stay home. Now Maddi is sick as well, but she has a fever while Olivia just has a cough and runny nose. Maddi actually fell asleep in the shopping cart today at KMart! I'm a bad mom for dragging her around town shopping all along assuming she just had a cold like her sister-oops. So, day three is up in the air. We'll see who actually goes. I hope Olivia gets to go next week. I think she'll love it.
It was fun for me to observe Maddi at school. I was there for three and a half hours and honestly the only time Maddi was near me was when she had to be in my room for snack and story time. Other than that she was off playing in other rooms or outside while I was bound to one location. I got to watch her play with other kids while barely having much of a presence at all. She played with different girls at different times and fortunately I didn't witness anything unpleasant like common girl snubbery. I'm sure it will happen. I just don't want to witness it or my mama bear tendencies may come out! I do think though that preschool has given Maddi some confidence about being older and getting to do new things. It's a small step in preparation for kindergarten, but I think it is a good little warm-up excersize.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
Surprise, surprise, I’ve been reading another book. This one is yet again about food, but honestly I had to skim it quickly because it’s a library book and it’s already late because when I checked it out I was in the middle of the twilight books and tried to stop, but I couldn’t. Now, there is a line of people waiting for this book “In Defense of Food” because it is so popular; so it’s going back without a completely thorough read. I did get a history of nutritionism, which it seems has royally messed up the way we think about eating. You’ll have to read the book if that statement or anything below peaks your interest or is totally misunderstood without further explanation. The author is a professor at UC Berkely and is not a professor of nutrition or medicine, but of journalism. That to me is an interesting glimpse into our condition. I’m not sure we could even trust a doctor, nutritionist or pharmacist for that matter to tell us what is best for us (they may want us to stay sick). So, a journalist has stepped in to try to de-muddle the mess we have made of eating and our health.
“In Defense of Food- An Eater’s Manifesto”
(Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants) by Michael Pollan
(Read it! If you can’t read it all read the last section for sure!)
So this is Michael Pollan’s advice after much research and many books…
His advice is “Eat Food, Mostly Plants, Not too Much” and this is how he breaks that down and defines it.
Eat Food
Food Defined
1. Avoid Food Products Containing Ingredients That Are
A) unfamiliar,
B) unpronounceable,
C) more than five in number, or that include
D) high fructose corn syrup
2. Avoid Food Products That Make Health Claims.
3. Shop The Peripheries Of The Supermarket And Stay Out Of The Middle.
4. Get Out Of The Supermarket Whenever Possible. (Shake The Hand That Feeds You)
Mostly Plants
What to Eat
1. Eat mostly plants, especially leaves
2. You are what you eat eats too (the diet of the animals we eat has a bearing on the nutritional quality, and healthfulness, of the food itself, whether it is meat, milk or eggs.)
3. If you have the space, buy a freezer (for pastured meat versus industrialized meat found in supermarkets.)
4. Eat like an omnivore (try to add new species to your diet)
5. Eat well-grown food from healthy soils.
6. Eat wild foods when you can.
7. Be the kind of person who takes supplements. (supplement takers are healthier for reasons like being more health conscious, better educated and more affluent. So, be that kind of person, and then save your money and don’t take the supplements)
8. Eat more like the French. Or the Italians. Or the Japanese. Or the Indians. Or the Greeks. (Eat traditional diets. Eat What they eat and eat How they eat).
9. Regard Non traditional foods with skepticism.
10. Don’t look for the magic bullet in the traditional diet.
11. Have a glass of wine with dinner.
Not Too Much
How to Eat
1. Pay More, Eat Less.
“Is it just a coincidence that as the portion of our income spent on food has declined, spending on health care has soared? In 1960 Americans spent 17.5 percent of their income of food and 5.2 percent of national income on health care. Since then, those numbers have flipped: spending of food has fallen to 9.9 percent, while spending on health care has climbed to 16 percent of national income.”
2. Eat Meals.
3. Do All Your Eating At a Table.
4. Don’t Get Your Fuel From The Same Place Your Car Does.
5. Try not To Eat Alone.
6. Consult Your Gut.
7. Eat Slowly.
Wendell Berry “Eating with the fullest pleasure-pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance- is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. In this pleasure we experience and celebrate our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living from mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend.”
8. Cook, And If You Can, Plant A Garden.
“In Defense of Food- An Eater’s Manifesto”
(Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants) by Michael Pollan
(Read it! If you can’t read it all read the last section for sure!)
So this is Michael Pollan’s advice after much research and many books…
His advice is “Eat Food, Mostly Plants, Not too Much” and this is how he breaks that down and defines it.
Eat Food
Food Defined
1. Avoid Food Products Containing Ingredients That Are
A) unfamiliar,
B) unpronounceable,
C) more than five in number, or that include
D) high fructose corn syrup
2. Avoid Food Products That Make Health Claims.
3. Shop The Peripheries Of The Supermarket And Stay Out Of The Middle.
4. Get Out Of The Supermarket Whenever Possible. (Shake The Hand That Feeds You)
Mostly Plants
What to Eat
1. Eat mostly plants, especially leaves
2. You are what you eat eats too (the diet of the animals we eat has a bearing on the nutritional quality, and healthfulness, of the food itself, whether it is meat, milk or eggs.)
3. If you have the space, buy a freezer (for pastured meat versus industrialized meat found in supermarkets.)
4. Eat like an omnivore (try to add new species to your diet)
5. Eat well-grown food from healthy soils.
6. Eat wild foods when you can.
7. Be the kind of person who takes supplements. (supplement takers are healthier for reasons like being more health conscious, better educated and more affluent. So, be that kind of person, and then save your money and don’t take the supplements)
8. Eat more like the French. Or the Italians. Or the Japanese. Or the Indians. Or the Greeks. (Eat traditional diets. Eat What they eat and eat How they eat).
9. Regard Non traditional foods with skepticism.
10. Don’t look for the magic bullet in the traditional diet.
11. Have a glass of wine with dinner.
Not Too Much
How to Eat
1. Pay More, Eat Less.
“Is it just a coincidence that as the portion of our income spent on food has declined, spending on health care has soared? In 1960 Americans spent 17.5 percent of their income of food and 5.2 percent of national income on health care. Since then, those numbers have flipped: spending of food has fallen to 9.9 percent, while spending on health care has climbed to 16 percent of national income.”
2. Eat Meals.
3. Do All Your Eating At a Table.
4. Don’t Get Your Fuel From The Same Place Your Car Does.
5. Try not To Eat Alone.
6. Consult Your Gut.
7. Eat Slowly.
Wendell Berry “Eating with the fullest pleasure-pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance- is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. In this pleasure we experience and celebrate our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living from mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend.”
8. Cook, And If You Can, Plant A Garden.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Children of the Corn
Here are some pictures of the kids in the corn before we ripped it all out. I wanted to prove that I really grew it and that it was BIG!
I guess true gardening season is coming to an end, but since we're in California we can keep growing through winter. So, I'm going to plant some more stuff as soon as I get the motivation to do so.
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