My Diet

A friend of mine said she wanted to live at my house for a week to eat like I do.  Kind of like a cleanse.   We then discussed the options of calling "my" cleanse by my first name or my last name.  We decided that using my first name would probably be preferable to using my last since my last name *might* give the wrong impression about what one would be expected to eat. This got me thinking about what I eat.  I'm always thinking about what I eat and trying to eat better--who isn't?  I got Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Diet, at the library again and I'm trying to reread it to help inspire me again.  It's harder to read now that Olivia is starting to wean herself.  I used to be able to read for at least half and hour when I nursed her, now as soon as I pick up a book, she wants to check it out too.  Apparently someone else is also reexamining how she eats...

I'm also in the process of planning a menu for our vacation in September.  Clearly I'm excited.  I'll be cooking for the 6 of us, plus my brothers in law and my mother and father in law.  In an attempt to please the masses, I'm going to try to cook "normal"

Gasland

Wow!  It's been a long time since I blogged!  I've thought about blogging, it's been on my to do list, but I haven't had a great topic or the time to really sit down.  I'm starting to think that getting a puppy right now wasn't such a great idea...

Yesterday I watched part of a movie that I thought was worth mentioning on here.  I would have watched the whole movie, but I was doing laundry and I had to go to a birthday party, but what I saw was very eye-opening.  It was a documentary film called Gasland.  Evan and I saw the filmmaker on a talk show and thought it looked like an

Natural Japanese Beetle Killer

Sunday is my garden day.  Yesterday I worked in my garden a LOT, but not weeding, like I usually do, harvesting!  I jammed my garden full of plants this year.  Last year I felt I had too much wasted space, you know, for actually being able to walk in the garden and get to the plants.  So this year I took care of that problem.  Now I can't walk in the garden, the peas are growing over the pepper plants, I can't even see what I've got growing in there and weed control is futile because I can't get in there to weed.  So I learned my lesson.  No being greedy next year.  Make paths.  So...harvesting.  I got SO MAY green beans!  I did a Google search and found how to freeze fresh beans and filled a gallon ziploc-with beans left over to eat fresh this week!  I'm going to have beans galore by the end of the summer!

As I was out digging in my garden to find my plants, I found something else that I didn't like.  A plastic softball.  Oh, and Japanese Beetles.  Not many, they're not a problem--yet.  I want to take care of it before it becomes a problem.  But I don't want to spray any toxic chemicals on my organic garden.  So what's an organic, kid and pet-safe way to kill Japanese Beetles?  I remember the bags that my grandma and my mom used to put out.  We used to dare each other as kids to squeeze the bag.  It was so gross!  If you read no farther, hear this--DON'T USE THE BAG!  It attracts and traps Japanese Beetles, but it attracts way more than would normally be in your garden, causing more harm than good.

Recipe Friday: Tofu Triangles and Asian Dipping Sauce

I found this recipe in a book I think I've mentioned before, the Whole Family Cookbook.  I've made it twice and I think I can say its my new favorite.  I've pressed tofu before, but the way this recipe instructs really works! The dipping sauce would be good with chicken too so this is a great recipe for a vegetarian/ omnivore family like mine.

Grizzly Ridge: Coming July 20th

Next week the Akron Zoo will open it's newest exhibit: Grizzly Ridge.  As you may have guessed from past posts, I'm a big fan of the Akron Zoo.  It's close, it's small and it's got great programs for kids.    Since we almost qualify for a group discount when out whole family goes to the zoo, it's more economical for us to get the zoo membership.  With that membership it the zoo newsletter, ZooTales.  This issue's focus was on Grizzly Ridge, but not just about the animals that will be featured (they have a really cool back-story on each animal that will be there.  (Sorry, Evan, none were found on dead litter mates.)) but also about the design of the exhibit itself.  The Akron zoo is working to make Grizzly Ridge LEED certified (like their other exhibit building, Komodo Kingdom.)  LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and it is a "distinction given to projects and buildings that exhibit the highest standards of sustainability and energy efficiency" according to ZooTales.  How will they do that?

Chop Chop Magazine

I could have sworn I'd posted about this before, but I did a search on my blog and it didn't turn up, so sorry if I'm repeating myself.  If this were a video blog you'd understand why I *might* not be on top of things all the time.

So Chop Chop magazine.  I heard about it on Twitter from Michael Pollan's tweet.  It's a healthy eating magazine targeted at kids.  I promptly forgot about it.  When I was at the library and noticed that they had copies to check out I was super excited!  I wasn't disappointed!  I was, however, surprised

Shut Up!

Those two little words changed my summer.  Let me back up.  My oldest child has a Minecraft addiction.   He plays Minecraft on the computer, while watching a YouTube video of someone else playing Minecraft on the iPad.  He talks about nothing but Minecraft and wears his two Minecraft shirts almost continuously.  Obsession.  Really unhealthy.  This weekend I came downstairs and found him crying in front of the computer because someone killed him when he was wearing his diamond armor.  (Not sure about what this means, but I think it's really hard to find diamonds and therefore probably took him a really long time to find enough to make the armor?)  That same day we were all going to run errands.  Evan called down for Caden to stop playing because we were leaving and Caden yelled, "Shut Up!" to him.  Of course, Evan apologized and told Caden he could keep playing his game.  No, wait, I got that wrong.  Evan got mad.  Not out-of-control-rage like I get, but Evan-mad.  Long story short, Caden is no longer allowed to play any devices (after much discussion game consoles are now included under the term, "device" at our house.)  until the end of the summer.  Minecraft is deleted from our computer and his iPod as well as the iPad.  He's going cold turkey.

I know this sounds stupid, but I was afraid to do anything this drastic, even though I knew he needed a device intervention.  I really thought it would be like denying a heroine addict his daily fix.  But it's not.  And I'm so much happier.  It's a change in him like when he started taking his "Focus Pill."  He's interacting with the other kids.  He's doing imaginative play.  He's helping housebreak Jack- a little.  He talks to me.  He's talking about Minecraft still, but I'm hoping "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" won't apply here.  I'm hoping for "Out of sight, out of mind."  He's unplugged.  I'm mad at myself for letting it get so out of hand that he's at a loss of what to do without his devices.  It's just became such a way of life for him.  I'm glad Evan took the giant leap and cut him off.  Way to unplug him Evan!  Being greener and a good parent all in one!