Caught Between a Chemical and Ripening War!

 What the heck does that mean, right?

This is what we are faced with today, unfortunately.  We have a local farm in the area and we have been going to for years and love it!  We pick all sorts of berries drenched in the summer sun and enjoy filling our bellies with them for weeks.
 

This year, being another year wiser than last, I thought I should look and see what the growing practices are at our beloved farm.  

Journey is pretty much acting out my reaction.  Oh NO!!!!!!!!  Our favorite farm, that I so innocently and gullibley thought was organic is far from it.  I was so disappointed, or as my 3 year old repeatedly says, "Diss-a-rupted".  

Are they a "bad" farm?  No.  Reading through their reasoning and practices I see why they feel they have to use the chemicals they do and it was eye opening to see the comparisons to organics you can buy in the stores.

We are truly stuck.  Do we buy local, support our local farms, get that amazing "farm fresh" experience, but have it laced with chemicals, herbicides and pesticides that are linked to too many things to mention on this blog OR do we go to the store and buy organics that, admittedly, still have an allowance of spray on them and are treated in different ways AND are not vine ripened in order to give you those thousands of nutrients AND have been shipped in a truck, depositing a footprint of fossil fuel emissions along the way AND have lost much of the nutrient value by the time it gets from vine to your plate.  (Yes, I know that sentence/paragraph broke every literary rule there is, but you get the point.  There is a reason I am a writer and not an editor!)

So, what did we do?  

We went to the fields, BUT we did not gets our pounds upon pounds this year.  We collected a small pint  I washed them well when I got home.  I do realize the chemicals are within and throughout the strawberry, but it made me feel a little better.

What is the REAL ANSWER though.  What do we do?  The only answer, I could think of, is grow it yourself!  That way it is close, vine ripened and organic (or at least you have the control of whether it is or not).

You do NOT have to be a master gardener to garden!  We have soil gardens at our house for root vegetables, some tomatoes, broccoli, cucumber, zucchini, watermelon, pumpkins, peas and beans because we wanted to use our yard as an area for edible landscaping.  These do require upkeep, weeding and tilling etc.  Not my favorite, but at least we get fruit out of them if we beat the bunnies and caterpillars to them. My Favorite way to garden is with the Tower Garden!  We can grow vertically, no soil, no tilling, NO WEEDING!  It waters itself, using 90% less water than conventional gardening and, because the inorganic (not non-organic) mineral solution is pH balanced and covers such a wide needs base, it helps all plants grow organically to their full potential.  Plus it is year round and indoor or outdoor and saves us lots of $$$ all year round! 

This is how we feel about our Tower garden too Buddy.  I understand.  

The Towers are an answer for so many and growing your own produce is an answer to so many concerns of today.  We love our Tower so much that I help Tim Blank, of Future Growing, get them out to homes and businesses around the United States today through NSA.  I love helping others get started with their own local farmers market in their backyard!

We did have fun, had the Farm experience and the pictures to prove it.  But, we will be getting our produce from home where we know it is safe and full of everything they were intended to be.  

My girls and their Honey Stix!!!

Trying to Raise Givers in a "Getting" World

We live every day is a getting, grasping, "I want", "Give me" world.  It is increasingly harder and harder to raise children with a giving mindset.  Where along the road was entitlement born in replacement of work ethic and serving?  We just finished reading the entire series of Little House on the Prairie with our oldest daughter.  Those four girls, aside from intermittent spats with Nellie Olson, were kind and giving and understood that everyone contributed and worked hard for the family and others when they could.  

I would love to hear people's ideas about the evolution of entitlement and "It's Mine!"  

When did ME become more important than WE? 

Is it technology and evolution of machines to do our work, preoccupation with entertainment, our lifestyles being 1000 times faster paced than a hundred years ago or a combination of all of these?

 I am not perfect by any stretch and find myself thinking those "I deserve" thoughts too sometimes.  But, I try to make the next generation better than my own and the best way I can do that is through my children.  In our home we follow Christ and try to abide by loving our neighbor as we love ourselves, but isn't that the foundation of the Golden Rule?  It is Golden for a reason!!!  

If you are in need, pride aside, wouldn't you feel amazing if someone stepped in and gave you a hand in whatever capacity needed?  You would because you would be reminded that you matter.  

We all need that reminder sometimes.

  

Trinity getting ready to donate her hair to those in need

chop, chop!

Beautiful and so happy!

"My Hair gets to be with someone else now!"

The Pressure Cooker Called Motherhood

How is it that the most rewarding job possible is also the most stressful!  I guess with great responsibility comes great reward, but this mamma could use a break!  

What do I need a break from though?

ME!!

(Me after a day of stamping our concrete patio we put in this spring)

Yep!  Me.  I am the worst boss possible.  I expect nothing but perfection and when not delivered I seem to dwell in the shallow pool of discontentment instead of doing laps in the empty Olympic size pool of accomplishment right next to me. I know I am not an isolated case either.  On those rare occasions I get to sit and chat with other moms it is clear this is an epidemic!  

The summer projects, the finances, teaching the children, keeping the house presentable for our many guests a week, exercising, husbands work schedule, keeping up with my work schedule (which I am completely in control of, but LOVE what I get to do), three meals a day (Seriously!  Who decided we needed THREE meals a day?!), the shopping, volunteering, deadlines (both self inflicted and third party), QUALITY time with husband and children, Lions and Tigers and Bears!  Oh My!

But, everything all rolled into one kamikaze ball...  I love my life!  There isn't anything I would trade in for an upgrade.  I just need to be able to poke my head out and take a good look around more often.  

So, today fellow crusader moms with insane self management expectations, lets grasp onto some reality, give ourselves a pat on the back and go splash in that great pool of accomplishment with those we love.