healthy eating - where do you begin....

I recently received a comment on a blog from a reader who wanted to start to cook in a more healthy way and how should she go about starting that whole process. I was thinking that Earth Day is a good time to start! It will forever remind you of why you are doing it in the first place! (okay and a healthy family is a good reason too!). Like just about everything in our lives today eating healthy shouldn't be taken on as a black or white kind of thing, there certainly are grey areas and especially when you are just starting out you don't want to make this a chore or a burden so take this project on with curiosity and an open mind and you will certainly have good results.

Some of these suggestions may sound a bit extreme but I think that it's important to just start over, otherwise unhealthy things can creep back into your diet. So, for instance, if you clean out your refrigerator of all the processed foods you won't feel inclined to go back to them. And certainly there are exceptions like ketchup, the next time you buy some reach for the organic instead of heinz, just look at how much sugar is in heinz... this is true for most of the processed foods in your refrigerator.

So here are a few tips I think are good way start on a healthy path:

1) Clean out your refrigerator and toss anything that you don't recognize the ingredients to, if the names have more than three syllables toss it! I know that this is a difficult economy and waste is bad, but just start a-new! (and recycle all of those jars and containers!)

2) If your kids are with you shopping start to shop at Whole Foods or the equivalent, if you don't your kids will just load up in the sugar isle like usual. Get them used to looking at good things. I know it's expensive, but to get you started this is an easy way and you won't need to read EVERY label, the store has done it for you.

3) You will find that if you start to cook healthier you won't need as much 'stuff' when you cook and you will slowly build up the things that your family likes to eat... but you should also slowly introduce things that they may not like and after time and a few try's you will find what works for them and you! If your diet has been filled with processed foods your family is surely not going to look at a plate for veggies and brown rice and say YUM! so be prepared for this to take some time and talk to your family about why you are doing it, let them know its good for them (and eventually everyone will warm up to your new way of cooking)

4) When you are at Whole Foods get a cook book that appeals to you and read it like a book, you will find tips and ideas throughout the book that will help you cook better. I also like Martha Stewarts Everyday Food, it's a small monthly magazine that has great recipes that are easy, delicious and don't have a giant ingredients list (I hate those kind of recipes!) and since it's a monthly magazine it reminds you about eating seasonally because they focus on seasonal vegetables.

5) I think that many Americans get stuck in buying pre-made food and frozen prepared foods, if you hate cooking it's going to be difficult, but I think that everyone has their way of cooking that they like and once you get into it you will like it better and better... but it's important to cook your food for you and your family, that is where the energy is in your food, if you always use prepared foods any nutrients are pretty much worked over and lessened if not dead.

6) Look into finding a local CSA (community supported agriculture) ask at your local co-op or community board and if you can't get on one this year, sign up for next year and you will be all set! This also forces you to eat seasonally and it gets you to eat vegetables that you wouldn't normally buy. This way you can try things out and see what works for you.

7) Start with small things, things you already know how to cook, like lasanga or something and just use other ingredients like broccoli, leeks and tofu instead of meat etc. You probably don't need to eat meat more than once a week... if that! If you are eating whole foods (not the store but the food) you are getting all that you need. Many nights our dinner looks like brown rice, steamed vegies, chicken, fish, beans or tofu and thats it! You can learn to add condiments that flavor food instead of salt (like gomasio--which is sesame and salt so you use less salt).

8) You may see that you eat more food but it's cleaner and runs through you better. (like a machine). Try to cook using each of the methods of cooking on your plate; steaming something, cooking/boiling something, sauteing something, roasting, and last but not least frying in oil from time to time (croquettes made with grain are great). Not all of these all the time but when you are cooking make sure that you don't saute everything you are eating for example, instead boil rice, steam veggies, and roast a chicken... you get the idea. And don't forget about raw foods (I always forget!) but this is the most nutritional, I can usually get my kids to eat carrots or celery as a snack...but they whole raw food movement is full of delicious meals that are raw!

9) If you want to learn more about eating well and healthy I would suggest to attend the Kushi Institute Summer Conference in Palisades, NY - July 9-12. This is such a great opportunity to learn more about healthy cooking, you can take cooking classes each day and also learn more healing techniques, it's very stimulating and you will use this information in your daily life, just about every day!

The important thing is that you have fun with it, your food will taste better if you have fun while you are cooking! But don't expect that it will all come easy and you will make lots of mistakes...

This is a little like me trying this gardening thing... I'm sure I will make loads of mistakes but the fun part is trying it! --good luck!

I invite everyone to share their ideas about healthy food and what good cooking means to you!

Global Parents: Blair and Peter

Doing some research for something else, I stumbled upon a wonderful blog called Wisecraft recently. Nonchalant Mom decided that Wisecraft's creator, Blair, would be a wonderful Global Parent for this month! It is all helped by the fact that she lives in Seattle, Washington--a place that I have never had the pleasure of visiting but throughout my life I have loved the people I have met that live there. Blair will be joining Nonchalant Mom periodically to check in and share with us some of her Wisecrafting ideas and opinions for kids... I love her ideas, her style, and her enthusiasm for wholesome pleasures - her unique interest is something I hope you will come to love just as much!

Blair, and her husband of 15 years, Peter, live in Seattle, Washington (USA) with their daughter Emma (11) and son Ian (7). We have asked a few questions which Blair has delightfully answered, and you tell me... but I certainly learned some tricks! I hope you do too...

Emma and Ian

So, you own your own business right? Was this something you started before having kids, or was it related to having kids.....
I have a background in apparel design, but became an at-home mom when Emma was born. Peter has a background in brand design and marketing. He's had the idea that he could make a go on his own for a while, and once both kids were in school full time, about 2 years ago, I thought I'd like to do something in the working world, and we decided to give it a try being co-owners of a retail brand consulting company. That's how Story Trading began. Its now been a year and a half and we're going strong. We combine our talents and each of us brings a little something different to the table, which we are finding is quite valuable.

kids morning charts

So, your kids are bit older than some of our recent interviewees - what's the average morning ritual like at your home?
Emma rises with the birds (I would argue even before), Ian tends to get up at a more civilized time. On school mornings, I have to wake them both up to get ready. They stumble down to the kitchen for breakfast (usually I make fruit smoothies, and put lots of sneaky things in there that are...shhhh...good for them. I also make biscuits and freeze them for mornings when there is no time to bake (I'm from North Carolina, we like biscuits!). We really try and slow down for all meal times, sit together and spend a few minutes talking. Although for summer and weekend breakfasts, we have introduced the concept of mom leaving the cereal boxes out so you can serve yourself, its great and they love to feel they are getting their own breakfasts, and mom and dad get a few extra minutes of quiet.

From there, they get dressed (with random guidance from me when they need it, just so no one wears shorts when its snowing), attempt to tidy their beds (this is a work in progress) and they are off. We are looking forward to the upcoming summer mornings, when school is out, to have more time to slow down in the mornings even more.

Do the kids go to school, are they home schooled, etc?
They go to elementary school, Emma is in the 4th grade and Ian is in 1st.

How do the kids get to school, etc..?
We drive ourselves to school, carpool when we can. Always hoping we can one day live close enough to our school to be able to walk to it.

It's almost always difficult to be the mother also running a thriving business - our readers will be curious to see if you have any good tidbits relating to how you balance this difficult task - do you have strong family support, a team of specialists, a nanny, a great assistant, good partner or patient mother, etc etc....?
You're right, its not easy to balance it all. Especially because it all happens at our house, we don't have an outside office. Once I drop the kids off at school, I come back home and usually get right to work in my office on the main floor of our house (Peter's office is in our basement.) When the kids are home from school, that's when the real balancing act begins. Making a schedule and sticking to it is really crucial, and I'm still trying to get better at this, but its really what works. Summer days are usually me working in the morning, and doing something with the kids in the afternoon, or vice versa. And usually fitting in late night work here and there when we are faced with big deadlines. Last year we had a great relationship with a teenager down the street who came over a couple afternoons a week to play with the kids, go on hikes with them around the neighborhood, etc., which was a huge help. Other than that, its really Peter and me (no family nearby). We have no cleaning lady (I wish!), no nanny, its all us. We realize that even in the chaos, it is a gift we have given our family...to be able to do our work here at home, have a flexible schedule that allows us to spend more time with the kids.

Lunch Time!!!

What happens around lunch time on the average day? Any special concerns around food, or diets, etc? Anything about the food or daily ritual that may be different or unique to readers elsewhere in the world?
Lunch is the most freeform meal of our day. Meaning sometimes it actually doesn't happen at all if we have a big snack. (Ian seems to eat all day anyway, so stopping for lunch can seem redundant.) When I do make lunch for the kids, my emphasis is on nutritious choices, and I find that they will pretty much eat whatever I put out, so I try to make it look pretty and be healthy (this really works for them!). Carrots with the green tops might be a bigger hit that simply sliced carrots...Sandwiches cut with a cookie cutter seem more fun, that sort of thing. Emma is enjoying herbal tea these days, so maybe I'll make some and put it in her favorite tea cup (the fancier ones, of course). The same sort of idea works for their packed school lunches as well.

Ian at the Olympic Sculpture Park

Is there lots to do with kids in Seattle - anything special other readers might like to know about that you do with your own kids?
Seattle is a great place to raise kids, there's never a shortage of activities for all ages around town. We have a fantastic zoo, and newly remodeled aquarium, children's museum, there's tons of beaches to explore, snow skiing and mountains are just a short drive away. I plan to take my kids to the Central Library, designed by Rem Koohhaus, and to the newly remodeled Seattle Art Museum this summer. Currently, one of our favorite places to go is the Olympic Sculpture Park, a free, open-to-the-public outdoor space.

Any special toys or books, etc that your kids love that other parents might not know about or have at their disposal?
My kids adore books, and I'm quite happy about that. They are voracious readers and I believe it has everything to do with how much reading we all did as a family when they were toddling around. Ian is obsessed with Legos, and Emma loves American Girl dolls and everything that goes with them. We are also big big fans of audio books, and have the entire collection of Boomerang Audio Episodes for Kids, my kids are addicted to them (so am I). The creator of Boomerang became a client of ours after reading about how much we loved the programs on my blog, weird how the world works.

What's the afternoon ritual like around your house on an average day? Anything different in the way you handle things that other parents might find interesting or useful?
Afternoons are anything goes when we are all at home. We believe that the kids definitely need downtime, or just time to do their own thing, and I think they have come to really enjoy this in the afternoon. They will go to their rooms on their own, to read, play, draw, whatever. Sometimes they just play together, there are some elaborate pretend games that get created in those afternoon hours. We started the idea of "quiet time" when the napping season stopped around age 3 or so, and were firm about it. It stuck, and now I believe we all benefit from a little "me" time after lunch.

Two Green Stuffed Peas!

Days seem to be busy, even when we try to keep them from being overscheduled with activities. Kids have busy lives, and frenetic energy to live those lives. I have always been insistent that at the end of the day, we have our dinner together, at the table, as a family. I believe it is very important to reconnect as a family, talk about our day. We have a ritual that we do whenever we have trouble thinking of what happened in our day (as kids often do). We go around the table, and each person says answers "What was my Rose today?" and "What was my Thistle?" I learned this little trick from a friend, years ago, and its definitely a keeper. It gets everyone thinking, and I love calling the "bad thing" a Thistle instead of a thorn, the lesson being, even with the bad things, good things can result, and we can learn from them.


Anything special or different about your afternoon snack routine, etc?
On school days, the kids come home absolutely starving. I have found that if I have a healthy snack in the car, waiting for them, they will eat it without any complaints (this was a very happy discovery). In Seattle, there is a coffee shop on every corner, and the temptation is always there to stop in there if we have a few minutes to kill. We're trying very hard to get creative about bringing our own snacks, maybe choosing to run around at the park for a few minutes instead, or heading home and making "afternoon tea" (or hot cocoa). During the summer months, afternoon snacks usually happen outside, in the treehouse, with stuffed animals.
Evening meal? What's that like - any special circumstances on average, any special foods, etc...?
I plan a week's worth of meals on Sunday, go to the market and buy the items I'll need for all those meals. Looking at our calendar for the week, there will be nights we will have a quick meal ready to go (pre-made pizza crust, that the kids can add toppings to), and once or twice a week I'll have something new for the kids to try (these don't always go over well, but my emphasis is on trying). Meal planning has been great for our family, it keeps us from falling back on less healthy, fast food meal choices, and saves money on eating out.

What's the night time like around your home? Any special routines for the kids or you in preparing homework, getting the kids ready for bed, etc?
My kids are really good about getting ready for bed, and they go to bed early by comparison (shhh...don't tell them that), usually 8:30. We did early bedtimes when Peter was working outside the home so he and I could have some time in the evening. They read for a half an hour or so before bed, often to each other or alone. The bedtime hour is pretty calm around here. Again, I think its because that's the way its alway been for them, we established their routine and stuck to it.

Any ideas from the past about parenting that are coming back to haunt you, or instruct you (from your own parents, etc), or help you, or scare the hell out of you now, etc?
Hmmm. Well, I am the more submissive parent, and Peter is far more strict. We often clash as the kids get older and things come up (like should we let Emma get her ears pierced, I say sure, he says no, he won). I think I had submissive parents, and in many ways I see the advantages of that, but I also see how effective clearly stated rules and intentions have been for them. Our household mantra is "Behavior has consequences", meaning its all really quite simple. Good and bad behavior have natural outcomes. The kids have understood (and tested) that many times, but I hope it is something they will carry with them always. The one thing that scares the hell out of me would have to be the idea of raising teenages. I see lots of sleepless nights in my future!

Any special natural remedies or foods in your home that you might like to share with other readers? Anything you learned from your culture or family, etc.?
We have always been open to natural remedies, but also use modern medicine as well. Luckily, our kids have been pretty healthy throughout their lives, so no big worries. They swear by their rice pillows for tummyaches and it usually does the trick. For Emma's seasonal allergies, we buy locally pollinated honey for our toast and it has probably helped us all. I am a firm believer in supplements like omega-3's (especially for boys, I read somewhere that they can't store it the same way girls do, but don't hold me to that) and add it to smoothies, along with probotics, wheat germ, all kinds of stuff they would spit out if they knew!

Anything else you might like to add that we didn't touch in our questions, or that you feel other parents might like to know about your family - could be informative, funny, a little tidbit, etc etc? Well, I was once given a tip by my good friend that if you needed a moment from your child, ask them to go look for a book or toy in another room that...well...is most likely not there. Weird? You tell me. Those 5 minutes of them looking...and you taking a deep breath could be the best spent 5 minutes of your day.

Another trick is...whenever you're closing the car doors, tell the kids to touch their nose (to get those little fingers out of the way). It works every time.

And lastly...hugs speak volumes. Give lots of them!

Thank YOU Blair! We look forward to working with you!

poisoned waters

Leave it to Frontline to celebrate earth day but bringing to light the polluted waters of America, this year is the 30th anniversary of the 'clean water act' and it looks like our water is more polluted than ever. Frontline examines the newest health hazards in our nation's contaminated waterways, in FRONTLINE’s Poisoned Waters, airing Tuesday, April 21, 2009, from 9 to 11 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings), Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hedrick Smith examines the growing hazards to human health and the ecosystem. Why frogs have six legs, females with male parts and males with female parts, and in this special 2 hour Frontline we will hopefully see suggestions on why this is happening.

In our house, my husband and I love Frontline and rarely miss a show but if you are new to it be prepared for some very serious and upfront issues and some very straight talk. In Poisoned Waters Hedrick Smith looks are who, what, where and why, and we learn that “The ’70s were a lot about, ‘We’re the good guys; we’re the environmentalists; we’re going to go after the polluters,’ and it’s not really about that anymore,” Jay Manning, director of ecology for Washington state, tells FRONTLINE. “It’s about the way we all live. And unfortunately, we are all polluters. I am; you are; all of us are.”

Through interviews with scientists, environmental activists, corporate executives and average citizens impacted by the burgeoning pollution problem, Smith reveals startling new evidence that today’s growing environmental threat comes not from the giant industrial polluters of old, but from chemicals in consumers’ face creams, deodorants, prescription medicines and household cleaners that find their way into sewers, storm drains, and eventually into America’s waterways and drinking water.

Click here for more information and if you miss the episode that is running Tuesday, April 21, 2009, from 9 to 11 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings) then you can see it online as well... just don't miss it!

antik batik on sale for a week!

For one week only we have put the Antik Batik collection on sale - the new collection as well as the already on sale collections... I really love Antik Batik and we would like to pass on some savings to you. You may have noticed that their collection was priced higher this season that in the past, it's a little hard to explain and has to do with international shipping, duties, etc... but in the end I felt it was higher than it has in the past so I wanted to offer 20% off so that it wasn't so out of reach.


We will take the 20% off when we process and ship your order, so you will not see the discount when you receive your email confirmation, but you will see it reflected on your receipt with your package (sorry we are a bit behind the times with the discount codes and such!). This offer is only for one week, April 16th - April 24th... at midnight on the 24th the sale will end.


This is a bit out of the ordinary for Nonchalant Mom to offer an in-season sale but I wanted to pass some savings onto you after tax time... uff Da!

Antik Batik - Spring 2009 collection (click here)
Antik Batik - already on sale... (click here)

vampire energy

Like I said in my previous post, lately I am a bit concerned about the 'energy' that races through our house! Have you ever gotten up in the middle of the night to get your kids a drink of water and noticed how your house is 'lit up' with the various on-lights, electrical equipment, and clocks in your home? My favorite is when I hear a low 'humming' and notice that the TV is off, but the VCR is still rolling away through the movie--ever wonder how much energy that takes! yikes!!

Well the wonderful people at Good Magazine have posted a very simple graph on the Vampire energy swiping that may be going on in your home and how it can save you up to $270 a year on your energy bills, now you may not think this is much (although I DO!) but if you put together all of the homes throughout our country alone it comes up to just about $3 billion dollars of waste a year! geeze!

I would like to also talk about the wireless in your home, these are a huge part of the light's that blink late at night in our home and why the heck do we need that on all night! Besides the energy used the possibilities of what is pulsing through our home is alarming, so we are turning ours off at night. It may just be me but I also think that wireless has something to do with Colony Collapse Disorder (click here for the wikipedia page on CCD), it somehow makes sense to me so I am going to watch out and turn things off--what's to loose! and I'll be saving a few bucks on my energy bill!

I hate to be the scary voice when you visit my blog, I like to combine the good with the bad but this is something I have thought of quite a bit lately and it all really makes sense--let's try not to be so wasteful!

The Beautiful Truth

I'm not sure how it happened but the movie "The Beautiful Truth" recently showed up in our mailbox from Netflix and it's one of those movies I didn't remember ordering, couldn't remember what it was about when it arrived, but the text on the cover sounded interesting so late one night we plopped it in and watched... I was really amazed at this simply wonderful movie! We had some friends over and so we all watched it together and it was unanimous... The Beautiful Truth is an amazing journey by a young boy and his father through the Gerson Therapy, it's implications, it's applications and so much more! The approach is so very simple in this movie that our kids watched it as well, and while they didn't understand all the details, I think it was great for them to see this young boy doing quite a bit of research to find out more about this most wonderous therapy.

While the Gerson Therapy is the main point of the movie I came away with so much more! ...and I am running out to get a juicer, if you are looking at making your life just a bit more simple you should watch this movie and let it move you to action. If you want to know more about the Gerson Therapy before renting the movie click here to go to their website or click here for more information on the movie.


The move also talks about cell phones, fillings in your teeth, and so much more! If you are wondering what is happening with the Bees... it becomes pretty clear that the colapse has a lot to do with cell phones. We are much more careful about what we leave plugged in at night and our wireless in the home and cell phones (see my next post on the vampire energy), it's not something to be afraid of yet something to be aware of... to help you live your life in a better way, if it doesn't make sense to you just don't do it, but you may surprise yourself when it is presented in such a simple and basic way.

spring gardening!

This seems to be the year I am finally starting a garden... for the past five years I have wanted to do it but have not found the time and we have ended up with a share at the local CSA.. which as been great! and such a nice way to eat locally grown organic vegetables. But I really wanted my kids to experience the garden, I have such fond memories of walking into the garden and eating green beans and carrots right out of the ground! I wanted my kids to have this memory as well, I also want them to see what's growning how long it takes and help work the garden as well (I'll let you know how that goes as well...hhmmm.)

I also noticed this year that just about everyone was doing it... so how could I not!? As I went over to each of my friends houses we oogled over their sprouting seeds. So we dove into the project this weekend, the kids helped me start the seeds with these handy pods and then we will plant them soon enough!

I am also going to start a little 'nonchalant mom garden project' and I will be updating you on the progress of my low-maintenance approach to gardening. We will plant a portion the traditional way but then part of the garden will be an open project because last year when I planted my planters and flower beds I used my compost, which we happily dumped everything into including seeds, so we had wonderful, delicious tomatos and squash growning out of my planters last year. This year I am ready for them and I am going to dump my compost into a square of my garden and just leave it to see what comes up! low-maintenace nonchalant mom style! ...I will let you know how this turns out.

but for now I am happy to say that after two days we are already seeing some sprouts!

handkerchief hat

While traveling I often see these simple little ideas that I really love. In this kind of weather that's not really warm.. yet... but it's too warm for a winter hat, so I love the handkerchief idea! I like to do this myself but when I was in Sweden I saw a lot of people using this for kids and babies and I love it!

It's also a simple and easy way to keep the hot sun off a bald head, and still look cute, in the high summertime!

just one of the multiple idea from a little thing.... handkerchief!

parasites!? --don't be afraid

I know this is a weird subject (and I'm kind of kidding with this image), but I would like to try to un-weird it for you and maybe help you to understand them better. Parasites are pretty darn common and you can go through a lifetime and not know you have them, honestly you don't really ever get rid of them but I think that there can sometimes be a problem when they are 'attacking' you (for lack of a better word). Candida is a form of parasite, just to give you an idea. Now don't go online and google parasites because it will freak you out, and this approach to parasites is not common and so you will see all kinds of craziness if you google them, and I am not talking about tape worm of these kinds of thing... it's more intestinal.

I would like to tell you a little story to get at the heart of what I am trying to communicate about parasites, this happened to me about two years ago and ever since I have wanted to share this story with you... because it was such a relief for me. On a yearly visit that I like to do with Dr. Warren King in Minneapolis two years ago he told me that I had a parasite on/in my colon, so he gave me a homeopathic remedy to get rid of it. When I had taken a few days of the remedy I called Dr. King to ask him what kind of remedy that was because for the past year I had had this kind of 'anger' that was pretty horrible and I couldn't really understand it--he explained that the remedy was for the parasite not for the anger, BUT the parasite was in my colon which would relate to the anger that I was experiencing. Getting rid of the parasite relieved that anger, and it was weird how it just disappeared. I was completely amazed. Now, I'm not telling you that if you are angry you have a parasite in your colon but rather, healing the root of a problem can really bring relief. If you have a chronic issue, that is fairly subtle, a parasite could be your issue.

Drinking certain teas can help you to combat parasites, the first is a tea that you can drink about once or twice a day called Pao D'Arco--I just went to search Pao D'Arco on google to make sure that I had the spelling right and I came upon a wealth of information on this medicinal herb which has links to curing cancer and helping thyroid problems--click here for more information. I don't have any experience with this myself so we are going to stick to the parasites. Another tea is Corsican Seaweed Tea, which tastes horrible! You can buy this tea in most Health food stores or at the Natural Import Company and here are the preparation instructions:

How to Make Corsican Seaweed Tea

Corsican Seaweed Tea is a fox-like plant which grows beneath the warmer waters of the Atlantic and Pacific. To Prepare: Add one-quarter ounce (approx. 12.3 grams) of Corsican Seaweed to 2 Cups of spring water. Cook down slowly until 1 Cup of liquid remains. Drink before breakfast or on an empty stomach and wait at least 2 hours before taking any food.

I also feel that drinking Kombucha is great for building healthy flora in your intestines. Kombucha seems to be taking the world by storm at the moment so you can find it anywhere! It has a crazy taste that you will get used to (and eventually crave), just don't freak out when that 'goo' lands in your mouth, it's all part of the beauty of Kombucha! (I like the original flavor best.. but you need to find your favorite!)

It may be hard to find a local homeopathic practitioner that is into this kind of thing but it's something to talk to people about and you never know when you might find a person, who has seen a person who is great!!! pass it on!! and if you are in Minnesota it is certainly worth a trip to Dr. Warren King, he is amazing!

Children's Television !!

Our 3 year old was home sick the other day. Normally we don't encourage to much television but with her energy level at a low and the fact that there is still plenty of work to get done, I compromised and let her have her favorite pillow and blanket for a relaxing time in front of the television. At our home, one of the favorite channels to watch is Noggin. We like our local PBS station too, but currently the favorite is the programming on Noggin. There are a lot of fun programs on the channel that our 3 year old, (and even our 7 year old), watches with interest!

Because, as she watched, my temporary desk was set up at the kitchen table where I could see her resting and watch what she watched - I thought I'd provide todays blog!

One of the things I like about the channel is the emcee or host of the site: I think his name is 'Moosehead' Moose - and his cute blue sidekick 'Zee' fluttering away. Moosehead has a very folksy and friendly (read: patient) approach, his voice is very soothing - kind of like how you'd wish a friendly Uncle or Grandfather might be. Below are some of the favorites at the moment:

Yo Gabba Gabba:
Hands down the strangest thing on children's television since the 'Teletubbies' were first introduced. From the start, with the host, DJ Lance Rock (dressed totally in his orange one-piece with his fuzzy orange hat), setting the tone - the whole show is one long rave/rock concert of music, dancing, and positive ideas of sharing, responsibility, and friendship. Sharing the stage with Lance is an odd mix of 'monsters' including the 'Red Cyclops', 'Pink Flower Bubble', and 'Yellow Robot.' The program is all over the place.... and I mean it too!!! When I first saw it I was 'mouth-dropping' awed - like 'what the heck is this strange thing?!?' Of course, after a few viewings since then I have come to sort of appreciate its progressiveness and strange hip-ness. The show even produces current indy-bands and some daring celebrities like Jack Black going all out in the name of entertainment. It is worth giving the time... but may take a few shows to get the hang of. Today while watching it I was wrapped in a flurry of quick editing, jumping rythyms, odd set ups, and whacky staging...... but my daughter and I were transfixed, and even laughing! REALLY CRAZY!!!

Oswald:
For a completely different pace, Oswald is a delight to the senses! You can't beat the pace, the color, and the animation/characters. Oswald is a big blue Octopus with a very friendly demeanor. His partners include his pet 'hotdog' named Weenie, his curmudgeonly friend penguin named Henry, and the enthusiastic Daisy. Together, they create slow adventures and dialogue that ring familiar. My favorite aspect is the music that accompanies the show!


Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!
Equally as cute as Oswald, Wubbzy is a cute and friendly character who gets into situations and seemingly finds solutions to getting out of them. Together with his scientist friend Walden, he is helped with ideas and solutions. His other friend Widget is the inventor who makes all sorts of whacky things to aid the group! Together they get into and out of things. I personally like Wubbzy's voice and all the colors!

I don't feel so bad when the kids awake before us and the eldest is in charge of turning on the TV for Saturday morning (we preset the channel the night before for ease!). I know I'm in pretty good hands with the overall feel of the Noggin team and feel my children laughing and talking back to the shows! The best thing is that there are no commercials to worry about - like even on PBS now....ouch! And, further, we have now discovered the website where the kids can play age-appropriate video games for an hour that help further their development and encourage their fair-play skills!

yogurt - did you know....

Everybody has their reasons for eating and enjoying yogurt; taste, health and wellness or as a desert... whichever is your choice you should know a thing or two before you choose your yogurt. Like, did you know that most national brand yogurts don't contain active yogurt cultures? with a brand like yoplait... might as well just drink a cup of milk with sugar!
There are several different types of probiotic cultures, but it is important that the cultures are live, if you are looking at heavily processed yogurt (Dannon and Yoplait) it is entirely possible that the beneficial cultures are no longer alive.

live probiotic cultures can have healthy effects on any of the following:
allergies
cholesterol
colon cancer
constipation
diarrhea
high blood pressure
inflammatory bowel disease
irritable bowel syndrome
immune function and natural defense system
lactose intolerance

I was interested to learn that if you are lactose intolerant you can eat yogurt because of the active yogurt cultures without the discomfort. If you are taking antibiotics it's great to eat yogurt to help repair your intestinal flora, kefir is great for this as well and super healthy for your kids if they are on antibiotics.

just a few brands that I looked into:
Dannon - I looked through their website and 95% of their products list sugar as their second ingredient (if it wasn't sugar it was fructose in the remaining 5%) and many do not contain active yogurt cultures--so be careful to read the label but these have way too much sugar to give to kids, it's really just like candy. Even their light version contained fructose, aspartame, modified corn starch, citric acid... it just goes on...)

Yoplait - The same as above, sugar is the second ingredient on all of their products.

you get the picture...

Stonyfield Farm - we love them because they are organic but they are not totally out of the hot water, their recipe for the children's products have 25% less sugar than other standard kids yogurts, so that's pretty good, but really it's still the second item listed (organic cane sugar). All of their products contain active yogurt cultures, so they get a good rating for us but not great. I once got an email from a mom who injected plain yogurt into their yogurt tubes with a syringe, I know it sounds weird but every time I give my kids one of those things I think of that mom's wonderful idea!

I think that the best thing that you can do is use plain yogurt, our family is pretty into greek yogurt, and add the flavors yourself! honey, homemade jam, lingonberry sauce, bananas, melon, etc... then you get the good effects of yogurt and you don't have to make it so sweet (YOU control the sugar). I also think that sweetened yogurt trains your kids to like sweet things, they literally get used to the sweet taste and expect it. Sure your kids are going to balk the first time you offer them plain yogurt with a bit of fruitiness but they will eventually get used to it. You can also open a "kids yogurt" and then just stir in some plain yogurt so it's not completely sweet... I promise you they will never know the difference!


Kefir is also a good way to add probiotics to your kids sweetened yogurts, it's easier because it's more liquid, and it's terrific for smoothies. Although kefir and yogurt are similar in taste, Kefir has more than double the amount of live and active cultures - 10 strains of bacteria, where as most yogurts generally have only two or three. Some (particularly frozen) yogurts do not contain any live bacteria or could have bacteria that have long since died, due to processing and other disruptive factors (honestly I never thought of that...). Always check the label. There are some great Kefir products from Lifeway, for adults and kids (probugs above are yummy for kids!) they have less sugar and they taste great! I think that yogurt can be such a good part of a families diet but WATCH OUT--you may just be handing your kids a load of sugar or sending them to school with a cup of sugar for lunch, so be choosy and enjoy the wonderful benefits of yogurt! read labels and be smart when choosing your yogurt.

Like I always say, I don't know everything about yogurt, I was just surprised to find most of this out, so if YOU do please give us a comment so that we can all learn more about the benefits of healthier yogurt.

The Nonchalantdad: The Message is Everything

I've been thinking about messages lately. A couple of things. The other day my son came to me while I was making dinner and said to me that he and his sister needed to go to 'Chuck-E-Cheese'. When I asked him why, he told me that the television just announced that it was a place 'where a kid could be a kid'. They were watching a cartoon on PBS, of all things! How would I navigate that one? This reminded me of something I had seen starting to take place when our previous president came into office. I noticed that at almost every occasion he spoke, behind him would appear some key words, etc. Something that had only really been noticeable in campaigns was now arriving in the presidential day to day. I put the photo above to point out the most obvious one during that presidency - but moreso, to remind myself, and you, something that you already know: THE MESSAGE (good or bad, and even manipulative) IS EVERYTHING! Normally, this is something that might be filed into a corner where only PR and advertising people might show interest. But, now, the messages streaming in front of us have become so pervasive it is ridiculous to pretend you aren't effected.

The other day I saw a strange story in the national news associated with Ms Universe, or Ms World...or something like that. Ms Universe was speaking about how wonderful her visit to Guantanamo Bay was - how she, and a group of others, met with the guards and looked around the place a bit (hmmm.... I liked the part where she said she didn't happen to see any of the prisoners...ouch). I thought it was some sort of April Fool's prank at first. The 'difficulty' was, in her obvious enthusiasm, that she made the place sound like she was visiting a Club Med (she mentioned having time to go swimming in the pristine waters)... and soon enough, people around the country noticed the obvious irony.... and just like that the message was 'edited'. This is a perfect example of 'sending the wrong message.' Whoa!

Now, what does this have to do with raising children, you may ask? Well, I think it has everything to do with raising children. A large portion of what our young people pick up is not usually by what we say as parents, but what we are doing as parents - and what they see when they are out and about. We set the tone, we are the message, continuously.

So, I am pleased to say that the message coming from the White House these days seems to be much more positive. Just this month, two very important things took place that would cheer the heart of any caring parent and advocate of 'YES WE CAN' change. And, the good thing about it was that it was not delivered with any sense of purpose, other than good ol' authentic sincerity.
How's that for CHANGE!

The news from the White House first came at the beginning of this last month when it was announced that Mr and Mrs Obama were installing a swing and play set for their young daughters. Where would they put it? Apparently near the Oval Office where Daddy could watch them play while at work. How normal is that? Then, later in the month of March came word that the Obama's would be creating and planting their own vegetable garden (an ORGANIC one at that) on the White House property - near to where the swing and play set would be located. Imagine that, two small seemingly inconsequential things that any family might consider, given knew attention and meaning by the First Family. I don't know about you - but after all the negativity and faux importance given the last decade of messages - this was a FRESH CHANGE! Imagine what this says to millions of Americans? Just think.

Now, nobody is perfect - especially me - but I want my message to my kids to be as fruitful and clear as possible. I grew up, as many of you might have, in a time and a place where the message being presented did not always jibe with the message being delivered. Let's just say that there was alot of hypocrisy when it came to good parenting - in particular I'm thinking of all of those 'films' we used to have to watch in school that were supposed to teach us how we could be well behaved and good citizens. Nonetheless, being the son of a nurse meant that many of the important messages I received otherwise were always delivered with an almost brutally compassionate honesty. But, that's not my point really. My point is that whenever possible I try to explain to my children that what they see in their parents, for good or bad, is how it is in the world at large - at least it is authentic!

Of course, as a father, I was a little angry the other day when I happened to pick up one of my wife's favourite parenting magazines. I'm generally disappointed, a bit, in this magazine anyhow since it seems to be squarely focused on celebrity stuff (what a surprise!) - even within parenting - and offers lots of information that just does not seem to be authentic. Case in point: I'm reading this article/interview about a working mother and how she balances running her own company and her home life. She quite honestly states in the interview that she and her husband made an agreement that he would leave his career and be more of a stay at home dad while she continued on and focused on the company business. No problem with that. But, the article goes on to state how the father has taken on much of the responsibility of the day to day with their son and she tries to squeeze in the evenings and weekends. Again, no problem. What I had a problem with is that the magazine article only featured images of the mother playing, or reading, with the boy (and of course some images of the business). Where was the father's image in all of this? Apparently, someone somewhere thought that his inclusion wasn't as important to the overall impression, or message. His inclusion might not have been as glamourous, considering perhaps that the magazine is read overwhelmingly by women.

I don't want to sound unfair, given the long long ..... long.... history of that kind of role reversal where the father got all the attention through work and career, etc. while the mother spent the time taking the brunt of the home-bound duties pretty much quietly and in the shadows. But, the message is everything: is the father not presentable enough to this magazine that he doesn't even warrant a single image. And, the mother, who is hardly present in the day to day, pretends to be the stay at home parent. That's just not right....... humpfff!!!

I put that kind of image, or message, right up there with the ones I find most amusing. These are not the usual photo spreads of parents, where the parents are just dressed up nicely (I can live with that - I've had to do it myself), but, instead, these are the photos of mommy frolicking on the beach or back garden, fully kitted out in a changing array of couture dresses. I have yet to meet the average mommy, or daddy, who is able to do that in one afternoon jaunt - let alone even on special occasions! So, why do they do show us this stuff? I'll tell you: because our messaging system is all messed up!

The messages are everywhere - everyday. They make up how we see ourselves, present ourselves, and who we aspire to be. And, if anything has shown us lately that the messages coming out of the influential are now woefully suspect, considering the economic turmoil etc, it is that messages are very very important - and can have alot of major influence. Just look around you! And, if you're not.... I can assure you that your children are!!! If you set a bad tone, you get a bad result. Set a GOOD HONEST tone, get a better result. It's not hard to fathom.

It is why I wanted my kids to see the story on Mr and Mrs Obama and their recent decisions - moreso than watching a Ms Universe take in the beautiful surroundings of the setting of Gauntanamo, or another mother dressed in haute couture while playing house with the kids in yet another photo spread. It makes for a strange world and a tough navigation! I'd hate to see a point where we are all much like the characters in that popular movie from the 90's - the Truman Show. I doubt we will be, but boy..... it sure feels like it sometimes!

recipe - healthy 101

We eat dinner as a family every night, at this point I don't think that we would even think of doing anything else. The kids like to set the table and then make a big deal about where everybody is sitting (some nights everyone wants to sit next to mommy and some nights it's daddy). My husband likes to eat healthy but sometimes he doesn't want to eat brown rice and greens like me and the kids do every night! So... when he goes out of town we have a really big HEALTH FEST!

There are so many things you can make with brown rice and kids always like it! I think mostly because it's easy to eat and they can feed themselves. But when Dad goes out of town we all say "YAY! time for a big pot of brown rice!" I think that just about anything is good with brown rice so whatever you are making you can add it... but here are some suggestions.

I have a previous post on making rice which is "Brown Rice 101" click here for the details because there is a really nice and extra healthy way to make brown rice (and you can get some seaweed in there without kids knowing about it!). Start with the brown rice and then here are some meal ideas that are fun and kids love it!

MEAL 1
-brown rice
-steam any greens ie. kale, broccoli or carrots and sprinkle with homemade gomasio (recipe here)
-tofu with onion and shoyu - saute onion with a bit of oil in a iron skillet, cube tofu and add to pan and saute at medium heat for quite awhile and try to brown it, then add shoyu or tamari (I like to dilute it with 3 parts water to 1 part shoyu, to equal about 1/2 cup)

MEAL 2
-brown rice -steam kale with gomasio
-roast a chicken with salt/pepper, garlic and lemon for about 45 minutes - 1 hour

MEAL 3
-brown rice, make with a little extra water or if you are using leftover rice steam it or warm it up with some more water so that it's pretty moist use an egg and mix it into the rice and roll rice balls (or I make little patties because I can't get my rice balls to work!) and fry them in a medium heat pan -- these are brown rice croquettes, they are terrific when made with millet as well but now we are talking about brown rice! you could even take a small piece of umeboshi (the plum you used for cooking your rice) and put that in the center.
-take your kids favorite greens saute, dissolve a tablespoon of kuzu (available online at the kushi store) in about a cup of water and pour into pan, add a dash or two of tamari, cook until the kuzu becomes clear and thick (if its too thick just add water) and pour this over your croquettes.
-you can add seitan to this dish as well for some protein and kids LOVE seitan (I really like the Bridge brand, it's delicious and tastes really moist and yummy)

MEAL 4
Fried rice - just use your favorite greens chopped up small and an egg, and I like to add a bit of miso (just dilute a spoonful in a cup of water and pour it in at the end--don't boil it--just until it gets warm) and put some gomasio on top - this is really the kids favorite!

I will say that there are people who think that macrobiotic food uses too much salt so you just need to be careful of this, we don't like salty food so we really don't use much, but just try to be aware and use shoyu, tamari and miso sparingly until you figure out how much you like.

In the past I have had many comments from people trying to find these ingredients but if you just go online to the kushi store they have everything and you can be pretty much assured that it is fresh because they go through it pretty quickly.

If your kids don't like tofu (but really any kid I know loves it!) try 'snow dried tofu' or try different brands they all taste different (but it should be organic--soy beans are not good if they are not organic) or use Seitan.

Good things to have in the pantry are:
-shoyu or tamari (tamari is less salty)
-umeboshi plums (I keep them in the fridge)
-kombu seaweed (used for making brown rice or when soaking beans)
-gomasio (homemade is best--you can control the salt and it tastes nuttier if you make it yourself)
-tofu
-gomasio

good luck and happy cooking!

for the home--Paola Lenti

My friend Karen gave me this link because Paola Lenti is opening a showroom here in the US--very exciting! Paola Lenti is an amazing Italian furniture company that wonderfully combines rich texture and great design, not to mention really stunning color! I like the combination of a simple weave in many of her furniture designs, braiding or crochet that when incorporated with her impossibly simple style the result is classically perfect and without pretension. You can really feel that these are new shapes and truly unique furniture and I think that her rugs are so very innovative.



These wonderful chairs (above) are woven with wool rope to create the upholstery it's a wonderfully simple look that I think could bring beauty to just about any room.


I think that the unique aspect of Paola Lenti is their attention to indoor and outdoor furniture, no where can you find this approach to design more fun and at the same time extremely sophisticated. Although in MY house it would look much more fun and less serious than these really perfectly styled images (for example toys thrown everywhere...), but I think that that is what is great about this furniture, I can see this looking fantastic with just about any interior, at the same time making any interior enhanced by it!

so should we now talk about your exterior possibly looking anywhere near this cool! Life always throws something your way to make you desire something, and why not this furniture!


It's all a look that I deeply desire and well... we can all dream can't we! Thank you Karen for sending this information our way!

visit their website for more information