nothin' fancy

Mothers aren't allowed to get
sick. And they certainly aren't
allowed to get a cold, mastitis,
and a bad back at the same
time. But if it does happen,
you had better bet it's going
to happen over a long holiday
weekend with beautiful
weather. Argh.

Maia is now 3 months old.

She starting to enjoy
books, watching toys,
rolling, kicking, and
chewing on her hands.
She is my latest teether.
Believe it or not, by this
age her big brothers
all had teeth!

Monday:

The plan
was for
me to
stay
home
so I
could
clean
the
house
and
relax.
But
since
I was
sick,
I should
have, napped. Instead I probably did too much cleaning but felt like I got nothing done. Sigh. Still, the 6 hours of silence was golden.
I made everyone a lunch for the visit to their cousins house. The boy got: sushi rice flowers/butterfly; cold spinach; shiitake mushrooms; sesame tofu; bell peppers; pea pods; starfruit (carambola) slices; cranberry pecan bread. Not shown: packet of pretzels and a Rice Dream drink box.

Husband's lunch:
similar to the
boys, with added
celery, nuts &
raisins, and carrot
chips.



Maia's "lunch" was
packed on ice in a
Hello Kitty lunch bag.
It was her first time
from me for that long;
she did great except
for disliking the 40
minute ride home.




While everyone was gone
I discovered Nate had
been up to his usual antics.
Our fruit share bag had
partially eaten apples &
pear cores in it. Thank
goodness most of our
produce is organic since
he just helps himself to
unwashed fruit when no
one is looking.

He also helped himself
to some freshly baked
cranberry pecan bread.
Either that or a little
mouse came along
after I had packed the
lunches.


Tuesday:
Farm share: arugula, celeriac, peppers, carrots, apples, butternut squash, leeks, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, broccoli, purple bok choy, baby tat soi. Not shown: PYO kale, collards, chard, hot peppers, tomatillos, herbs, flowers.

Tuesday's lunches never got photographed; I was too sick still. I believe they consisted of: sunflower butter & jelly sandwiches, cantaloupe, tofu salad, & baby carrots.

Wednesday:

Ryan's lunch he helped
pack: soy cheese cubes,
Nate's Meatless Meatballs,
carrot coins, mini banana
muffin, cantaloupe chunks,
pita chips; ladybug rice ball.




AJ's snack: mini banana
muffin, cantaloupe chunks,
rice ball, soy cheese cubes,
carrot coins.








Thursday:

I was finally feeling better, just in time for a crazy day.
Nate's lunch: pumpkin donut hole; Tofutti cream cheese & cucumber star sandwiches; orange pieces; carrot flowers & green pepper leaves; olives.

Ryan's lunch: vegetable crackers & soy cheese; a sugar cookie; cucumber slices; olives; Tofutti cream cheese & cucumber star sandwiches on lettuce; cashews; orange slices.

AJ's field trip
snack: vegetable
crackers & soy cheese;
pumpkin donut holes;
Tofutti cream cheese
& cucumber star sandwich.



AJ went apple picking
with his class at
Shelburne Farm in
Stow, MA. The apples
there were in great
condition even though
a nearby farm's crop
had suffered from a
recent hail storm.


Friday:
Ryan's lunch: cucumber slices; wheat flax lavash roll-ups with Vegannaise,sliced scallion, Tofurky smoked deli slices, & Vegan Gourmet Monterey Jack soy cheese; peanuts; olives; peas & corn; slice of carrot cake; 2 sugar cookies.

And the 2 year old's
gift of the day: a basket
with sweet potatoes,
carrots, pepper, letter
magnets, & AA batteries.
I don't think he's quite
ready for Iron Chef, LOL.

short week

The weekend began
with Ryan's 6th birthday
and a party at LazerZone
--I never thought we'd
have one of "those"
parties, but 4 kids and a
messy house suddenly
makes those party places
look very appealing!

Monday:
Ryan's lunch: pink rice ball; mango & raspberries; peanut butter pretzels; edamame; cold spinach & tat soi; a pickle; leftover slice of birthday cake.

AJ's
snack:
salsa
brown
rice
snaps;
edamame;
spinach &
tat soi;
carrot;
yellow
rice ball;
a pickle.





Tuesday:

Ryan ended up with conjunctivitis, passed from AJ, who likely caught it at preschool. Since he otherwise felt fine we did some shopping together with the baby while the other boys were at preschool.
Nate's lunch: Good Dog "flowers"; rice cubes with faces; steamed broccoli; red bell pepper hearts; cucumber flowers; a carrot; a green olive; Tofutti cream cheese & grape jelly sandwich circles; a sugar cookie.
AJ's snack: rice triangle; a carrot; a cucumber flower; a sugar cookie; steamed broccoli; Good Dog "flowers" (AJ likes his with edamame centers instead of the peas or corn I usually use).
Farm share: purple bok choy; red kuri squash; potatoes; spinach; red leaf lettuce; onions; carrots; snow pea tendrils; tomatillos; green bell peppers; green tomatoes; 1/2 peck apples & pears. Not shown PYO: hot peppers; flowers; kale, collards, swiss chard.

Wednesday:
Ryan's lunch: Thermos with leftover ma po tofu w/bamboo shoots & asian greens over ramen noodles; Torchic (a Pokemon made of orange rice & soy cheese); steamed broccoli.

AJ helped to make the
snack for his preschool
class. He called the snack
"www . 3C-snack . com"
because everything
started with the letter C.
Oy, I think he's spending
too much time online, LOL.



The first letter C
came from the
Carnival squash
that he mashed.
Then I pureed
some steamed
beets and the
batter turned
bright pink.

The class snack:
cantaloupe chunks
(with frilly tooth-
picks), squash/beet
mini muffins;
cranberry juice
(not shown).

There's no school until next tuesday due to Yom Kippur and Colombus Day.

Review: Stearns Farm CSA

I mention 'the farm' a
lot in my posts. We
belong to a local CSA
(Community Supported
Agriculture) farm called
Stearns Farm. I won't get
into its history (check out
their website though, it's
very informative), but I
do want to talk about what a wonderful asset the farm is in our lives.

Once a week we fill up bags full of locally grown uncertified organic produce grown just a couple miles from our suburban home. It is fresher and tastier than anything found at the supermarket. We have the satisfaction of helping it grow, the appreciation of the work it takes to get it to the farm stand each week, and the piece of mind of knowing who ordered the seeds, planted, weeded, harvested, washed, and sorted the food we eat. We put in 12 hours of work at the farm over the course of the season. When the kids are older I am sure we will volunteer additional time too.

The current farm manager, Kathy Huckins, just celebrated her 10th anniversary at Stearns Farm. Her speech at the Harvest Festival last weekend got me thinking about how the farm is about more than just food for us.

Picking raspberries and
cherry tomatoes at dusk
by myself gives me a half
hour respite from hectic
family responsibilities.
Grabbing some herbs for
a meal as needed without
visiting a supermarket or
increasing our carbon footprint gives me hope for the future of our planet. Sitting at the edge of the snow-covered flower garden in March and peeking into the greenhouse full of sprouting flats reminds me that the seeminglyendless winter will not last forever.

But most importantly the farm gives us a sense of community. As a family of atheists we do not join in a weekly religious group. There are atheist meet-ups, the Harvard Secular Society, and various other local non-religious groups. A sense of community is often what we humans crave most, religious or not. For us, our involvement at Stearns Farm fulfills that communal niche.

I am happy that our children
are included in the work at
the farm. There is a children's
garden, tea time crafts on
pickup days, activities for them
at festivals, a farm camp for a
few weeks in the summer, and
they may accompany the adults
during their work at the farm.
Developing a good work ethic,
learning where their food comes
from, and cooperating with others are fun and enriching experiences for them.

The outreach programs at the farm are also impressive. Approximately $10,000 worth of extra produce is donated to area shelters annually. And a few times each season residents of transitional homes come
to help with the heavy
harvests and farm work.
The farm attracts local
teens who would rather
earn summer cash working
outdoors than in a fast
food restaurant. And there
are individuals who "work
for share" instead of paying
for their produce.

This year the farm is expanding its production and growing season with a root cellar and mobile greenhouse. We will be one of the first to receive a winter share of cold-tolerant greens and root vegetables through January. What a treat it will be.

Use the locator tool at
Local Harvest to find
a CSA near you, or a
farmer's market,
restaurant, or grocery
store that carries locally
grown foods. Every farm
is unique, but there's
bound to be one near you that can enrich both your diet and your life.

Placentas

There is more room in my freezer today.
Yesterday was my oldest's 6th birthday. I finally buried all 4 placentas in the back yard. After every birth my midwife
put the placenta in a
plastic bag in our freezer.

Some people bury the
placenta later and plant
a tree or bush over it.
Others cook it into a
stew or add it to a
smoothie. Dehyrated and powdered it can be used to improve iron levels postpartum. Most mammals eat some or all of the placenta after birth; it is a powerful tool against excessive bleeding after birth.

Human placenta is known as the only truly vegan meat. It comes from a consenting human and does not harm any living creature. Nevertheless, consuming placenta just wasn't for me. I couldn't decide what to do with mine (though I knew I didn't want them just thrown in the trash).

Finally after Maia's
birth I decided I would
bury all 4 together
behind the house where
they were born. Later
I plan to put a bench
over the spot and plant
tulips around it.

Thus ends this era in my life...and my kitchen freezer's.

Harvest Festival

Sunday was my birthday,
and I wanted to spend it
with my family at the farm's
Harvest Festival. There was
the dedication of the new
root cellar, potluck lunch,
crafts in the greenhouse, a
band, popcorn, juggling &
more.


It rained on and off
all day, hence Nate's
rain gear and my
husband's hat.

Maia slept most of the
time in the mei tei, and
hooded A.J. zipped
around being silly & cute.

























Ryan
had his
face
painted
like a
tiger.

Maia
finally
woke
up
and
enjoyed
being
outside
as
usual.


At home we shared
carrot cake for my
birthday.






Monday:

Ryan's lunch: soba noodles; steamed carrot leaves; soy sauce; rice ball w/nori leaves; cucumber slices; peanuts; Lake Champlain dark chocolate w/almonds; strawberries.

Husband's lunch:
seared cabbage
salad; soba noodles
w/carrots; salad w/
red pepper dressing;
bbq soy crisps; nuts
& raisins.


AJ's snack: soba
noodles; carrot;
cucumber slices;
bbq soy crisps.





Nate practiced for
Halloween with his
new pumpkin bag,
filling it up with
organic canned
beans, LOL.

Monday afternoon
Ryan came home sick...
our first round of public
school germs. Tuesday was a Jewish holiday, and I kept everyone home wednesday as well. AJ got sick and stayed home thursday too, and by friday Nate's nose was dripping. Maia and I are holding out!!

Tuesday:
farm share: bok choy; cabbage; sweet potatoes; apples; onions; parsnips; winter squash; beets; bell peppers; eggplant; tomatoes; lettuce; spinach; baby tat soi. Not shown PYO: kale; tomatillos; hot peppers; plum tomatoes; herbs; flowers; raspberries.

Thursday:
Nate's lunch: a pickle; sesame tofu; rice Pokeball; a dried apricot; vegetable dumpling; steamed broccoli; a carrot; strawberries & raspberries.
Ryan's Pokemon lunch...Caterpie evolves into Metapod who evolves into Butterfree. 'Nuff said!

Husband's
lunch:
vegetable
dumpling
w/ soy
sauce;
soba
noodles
w/ tat
soi &
scallion;
cold tofu;
red bell
pepper
strips;
water-
melon;
carrots;
peanuts, raisins, Craisins; a pickle.

Friday:
Ryan's 6th birthday is tomorrow, so I made him a birthday lunch: grilled cheeze sandwiches;
Faery Bread (got this idea from Bento Anarchy); mini pumpkin apple muffin; Lake Champlain hazelnut dark chocolate; dried apricots; a pickle; green beans; watermelon.