Where does your food come from?

Food is a basic need - it sustains life - it can heal, nourish, energize and bring us together.  It can also cause disease, dysfunction and death.  The production of food can be beautiful, healthy and craft - but it can also be heartless, disgusting and short-sighted.  There are many issues at stake, when we speak about food, but overall I think it's important for us to demand the best.  In regard to taste, nutrition, ecological practices, ethical practices and common sense we must demand more.

To dial in my point, let's look at tomatoes.  Buy a beautiful spherical almost-pink tomato from your local grocery.  After slicing it, take a bite - what does it taste like?  Well, honestly, they don't  taste like anything.  Sort of bland and fruity, but no real flavor profile to speak of.  It looks like a tomato and acts like a tomato... but why doesn't it have any flavor?  Most grocery store tomatoes are picked before they've ripened - some producers pick them while they're green and spray them with ethylene gas to speed up their 'ripening' in transit to your grocer.  So, the tomato you're buying doesn't taste like a tomato, simply because it wasn't ready to be a tomato.  Have you ever eaten a warm, sun-ripened tomato straight from the vine, in August?  It's one of the most delicious things I can imagine.  So, as far as taste is concerned there is simply no contest between a backyard tomato and an average store-bought tomato.
Now, remember your grocery tomato?  It was so pretty and spherical! But this sun-ripened tomato has lost it's perfect shape and looks a bit oblong and some varieties are a bit lumpy - and that's how they grow, naturally.  So, why is that one perfect? Because it was picked before it could fully grow!  We've grown dozens of varieties of tomatoes over the years and when they first start to grow, they are all round and perfect.  Do you think that grocery tomato, which has been artificially ripened has the same nutrient value as my homegrown imperfectly shaped tomato?  Studies have been done for decades about this very thing - and especially in regard to Vitamin C vine-ripening produces a superior result. If we're still taking score, the homegrown tomato may be ugly, but it's extra time ripening has given it a boost in nutrients - I, obviously, don't care about aesthetic symmetry in regard to food, so on my score card, the homegrown tomato is still winning.
With a fruit, grown in your yard, you know what care has been taken and you know where that tomato has been. With a grocery tomato, it gets a bit tricky.  A LOT of fruit is grown in South America, which is so far from here.  So, at the very least you know it's traveled by plane, boat, train or truck to arrive at your grocer.  Transportation costs money and uses fuels - the farther that produce travels the more cost financially and ecologically.  But do you know what was sprayed on that tomato? Pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers?  If I walked into your backyard and sprayed your tomatoes with those chemicals or waste, would you eat them?  With fertilizer alone, would it bother you to know the largest source of nitrates in water supplies is agricultural fertilizers?  Or that the levels of nitrates in water supplies contaminates the ecosystems associated with those waterways? From microbes to humans, we're all affected.  *agricultural pollution info  Some grocery tomatoes are grown organically, but not usually locally, so you have to think these tomatoes are still ripening off the vine, in transit to you.  There are also 'hothouse' tomatoes, which are usually beautiful, and some are still attached to their vine, but that doesn't mean they're grown organically nor are greenhouses energy efficient.  Here, I think of ecological and ethical practices in the same category.  I can eat a tomato grown in my backyard with a clear conscience, but not a agro-factory-grown grocery tomato.  As you can see there is a bit of a spectrum, homegrown, locally organically grown, locally grown, hothouses, grown in our country, grown in another country or grown in another continent.  Ecologically, my backyard tomato wins big points.
Unfortunately, I can only grow tomatoes in my yard, once a year.  My solution : can as many of my own tomatoes as possible and use them through winter.  Even with all the canning I did last year, with 6 tomato varieties, I will still run out of tomatoes before summer.  And that's ok - tomatoes grow in a season.  Does that mean I'll buy tomatoes for the next few months? Not unless I can find a trusted source close to home.  And why would I bother purchasing an average grocery tomato, which doesn't even taste like a tomato?

There are many foods, other than tomatoes - and each one has the same concerns.  It's worth becoming informed about.  There are plenty of excellent films about our food supply, which are enlightening and strengthen my resolve to choose BETTER, whenever I can.  Food, Inc., Broken Limbs, King Corn, Dirt!, Fresh, and The Future of Food.  Our health and the health of our planet is worth a second thought at the grocery store.

Explore

This past weekend the Schram Fam had so much fun! Please excuse this photo-heavy post.

Saturday: Mommy had a letterpress class at Idaho Poster & Letterpress . That meant Daddy spent most of the day home with all the kids!  Iris learned how to mow the yard riding in the backpack.  All the kids spent time crafting and listening to music, with all the windows open and the warm air filling the house.
I had so much fun taking a class, in Boise, by myself! It was so strange to drive the car, without any carseats in it.  I stopped and grabbed a coffee before my class started and I just sat downtown, listening to the sound of NOTHING.  My class was really interesting, and the history and equipment were right up my alley.  I could have spent days looking through the drawers of type.

Here are my projects - Live Life, is made with woodtype - So, it has come to this, is made with lead type. I used two different presses, and it was all really cool. I'll definitely go back and try my hand at new designs.

When I got home from my class, everyone was anxious to get out, so we had dinner and then ended up at Camel's Back Park (Schramlets call it Camel Back Mountain).  Daddy and the kiddos climbed the hill twice, while Iris squealed with delight on the swings!

Yes, he did wear that skeleton outfit, with the cape, all day long. The highlight was when he was running across the park and some 'big kids' (teenagers) stopped to say 'cool cape, man!'.

Sunday morning, we woke up early, and Dave made Apple Fritters (Ella calls them Apple Fruiters) - then we packed a lunch and headed to Celebration Park  .  We hiked and explored the petroglyphs.  This archeological park, is pretty great. The kids had fun trying to decipher the messages.

We saw some real live lizards too, not just these rock carvings.

One, two, three  "PICKLES!"

 Irie spent a lot of the hike, asleep curled up in the backpack! The older kids asked a couple times if we would carry them, when it got hot and they got tired.  Ella opted for sunning herself on this rock.

Happy kids and happy parents.
It really was the most beautiful weekend we've had this year.  We spent Sunday evening making pizzas in the brick oven, and enjoying the sun in our backyard.  Then we all slept like champs!
Here's to another fantastic weekend.

Best thing ever...

I hope this inspires you to make someone's day!

Around Here...

Back from spring break and back to our 'normal routine'.  The thing with normal is ... it's never really the same.  In one single week, we've had two visits from the Tooth Fairy, a visit from the Haircut Fairy and a 10 month old who has learned to crawl!  Add crazy springtime weather, new hobbies and a babe cutting front teeth... and well, I guess that's normal, right now.

While, I'm sure Iris enjoyed her week of all the attention from Mommy and Daddy, with the big kids at Grandma's for the week - she has been eating up all their affection since they've been home.  She actually lets out a squeal when one of them leaves the room, as if they should be doting on her every waking hour.  Let's hope, they don't let her get away with that for much longer.  She has finally mastered crawling, and is quite mobile.  Which leads to the 'frustrated baby' phase - because Mommy won't let you crawl at the grocery store, in the car, in the mud, on my bed, in the wet grass, while getting your diaper changed nor on the stairs.  This phase leads to 'frustrated mommy' phase - because frustrated baby makes a horrendous fuss/twist/back-arch/squeal when Mommy won't allow said crawling.  Her swollen gums are most certainly adding to her frustration - poor kid!  Don't let me fool you, I do not have it so rough... she still sleeps 11 hours through the night, takes naps without complaint, eats anything I put in front of her and is generally quite a happy girl.

Ella has been busy accessorizing.  Each day her outfits are becoming more intricate.  And don't forget the hair clips, bracelets, necklaces and layers. I can't keep up with her fashions, but I am learning how important it is to let her be herself.  As we walked into her preschool this week, a schoolmate asked the teacher, 'Does my hair look pretty?!' - her response: "Do you think it looks pretty? That's all that matters." *Have I mentioned how much I adore her teacher?*  Fortunately, with Ella, I don't think she has an issue with self-image, right now.  She knows how cute she is.

Peter lost two front teeth this week - and he's learning to speak around those new holes in his mouth.  He has mentioned that his F's and S's aren't quite sounding right, but he's working on them.  He was so worried about pulling his teeth - he wanted to just let them fall out of his head, on their own.  Anytime I mentioned how loose they were, he would burst into tears... he was even afraid one might fall out while he slept.  So, I bribed him with donut club, I told him, that top tooth would have to come out  - he could choose who pulled it, but it had to go.  In the end, he opted for mom's tooth pulling expertise, and it came out effortlessly.  The next morning, while eating an apple, his other tooth stuck in the apple and came right out! So, now he's a couple dollars richer and has a holey grin.
Gracie asked for a Chess set for her birthday - now she's been taking turns teaching the littles to play with her.  Gracie is counting down to the end of school, already.  She likes school, but she LOVES summer.  She has been painting and crafting - daydreaming and reading books.  They were allowed a free-dress day at school (no uniforms) and they had the option of dressing like something from space.  She had taken the time to create a costume, so she could be an alien.  While getting ready for school, she came to me in tears - she didn't want to dress-up like an alien. She was so relieved to hear that I wouldn't have dressed like an alien either.  I would have cried, too!  Sometimes when I see my personality in my kids, I am comforted and other times I just hope I can give them coping skills to overcome our shared weaknesses.

I've been working on some projects around here, in between chasing a crawling Iris and delivering and receiving children to and from their schools.  This weekend I get to take an Intro to Letterpress class - and I am SO excited! I don't think I've ever been away from Iris for 6 hours - so here's to a chilled out creative Saturday afternoon.

Always on your side

I read something recently about leaving notes for your children.  Forgive me, I can't remember what blog it was, but the mother was taking pictures of small post-it notes written to her children, left where they would find them on their own.  One note read: "I am always on your side - love Mom".  This made me smile - and gave me that warm-fuzzy feeling, you know that feeling... the one where you just completely identify with something, but hadn't come up with the right words on your own?

A couple weeks ago, we were at student/parent/teacher conferences at the elementary school.  While we were in the hall, waiting for our turn to speak to a teacher, we encountered a conversation between a parent and his child - which I will not soon forget.  Apparently, the 4th grade son, had used a curse word at recess.  It had come up in the conference with the teacher - and the father decided it was best to give his son a public lecture, in the hallway, in front of about a dozen children and other parents.  The lecture was given in such a way, so that this man could somehow make a public speech, at the expense of his own child's confidence and respect.  He asked his son how many of his friends even knew he was a Christian... and equating his son's use of a curse word at recess to publicly dishonoring Jesus - and how disappointed he was that his son wasn't being an 'honorable man', nor choosing to 'be like Jesus' - and how sad it makes Jesus to know that his son didn't want to be like him, etc.  It was so shocking to hear someone speaking to their child about an indiscretion on the schoolyard as if it had serious eternal consequences - and even more horrifying to know that this conversation was happening in a public setting.

I walked away from the school, with a feeling like I had been punched in the gut - I was so put-off by this public berating of a child and the pious air of accomplishment of the father.  And I was conflicted as to which part of this was most detestable.  In the end I think it was that the father was willing to embarrass and devalue his own child, in order to make a public declaration of his own religious rules.

I am not that parent - I will never be that parent.  I sincerely hope that my children never feel like they are second tier to anything I think or feel.  Discipline should not be about 'what pleases mom', but about how healthy actions result in healthy reactions.  Lying is a bad idea because it creates an environment of distrust - not because 'it makes mom disappointed in me'.

So, for future reference, I will say loud and clear, "I am always on your side!" - If I am mistaken, what am I risking? That my children, may take advantage of that? perhaps, but more likely that my children will trust me, because I trust them.  With the hope that my children will never ever question whether I love, approve, or have pride in them - I will absolutely risk sticking my neck out for them.

Here's to a future of holding our heads high and loving each other with no restraints!

Grace Naydeen

Today we are celebrating Gracie's birthday!  Her birth, both, seems like yesterday AND a long long time ago.  Life before parenthood, seems so distant and blurry, but 8 years flew by.  I can't think of anything that brings more joy into a home, than children.  Gracie was our first joy infusion.  It feels like an overwhelming responsibility when you have your first child.  As if any book or guide could prepare you for how to be a parent.  With Gracie, there really wasn't a lot to learn.  She was so easy-going and content, nothing ever really bothered her.  She slept through the night near the end of her first month.  She rarely cried.  She ate and played and babbled - and keeping up with her was a breeze.

 When Gracie became a 'big' sister, she was/is a natural.  She is responsible, helpful and diligent.  

She loves having her picture taken...

She is comfortable telling you, when she doesn't like something...like this hat.

She's calm and content.

She has short legs! And is learning that it's not such a bad thing.

 Gracie has a great sense of humor! Here's her newest joke : "How do chickens say 'precisely'?  Eggsactly." (she made it up all by herself)

She  lets her daddy tease her - and she laughs (most of the time).

Gracie is ready to take on the world!

Gracie is daddy's girl... and she knows it.

Gracie loves to sing - and has a lovely voice.

She LOVES being big sister! And she has mentioned several times, how much she likes having a baby sister.  When 'the littles' are bothering her, she likes to take refuge, with baby Iris. I think they'll be great friends.

Gracie is intelligent and sensitive - and can't decide whether she'd like to be a veterinarian, a baker, an artist or a first grade teacher.

Gracie is kind, thoughtful and patient.
Grace is wise and mature - she is an excellent problem solver.  She is passionate about wasting less and caring for the Earth.  It puts me at ease, knowing that kids like Gracie will lead the way for living a different way in the future.  When 'too much packaging' offends her so - I know she will not allow that sort of indifference for resources and will find solutions in her own lifetime.  She is also passionate about justice.  When something is unkind or unfair, she is affected in such a way, that I KNOW she will not stand for injustice as an adult.  This is so encouraging to me, that such a quiet, thoughtful girl is moved to action when faced with something that doesn't quite sit right with her soul.  I am endlessly proud of Grace and the girl she has become and am so excited to see what a beautiful woman she will be!
Happy Birthday Gracie Girl - may you live life this year, like never before!

Around here...

Gracie has listened to The Sound of Music soundtrack on Daddy's record player about 100 times this week.  She keeps asking me about the lyrics or the characters, but I simply don't remember the film as much as the music.  She's certain she will love it - so we are on the lookout for the film.  Besides, it's fun to say 'auf wiedersehen'.  With the turn over on her chapter books these days, it's confirmed that she loves to read - which brings a smile to my face.  There's nothing more empowering than the ability to learn on your own.

Peter has been so tired and complaining of aching legs.  Poor kid is growing so fast it's hurting him!  We talked about bones growing and how much energy it takes to make our bodies grow.  I asked him if he thought he'd be taller than me soon.  He said he's sure he'll be taller than me, but not too soon. (what a relief).  For weeks he had been contemplating sharing this song with his classmates, but he kept saying he might be too 'nervous'. He finally decided it was worth it, and decided to share a song with his class this week.  He sang it through once slowly, so they could hear all the words, then he sang it fast so they could hear how They Might Be Giants sing it on their album.  Again, he was the talk of the class - and he's been asked to share that song in their next Kindergarten program.  He hasn't decided if he's ready for a performance, but he is proud that his teachers and class liked the song so much.

Ella got her ears pierced, as per her own request for her birthday.  She was so brave and in control, while she sat in that big chair waiting to get her first ear pierced.  When the woman took the gun from her ear, I thought maybe it had misfired, because Ella hadn't so much as flinched! The next ear was the same reaction.  Sheer determination!  Also, Ella likes to pretend like she's grumpy... and there's only a couple ways to make her smile.... hair mustache is an instant hit - try it, you'll like it!

Iris Jane is waving a lot this week - it's her new greeting, request, sign of excitement and trick.  We've been trying to teach her to blow kisses, but she mostly likes to make raspberry noises and laugh.  She isn't crawling, yet - but that's not so uncommon in this house, with nearly all floors being hard surfaces, she mostly pushes herself backward - then gives up and rolls wherever she wants to be.  She also rolls into a sitting position, which is quite impressive - so maybe she can join the circus later, with that trick in her repertoire.  

We had a strange week, with kids on break for parent/teacher conferences - so we enjoyed some time together that we don't usually have mid-week.  Peter and I baked bagels on Thursday morning.  We started the dough on Wednesday night and boiled and baked them the next morning.  He loves to be in on the whole process, and he was so proud to make his favorite bread.  We used this recipe and I will use it again.

See that little kitchen?  Yep... that's where all the magic happens around here - in spite of it's ridiculous size.  One day, we will remedy that - in the meantime, we'll just do what we always do... the best we can with what we've got!

Happy Weekend Everyone!
*I noticed I had set the comments section of this blog, to not allow comments from non-blogger-members - I have adjusted that, I hope it's helpful for you.