Vegmom Moments

CAR PICNIC TIFFIN

Veg had a brilliant idea that when going for our Tennis/Basketball excursion to the park on Sunday, we should bring my Tiffin with Snacks for a car picnic...   So much for the Tiffin getting a weekend break....:-)

Because he had the idea, I let him fill it up.... What yummy choices he found.  Certainly not all Raw but very tasty just the same.  Some organic, Some local, Some handmade and all just delicious.

GARDEN REVISITED

This is what the garden looked like originally when Hubby tilled in the cover crop for spring:

He did good last year by preparing the ground and planting a cover crop.  Then tilled again in the spring and planted our seeds.  Obviously not knowing what we were doing, he planted everything too early in the season. (still some frost)  We also noticed a lot of rain water flowing through that probably washed some of our seeds out. 

AND, we didn't add any conditioner or dirt to our Clay/rock mess... The only thing that grew out of 6 things were Carrots....

Fast forward to Saturday.... I finally found some Organic Soil and Conditioner that I liked.  Brought home several bags and we "Worked" it in to the clay. manually tilling and turning....until it looked like this when we were done:

Much better... It actually looks like SOIL... The clay is still in there and so are the rocks, but I'm hoping the lettuce and chard I planted will give the soil a chance... And maybe pop up just enough leaves to eat... Maybe even a few smoothies worth... We shall see.

I was a little bit smarter then hubby by waiting till after a rain to "Work" the soil.  Made the clay much easier to work with.  And also because the moist new soil should make my seeds happy....  Granted I was covered in orange and my shoes will never be the same.  But Maybe I will get something to grow and that would be really cool. 

I even went out and watered my mud/dirt/clay pit twice since saturday as the sun dried it up pretty quick.

You'll notice the carrots are gone.  Hubby yanked them ALL OUT... the ones that weren't big enough for us to eat, he threw to the yard for our bunny visitors.  The rest I brought in and cleaned for the week.

See, I'm not the only impatient one in this house!

DAY OF 10 SURPRISES

Surprise #1 - I didn't take a single picture today.

Surprise #2 - I made it to the Farmer's Market, Shopped, and back home in 90 minutes.

Surprise #3 - An 0rganic Farmer had Edamame's at the Farmer's Market!! Score!!! I thought these only came in the freezer section at the grocery store. Didn't realize they could come from local farmers.

Surprise #4 - I saw my friend in a store parking lot tonight
What a fun talking treat.

Surprise #5 - Edamames are a pain in the You know what to wash, shell and eat!! But a new raw food in the fridge awaits being devoured! Yum!

Surprise #6 - I'm a Soccer Mom....ahhhh!! He had practice today. Loved the coach and the sport. He was actually pretty good at kicking!! Making the ball go in the right direction?? Now that needs some work.

Surprise #7 - I found Organic Soil and Conditioner today that didn't contain Animal droppings. YAY!!

Surprise #8 - I tilled the garden with out a tiller (don't ask) and worked the new soil and conditioner in... Then planted some greens for the Fall? If they actually grow will be a whole other surprise!

Surprise #9 - I passed by a kids toy store that had double coupon signs for this weekend only, and I DID NOT stop!

Surprise #10 - I could carry 3 tiger watermelons, Two Quarts of Blue berries and a 1/2 Peck of peaches all at the same time to my car. I Love Farmer's Market Saturdays! :-)

Hope your day was full of nice surprises wherever you are.

DEAR BUG....

Dear Bug,

While I was running tonight you flew in to my eye.  Let me rephrase that, you crashed in to my eyeball as if it were a windshield...

There was no stopping your entry, you were even quicker then my blinking action.  I am so sorry that you died on impact though.  Had you lived from the view of my eye you would have seen some wonderful things.

The cutest bunnies eating off the trail and A bird flying out of some tall grass and scaring the begeezes out of me. 

You would have seen a beautiful Sunset and the greenest of trees, and the reddest of baby red roses...and  a pile of newspaper that someone left in the road that I thought was a dead animal and couldn't look.. (OK you wouldn't have seen that because I closed my eyes)  until curiosity got the better of me and when I looked it was a newspaper.  Shewww!!

Had you lived, you may have seen 1,000,000 of your little bug buddies still flying around because they were smart enough to avoid sudden impact with ones eyeballs. 

Sadly you didn't live... and when I got home I had to splash you out of my eye with water and watch you go down the drain.  I hope you had a good life before your flying accident and that it wasn't filled with things like landing on dog poo before landing in my eye. 

I also hope that  if you laid 1,000,000 eggs before your ending came near, that you taught all your baby bugs to NOT FLY IN TO PEOPLE'S EYE BALLS.....Its just not the best way to go, and believe me the eyeball doesn't like it either. (especially if dog poop is involved)

And so goodbye little bug, it was nice knowing you for that split second between blink and impact.

Sincerely,

Vegmom

CHOICES LIST

Veg and I were having a great night when suddenly his SWC (strong will child) attitude kicked in out of the blue....  His behavior turned quickly in the car and a minor tantrum ensued.  I'm not a parent that hits or sends to room.... but that is for another post....

I'm a parent that believes in natural consequences for actions.  But tonight my SWC began to test the limits of my patience and my calmness was wearing thin...and I wasn't on my toes enough to think of good redirecting.  With him I always have to be on my toes.... 

Then this popped in my head....Staying calm, I went and grabbed a piece of paper and pencil... 

Drew a line down the center and put two labels.  One side said "Poor Choices" and the other side said "Do Different"

I told him to write everything he did tonight that was a poor choice on the left side and what he could do differently next time on the right side.   My plan was that we would discuss the list for a learning point, and then get back to having fun.  Simple....

Well he started crying again... I said "what's wrong?"

"I can't fill out the right side" he whimpered...   "Why?" I ask...

He says "Because the only thing I could have done differently was go to my room and calm down, but there are no bedrooms in the car"

This is the point in a Mommy Moment where you must turn, walk away, and laugh without being heard....

Eventually my Vegman listed the 5 poor choices and came up with some great do Different items... Tomorrow with a new day and fresh sleepy brains, I'll bring the list back out and let him decide what to do with it.

Ah, the joys of parenting!  I wouldn't have it any other way!

VEGAN GRANOLA SQUARES

My Veggie Co-Worker friend sent this recipe from her Mom:

1/3 c unprocessed peanut butter, 1/3 c honey, 3 cups rolled oats, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon.  Cook PB, honey, vanilla, cinnamon until warm and smooth.  Add oats.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.  Cool and break. 

I used Agave instead of Honey to make them Vegan.

And I chose to call them squares, but they aren't really square...  I do know they taste Good and even the Vegman and his Daddy like them... THANK YOU  Veggie Co-Worker Friend's Mom!!!!

There were some no-stick crumbles at the bottom of the pan... so I saved them in a separate bowl for crunchies to use on top of  banana ice (non) cream this weekend!!!  YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Double THANK YOU  Veggie Co-Worker Friend's Mom!!!!

END OF WEEK TIFFIN

I can say I did pretty good with Tiffin this week.  I remembered to wash her everyday when I got home, and had plenty of food to fill her up each morning...

Getting to the end of the week was harder to find goodies as my fridge empties out quickly...But I through this together, and it seemed to work OK:

Organic Apples, Local Peaches, Organic Celery

Dates, Almond Butter and Dark Choco Chips (for my Dates snack)

Raw Macadamia Nuts and some hand made Vegan Granola Squares (that aren't square)

Just Rice with sauce (nothing exciting)

Check out To-Go Ware for more Tiffin sizes if you don't eat as much food as me :-)  Or if you eat more...

SO far I've made sure to Keep Tiffin Standing up in my cooler so we haven't had any leaks.  And the cold stays cold... Today is the first day that I added Hot to the top tier, and that seemed to work OK too.

Pretty sure me and Tiffin will be eating LOTS of lunches together.... She can have a break this weekend though. (Maybe)

MUFFIN TIN DINNER REVISITED

Veg wasn't feeling very hungry last night after a big lunch and lots of nutritious snacks, so when I asked what he'd like for dinner he said "Apples"

Really.... Just Apples?   That won't do!!

And so we went with a Apple Dippin' Muffin Tin (that's not tin) Dinner:

At some point he will be too old for these, but for now, How Fun and Easy :-)

His containers have Organic Apples (of course), Natural Peanut Butter w/dark choco chips, Organic celery, banana pudding, bread squares and raw seeds/nuts.....

May not be the best dinner on the planet, but there was a whole lot of dipping and crunching going on... I can tell you that much!!

HE'S READING

Veg has been a busy beaver at school this year (already)..

He has daily jobs to be done, community meetings, Music, outdoor play, games of Chess, silent reading, group book time, lots of language learning, biology, cooking, Math..lots and lots of Math, history, geography...

All at the age of 6??? Really???

Last week he worked on degrees both F• And C•. And knows a boiling point from a room temp to a body temp. Etc.

Time on a real clock and not digital, the difference between AM and PM.

And even Arctic Biomes? What is that anyway.

And did I mention reading and math...

All his favorite things! When I picked him up today he was doing the Waltz to some lovely music with his best girl. Oh how I wish I had my video camera. Hee Hee.

And how I love his school!

Learn how to make scrambled eggs in the morning and Waltz in the afternoon! Only at Montessori would I find such a thing..

But what happens in between the cooking and waltzing has been amazing. He is reading and enjoying it. While writing his letters, they are still sometimes upside down and backwards. He also really has to concentrate while reading to force his mind to put things the right way to create words.

But its clicked! The part the teachers said would happen before age seven, has happened.

Everything suddenly just Clicked!! He's reading just about everything he sees.

I'm so excited for him.. And our night time reading is now full of joy!

For the first time in 6 years, I GET TO LISTEN instead of read!

Isn't learning Great??

EATING GOOD TO FEEL GOOD

Can't believe its only been a couple months since I decided a change was needed..  I haven't updated progress in a few weeks though... and thought time was due! 

Since then I've made some purchases... Mr. Vita-Mix entered our house and took residence on a counter that is ALL HIS!

Mr. Dehydrator just recently joined the family and has his perfect spot Downstairs...

I've learned that I like dates and they make the tastiest treats. I like Goji Berries and other dried fruits.

I like making my own raw ice creams

I like Raw foods, and frankly, I like them more then the non-raw kind..  From Green Beans to Corn off the cob, to Zucchini and variety of nuts, seeds... the list goes on..

I can make Oatmeal that doesn't come from a single serving pouch. 

I can spend 6hrs in a kitchen on my feet prepping foods for a week and be OK with that.  Even when they only last till Wednesday.

I like Green Smoothies!  Who knew that Spinach could taste good in liquid form.

I like Coconut in all different forms.

I have a new Lunch contraption they call a Tiffin... Just the name is cute enough... but this handy dandy thing has kept me full of food all day long.  And easy to clean when I get home.  Stays cool in my cooler with ice pack, and yet no foods have been made soggy in the process.  Its really cool.

The microwave has been used probably 3 times in the past month.  FOR REAL!!  And the Oven maybe 6 times in 3 months.

I've watched everyone in my office get sick over the past 90 days with one thing or another... Some still carrying their sniffled, coughing, headaches weeks later. Some on their second bout of something new.. And I'm not having none-of-it!  No Sirree!!

I've been sleeping LOTS, and the only days I'm not sleeping well or feeling like a truck rolled over is when I didn't eat right for one reason or another or stayed up too late the night before.

My Hair keeps growing and no longer falls out in shower clumps... (which is making it very thick by the way... I see a hair cut in my future) 

Monthly visits  happily still exit as fast as they arrive, (which is a HUGE Relief)  and my complexion is still better then its been since puberty.  Even the few things that strike go away quickly.

I'm eating breakfast every day, eating lunch and dinner every day... haven't had a midnight snack in so many days that I can no longer remember why I did that in the first place. 

Am I eating 100% Raw foods yet?  NO!!  Will I ever?  Probably Not!!.. but my non Raw foods are Vegan 95% of the time.  100% Vegetarian as always, and the raw foods still take more of my daily intake then their non raw counterparts.  Finding a good balance was key.

My grocery bill is now about 1/2 of what it used to be.  Buying much less processed foods.  Utility bills are still down.

I'm still loving local produce at the farmer's markets which I'd never even looked at before this year.

My exercise has kept up and energy good...  Clothes fit and feel better....  The discomfort is what set me on this new journey in the first place.  So I consider this success.

I'm rarely sore from normal activity, my bones have stopped creaking when I climb stairs or get up from a sitting position.  Even the joints in my fingers from typing all day, no longer bother me.  Really!! 

Have I stopped Aging?  NO!!  But have I slowed down the process a little bit so I can enjoy aging without pain and discomfort?  YES!

Is this food change for Keeps?  Absolutely!!  Do I think we have FULL control in how we feel every day?  Absolutely!! 

Now if I could just get some of my family to do the same? 

Yeah Right?

TIFFIN VARIETY

A few of my Tiffin containers filled from yesterday and today....

Can you tell, I'm liking my Tiffin??

Left Over sprouted grain noodles with tons of veggies and some vegan waldorf salad

Peaches and grapes and macadamia nuts

Peaches and Apples and dried fruit and macadamia nuts

Veggie Sushi and Vegan Waldorf

Raw green Beans with other veggies made in to a different type of salad.

I'm finally getting through all my pre-prepped food, so seeing what tomorrow brings will be interesting!

WINNER

Veg learned a new word at school this year "Loser"

And so jokingly and not knowing what it meant totally he ran through the kitchen and said "loser"

Hubby says "Hey, don't call her a loser, that's my wife your talking about!"

Aww sweet hubby defending his Mrs. Gets 2 points.

And then he says "Besides, she's a winner, she's married to me..."

Oooh, deduct 2 points!

TIFFIN LUNCH DAY 1

Seriously, you didn't think I'd have a first Tiffin Day without pictures... Oh No! 

First I'll start with the picture of my fridge... This is what I did yesterday to have lots of grab and go stuff handy for lunches and dinner prep this week.. Everything is organic and some local and pretty much raw...:

Watermelon, cut peaches, grapes, pineapples w. its juice, Green Beans soaked in vinegar dressing, red peppers, chopped onions, chopped carrots, fresh picked basil, avocado, Vegan Waldorf Salad, Cabbage and Romaine salad,  cucumbers.

And now for my little bitty Tiffin:

Hello, Down there... I see you!!

Tiffin Container 1--- Grapes, Peaches, green beans and dates

Tiffin Container 2--- Salad with rice vinegar dressing:

Tiffin Container 3--- Trail mix and some Almond butter for dunking my dates.

Dried Fruit from last night, gogi Berries, Macadamia Nuts, and Dark Choco chips.

Pretty sure this will be plenty of food to last me all day (and then some)....

I'm thinking I will like this Tiffin thing!  Now I'm hungry!  Gonna go eat something.

DEHYDRATOR - IT WORKS

Funny, my Mom commented that we will need another space for my kitchen gadgets... When it comes to the Dehydrator, she was Right!!!

The contraption is a little noisy... and blows hot air and lets the most glorious of fruity odors in to the air....  While I was OK with all this, thanks to Mamasweeds for posting her experience.. I was prepared. 

But the Hubs couldn't stand the noise for 8-12hrs straight... And so he set me up a dehydrating station in the basement:

Peaches, Apples, bananas, pineapple chunks, and Cherries....  We tried a few of each to see if we liked it before wasting much food....

Verdict... none of us could wait the full 12hrs... did anyone really think that we could???  Patience is not a thing you will find in my house.

In fact every couple hours Veg and I were checking and Testing our yummy creations.  They did finish earlier then expected though.   I got one bowl of banana chips (not pictured) and this bowl with everything else:

There is a whole section of the instruction book that tells how to store your dried fruit long term....

Yeah, We won't be needing that section...  I'm pretty sure our creations won't last two days.  The peaches are my favorite, in case you were wondering!  Oh my Yum!!

Yes, a real peach takes much less prep time to eat and is equally as delicious..... But it will be so nice to have these treats for lunches, snacks and on the go days when a real peach isn't feasible.  Today's lunch has a little of both.

The weekend family decision is that we will be doing this several times a month... I'm OK with that decision!  *smile* 

PAINT UPDATE

The painting is coming along, only a little bit on the back of the house still to be done...My favorite part is now complete though:

The Ugly Garage Before:

 

Ah, the pretty garage after:

And Hubby let Veg help paint... The boy was SOOOoooo Excited to be helping his Dad, and did a Great job:

Although, I came out to check on them and found this:

Our house is Now Marked!.. Almost wanted him to keep it like that but Hubby covered it up..  At least I have a picture. *smile*

DEHYDRATOR PART TWO

Thanks to Hubby for buying and returning the other Dehydrator that wasn't quite to my liking, we purchased this new one today... I believe it is still on the Cheap Side, but higher quality then the other cheap one...

It has a better heating/fanning thing-a-majig and will dehydrate (supposedly) in 6-12 hours vs. the 24-48hrs of the other.  It also looks safer to me and is made out of unbreakable (supposedly) parts.

Best part is, it is Smaller, and will take up less space, then the first that was brought home.   It will actually fit in my cupboard when not in use.  It also had a better book with much better instructions and now the trick will be if it truly works....  Haven't tried that yet!

While I don't like the idea of using plastic, the Metal fancy version is near $200.... and right now, I'm trying to find ways to save money, not spend.. 

(hard to tell I'm trying to save with all my purchases of late, but they are all with the good environmental, healthy, and money saving intentions)

And so in the spirit of something low cost that will hopefully bring many tasty treats... I introduce you to.....

Mr. Dehydrator... I think he and Mr. Vita-Mix will get along just fine!

TIFFIN AND A BOTTLE

Sorry, No Farmer's Market Posts today and sadly that means I have no Farmer's Market Finds for my Fridge either... *sigh sigh, Sob Sob*

But to make up for this awful amount of sadness... I went shopping at a new little local natural store, with eco friendly products that was Waayyy to cool....

And finally opted to get my self a Tiffin from To - go Ware... and while I love their website, it was nice to help out a local store owner and not wait for shipping because I'm a little impatient if you haven't figured that out yet??

 

This thing is quite small.  As in, it will fit in my cooler along with ice pack, two water bottles and still have plenty of room left... I've seen them on blogs and websites for a long time, but never realized how really cute and tidy they are...

But at the same time, once opened, they are quite large... and the tiny little side kick jar with lid is just too cute!

 

To Compare, Each tin is a tiny bit larger then my medium size Glass bowls (that I normally carry) ... And I wouldn't normally carry 3 full size glass bowls, so I will actually have MORE space in the Tiffin then I was using before.

 

The smaller glass bowls can fit INSIDE the Tiffin, again for comparison... Not that I would need to fit one inside, but I could if needed:

 

Now the benefits of this cool little doo-hickey is that all my lunches will go in the same containers Every day.  So they will be washed out and save on Dishwashing (no longer using many different glass bowls day in day out)... My glass bowls can now be used for storing and preparing foods in advanced as they are meant to do.

And, I'll be forced to wash Tiffin and prepare lunches the night before to ensure I get my money's worth.

Also when we travel by car, or when I go eat lunch with Veg, or hiking, or even biking, I could pack enough in this tidy convenient contraption for the whole family to munch. 

This Tiffin friend will get A lot of Love!  Believe ME!!!! 

Making sure its stands up straight while in route... at all times may be a challenge as I don't think its fully drip proof...  And figuring out the "hot" and "cold" situation will be a learning experience as well.  I know it can hold both, but will one tin get sweaty on the other?  I dunno....  I'll learn as I go and report back.

If anyone has used these and has advice, please comment....

Check out To - Go Ware for many more awesome Products, like Bamboo non-silverware sets.... Very cool indeed.

Our other cool find at this little local market was another Drink bottle for Veg... We've had one of these for several years, and it is time to introduce another to the family.  This way if one is dirty we always have another handy for our little water drinking champion... Especially with more sports days and school days coming our way this fall.

He was quite excited to have another Laptop Lunches Bottle also...

 

What we LOVE about this guy and why I don't plan to ever buy another brand is the tiny top comes off for drinking.  But the WHOLE top comes off for cleaning:

No brushes to deal with, no special cleaners or equipment.  Just pop the big part off and it is easily washable.

 

It is totally sealed on the inside and we have yet to experience a Leak!  Our other one has been through the ringer after several years of use.  In fact its been dropped more times then I know and mostly gets left in school bag upside down.  BUT still no leaks and drink stays cold!  Very Exciting!!

But the best part for Veg about our journey to this store, was they had Cozies big enough to fit his new water bottle.   And it had a handle...  which will help Veg when carrying it in to school... normally he struggles with full hands, so this will make things much easier.

Best part for me about this water bottle cover, is its Laundry Machine safe.... so even if it is dragged through the mud, we are OK!

 

Needless to say, I like this new little store and our Lunch Kitchen is now even more stocked with exciting new products....

Look out Monday... Lunch is going to be served (in a healthy non-wasted way)

THE NON PICNIC

I picked up the Vegman from school and we had an hour to be at the picnic.

Knowing I didn't bring food, nor do I eat public gathering food if I can help it. The Vegman and I went out for a great dinner.

We discussed school, and friends and ate and played games! So much fun!

Then back to the school picnic, where my sweet angel's behavior turned qickly...and was NOT so angelic.

20 minutes later we were heading home. And he was NOT happy about that one bit!

Sadly I wasn't either! There is only one event like this per year for the kids to join in non-school play and I wanted him to be a part of it. Even if I don't like the socialness myself, I want him to enjoy it.

But consistency is key and when a parent says "we will go if that happens again"

By Golly, We shall GO if it happens again!

Even if all the other parents, kids and teachers are looking on while we leave early.

Even if it's a once a year event.

A parent should be consistent. And I am a parent after-all.

Oh sigh! Good thing I rarely have to do such a thing because I don't like that part of parenting one bit!!

After getting home he says "Mom, how many days till the next picnic?"

I told him there would be about 364 more days..

"Great" he says "So in 364 days I will make better choices and we can enjoy the picnic"

Sounds like a plan Vegman!

(Still probably won't eat the food though) *wink*

GROUP FOOD EVENTS

Top 10 Reasons Why I don't like Group Food Events... As it relates to Potluck Picnics....

1. Bugs - the flying, biting, eating, poop on feet kind of bugs
2. Germs - the boogies and un washed hand bathroom visit kind of germs that make their way to the food serving utensils.
3. Germs - the Sneezing & Coughing shoot out of the holes in your head at the speed of light end up all over the food in the buffet line kind of germs
4. Where did the food come from?  I dunno!
5. What is IN the food?  I dunno!
6. Did a cat clean up his/her mess in the cat litter box with paws, then jump on the counter with paws, where the utensils were laid to make the dish that I am supposed to eat?
7. Do they have birds that fly around in the house and dump their load?  Hey, It happens!
8. Does something say vegetarian while it was cooked with bacon grease, but that doesn't count to the person that said it was vegetarian?  (can you tell this has happened to me?)
9. Did the person crack open an egg without washing hands and then make the dish - can you say Salmonella?
10. Do they have Chicken Flour  (thankfully no one has meat in my house anymore... shewww)

And yet I have to go to a group picnic event tonight?  Will I survive??  This is still to be told!!!

(PS. I'm eating before we go... is that bad?)

END OF WEEK SNACKS

I haven't been so good about advanced preparing of our lunch food this week, so my mornings have been rushed with Getting Veg a nice lunch.... while I've caught my self stopping at stores after dropping him off, for some healthy snacks or lunch to bring in the office.

Doing this, drives me NUTSO because I have a fridge full of food at the house....But I did better today...

My Mom sent me this link for Organic Waldorf Salad so I put my spin on it... By making it only one serving worth.. and used  Fresh organic Fruit and Veggies, Dried Fruit and Raw Nuts..  Kelp Powder, Lemon Juice, olive oil and Apple Cider Vinegar.... 

Result----- Delicious!  I will do less vinegar next time, but otherwise it was great!

And another snack bowl containing Organic Local Peach, Farmer's Market Green Beans and Organic Cherries...along with Organic Banana and Raw Macadamia Nuts:

Needless to say, I'm much happier today on the Food Front!!  Pretty sure my Body and Pocket Book will be happier too!

DEHYDRATOR PART ONE

Hubby had to return a product three times due to broke status, and the warranty claims that on the third time, they give your money back.

Hubby took gift card that he received yesterday to the store to purchase a new non-lemon gaming toy. 

Hubby found that the price has now gone down considerably and had money left over on his card.... Did he get another game to go with his toy??  NOooooo

He called me and asked if I wanted my Dehydrator?? WHAT??? REALLY!!!  Of course, Yes, and Thank You!

What a sweet Hubby... He brings me home this brand new dehydrating toy.

Then I read the paperwork, takes 24-48hrs to dehydrate even banana chips... Meaning I have to leave this thing on while I sleep and while I'm gone and I'm not so happy about that.  I also had many safety, cleaning, and operating concerns. It was just all around not something I would use... After Hmm'ing and Ha'ing I finally had to tell the Hubs that I wasn't going to keep it.  *mean mean wife*

So he is going to return it for me today.  If by chance he gets cash back, then I shall go somewhere else to get a better version of the Dehydrator toy... If they give him credit, then we can use it for something else.

A Win Win!

MACADAMIA - A NEW FOOD

Yippee.. we introduced Veg to a new nut this week (there are so many he can't have) and Macadamia seems to be on the OK list... The Raw kind of course!

Started with one, then two, then three... He loves them and  can eat without problems.  I'm sooo excited as I now have a new treat to put in his lunchbox, AND something to mash in to great other concoctions....

And the fact that he loves them is even better...

RAW REVOLUTION

My new try for the week.... OH MY YUM!!!! 

I like to make my own raw'ish treats these days, but when I don't have time and need to get out the door, this guy is my new friend!!

EXERCISE TICKETS

*edited post to make it shorter and found a retro post to make it longer... you choose*

The Allowance thing had me Bamfoozled a couple years ago...I feel like in life we are paid for the work we do and not just because someone feels like handing over cash.  Unless your just a lucky person and someone walks up to you with cash on a daily basis for no reason.

In my world that doesn't happen so much.  And because I feel it is my job to raise him now as the adult I hope he shall be, then I figure, he should earn money if he wants it.

Insert Tickets... Retro Post - here

Well this past weekend he said "I have an Idea".... with his little finger that gets me every time...

"What if, every time I exercise I get a ticket?  I love to exercise" he says...

Hmmmm... Well.... Hmmmm.... Exercise is worthy of a reward?  Right?  After all, people do get paid for that kind of thing in the real world, and college kids get scholarships, and what better thing to reward then staying fit??  Besides, if he already loves it, then I'm not asking him to do it.

So we discussed, and in the spirit of allowing him to help make house decisions, came up with an agreement...

If he does exercise at least 4 days a week, he gets a ticket..... Of course there are rules, as any job description would contain.  Playground time doesn't count and things like that....

He is Happy that he came up with an idea that we implemented and I am happy that he is encouraged to exercise in his young life.  What a great way to start good habits.  

Win Win for all....

A DAY OF TREATS

And I'm not talking about the food kind... 

It all started when I was given that whisper wake up call by the Vegman... He is much better then an alarm clock... He comes in my room and climbs up to my head, sticks his face within nose reach and says

"Mom Mom, its a good time to be up right?  Its a school day?" 

Ummm Sure, except not for 2 more hours.... The kid LOVES his school....But what a better way to start the day even if 2hrs early?

Then off to school on time and happily, and off to work... Hubby called and asked to meet me for lunch... Sure Hubs.... So we did and then we stopped at a store so he could take groceries home and save me a trip later.   is he wonderful or what???   And And And... he picked up Veg from school so I could go for a walk tonight.... Sending happy thoughts to the Hubby!

Back to work and then off for the walk with a friend... About 4.5 miles with some pretty big hills and good talks...

Then on my way home, I called Hubby to find they were at a park within route... so I pulled in and there they were!!

Hubby did some fishing or I should say Standing on a rock with a pole that happened to have a fake bug on it... While the fish were jumping further out and mocking him continuously...

Veg and I went to the Basketball courts... We are having so much fun with that... And my old skills (of which I had none) are starting to come back to me.  As if 22 years hasn't even gone by...  This is only our third time but I'm hitting about 50% in to the hoop...  Not bad considering, The game is he dribbles then passes, and where he passes I have to shoot.   Needless to say, my arms are getting a good workout.

He's getting his "Technique" down on the throw and his dribble coordination is getting soo good in just a short time.   If he does happen to get his Uncle's height some day, he could be quite good.

I even let him take the ball from me a few times mid dribble and he'd laugh and laugh.....

Hubby left before us and called to tell me he was making dinner since he got home first!  WOW!!! 

Dinner was ready when we arrived, and now both boys are sleeping so I can finish up my work in quiet.

The day was full of treats I tell ya!!  And they were GOOD!!!

AND THERE IS SOCCER

Not sure what happened to my original post about how the Soccer came about, but I noticed this morning it was missing 1/2 the content...So I just deleted the whole thing... Which leaves this much shorter version because I don't have time to do the whole thing again nor do I remember what I originally posted to do the whole thing again...

And soooo... I will say that my Kiddo has decided he really likes soccer after attending yesterday and within an instant, I became a Soccer Mom...Walking around the whole field watching each portion, his Dad showed up too which was quite the thrill.

He actually did pretty good considering he's never seen  a real life soccer ball before..But as predicted the Coordination can use a little assistance.

So I may have a Wagon, I may have a kid that will be playing Soccer, I may be a Soccer Mom by default,  but I WILL NOT have a Soccer Ball on the back of my Wagon.... just won't do it... Nope, no way, no how!! 

SOCCER?

I might be a Soccer Mom... Tonight will tell the tale....

EXERCISE SUNDAY

Much like our recent Saturdays have become all about good fresh produce, our Sundays have been full of different ways to exercise.

Today we went to a park, played basketball (as in he dribbles and I make baskets), then played tennis on the courts.

The Vegman is getting so much better with each tennis try.

Then for a walk and nice swing by the lake.

Veg kept saying he needed a jump rope to do some more exercising. A jump rope???

So off we went in search of a Veg size jump rope.

Ended up with a VegMOM size jump rope. And man did I jump.

Forgot how that little rope can kick a person's hiney. Good thing my strengthening the core stuff is working or I surely would have wet the driveway.

But I jumped by myself and with him. We had a pretty good thing goin till hubby came out and suggested we each hold the rope so Veg could jump in the middle.

It worked, he did great and I could stop jumping..

Sheww! Hope you had a great Sunday where ever you are.

MEET THE GARDEN CARROT FAMILY

To the Left we have Mack Daddy Carrot, he's the biggest of the Garden batch so far... On the far right is Momma Carrot.   She's been running marathons to get away from the Bunnies, and has curves to show for all her hard work.

The two chubby babies in the middle are the carrot top twins..  When I pulled one, the other popped out too.  They just don't like being separated.

So our Garden may not have much, considering it is like 14FT square and nothing else survived, but these carrots sure do taste good (even if they are small) so I'm not complaining.

FAVORITE SANDWICH

He likes it... He likes it....

I've been making these for me, but didn't think hubby would touch a sandwich without Mayo on it...  Turns out he saw mine one day and asked for one... 

Then he asked for another, and tonight another.. He Likes them and has said GOOD BYE to Mayo. 

After all who needs it, when there is an avocado around...   Yippeee!!   Score to the Vegan side of the fence!

And sooo easy... Just scoop out organic avocado and spread on bread or crackers of choice, then sprinkle with raw almond slices, garlic salt and garden fresh chopped basil... This one has slices from our Organic Home Grown carrots, and we later added some Farmers Market Cucumber slices.

YUM!