Bounty...

I've written before about how much I L.O.V.E my farm share. Two winters ago, my husband and I made the investment and bought a share at a local organic farm in Michigan.  From June until October we'd get a share of the crop each week. It was fantastic! So when we moved to Minneapolis last summer I knew I wanted to find a CSA here to continue getting those fresh greens and veggies each week of the growing season.  Since we moved late in the season last year we missed the sign ups and we had to use the farmers markets and grocery stores for our greens and produce.  But my eyes were peeled each week looking for hints of where to find a good CSA.  I looked on the Local Harvest website and was totally overwhelmed by the number of choices.  And I couldn't seem to find any that were all organic...my number one requirement.  I was feeling bummed that I couldn't find what I wanted until one day while wasting time on twitter I saw a tweet saying their CSA still had openings for this season with a link to their website.  I looked it up...it was an organic farm in nearby Wisconsin...they drop off in the Twin Cities...you can register online...I'M IN!!!  Signed up and paid on the spot!

Last night I picked up our week three box.  I am in love with the variety we have been getting since week one!  It's been the perfect balance and amount of greens and veggies for our family and I find myself craving more and more as the weeks go on.  Here's a peek at what we have gotten so far this season...

Week One - asparagus, parsnips, pea shoots, Tsoi Sim greens, radishes, thyme, spinach, green garlic, collard greens, salad greens, potatoes, and a bottle of our farm's organic sunflower oil (I purchased this as an extra)

Week Two - pea vine, red potatoes, green garlic, garlic chives, salad greens, spinach, radishes, red butter lettuce, and broccoli

Week Three - baby turnips, french breakfast radishes, garlic scapes, kholrabi, Italian parsley, napa cabbage, rainbow chard, red butterhead lettuce, red leaf lettuce, scallions, a basil plant, and STRAWBERRIES!!

So what does one do with all this produce? You are not alone if you come home from the store or the farmers market with beautiful produce and then let it go bad in the refrigerator because you just aren't quite sure what to do with it! I used to do that all the time but am pretty darn good about using up what I have now from practicing and planning ahead.  A lot of you have asked how I manage to do it so this week I will share with you all the creations I come up with and show you how to make the most out of all those vegetables...and hopefully inspire you to try some new ones! With a little bit of forethought and planning, you can have fabulous fresh meals all week long that are delicious as well as nutritious!  It will be a fun week sharing with you how I feed my family each day!

And here's a look at a couple of the things we have been making from our farm produce in the last couple weeks...

Farm Breakfast - egg white omlet w/ green garlic topped with pea vine

Spiced Apple and Parsnip Muffins

The Spiced Apple and Parsnip Muffins were SO good!  They did not last very long at all in our house and are a definite addition to the recipe rotation!  They are great for breakfast or an afternoon snack.  Click on the link if you would like the recipe!

Summer of Service - School Edition Part 2

We wrapped up our first week of summer serving at the kids' school again in one of the middle school teacher's classrooms.  The younger kids were a little tuckered out from our last project of moving books just two days earlier so I left this project up to the three older kids.  It was mellow, low key, simple, short, and sweet.  Just the balance they needed to keep them interested in continuing on with serving for the rest of the summer.

Cameron's French/English teacher asked for help in her classroom organizing, filing, sorting, and searching for lost books and re-shelving those.  This was a welcome and restful change from their previous day of service at school.

After reading their journals Cameron and Emma both had a good time just hanging out and helping.  Nothing profound came to mind for them this day.  I haven't gotten Annie to write for me yet, and I was a little worried about how she would do since she was our least happy on the book day and not exactly thrilled that I had pegged her to do another day of book work.  I was relieved to hear her say when she got into the car that she really enjoyed that day A LOT better than the previous one and that she was really glad she went.  She also enjoyed getting to know one of Cameron's teachers and told me a few stories about the conversations they had and how nice she was.

This report got my mind going a bit more.  I wasn't thinking about the benefits of them interacting with adults more one-on-one.  And getting to know a teacher one-on-one like that would probably open their eyes to the fact that yes, teachers are nice, yes, they are normal people, and yes, they have a lot to offer if you allow yourself to get to know them better.  Bonus!  This sparks my curiosity even more for the rest of the summer to see what more we can learn from others and how we can open up our world to them.

Summer of Service - The School Edition: Part One...

When planning our "Summer of Service" I knew I wanted to find projects that stretched our children emotionally but also some opportunities that taught them to give back to those who serve them directly on a regular basis.  So naturally, when thinking about this and where we should start our summer, school came to mind.  I chose school to be our first location to work together as a family for a few reasons.  One, it's familiar to the kids and a great place to get their feet wet while working for others they know, so they could start out serving comfortably.  Two, what kid doesn't love going back to school when summer is out and help their teachers...can you say "run in the halls?" And three, this school went above and beyond to accommodate and accept ALL of our children and our family when we were moving here last summer, has been incredibly flexible with us and our needs, and has continued all year long making sure everyone was adjusting and doing well.  It's an amazing community.  And even though it's a big sacrifice to have them attend here, it is worth it!  I cannot even imagine how much more difficult our transition would have been when we moved if we had not found this community to support us.

So with that I sent an email to our principal telling him of my plan and asking if there was anything we could do to give back to the school as the year was closing out.  He was kind enough to send the email out to all the staff and we were presented with two separate needs.  We took on both and split our time over two separate days last week.  After we were done with the first day, I took the kids to Target and let them pick out a new journal.  I want them to reflect on each project we do this summer and write about what they learn, what was hard or fun for them, and how they might be able to do something differently next time.  It was fun and eye-opening to read their responses to day one...which ended up being a lot more challenging and time consuming than we had anticipated, which was perfect!!

We were asked by one of the curriculum directors to help move old textbooks out from a storage room on the second floor of the school and over to the ice arena where they would be sorted through and given away to the community.  We had one mobile cart to use so we knew it was going to take several trips.  Sounded easy enough!  The first challenge was that the kids were so excited I had to stop them immediately to reorganize the effort.  I showed them how to stack the boxes and books properly on the cart so as to maximize each trip back and forth and avoid any catastrophic book spills on the way out of the building.

The second challenge was teamwork.  They had to figure out how to work together smoothly, and help each other out, without arguing.

The next challenge was sharing!  Everyone wanted to push the cart from one building to the next and we needed to come up with a plan so everyone could participate in that.

As we finished emptying out the storage room the rest of the building caught wind that we were there moving boxes and books and suddenly we were being summoned to multiple classrooms to pick up stacks and stacks of old books the teachers had yet to move out of their rooms.  Using our motto "serve with a smile" the kids took a deep breath and continued on working for two more hours as teachers kept adding their rooms to our list.

 

After a total of three hours of stacking, lugging, pushing, and pulling these kids managed to move over 1000 books from one building to another.  Can you see that tired haze in their eyes?

When looking through their journals it was cute to read what they wrote.  Here are a few of my favorite comments...

"I had a lot of fun but it took a lot of hard work and three hours of our day. Wow-Wee!" -Sarah age 8

"I don't know why, but looking back on it, the exhaustion felt awesome..." -Cameron, age 13

"Let me tell you, it was tiring and painful.  But then we went home and had some delicious chocolate cake!" -Lewis, age 9

"...it was a lot of fun and a lot of HARD work.  I think that it made mom a little stressed because the kids weren't doing it how mom wanted to do it, but it was all good in the end." -Emma, age 11

And there's my lesson...to lighten up and let them go with it.  There's incredible opportunity for them to grow and mature during these times of serving God and others and I need to remember not to stifle that with my own thoughts and ideas.  They are perfectly capable of analyzing the problem, coming up with an idea, and executing it together to get the job done.  This simple afternoon of helping out has taught us all a little something about ourselves.  I am thankful that I was able to glean from it as well.  It was a good day.

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms"  

-1 Peter 4:10

A Happy Anniversary...

I was just thinking about my life a second ago, and I realized we've hit an anniversary.  One year ago, we packed up our family and moved to a new state for a new job opportunity for my husband.  When we left, we kept telling our apprehensive children "It's going to be a great adventure!" I think I was trying to convince myself of the same thing.  The whole move was pretty sudden and I really didn't have much time to think about it until we had already arrived!

I've grown and learned a ton this year.  And even though I was afraid to leave everything familiar behind and start all over again, I realize now, it was THE. BEST. DECISION.  I have ever made.  The transformations that have happened in this family are overwhelming, profound, and far beyond any expectations I ever had for us.

One of the biggest changes is within the relationships of our immediate family.  When you only have each other to rely on, you learn quickly how to do just that.  Our five children are much more close and attached to each other now than they ever have been. They are much more sensitive to each others needs and much more aware and feel empty when someone is away...even for an afternoon. 

Our marriage has grown and matured even more than the children.  With the new job came a whole new set of circumstances.  My husband is busier and gone a lot more as he starts up a new company here.  He comes home tired, excited, frustrated, starving, and any other feeling you might be able to come up with.  Suddenly, I was thrust into a whole new batch of roles that somehow I had overlooked previously.  And without the camaraderie of familiar coworkers and employees, I became a new sounding board for him, which I LOVE.  Just listening to him talk about his day, how he handles situations and watching him grow professionally with lightning speed has ignited a whole new spark in me for him.  I never realized just how wise my husband is.  He's brilliant, seriously.  He has amazing perspective and incredible creativity.  He thinks so out of the box, it sounds crazy, but somehow, it's exactly the thought that was needed to propel him and his company forward.  And since I have been given a greater view into the window of his work world, it has caused me to listen more deeply and intently to his perspective and out of the box ideas for us here at home.  Yielding to him and his decisions more and more has netted a wonderful sense of calm in me.  Let's face it, if you know me at all, you know I'm a control freak...so this has been a huge gift to me!

Allowing my husband to lead us into a new world was really difficult but has been so incredibly rewarding.  So much has been gained emotionally, professionally, spiritually, relationally, even physically!  I'm braver, more respectful, a better mother, a better wife, our family is healthier, more active, and we're much more in love with God and with each other.  What more can you ask for?

It was hard to leave the one city I have basically lived in my entire life (with the exception of a few random detours), and to leave our family and the ones we depended on (a little too much maybe?) to keep our household running.  It was hard to leave our friends behind.  And our church.  But we have found all of that here, plus so much more.  So thank you, my love, for encouraging us to grow at lightening speed as well.  I am so honored and blessed to be married to you!  I am really looking forward to what this next year brings for you, and the rest of us!!

 Checking out the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden one year ago...

Summer of Service...

After I put the kids to bed on the last day of school, I got to thinking about what was ahead.  And I realized...nothing.  No camps scheduled, no family trips 'til the end of July, and then add to that a husband who has a very loaded travel schedule for most of the summer...hmmmm.  With a completely empty summer upon us I began sifting through all those camp booklets, started researching 3 day getaways, and wondered if it was too late to sign up for art classes.  But then I remembered as I was glancing over the cost of these adventures, that I don't schedule these things for a reason...for five children...it's EXPENSIVE! 

Feeling defeated and beginning to panic over the thought of being their sole entertainment for the next 9 weeks I began to brainstorm.  What are some things I have been wanting to do with them that we don't have time for during the school year?  What do I want my kids to learn this summer?  Should we just go lazy and spend it by the pool relaxing?  No, they should stay focused and learn something.  What if we had a theme?  What if we took road trips throughout the state seeing in real life some things they had learned about in school this year...study some history...or sit on the banks of the Mississippi River and search for birds and owls?  Oh my God, what am I going to do with them ALL. SUMMER. LONG??  Wait......GOD? 

And with that thought, the "Summer of Sevice" idea was born.  I decided that we will do at least one service project/volunteer opportunity every week for the duration of the summer to help them get into the habit of serving God by serving others.  I am really looking forward to getting the kids out of their comfort zones a bit and spending this time with them!  We have so much to learn from others and we have never done anything like this before as a family so intentionally.  We regularly jump into many projects through church and school, and have supported friends and families with their ideas as well.  But actually searching something out is somewhat new.  And with the kids all finally old enough to handle just about anything in some capacity or another our opportunities will be plenty!

Our Summer of Service unofficially began last week.  Our oldest daughter started us out with a service project of her own.  For her last week of school she served with a few other classmates at the downtown Minneapolis YWCA in the childcare center, helping out with the daily activities with the Kindergarten class.   

She had a great attitude and was excited from the get go to participate.  One of her biggest challenges throughout the week was handling multiple children at once trying to snag her attention in it's entirety.  Practicing patience was something she needed to learn instantaneously.  You can't just lash out in frustration with a strange child like you can in the comfort and safety of your own home with your siblings where there is unconditional love!  

She enjoyed her experience so much that she emailed the center back and asked if she could continue to serve throughout the summer and was very disappointed when they responded that their volunteer schedule was full and she would have to wait again until next year.  Such a bummer!!  A week later she is still talking about the children she worked with and how much she misses them!

I'm very proud of my daughter for her enthusiasm and maturity during this week.  Every evening when she came home we talked about her problem solving strategies and how she handled different situations throughout the day.  She also kept a journal, which was a requirement for her class, documenting her experience.  It was a great start to her summer and a great start for the family to hear about her experiences so we can also glean from them!  I am looking forward to getting the rest of the kids involved in serving this summer and seeing how we all work together, mature, grow, and become more aware of the world outside of our own.  It's going to be a very good thing!  And, guess what??  Serving God and others can be FREE!!

Vitamin L...

Today is my birthday and I turned 36 years old. Every morning when I wake up, I grab my phone and begin my routine of "waking up." I check the weather, look at my to-do list, play a few turns on Words w/ Friends, and scroll through email. What do these two things have to do with each other? This morning I found an email from my husband with a subject line stating "36 Reasons I Love You - Happy Birthday" and that followed by me starting my day with a smile.

The month of February is known by many as the "month of love." Love is a key nutrient that we all need in our lives. Valentine's Day should not be the only day we choose to express this most wonderful feeling. We need to give and receive love every day. It is vital to our survival and health. And those of us who have gone through training in the holistic health and nutrition world were taught all about this and like to call this "Vitamin L" (the L stands for LOVE).

Getting a daily dose of Vitamin L is essential to living happier, healthier lives. Vitamin L comes in many forms and isn’t just about romantic love between two people. It can be love for ourselves, or a particular practice of self-care. Vitamin L can come in the shape of our partners, our pets, our kids or parents. Love is food for the soul and heart; it nourishes body, mind, and spirit for optimal well being.

Well, this morning I was on the receiving end of Vitamin L with this email. My husband's list made me smile and it was awesome to see what things about me he values. The greatest part about it for me was he thought through my day and knew that this would be the first thing I see in the morning when I woke up. It made me feel good, noticed, thought about, and cared for, and it encouraged me to keep on doing some of the things I do, even when I don't think they matter. So what were those 36 things he loves about me? Yes, I will share...34 of them. Because the other two are for my eyes only :)





He's a great guy and I love him so much!! So how do you get (or give) your daily dose of Vitamin L?



Adapted from this IIN Blog Post

Simple Living...

I've had a strong desire to move my family into a life of simpler living. We have been blessed beyond what is needed. We relish in it, appreciate it, and are grateful for the luxuries we are able to have. But with those blessings have come some challenges. One of those challenges is practicing contentment.

I've learned that it doesn't matter how much money there is in the bank, or how many toys kids have, what kind of vacation is taken, how many pairs of shoes there are in the closet, or how big (or small) your house is. If the means is there (and even if it isn't) it never seems to be enough. We live in a world where more is always better. It's the whole concept fast food chains use to lure in customers...the "Super-Size Me" effect. We have learned, though, that a super sized meal is poison for our bodies. And as I think about that, I realize, too much of anything could be poison. Poison to our emotions, our contentment, our spirituality, our happiness.

Easter is a holiday we celebrate in my family, and for us, it has a spiritual component that represents Resurrection and new life. When discussing with our children how we plan to celebrate this year, or lack there of, we received some push back. Our plan was very simple. We would decorate the traditional Easter eggs, share a special meal and attend church on Saturday evening. The kids would still get their Easter baskets Sunday morning, before my husband and I leave to go out of town for a week. Sounds perfect right? A time for family, fun, and reflection. No new outfits…we have plenty in our closets that will work just fine. No dual, or even triple celebrations at multiple locations, with multiple Easter baskets full of candy we don’t need and trinkets that ultimately end up in the trash…it’s a waste of money and only contributes to the commercialism of our culture.

Every holiday, birthday, or special occasion we seem to have the same battle. I try to enforce my convictions, and another outside force wins. Whether it’s what someone else’s family does, culture and it’s idea of celebrating it’s own meaning of the holiday, another holiday party we’ve been asked to attend, commercials, whatever…this idea of more, more, more is very powerful. I give in too easily. And now, with somewhat hurt feelings that my simple holiday celebration isn’t enough, I’ve decided enough is enough. If I want the cycle of overindulging, over celebrating, and growth of discontent to end…I need to start now.

It’s refreshing, actually. The simplicity. It’s less expensive, less stressful, less time consuming, and much more calm. The meaning of family and faith shine through. That’s what's important. I want to teach my children these principles now. So when they are adults they have a foundation to fight against the norm. And as parents, they pass this idea on to my grandchildren.

I’m beginning to get pretty excited to move again. It’s another opportunity to really evaluate what we have, what we need, and what we can live without. House hunting has taken on a fresh perspective. I’ve lived in homes large and tiny. I have a pretty good idea of what we can get by with to be comfortable and what is really just too much.

I am so appreciative of the opportunity to start fresh again…to make things right. Everything will be new. Everything. I can’t wait to jump in with both feet and renew our family with the concept of living more simply. And the opportunity is coming at the perfect time. Spring is a time for renewal. Practicing contentment is easy when the world around us is beginning again too, offering us the simple pleasures of warm wind blowing our hair back, the sun shining on our faces, the sweet smell of flowers and grass, birds chirping and beautiful sunsets. I’m ready for it.