I'm an in-betweener. I am not a role model; this is not a how-to site. While I favor cooking nightly from scratch, I can't say I do it exclusively. While I admire those who coupon to the point of ridiculous savings, I don't do it. I don't stockpile six weeks at a time, don't buy things I don't really like just because I have a coupon. And, admittedly, I pay for that choice. I try not to, but if I need something that isn't on sale, I will buy it. I don't feed my family all organic, I sometimes succumb to the temptation of french fries, sometimes share them with my children. I enjoy the occasional diet soda. I don't fit with some of the (excellent) bloggers I've found recently; the Christian alternative crowd. They bake their own bread (or sprout their own grain), churn their own butter, make yogurt at home, ferment all sorts of things, and spend hardly anything on their groceries. They homeschool their kids, keep their homes impeccably (with homemade cleaners, naturally), and make their own clothing. In short, it seems from this side of things, there's not a lot they can't do. It probably sounds like I don't admire them. Actually I do, quite a bit. But they intimidate me. I am just not there.
That said, I am hardly a drive-through queen. My family frequently teases me for being overly particular about what my children eat, and my siblings complain I only stock "old people" cereal and no good snacks. They groan when I am in charge of shopping for family vacations.
Over the past few years, I have taken steps to green our life and make our diet healthier. The moms I mentioned above would probably scoff at their smallness, but they're big to us. We recycle, of course, and don't use paper plates or disposable cups. While I don't make my own cleaning products yet, I do use biodegradable products. I don't know if I'll ever cross over to being shampoo free (using baking soda and apple cider vinegar to wash and condition my hair). I'm just not sure I can go there. We only eat cage free eggs, and I'm working on figuring out how to afford organic, grass-fed chicken and beef. I am contemplating buying the better part of a cow.
Daniel has accused me of making changes without consulting him. "So we're not using creamer anymore?" he asked last year. I told him it was completely artificial and loaded with hidden trans fat (the manufacturer is not required to report trans fat totaling less than 1g per serving, but who uses one teaspoon of coffee creamer?). I switched us to fat-free half and half then, upon learning it contained corn syrup, we're on the real (and much better) stuff now. One day, while looking for Truvia in the kitchen, he held up a Stevia extract bottle. With a puzzled look, he said, "So this is what we're using now?"
They are baby steps. Tiny. Lately, though, I've made two big changes that have me excited. We joined our first CSA (community supported agriculture) with a local farm, and we now get our milk, cream and cheese delivered from a local creamery. When the truck pulled up last week, I started clapping. Daniel rolled his eyes. But I love it! I love supporting the local families associated with the farm, love the glass bottles and plastic crates, love not worrying about hormones or antibiotics in my milk. I can take the kids to the farm to milk the cows that provide their milk! And the kids seem to like the milk more than the organic stuff I was buying from the grocery store.
This movement back to the farm, back to associating familiar faces with our food, is so old it's new again. Maybe I'll never be a home management maven. But when the truck with cow spots stops outside to deliver my glass bottles and collect my used ones, just for a second, I feel like one.
That said, I am hardly a drive-through queen. My family frequently teases me for being overly particular about what my children eat, and my siblings complain I only stock "old people" cereal and no good snacks. They groan when I am in charge of shopping for family vacations.
Over the past few years, I have taken steps to green our life and make our diet healthier. The moms I mentioned above would probably scoff at their smallness, but they're big to us. We recycle, of course, and don't use paper plates or disposable cups. While I don't make my own cleaning products yet, I do use biodegradable products. I don't know if I'll ever cross over to being shampoo free (using baking soda and apple cider vinegar to wash and condition my hair). I'm just not sure I can go there. We only eat cage free eggs, and I'm working on figuring out how to afford organic, grass-fed chicken and beef. I am contemplating buying the better part of a cow.
Daniel has accused me of making changes without consulting him. "So we're not using creamer anymore?" he asked last year. I told him it was completely artificial and loaded with hidden trans fat (the manufacturer is not required to report trans fat totaling less than 1g per serving, but who uses one teaspoon of coffee creamer?). I switched us to fat-free half and half then, upon learning it contained corn syrup, we're on the real (and much better) stuff now. One day, while looking for Truvia in the kitchen, he held up a Stevia extract bottle. With a puzzled look, he said, "So this is what we're using now?"
They are baby steps. Tiny. Lately, though, I've made two big changes that have me excited. We joined our first CSA (community supported agriculture) with a local farm, and we now get our milk, cream and cheese delivered from a local creamery. When the truck pulled up last week, I started clapping. Daniel rolled his eyes. But I love it! I love supporting the local families associated with the farm, love the glass bottles and plastic crates, love not worrying about hormones or antibiotics in my milk. I can take the kids to the farm to milk the cows that provide their milk! And the kids seem to like the milk more than the organic stuff I was buying from the grocery store.
This movement back to the farm, back to associating familiar faces with our food, is so old it's new again. Maybe I'll never be a home management maven. But when the truck with cow spots stops outside to deliver my glass bottles and collect my used ones, just for a second, I feel like one.
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