I thought it would be fun to participate in Bella Dia's Encyclopedia of Me meme based on Amy Rosenthal's book.
I have already missed letters A and B. But C is for consumption. Being back in this house, the house we lived in before our little two year "vacation" to Wisconsin, has made me so thoughtful and introspective. I was such a different person before we left. Not a bad person at all. Just different.
This whole road of self discovery that we are all on is amazing to me. One of the things that has surprised me the most is that by having S home and his being able to be a true partner has allowed me to discover so much more about myself. We have been married for 7 years now and I am just discovering that he is my mirror. Reflecting back both the good and the bad in the most gentle of ways. Well at least most of the time it is gentle *wink*.
Here are some highlights from the past two years that contribute to my renewed views on consumption.
1. My father was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease...a disease that has been shown to run in families and linked to exposure to pesticides as well. There are reports refuting this claim as there always are. But more and more, they are finding evidence that some of us are genetically more susceptible to pesticides, like our family very well may be.
2. S was diagnosed with Celiac's Disease...a gluten intolerance. Gluten is found in almost all breads, pastas, and most baked goods.
3. Having the two years away has really shown me that even though our kids had fewer toys than our friend's kids, that we bought things on sale and not at regular price, and that we tried to be mindful of our spending...we were consuming way, way too much. Too much food, too many "things".
4. Having found such a wonderful community of like minded people in the blogging world has really allowed me to reconnect to some core values that have been stuffed down for far too long.
5. Having a very productive garden to share with my children brings great joy (and good food). Similar to breastfeeding, I love knowing that I can produce perfect, wholesome food for them.
Remember Schoolhouse Rock on Saturday mornings? Remember "You are what you eat. From your head down to your feet"? Simple, I know. But entirely true. And even more than just the food we fuel our bodies with, consumption is what we buy, where we shop, who we are choosing to support with our money.
Before being given the gift of time with "my mirror", I was living the life I think so many of us do in this country. Running from here to there, unintentional, busy (too busy). No time to research interesting thoughts brought up in conversation. No time to read labels. I thought we were eating fairly well. I was watching my sugars as I had just come off of my second pregnancy with gestational diabetes, lots of fruits and veggies, with whole wheat breads. Feeding fast food to my children only twice a week or so. I thought we were carefully watching where our money was going, buying things on sale. Stopping by the farmer's market when it was convenient.
But this time around I am smarter...more sure of myself and the kind of decisions I want to make for our family. I am buying more produce from our local farmers...knowing that even though it is called a farmer's market, doesn't mean it is local and comes directly from the farmer. You just can not beat fresh peaches, blueberries and cantaloupe picked the day before for breakfast, can you? I am using this article as a guide for buying organic and pesticide free when I can and when budget allows. I am using my thrift stores more and more and learning to be patient and wait to find things that we need from secondhand sources. And I have found a great co-op where I can buy gluten free and organic at a much better rate. I am also looking forward to reading this book as brain food when it comes in the mail. And I will have a garden again...maybe this fall.
And don't get me wrong. Please read this knowing that Sonic is still one of my favorite places to eat and the only place I can get a lime Dr. Pepper. But instead of racing through the drive thru, thinking I do not have time to feed the boys anything but chicken nuggets and fries, I will make it a once in awhile, special family night...with root beer floats and all. It is all about being more intentional in our choices of what we consume after all. Right?
Local Harvest - will help you find a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), farmer's market, or co-op in your area. Just enter your zip code and their database provides you with information for your part of the country.
We the Farmers - courtesy of Stefani. I want these farmers growing my food. How about you?
Kelli's Green Week Promise - Making me want to analyaze not only what I put in our bellies, but what goes in our cars and our brains.