Living the Vegan Life

Have I mentioned that we are trying to eat Vegan for one year? It is not as hard as it sounds. The hard part is explaining it to your friends, your loved ones, and to random people that ask you about it. Most people think we are crazy for eating this way.

The part I find most frustrating is that if they only took a few hours to read about it, they would not be asking so many questions.

The first question we always get is "Why?" Why don't you eat meat? The answer that gets the least questions back is "For health reasons." Then the most likely question is "Oh, your cholesterol is high?" No, I just want to make sure it stays healthy.  Also, I get have a lot of energy when I am not weighed down by eating meat products.  

If I answer, "I am trying to lower my ecological foot print."  The likely response is, "You know soy production is responsible for huge losses of rain forest in South America."  The proper response should be: Oh, really?  Do you think that's because of the tiny bit of Tofu I consume or is it because of all the processed food you are eating?" Instead, I usuall answer, "We buy Tofu from companies that produce organic, sustainably-raised, and ecologically responsible soy."  (ie, we are not the problem, here).

The response that I think gets people most worked up is when I mention "For philosophical reasons - we don't believe in eating animals that have been raised in an irresponsible fashion and have been abused just so we can enjoy a few good bites."  "You can't believe everything bad you read about chicken (or beef, or pork) farms.  There are some good places out there. I buy everything organic."

True.  Some and you mostly only find those at Farmer's Markets.  And just because you buy everything organic does not mean that you are eating an animal that has been raised responsibly.  All that means is that they have been raised on organic feed.  They can still be stuck in stalls, unable to move, their whole lives, standing in their own feces until the day they die.  What you really need to look for is pasture-raised, and grass-finished.  Most animals are raised on pastures until they need to be fattened up (or finished).  If they are not "grass-finished" that means they are also stuck in those stalls until butchering time.

The same goes for eggs "Cage-Free" doesn't really mean they don't leave in cages.  The USDA allows you to put that label on your eggs as long as the chickens have the option of going "outside."  That can simply mean having a little door to the outside with a tiny grassy area that most chickens do not find appealing.  Their entire lives can be lived inside dark rooms and just because there is a tiny opening in the room to the outside, they get to have their eggs labeled "Cage-Free." 

I wish people would be more sensitive and informed when they make those comments.  And I need to figure out a polite way to respond to all these inquiries without making people feel like they are ignorant.  It's annoying, but it has to be done.  Like with everything else in life, education is key.

TTYL.

Night Hike

This week we are starting another fun summer trend:  The Night Hike.  My husband and I went out to dinner last Friday and on our way back home, we stopped by the park near our house and hiked the trails for 30 minutes.  It's really one big loop and I've walked it so many times with Sadie, our dog, that I can walk it with my eyes closed.  Which is kind of what it felt like walking it at night. It was ok in open areas where the light from the moon illuminated the path, but in areas where there is a lot of tree cover, it was pitch black and no, we didn't have a flashlight, but somehow, we managed to walk the whole way and it was such a relaxing experience we had to share it with the kids.

We have done it two days in a row and the kids love it.  We go just before the light disappears. Even my two-year old enjoys the cicadas, the crickets, and today, the crazy toad that spooked us.  We thought is was a leaf, but when Daniel tried to touch it with his stick, it jumped really far.  The rest of us jumped in the other direction.  :) 

Tomorrow night, I would like to see if we can take flashlights so we can see go frogging in the creek.  When I was little, I spent a lot of time in Cancun with my uncle and his family going out in the middle looking for crabs.  It was so much fun to be on the beach in the dark chasing crabs that we would later eat boiled.  Ah, man, not a good memory. Now, I miss eating crabs.  Did I mention I'm a Vegan these days?

TTYL.

2012

Where have I been that I have never heard of the 2012 prophecy?  I picked up a book from the library titled The Book of Destiny because I have always been fascinated by the Mayans.  The author spent a good amount of time explaining that the Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012.  Some people speculate that is when the world will come to an end.  Apparently, the earth, sun, and moon will be aligned with the Milky Way and the gravitational pull on the earth will be so strong that it will make the poles reverse and cause tsunamis, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, etc. 

The Book of Destiny explains that the Mayans do not believe the world will come to an end on that date, but  that we have to begin looking at the world in a new light so we can achieve a new consciousness.  Every human civilization has made it through four cycles of the Mayan calendar, but no one has made it to the fifth cycle. 

I did some research and it sounds like Mel Gibson is on board with the end of the world theory.  That alone disqualifies the whole thing for me as a serious scientific prediction.  The whole thing sounds rather hokey.  Seriously, where have I been that I have never heard of this?  I need to get out more...

Swimming at Dusk

Our family has started this new summer trend: we are going swimming in our neighborhood pool after 7pm.  It is the best idea we have had!  First, there are very few people at the pool at that time.  Therefore, one does not have to deal with a crowded pool and a crowded parking lot. Two, you don't need to wear sunblock!  And finally, my baby girl gets the baby pool all to herself.  She loves that!

Last night, we arrived at 7:30pm and stayed until 8:45pm.  (It closes at 9pm.)  It does make for a late night, but what the heck.  It's summer!  The kids have been going to bed around 10pm, ususally unheard of during the school year.  The good thing about that is that they also get up around 10 a.m. so I get the whole morning to get my stuff done (whatever that may be!)  :)

Speaking of kids waking up, I hear them rousing.  Time to get breakfast on the table.  TTYL!

Rain and Sleep

I woke up because it was pouring rain and thundering.  I have never been able to sleep through that.  I can sleep through a train flying in front of our house and I can sleep through airplanes flying over our house, but somehow, I can't deal with raindrops? 

When we were little, we lived with my great-grandmother for a year while my parents were building our house.  My great-grandmother's house was on the street that had train tracks on it.  The first night we were there, all of us kids woke up screaming because it felt like we were in the middle of an earthquake.  The whole house was shaking, the windows were rattling, and the sound from the train was oppressive.  But by the end of the week, we were all sleeping right through it.

Our new house was built close to the airport and it was actually right on the flight path.  Every day in the early morning hours we would hear planes landing and taking off.  It was fun to lie on the car and see the planes go by and eventually, we also got used to the sound.  It's kind of neat how your brain just learns to ignore sounds that you consider to not be important.

I guess it doesn't rain enough in Austin for me to get used to the sound of rain and thunder.  And frankly, I love waking up to rain.  There is something nurturing about it.  When I see it landing on the ground, it reminds me of drinking cold water on hot summer days and feeling refreshed.  I bet that's how the grass feels. Wouldn't it be fun if it only rained at night?  Then you would get the coolling down effect, but you wouldn't have to make rain plans for the day...

Ok, I'm rambling....got to go to bed and get some more sleep...

TV-Watching Marathon

I love everything Little House on the Prairie -- the books, the show, the recipes, the clothing. My kids love watching Little House in the Prairie, too. My husband has given me almost the entire series on DVD and over the last few years we have watched some episodes here and there.  Yesterday, however, we watched about 8 shows.  That is a lot of TV for people who hardly ever watch any.

The kids are officially hooked on the show.  I really enjoy watching the episodes and discussing them with the kids.  The show does a great job brining up difficult subjects like mental illness and homelessness and putting a kid-friendly spin on them.  The kids also ask a lot of questions about that historical period.  Nati is in love with bonnets.  I had to get her one for her birthday.

We hardly ever watch TV but yesterday that is all we did for most of the day.  If TV were always this good, I would have a hard time limiting the kids to only a few hours per week.  But nowadays, what is out there that is good?  PBS and PBS Kids?  That's about it.

We'll stick with our Little House on the Prairie for now. I might even add Family Ties and the Brady Bunch.  I'm just afraid if I do that, we will spend our entire summer watching those shows.  :)

TTYL.

Now I Know How You Feel

My 10-year-old son slept in on Friday, the second day of summer vacation.  He woke up very late, but in a very good mood.  He offered to make pancakes for me and his little sister.  My other daughter was at a sleepover and my husband was at work already. He asked me to sit down and ejoy my breakfast, that he would take care of everything.  So I took him up on his offer and let him run the show.

He made vegan pancakes by following the recipe on the Energy Egg Replacer box.  He was a busy bee measuring, mixing, pouring, flipping, and serving pancakes.  My youngest daughter was sick so she was acting very needy that day. While Daniel was getting breakfast ready, she asked him for different shape pancakes, for a fork, for milk, for water, for a plate, for the syrup...Daniel kept giving her everything she asked for while keeping an eye on his pancakes.

Finally, when his stack was ready, he turned off the stove and came to sit at the table.  "Phew," he said.  "That was a lot of work."  Just then his little sister asked him to refill her water cup.  He turned to look at me totally exasperated and said, "Now I know how you feel, Mom! You never get to eat!"

I was laughing so hard I almost choked on my pancake, but I am glad he gained a new appreciation for what I do for him and his sisters every day.  I love that boy.

Back to Blogging

Every year for the past four years around this time (May), my house ends up looking like a wreck, I can't keep up with the laundry or dishes, we eat out too much, and I never have time to do the things I love most - reading, writing, and walking.  That's because our school's festival is in May and I am the chairperson, but thankfully, someone else has stepped up to do the festival next year (I am now only co-chair) and the festival has been moved to the first weekend in November.  Yay!!!!

Ok, so I am back.  Today is the last of school which hopefully means I will have a lot of extra time to blog this summer.  I especially want to write about the books I just finished reading:  The Omnivore's Dilemma and Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.  Tomorrow.