Humane Eggs

So, I am really trying to buy local and humanely raised animal products. Well, that is one goal of mine. It is a lot of work, not to mention expense. So, right now I am working on eggs, since there are still local farms around my neck of the woods that raise chickens and sell eggs. (I'd LOVE to have my own, but that is not in my immediate future. Possibly come summer. Maybe. Long story there.)

Anyway, so my search has begun to find a reliable source for farm fresh eggs. There is a farm withing 5 miles of my house that sells eggs at our local farmers market ... when they have extra. Apparently they have enough demand from current costumers to meet their hen's output. Especially now that the weather has turned.

So now I have the unique pleasure of scouring the countryside looking for eggs for sale, and then grilling the owners on their feeding and care of the hens. Yea, I look forward to that Inquisition!

Still Struggling with Wast Free Snack

Today I actually gave up and packed my two kids a waste lunch. I put all but the drinks in disposable plastic bags. The kids actually brought home the bags, and I will wash them and reuse them, but still .... I was running late and feeling too lazy/stressed to find a container to fit left over pizza. sigh

And then, I have not figured out how to solve my issue with Ziggy's snack. So far this year (6 weeks into the school year) she has lost 2 of my good containers. Normally she is a very responsible child, especially for a 7yr old, but trying to eat, play, and keep track of a plastic container, all within 10 minutes, is asking a lot, indeed.

So I still struggle.

Waste Free Snack & Lunch Challenges

I have two elementary aged kids,and they bring a lunch and snack to school daily. I have figured out a way to pack lunches without using disposable or single use products. I took inspiration from the Japanese style Bento Boxes and pack everything into one rather small container. It is amazing how much you can put into one container - when packed correctly. It took me awhile to learn this skill. I had some wet sandwiches, and squashed fruits.

But school snack is another challenge. Ziggy, my soon to be 7yr old, apparently eats snack at recess. Yes, you heard correctly, they eat food outside when they should be running around, and while they have dirty hands. I'm not so upset about the dirt (good for the immune system, in my opinion) but when they only have 10 minutes to run off some energy, why shorten it by eating a snack? And then my BIG complaint ... Ziggy keeps loosing my good containers!

So, I have succumbed to using disposable bags. I ask that they try to keep them, and occasionally they shove a bag into a pocket, but that means no yogurt and fruit, no hummus and carrots, nothing that requires a container. I guess I should not fight it, at least 2nd graders are still allowed a snack. My kids cannot go until 4pm without an afternoon snack. And frankly, I don't want them to go that long!

Yet again I find myself struggling to find that balance between what *I* would like to do and what I am forced to do due to the level of awareness of society. I'm giving up on this one for now. Given the choice between lost plastic containers vs. disposable bags .... disposable bags is a better choice I believe.

Does the Title Come With A Cape?

It was November 2007, on a dark and dreary night. I turned on my computer to find myself dubbed, "The Crunchy Crusader!" Well, I'm not entirely sure about the weather, but I gather it was dark when I first read my new description, as I always seem to be up till the wee hours of night working on my computer.

I belong to a small group made up of mothers interested in various aspects of natural living. (I call them my Granola Moms.) Some of the women in this group seem to be much "crunchier" than I perceive myself. Some, in fact, have habits and lifestyle modifications I aspire to maintain myself. But life in a conservative area of Mid-Michigan, and a family of 3 others, keeps getting in my way, making my transition slow and cumbersome. Or so I thought.

Feeling inspired by something in the cosmos, who knows what precisely, I decided to make some more changes in my Crunchiness that night. I made some comment about my new foray to my Granola Moms, and a whole conversation broke out about each member's real level of crunchiness. Lo and behold, it turns out I am much crunchier than I thought. I commented to my Granola Moms that I really could not be that crunchy. Thus came about the comment from one mother, calling me the Crunchy Crusader.

So what I want to know now, does the title come with a cape? Really. I could have fun with it!