Letters to my brother, 1

I was watching 30 Days tonight. It is a tv series by the guy, Morgan, who did "Super Size Me". He has people (including himself) going into lives that they are opposed to or unfamiliar with, and living in that life for 30 days.
Tonight, I watched an episode where Morgan goes to prison for 30 days. It was really hard to watch it. There are so many things I don't agree with about the current U.S. prison system. He talked about the lack of any real productive options for spending time during the day-to-day. I hope you have more options than just reading and watching tv.
I think the hardest part, for me, is that I want to do something to help - you and others - but what kinds of things could I do? I don't have the finances to send a lot of things, or to make trips to visit. It's very frustrating.
I'm thinking of doing a regular lesson session with the kids to teach them our beliefs, mainly focusing on the Heathen Virtues (Heathenry being the Norse/Viking religion). It's what Stormie mostly follows, and I really like the values that it focuses on.
We would have to start with my favorite Virtue, responsibility. In Heathenry, you are judged by your actions, and your value as a member of society is based on your reputation. Consistent behavior becomes who you are, spiritually (they call it a person's Wyrd - rhymes with bird, or sounds like weird, depending on who's pronouncing it). Also, it is up to the individual to make right any wrong doings. This feeds right in to my teaching the kids that saying sorry is only half of it; you also have to do your best to fix it, and change your behavior.
I may just blog out the lessons, first, to get all my chaotic thoughts in order prior to doing it, but that smacks of procrastination. I've been so swamped with Farmer's Market, work, making brisket for Hay Days, back-to-school, etc., it seems like I'm busting my ass and not getting anything done.
Speaking of Hay Days, it was the 6th and we took the kids on the rides. Logan told Dharma that there was a shark in the ball pit of the fun house. He forgot to specify that it was a picture and she got scared and had to go back. The lady refunded her tickets and we talked Dharma into trying again. She was so afraid of the ball pit (it was pretty deep for her - about 2 ft deep), but she made it through with lots of encouragement. We were very proud of her for facing her fears like that. Parenting win!
Logan is in 3rd grade; he's doing really well this year. His teacher is older and doesn't seem to be as obsessed with the little things, so he's getting along much better this year. He reads at a 4th grade level (prolly higher, but the reading classes only go up to level 4 in 3rd grade) and he's picking up math pretty well. I think he prefers science class overall. His eye surgery (#3!) went well and he's not to wear glasses for the next month.
Dharma is in her 2nd year of preschool. She got a mohawk (just like brother!) and it's so adorable. We call her punk baby. She is doing really well after her oral surgery. Hopefully, the kids are done with their tooth issues for awhile (both had soft enamel, a hereditary thing - I'm blaming Mom lol).
Stormie is waiting on his next raise in QA. He has such adventures at work. Tonight, he got cut by a tooth from one of the cows. I accused him of getting bitten by a zombie. Haha! Once, he reached out and caught a knife that one of the employees was using to try to stab a supervisor. He probably saved the guy's life. Stormie got written up, of course - safety violation and all. At least he was wearing metal mesh gloves, so he only got a little nick on his hand.
I'm still baking like a mad woman, making jams and jellies, and working at the coffee shop. I'll be doing edits on the cookbook this week, between artisan bread, baguettes and (maybe) pretzels. Then, pics for the cookbook. I don't know if you are interested in hearing about the foods I'm making, but I'll go into more detail if you want (with pics). I've been experimenting with a lot of different foods.
The Farmer's Market is going well this year. I've had two weeks of making over $40, which is pretty good for my small selection. We have 5 peach trees fruiting this year. Since we don't use chemical sprays, we can actually go out, pick a peach and take a bite. Some gardeners have asked us if we have pest bugs, but we have so many snakes, spiders and preying mantises that take care of those, we haven't had a problem.
Well, I think you are pretty well caught up. Let me know if I can get you something specific. Love you, and be safe and well.

You're Eating... What?!?

I pull a Sanford, clutching my heart and crying out, "It's coming! Maple syrup is coming!"

I have to explain not only where a food is from, but how I managed to get it in the middle of Nebraska.

I mentioned to my coworkers that early exposure to a wide variety of foods may lead to fewer allergies as an adult. They looked me dead in the face and told me my kids would never have allergies.

When my family goes out to eat, if we eat "fast food", we all end up with digestive issues.

My name is Kalisara, and I am a food-aholic. (Hi, Kalisara!) I am a foodie (NUDIE-FOODIE!). I have made it my life's work to try most edibles from this planet, and I love my work.

We have no less than five different kinds of cheese at any given moment, none of them being plastic (American) cheese. One of them is always sheep's cheese. As a family, we have consumed approximately 75 lbs of llama meat. The last snack food I purchased was dried Yacon fruit, which the kids ate most of it. We grind wheat to make flour. We use olive oil, sesame oil and real unsalted butter nearly every day.

I have infected my entire family with this joy of eating (insert Merril Streep replying to the question "What is it you really like to do?" in a falsetto brittish accent "EAT!").

This means that bug the bug the boy-child has never had a true picky-eating experience in his life. Upon going to a grillout at a natural-foods, half-vegetarian family, bug ate a little bit of all the salads, as well as a nice burger. The other young child there screamed until his microwavable mac'n'cheese was plopped in front of him.

Ladybug is following, having consumed an entire half-bowl of chicken enchilada soup just the other evening. She eats all forms of meat, veggies, breads, seasonings, fruit... anything that fits in her mouth is consumed.

Both kids have heartily embraced the eating of heart meat pies and beef tongue stew with parsnips. And they gobble up the dried veggie chips as a snack!

I think there are a lot of reasons to enjoy eating, the least of which is nutrition. There is nothing like putting home-cooked food into one's mouth and rolling one's eyes with sheer pleasure.

Plus, enjoyment of food increases the amount of magical energy one gets from one's consumption.

And you forgot this was a PAGAN parenting blog... : P