It's official, I am not a yummy mummy. I am an earthy mummy (and still a bit yummy, if I may say so myself).
I have started composting. Yipee! My mother is trying to grow a lemon tree, and I figured that with the horrible sandy soil down here, it could use a lot of help. I actually started composting a while back, but the rest of the family is getting into it now, saving our kitchen scraps and other bio-degradable stuff. Spending my early years in NYC meant that there were not a lot of gardens, trees and general greenery, so all of this is new to me. I am so glad I can google "composting" and get some informative videos. We are low tech for now, we put the kitchen scraps in an old butter containter, but better low tech than nothing at all. So, we'll see how it goes, and how the lemon tree grows. I'm hoping that eventually I will be the proud owner of a green thumb.
For years, I have preferred to buy natural and organic produce, but haven't always had the income or opportunity. The little one's food allergies has definitely helped in that area, as most allergy free foods are also organic. More expensive? Yes. But now I don't have a choice, so I have to find other ways to save. I can't really eat less, being that I'm already hungry ALL the time (or so it seems)...but I do try and find good coupons and shop sales. Buying organic foods makes me feel good. Good about what I'm feeding myself and my family. I took my sister shopping with me, and pointed out that the organic foods had ingredients that we could - drum roll please - pronounce. Tri-color pasta was made of wheat, and beets, spinach and tomato to get the red, green, and orange coloring. Although she, like many of my family members, has her reservations about "health" food (mostly concern that it tastes bad) she will admit that it is nice to know exactly what is in your food.
And it's not just with food that I'm going green. I've started to research ways to build a "green" house, or convert an existing home to make it more green. Solar power, harvesting rain water, all of it. I might be starting small, but I'm thinking big. Big and green!
4 comments:
Yay! Do it mama! I am so interested in this too. Check out these folks: http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2008/06/15/urban-homesteaders-on-cnn/
Each year we grow cucumbers, tomatoes(three kinds), sweet peppers, scotch bonnets, habanero peppers, okra and of course callaloo. We tried corn last year, but the squirrels beat us to the harvesting. Every time an ear looked almost ready for picking, the next day it was MIA!!!!
I love gardening. It's relaxing and rewarding. Maybe you can start a little vegetable garden too?
WOW Lord Maximus! That sounds so great. I've been thinking about starting a little vegetable garden, just trying to think of safe ways to keep the little one(s) occupied while I garden (eating dirt doesn't count).
Suggestions for keeping kids occupied. I will let you know how it goes with my two.
For the baby:
(1) Using a playpen filled with toys in a shady spot. You can create your own shade with a portable patio umbrella (they have some cool ones with curves poles on the side, so you can use all the space under the umbrella) or perhaps one of those canvas canopies that pop up. The baby can play or nap while you are gardening?
(2) Your neice might like "helping" with her own set of miniature garden tools. You can get them at toys r us or just let her use the smaller tools.
Tsyonne has a mini shovel. We direct her to a patch of earth where she can dig away without causing much damage. Then come the instructions: no throwing dirt on the driveway, no throwing dirt on herself or others, etc. She can water (you can use a watering can or old plastic bottles rather than a hose. I save the plastic baby wash bottles and let Tsyonne play with them). She can also help plant or hand you some of harmless tools. She'll love feeling like she's a part of what you are doing and she'll learn a lot in the process.
Last summer we had Tsyonne picking carrots and washing them off. She LOVED it!!!! To this day, she knows what a carrot looks like when it's in the ground and she can instruct me on how to pick and clean them. Let me know you you need some seeds...I have some Jamaica specialties that you might like!
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