Saturday, June 12, 2010

In The "Garden"

I have failed yet again at my attempt to grow basil hydropnically. This was my second attempt and I was so sure I had gotten it right this time. Submerge half of the roots in water, the directions told me. So I did. Why didn’t it work out for me? I am convinced that I am a failure when it comes to herb gardening. This is the only herb I have tried to grow, but I can’t imagine I could do better with anything else if I can’t grow something as simple as basil in a vase of water. 


My husband and I have gotten pretty serious about the way we eat and the way we feed our children. Going completely organic is out of the question financially. Who can afford that with a large family? But we can certainly support the local farmers, who often refrain from using pesticides but happen not to be “certified organic” growers. I have discovered that even eating organic, cage free chicken doesn’t always have to be expensive. I recently found two chickens at Whole Foods for $12. What a steal! I get lucky and find deals like that from time to time. I also picked up Blue Diamond almond milk, which was on sale 2 for $5. For anyone who might be reading, don’t give up on eating well. It can be a struggle in the beginning. I am still trying to find a happy medium. But there is always a way. Search for coupons and giveaways online (Horizon organic milk often has coupons on their website) and check out stores like Whole Foods regularly for sales. For Memorial Day weekend, they had whole rotisserie chickens for $4.99 each! That’s even cheaper than what you would find at your local superstore. 


To get back to my original purpose of this entry, I still plan to make another attempt at a hydroponic herb garden. If that doesn’t work, I supposed a regular herb garden would work just as well. I am purchasing organic plants from my local organic grocer (not trying to provide free advertisement by mentioning their name a thousand times in one blog post) and I will try to keep you posted on my progress. In the meantime, here is my poor little basil plant, on its deathbed as a result of my lack of gardening knowledge:

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Sunday, June 6, 2010

Mini Me

Kids are wonderful, small people. When mine do things that make my blood boil (like spraying themselves down with cooking spray), I remind myself that not everyone is as fortunate as I am in being able to experience the joys of motherhood. There is nothing sweeter that the homemade cards with crayon-drawn hearts and flowers that you will get on Mother's Day, along with the bouquet that someone picks from the neighbor's flower garden. It's the little things that bring a smile to my face. My daughter came into the kitchen today to tell me that I was the best mother she ever had. Then she clued me in on a little secret: "Being nice to your mom will make her share her food with you." She then proceeded to reach into my bag of trail mix to help herself to a handful. That warm fuzzy feeling was nice while it lasted.