The Funky Chicken

I think chickens are smarter than people give them credit for.

We live on what we have affectionately dubbed, "Greene Acre Farms". We're not really a working farm; it's more of the hobby variety. We have a barn, pot belly pig, 2 ducks, and 8 chickens, all of whom we have raised since they were tiny.  My daughter learned how to collect chicken eggs before she learned to walk which is the essence of why we chose to move here after Bean was born: to bring us closer to nature, to teach her the joys of raising animals and to learn how to become more self-sustainable.

I've always been fascinated with our chickens. There is a very distinct pecking order amongst the flock. The ladies accept newcomers in the same way that we humans, often do; slow to warm up, flapping their tale feathers and pecking at the new girls until they submit to the existing order of the group. Some couldn't handle it. We actually had to re-home 2 very sweet silkies after they found themselves caught in the middle of a very cruel hen hazing.

Last summer husband built them a beautiful chicken coop--truly the Biltmore Estate of coops.

There was just one thing we didn't realize at the time; it floods like crazy on that side of the barn! So during the winter we started letting them out so they didn't drown during the floods. Being newbie 'farmers' we also learned that chickens can fly! Slowly, one-by-one they began to fly the coop, hopping over the fence to our yard or that of our neighbors. Even a chicken knows that the grass is always greener on the other side and the only thing holding them back from freedom was a little wire fence. We were a little hesitant at first about them becoming 'free range' chickens. After all, there are coyotes, hawks, dogs and other bird-loving predators around our house. They seem to have developed some street smarts, however, as we have yet to lose one. They always go back to the coop at dusk, continue to lay eggs in their nest boxes and stay right around our property. I have come to enjoy looking out the window and seeing them scratching in the dirt, seeming so happy as they unearth worms and other yummy snacks (and making their eggs ultra-nutritious). It makes me laugh to open the front door and be greeted by an entire flock of chickens hoping for a hand out. I just don't have the heart to lock them back in! And our grass? It's never been greener!

Grocery store egg on the left, farm egg on the right.

Fun with Fooducate

I thought I'd start this post with a little sisterly spilling of the beans. She may be mad at me for ratting her out, but I'm sure she'll forgive me once she reads why I'm doing it. My little sis, C, follows Jessica Alba on twitter. She's always telling me that she could see 'Jess' and I being friends IRL and much to my dismay, when I asked her if it was because of our mutual tight buns and sinfully good looks, she replied, "No, it's because you're both Earth Friendly OCD Moms".  While it may not be our abs of steal that connect us, I am even happier to share these similarities.  I am so inspired by her new green cleaning product line and her desire to want to make the world a better place for her children.

So recently, she (Ms. Alba) asked if anyone out there had heard of 'fooducate' and C, being the curious cat that she is, looked it up. I guess one advantage to possessing celebrity status is your ability to influence large groups of people and I applaud those that use this power for good rather than evil. 

My sister learned that fooducate is this super-cool app designed by "dietitians and concerned parents", which allows you to scan almost any food product, learn about its nutritional information and find out if there are more healthful alternatives. Boy oh boy did we have fun with our new little barcode scanner! We quickly ran to the pantry and started pulling out the contents, scanning everything I thought was healthy. Before long my kitchen counter was littered with peanut butter, various brands of oatmeal, juice, and salad dressings. I found out just because a label says organic, all-natural or vegetarian does not necessarily make it healthy. Nor does buying all your food at Trader Joes. Perhaps I knew that on some level but did not want to believe it, because after all, ignorance is bliss! And for me, knowing better means doing better. I think it is a ploy by the food industry to put misleading labels on products, knowing that most consumers (myself included) will not take the time to dig a little deeper and investigate 'beyond the box'. Take one of my favorite products of all-time, Morningstar veggie sausage. Folks, we eat this stuff almost daily. It's sort of a middle-of-the road meat substitute for us, meaning my ultra-carnivorous husband will eat it too. It only scored a B-. I never really paid too much attention to the ingredients list because it was veggie and I assumed everything in it was straight from the garden with a little processing and sausage flavor thrown in. Not true. Did you know that MSG goes by lots of different names, including yeast extract and hydrolyzed protein?  News to me! We didn't have any real sausage to compare against but sliced pepperoni scored a D, so imagine it is probably rather similar. Even though the faux variety fared better, I still do not think it is an acceptable grade. Why ingest something with MSG when you don't have to? The beauty of fooducate is that it provides healthier alternatives for almost every product, so you can feel at ease knowing you are a wise consumer, choosing the healthiest product for ourselves and our children.

This little lesson has me scouring the shelves at New Seasons for non-processed veggie sausage, peanut butter (Skippy Natural isn't so natural after all) and apple juice. There's just one problem with all of this; it comes at a price! Unfortunately, eating better costs more. As an obesity research coordinator, I see all too often the direct correlation between the obesity epidemic and food choices driven by price. And I do wonder about the real health risks associated with eating genetically engineered and processed foods which often contain synthetic chemicals known to contain carcinogenic properties. Since becoming a mom, I have become much more selective in my grocery purchases but I think we can always do better. There's always improvements that can be made and I believe it's important to be mindful of the things we are consuming. When my sister posted the fooducate link on facebook, someone commented that they would rather not know what's really in the things they are eating--despite this new technology that provides us the ability to easily find out. How many others share this opinion? Is ignorance really bliss?

Assuming you do want to know, I think fooducate can be a great tool for learning the best alternatives to the products you consume the most frequently by scanning what's already in your cupboard. If you can only change a few things, start with the staples. This will also allow you to make up your shopping list before you are at the store. If you grocery shop like I do, you just want to get in and get out and do not want to stand around scanning bar codes while your toddler is pulling everything off the shelves.  I also think there is a fine line between being aware and being obsessed, and it is easy to start to drive yourself crazy worrying about every single thing you eat, especially with so many other worries, fears and guilt-inducing issues we battle on a daily basis as women and mothers. Here's what I have personally decided: Food is a big part of our lives; it sustains us, it fuels us, it keeps us running. The choices we make could, possibly affect our longevity. Wouldn't I rather spend my money here than on this stuff? The beauty of living more simply and cutting back on other petty indulgences is that we can spend more on the things that really matter, and this new tool will allow me the ability to make more informed choices.

So thanks Jessica Alba and sister C for passing the word along!
C, please don't be mad.
Jess, give me a call and we could totally hang out and talk about all the uses for vinegar!

Confessions of a Shop-o-holic

We all know how it goes. Girl with modest income buys things she shouldn't and doesn't stop until she has some sort of wake-up call. I wish I could at least say I had a closest full of Off the Runway, Spring 2012 Chanel and Alexander McQueen to show for myself. But sadly, I do not.  When I look in my closet I see poorly constructed, unworn, falling apart, outdated attire that shouldn't be worn anywhere but to bed. As I flip through each item in my (semi) daily quest to put on something presentable, I usually end up walking out the door in one of the three-or-so outfits I've deemed worthy of a public appearance. And my closet is stuffed full!

We all have our spending weaknesses. Whether it's gadgets, electronics, shoes, dining out---most people can say they have something that monopolizes their spending. My indulgence has always been 'bargains'. Not quite hoarder-worthy, but excessive none-the-less. And it has gotten worse since becoming a mom because I'm always trying to stretch the dollar further. I have an extremely hard time walking into a store and not checking out "the sale rack". And I usually find a cart full of things to bring home. Items I have convinced myself would be foolish not to buy. "What a steal, I can't pass that up; it's like 50% off...and it's designer!" And so I put things away for a rainy day, convincing myself I will find a use for it someday. Or, in the case of my closet, find myself with what feels like a million inadequate black dresses. I've always justified this spending by convincing myself to think that I'm actually saving money. But is it really saving when it's something I didn't need to begin with? And wouldn't I be better off with less clothes, but more quality ones that will last longer and stay in style beyond one season?

The funny thing to me now, as I stop to think about my spending patterns, is that I cannot stand clutter! So why do I insist upon bringing it home? I think in this society it's almost impossible not to shop. Spending money has become far too easy. With just the swipe of a card, the click of a button, a quick 5-minute trip to the nearest mall and we can have, in our possession, whatever it is we want. Commercials entice us with the latest product that we must have.  And let's be honest; buying things makes us feel happy. It feels good to have something shiny and new. It's nice to treat ourselves once in awhile. "I work hard; I deserve it!" Even my 2-year old understands the appeal of a novel item. I bet, however, if you stop to think about your purchases over the last few weeks you would find that apart from groceries, most of them are frivolous and fleeting things you did not need nor remember buying. That latte. That pair of boots. It all adds up! At the end of the month as I sit and review my bank account, I am left feeling unhappy at the state of financial affairs. So why do I continuously dwindle it away for a 'temporary fix' when I could be putting it to better use? Say my child's college fund.

This year I've decided to really take a step back and think about this buying compulsion and try to get to the bottom of why spending makes me happy.  A personal challenge prompted by this photo which circulated around Christmas:

In order to accomplish this goal I have put myself on monetary lockdown for one year. A clothing spending freeze that is sure to test my willpower and make me feel like I'm in solitary shopping confinement, but hopefully teach me a few valuable lessons about 'necessity'.  Though it's only February I'm happy to report that so far, I've been sticking to the rules.  I even managed to get through the mall without anything but an ice cream cone for my daughter. That was a tough one--I think they pump chemical buying smells into the clothes the same way the fast-food industry adds 'flavor enhancers' to their burgers.  Amazon, my sweet poison, has been strictly limited to gifts and adding things to my "wish list" just for fun. As with any addiction, quitting comes with its withdrawals.  The hardest part is turning off the "want" button in my brain. I can at any time, come up with a list of 10 things I'd love to have and usually convince myself I need. Not going out and getting them (or adding them to my cart) takes will-power. But I'm hoping that over time it will become second-nature for me to really consider each purchase. Do I need it? Do I love it? And most importantly, can I live without it? I think I'll find, more often than not, that the answer is YES!