Spring Is Coming, Let's Get Organized

I have a major case of Spring Fever and this extra day of February is not helping.  I long for longer days filled with happy, warm sunshine.  I am tired of gray trees and want to be surrounded in green.  I would like to walk out the door with my children and not have to play Musical Coats (the prequel to Mom Hold My Coat I'm Hot which is played as soon as we reach our destination).  I know that we aren't far from sandal weather which means that there will be less socks to fold.  Soon the children will be able to play outside in the evening instead of playing Get Under Mommy's Feet while I'm making dinner.  We will be able to open the windows and breath fresh air all day long.  Forget Christmas, we need a little Spring right now.

However, since I can not force the hand of Mother Nature, I am doing all that I can to prepare for Spring, which means trying to get organized.  Marty has been working on organizing the basement for literally months.  We all have that space where things go when we don't know where they belong.  Our is a room in the basement and we call it Away.  "Where are you putting that?" Away.  "I know we have one of these things.  Where did you put it?"  Away.  "We won't need this until next Christmas.  Where should we store it?"  Away.  You can see how it got its name.  It is just so easy to put things Away, that Away has gotten a little out of control.

Since Marty has taken on the basement, I am trying to organize some other areas of our lives.  First of all, I am trying to get a handle on getting the chores done around here on a more regular basis.  While the "Holy Crap I haven't seen the carpet in three days" method does lead to an exhausting cleaning session, it just doesn't last.  So, I am trying to do a few chores each day and try to maintain a level of clean instead of just spikes of clean.  Also, I have enlisted the children to help out.  They are responsible for their rooms and the family room.  They must have both cleaned up before dinner of they don't eat.  OK they do get to eat, but they must straighten up first.

Also, I am working on getting us on a more whole food less processed food diet.  I tried the raw thing last summer and while I felt great, it was a lot of work.  I was the only one eating this way which meant that either I was eating healthy and the rest of the family was eating crap.  Or we were all eating alright, but it wasn't raw and all the raw stuff I had bought was spoiling in the fridge.  In the long term, this dueling diets just wasn't going to work.  On the upside though, it made me more of a label reader.

So for our first step, we have cut out high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners.  Let me tell you, that cuts out a lot of what is in the grocery store.  Also, my mother bought me a bread machine (actually two, but that is a separate post) and I have been trying to make our bread instead of buying it.  Have you ever looked at what is in a loaf of commercially made bread?  It boggles the mind.

I know that the we are about a month away from the opening of the farmer's markets and soon we will start prepping our own garden and this whole food diet will become cheaper and easier.  Until then, I have bread baking, homemade granola bars in the oven, and I am off to do my daily chores while I wait anxiously for Spring to arrive.

Comments

[barb meserve]

Whole foods is easier than raw. Its the same food, its just less waste. You can cook it in a recipe, or parboil(vegs) if you see you might not be able to use it that week and freeze it. Do you have a vegetable garden? You KNOW where your food comes from. Thats another thing to look into. Kids can help!

[susiej]

You're right -- that's what would happen at our house.. the kids would eat crap, while I ate the good raw food.

Bread... that's an easy one. Have you seen the new book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking? You will love it. I easily make our sandwich, everyday bread, I use the oatmeal flour one (I split the white flour with whole wheat) and I never go to the store for bread now. I also have another dough sitting in my fridge for the fancy artisan breads. It's fabulous.

[Chris]

That's great (cutting out the high fructose, etc.)! We've done that (mostly) on our end, too. Have you thought about buying into a local farmers cooperative to get fresh produce? Getting local produce is much more nutritious as the veg starts to lose vitamins as soon as it's pulled from the plant. We do a lot of stir fry (thank god for rice cookers) and add various proteins. And hey, you can always fry the veggie's tempura style and trick the kids!

[paige]

We've also cut out artificial sweetners and high fructose corn syrup. That cut out whole sections of the grocery store.

I love to make bread, but since I work full time, it's problematic to make enough for the whole week. Have a look at Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat bread. No corn syrup and a pretty short list of ingredients. The preservatives are natural, too. I like it and the kids think it's ok.