Thursday, June 7, 2012

Your Turn To Chime In: Questions for You

Hello there, readers from far and wide.

I thought I'd turn some questions your way today, instead of turning to google.

1. What is a good price for grass-fed beef or free-range chicken?  What are the health benefits in a nutshell (I know what WON'T be going into my body and I know the ethical considerations of treatment of animals and the supporting of local farmers, but I'm looking for health benefits.)

2. For those who have adopted children of African or African-American origin, if you've tried cornrows, do you have a special product that you use to keep them tidy?  Million's fall apart really quickly (2 days max on them.)  Do you have a favorite youtube channel for hairstyling?  (I'm aware of a lot of the blogs, but I'm looking for videos specifically.)  Also, what kind of comb are you using for parts? (I'm using whatever is available.)

3. If you're vegetarian or a whole foods cook, what are your best suggestions for increasing iron?  Any summer-friendly (very minor cooking in a non-air-conditioned house) recipes?

4.  If you've potty trained your children, what was your most successful method?

5.  What is one favorite special activity you remember doing as a child?

6.  What are some things we could do with Million before/after the baby comes to remind him that he's special?

7. If you have two or more kids, what was one of the hardest things about the transition from one to two children?

8. What's a book you've read recently, either children's or adult's, that you've really enjoyed or was really thought provoking?  What is one book you always tell other people they HAVE to read?

3 comments:

  1. Hi Heather, I love that you asked questions here as opposed to google! What fun!

    1. To give you a little background, I'm a high school social studies teacher...one class I teach is called Modern Governmental Perspectives. One of the units in that class is called "The Industrialization of Food". What I've learned (with my students) is that grass-fed beef has FAR less ecoli in its system, and therefore is much reduced health risk to eat. Also, cows naturally eat grass as opposed to grain or corn, so it is a more efficient food source for them. I'm not sure how that translates to health benefits for humans, though. It seems like it must though.

    6. Dates with just Million after the baby comes. He's going to have a seismic change in his life when baby arrives, and knowing that he still gets one on one time is crucial.

    8. I just finished reading "Guilty Wives" by James Patterson. This falls into the guilty pleasure, non-vocabulary increasing category, but it's a fun read :) I'm currently reading "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett- wow. It's about England in the middle ages and the history teacher in me just loves it.

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  2. 1. When eating grass-fed beef or range-free chicken, you're going to get a wider variety of nutrients than with feedlot animals. In a nutshell, that's one of the biggest benefits. The animals themselves get a bigger variety of nutrients from eating a wide variety of foods wherever they can range, and you'll get that benefit too! Also, the animals will have to work harder for the food, which will make the meat more lean.

    3. Green. Green. Green. Eat as many dark green leafy things as you can. Those are mostly all high in iron (spinach, Swiss chard, kale, etc.). Also, beans have a pretty good supply of iron, as does blackstrap molasses. Even quinoa! That doesn't take long to cook, and there are a lot of good cold salads you can make with qinoa.

    5. I loved riding on my dad's shoulders when we would go for walks. Also, when my dad came home from work (most evenings, I think) we would have a 'tickle fight,' where my dad would crawl around on the floor, chasing us and growling like a bear. If he caught us, he'd tickle us. :) Even now that is one of my favorite memories and makes me smile!

    8. I recently read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which I found really thought-provoking. One that I almost always recommend to people is Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, which I LOVED. I also would recommend The Help if it wasn't already so well-known. If you haven't picked up the book yet, do so!

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  3. 2. A pin tail comb. I have several favorite hair products: Bee Mine Curly Butter, aloe vera gel, Oyin sugar berries humectant and hair pomade, Darcy's Botanicals Madagascar vanilla styling creme. Not that I use all of those in one style though. It depends on how much hold I'm feeling I'll need and how much moisture I think needs to be locked in. It might be that the aloe vera and tighter cornrows will do the trick for Million! I don't have a favorite youtube channel.
    3. Cooking in cast iron also helps.
    4. Have an ending day, and go shopping for undies. Say goodbye to diapers. Wear undies, but no pants. Watch for the first sign of going and run like a maniac through the house to get them on the toilet. Keep asking if they need to go, or tell me when they need to go. The first time they make it all in the toilet is a little celebration. They need to drink as much liquid as possible for more teachable moments. It usually takes between 2-3 days for the idea to catch on and you still have to be mindful of accidents for a long time after that, but you're over the worst of it by then. This is the severely abridged version. If you need clarification, fb me.
    6. Involved him in as much as the baby preparations and baby care as possible. He'll feel so important!
    7. I was terrified that if I left the house, one of them would get away from me somehow. I got over it. :) The hardest at-home time was while breastfeeding. Keeping other kids out of trouble is harder when you're confined to the couch, so I learned to breastfeed while doing pretty much anything (including making sandwiches). Haha!
    8. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

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