Hen23's Journal~Goodbye

[Farmfresh]

Our district is also financially suffering. Last year voters chose to re align the district and take in several elementary schools, a middle school and a high school from another district that is SO pathetic they have even lost their accreditation!

The buildings were all in PITIFUL state of repair. At the time we were assured that the homes within the new area would be picking up most of the costs for necessary renovations, but due to STATE cuts our district is very short on funding. Jobs have been severely cut and many teachers will lose close to $5,000 a year on after hours pay for things like after school clubs and etc... Now they are trying hard to have voters who are already tapped by the economy vote for another school bond issue. The politics of schools.

By the way ... someday soon you will be trying to stop that boy from eating! It will be like filling a giant hole!

 

[Henrietta23]

Our district is also financially suffering. Last year voters chose to re align the district and take in several elementary schools, a middle school and a high school from another district that is SO pathetic they have even lost their accreditation!

The buildings were all in PITIFUL state of repair. At the time we were assured that the homes within the new area would be picking up most of the costs for necessary renovations, but due to STATE cuts our district is very short on funding. Jobs have been severely cut and many teachers will lose close to $5,000 a year on after hours pay for things like after school clubs and etc... Now they are trying hard to have voters who are already tapped by the economy vote for another school bond issue. The politics of schools.

By the way ... someday soon you will be trying to stop that boy from eating! It will be like filling a giant hole!

People keep telling me that. I swear the kid lives on air. His teacher actually suggested I send in more food. I told her I would if she could guarantee that he didn't throw or give it away. I sent more today. Most of it came home. If I put in prepackaged junk, he'll eat it. I'm not caving in. I know I'm in a battle with what other parents put in their kids lunch bags. I'm not sorry! I will tell him till I'm blue in the face that I'm not wasting our money on non-nutritious food.
I know, I'm preaching to the choir. And I'm not asking him to eat plain homemade yogurt and raw veggies. We're talking in season fruite. Homemade bread with roasted free range chicken, homemade pudding, homemade oatmeal cookies. He wants "fruit" snacks and potato chips, Lunchables and Twinkies. GAG But that's what his friends eat, almost every single one of them. I just smile and remind him he's almost never sick. He was out one day last year, with a cold, and doesn't have a cavity in his head.

DH's school is a small district school that was in danger of losing its accreditation a few years back. It's been a long road but they have made great improvements without any support from their tax payers. That's another nightmare that I won't even get into!!

 

[Farmfresh]

Have you ever made "fruit roll ups"? I have a dehydrator and they are ultra easy and YUMMY. ( they are also made of 100% pureed fruit and are nutritious but shhhh!)

My kids also liked molasses cookies and peanut butter oatmeal no bake cookies, both are high in nutrition. So is peanut butter play dough, which is peanut butter, powdered milk mixed to a play dough consistency that you must play with and then eat with your hands!!

My kids always ate things they helped to make better as well. You should let him help you make some "candy" coated almonds or other nuts.

Cinnamon-Roasted Almonds http://allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
1 egg white
1 teaspoon cold water
4 cups whole almonds
1/2 cup sugar (or I use raw turbino sugar)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Lightly grease a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.
2. Lightly beat the egg white; add water, and beat until frothy but not stiff. Add the nuts, and stir until well coated. Mix the sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the nuts. Toss to coat, and spread evenly on the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally, until golden. Allow to cool, then store nuts in airtight containers.

They also LOVED smoothies for breakfast that I made with 1 (truly fresh) egg, yogurt and fruit. YES I fed them raw eggs and they loved it. (I would never eat a raw store egg however)

 

[Henrietta23]

I won't even eat store bought eggs over easy-blech!
He will occasionally help bake but usually gets distracted. Hates nuts but may just may be coming around to almonds and peanuts. The peanut butter dough may work. I'll add those all to my list of possibles. As for peer pressure, I guess we'll just have to get used to it now! He eats with 25 classmates, most of whom, more likely ALL of whom, eat prepackaged junk for snack and the school lunch. It's a tough battle!

 

[Farmfresh]

I am actually amazed at some of the things I hear from kids now a days. Things like "Oh boy we are going to get yogurt for breakfast!" and "Mom will you buy me a water ... pleeease!"

There are a few parents out there fighting the good fight now. At least around here.

 

[Henrietta23]

In surrounding towns it's less unusual. In the college town where DS went PreK and K it wasn't unusual at all. Here it's almost unheard of. More than half the students get free lunch. It may be closer to .75. Most parents buy their groceries at Walmart. But I won't give up!

 

[Henrietta23]

The Woodstock (CT) Fair is this weekend and we're expect nearly perfect weather! I'm so excited. I will be driving you all nuts with my goat longings. I'm going with an assignment for a project. My supervisor and I are putting together a vocabulary unit on farm animals and I will be photographing as many as I can, including their various parts (ones that won't get me fired that is!) SO I have an excuse to spend even more time in the animal barns. Wheeeeee! I may have to send DH and DS off to the rides to spare them.
I hope to spend Monday clearing some areas of the garden, finding a spot for some fall planted garlic and possibly getting some more fencing up.
I also need to do a little kitchen reorganization to get myself set up with a baking/cooking schedule to do better at keeping homemade stuff on hand. I had to put the whole fermenting plan on hold since I'm overwhelmed with all of us going back to school. I WANT to be organized, I'm just not naturally so, and my house is small so when stuff piles up it's really in the way.
So I've got Saturday and Monday planned. Sunday is church followed by the farmers' market where there will be a couple discussing their clothing made from hemp fiber. They're right in town and I drive by all the time. I'm just curious so I'll probably go listen.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Sounds like a fun weekend you've ahead of you! We'll be waiting to see pics!

 

[keljonma]

The Woodstock (CT) Fair is this weekend and we're expect nearly perfect weather! I'm so excited. I will be driving you all nuts with my goat longings. I'm going with an assignment for a project. My supervisor and I are putting together a vocabulary unit on farm animals and I will be photographing as many as I can, including their various parts (ones that won't get me fired that is!) SO I have an excuse to spend even more time in the animal barns. Wheeeeee!

You NEEDED an excuse?!

Have fun!

 

[Henrietta23]

The Woodstock (CT) Fair is this weekend and we're expect nearly perfect weather! I'm so excited. I will be driving you all nuts with my goat longings. I'm going with an assignment for a project. My supervisor and I are putting together a vocabulary unit on farm animals and I will be photographing as many as I can, including their various parts (ones that won't get me fired that is!) SO I have an excuse to spend even more time in the animal barns. Wheeeeee!

You NEEDED an excuse?!

Have fun!

Well, not to you folks, I meant to my 7 yo DS who just wants to ride the rides and my DH who is concerned about my recurring goat obsession. (He should be worried~I doubt I'm shutting this computer down tonight without having created an account on BYH!)

We had a great time. I got lots of pictures. The only goats there were Nigerian Dwarfs, much to DH's dismay since they are soooo cute! Didn't hook up with any sellers though. Walked away from a gorgeous sweet Rex bunny that was for sale. It was hot which kept me from eating lot of junk. I got a crab salad roll from a church booth for $3 and a potato from "Potato Heaven" It wasn't all that heavenly since it was microwaved-blech! Still better than fried dough or onion blossoms! I have pictures to put up but they're still in the camera.
I spent this afternoon picking up grass fed beef from our CSA farm owner at the farmers' market. I also went to a discussion on hemp fiber clothing from a local couple. Interesting! Got some maple syrup and beef jerky. Veggies weren't too exciting. Stopped at the Food Co-op on the way home for raw milk. Came home and cleaned out the fridge except for the door which I will do after this. Got rid of a lot of stuff that was just sitting unused.
Day off tomorrow will be spent clearing a bed for garlic that I ordered and cleaning out the computer room which is a distaster area. I have more to do in the kitchen to get it organized. The goal being to have what I need to make homemade things accessible so I'm more likely to do it.
The weather has been/is/will be gorgeous. DH is cleaning out the chicken coop and pen. The ducks have been relocated to their old condo complex and can be let out to free range. They are not laying still and they eat like pigs if they're penned with the chickens. I think they're big enough not to be bothered by hawks. I hope.