scwendy
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Posts posted by scwendy
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Soy milk, almond milk, leafy green veggies, fresh fruit, frozen veggies (green beans, peas, corn), beans (canned/dried), whole grains, coffee.
If any of these items is missing from the home, it is not a good day.
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I do not eat animal flesh/fluids and although Dh is an omni, I do the shopping and cooking, so we do not have the expense of buying meat, eggs or dairy.
That frees up plenty of money for fresh fruits and veggies. Just compare the cost per pound of any fruit or veggie to the cost per pound of most meats and cheeses and they really aren't more expensive and provide so much more nutrition calorie for calorie.
Still, I will buy berries and such frozen in bulk at Sam's for smoothies etc, and I will often buy salad greens in bulk. I will also buy fozen veggies like peas, corn, and green beans frozen in bulk. I shop the produce that is on sale, especially fruit. Also, I only buy the dirty dozen organic as it is more costly and we eat A LOT of veggies/fruit with two adult and three kids still at home.
As far as meal prep/planning, I try to eat over 50% raw, so I usually only cook anything at dinner and even then, we have a huge salad as well.
A typical day:
breakfast: fresh fruit or fruit smoothie made with frozen fruit, 2 tbs ground flax & almond milk with a handfull of kale or spinach thrown in
snacks: fresh fruit or one serving of unsalted nuts or popcorn or cut up veggies w/hummus
lunch: salad w/ mixed greens, carrots, tomatoes & such and a handful of garbonzo beans, homemade balsamic dressing & maybe a dash of pepper
dinner: sauteed squash (or whatever veggies), brown rice or quinoa, huge garden salad as salad above w/out garbonzos
I have a couple of picky eaters as well (and that is such a frustration to me sometimes!), but I only prepare one meal (and I always include something everyone has eaten before), and if they are hungry, they will eat what is prepared.
Just start out slow by adding fresh veggies to one meal a day and work on adding more from there. Most people are more likely to continue doing something successfully if they make the shift gradually.
PS My DH gets the occasional flesh fix via the sporadic meal out and my kids get the occasional "junk" fix via their Nanu!!!
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We do both. We have a VERY large salad as part of our dinner almost every single night. If it is a meal, I will usually also throw on some beans as well(chickpeas and/or black beans are favorites).
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I loved being Vegan, 80% raw. I had energy and felt fantastic. However, it was very difficult to maintain. Every get together, party, even family dinner, there would be food I "couldn't eat" because I was doing a raw vegan diet.
Dawn
I am not at 80%, but I am better than 50% and I do frequently bring a dish (raw or whole foods cooked) to get togethers. For me, I don't mind the extra effort as I gave up animal flesh/fluids for my health originally, and then opened my heart to the ethics, so that makes it much easier.
My health is through the roof as is my performance level. I cannot even remember the last time I had a cold. And I have spiritually and emotionally transformed as well.
I think for the average person that has no ethical problems with eating animal flesh/fluids, Michael Pollan is spot on.
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We are heading up to UNC this weekend for a dear friend. We will be wearing business casual to dress clothing. I personally am wearing a nice summer maxi dress (not with spaghetti type straps though!) with heeled sandals.
I remember my family wearing khakis and dress shirts (father and brothers) and summer slacks and a dress shirt (mother) to my college graduation.
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What is your source for this information? I have never heard such a thing. ETA: http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/page7-11.html
I agree; that has never been our experience with clients. There's a great deal of misinformation out there about SSI and SSDI! I think the AARP article is pretty well-researched, and it links back to SSA.gov, which is the "horse's mouth" so to speak.
My source is that evaluating claimants and determining if they qualify is my job and has been for more than a decade.
To receive Social Security Disability under Title II, if you are not found disabled prior to your DLI (date last insured), which is the future date that I referenced in my original post, you will not receive benefits. You could actually meet the disability requirements TODAY, but if you are no longer insured (through past work credit) and you did not meet the requirements PRIOR to that expiration (DLI), you will not be eligible for benefits through that program.
Read more here: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/ProgData/insured.html
As you can see from the formula, it is very rare that one is permanently insured. In fact, in over 10 years, I have not had a SINGLE case where a person was permanently insured.
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To qualify for SSI, not only do you have to be found disabled under the federal SSA guidelines, but you must meet income/resource requirements. This is a small monthly benefit that is a set amount through federal guidelines.
Social Security Disability is a program that if you have worked, paid in, and earned a certain amount of credit (in quarters) and you meet the federal SSA guidelines for disability, will award a monthly payment based on your past earnings. Your quarters of coverage (earned while working) are not good forever, though. For example, if you worked full-time and stopped working completely, you would only be "insured" for about five years from the date you quit working.
Think of Social Security Disability as being "insurance" that you pay for while working. Like other types of insurance, once you stop paying premiums (in this case, taxes from your earnings), your coverage will eventually end.
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I love attending and being active in church, but I don't believe in an all powerful, loving god.
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I am very close to my parents and all of my children are extremely close to them as well. My parents (although my father is gone a lot as he is an OTR truckdriver) live in the same town.
My mother is my best friend. She keeps my two youngest the three days a week that I work, but I still see her most days out of the four that I don't work.
I lived in the SW for years and it was hard being so far away and only seeing my parents twice a year. There are so many places I would rather live than here, but at this point in our lives, I would never choose to move very far from my parents.
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Fresh fruit and plain wheat toast. If the fruit option is meager, maybe plain grits or hash browns. And this pretty much holds true for all levels of restaurants, from IHOP to higher end.
I do not eat any animal flesh/fluids and I eat predominately whole foods, so eating out is always so disappointing compared to what I can have at home (fresh fruits/veggies, smoothies, pancakes/waffles)!
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We watch Phineas and Ferb so I know what it is lol
So....is that a parenting fail....lol
Tee-hee. Me, too.
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We went through a job loss last year, and we are still not fully recovered!
Wishing your family the best!
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Still reading Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda and Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Animal and the Holocaust by Charles Patterson myself, and I am reading Black Beauty by Anna Sewell to the children.
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I'm sure more state will pull out of CC but that will not make the education system in those states any better. There have been problems in the system far before CC and there will be after it unless big changes are made. I'm not holding my breath for those big changes.
This exactly. Fundamental problems in education (public and private) pre-date CC.
The only viable answer in the foreseeable future is for individual parents to be active and instrumental in making sure their children are not slipping through the cracks, falling behind, not being challenged etc. We are not equipped as a country to meet the educational demands in the public arena in a consistent, rigorous manner for all students (and that is to say nothing of special issues).
Many people just don't want to hear that. No test or standard is going to change the structure and culture of the educational system in the USA. There were similar problems when MY MOTHER was in school.
I view it largely as a pro/con scenario of living in a capitalistic republic. There are some great things about it and some not so great things about it. We parents just have to advocate for our children and not leave it to the schools/government/society alone.
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I am so very sorry. I will keep your family in my thoughts and I hope he is home safe and sound very soon.
Please keep us updated!
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First, I am very sorry and will be thinking of your family.
My grandmother died after a protracted fight with cancer, and we lived about an hour away. We went to visit her every single weekend. If her health and your schedule allows, I highly recommend it. I feel so blessed to have had all that extra time with her while she was still comfortable and alert.
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I am an official wannabe :blushing:
My oldest (22) is on her own now, my 19 year old is finishing up his sophomore year of college, my 9 year old is in the 3rd grade in PS, and I have a 3 year old and 1 year old.
I profess to an enormous fear of not providing the children the education they need to pursue whatever path they feel called to follow. And the children enjoy PS, and we do have good schools in our area (DS1 is on a full academic scholarship).
I guess if they struggled or were unhappy, I would take the plunge regardless of my misgivings about myself.
But I STILL feel that the information here is incredibly useful and inspiring and I hope you all don't mind putting up with me :bigear:
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Subbing...I work T-W-Th, so these posts are so valuable!
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I will not put my ideals ahead of my relationship with my children nor ahead of their education. If homeschooling is harming the relationship with one of my children, I will not hesitate to put him or her in public school (we do not have the money for private school), even if they end up receiving a sub-par education when compared to what they would have received at home. If I become mentally/physically/emotionally incapacitated, I will not hesistate to send my kids to public school so they can receive a better education than they would at home under those circumstances. Right now homeschooling is the best thing for my children, but circumstances beyond my control can change the situation. I refuse to worship at the altar of homeschooling and sacrifice my kids' education or our relationship in order to homeschool them.
I read frequently but seldom post.
I could not read your words and let it go unsaid that they moved me.
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This describes me very, very closely. I had to really ask around and do my research to find an Episcopal church in my area that was on board with the views of the Episcopal Church nationally (the state diocese and most parishes within the state ARE NOT inclusive like the church nationally).Things with which I struggle:
- the lack of depth in spirituality. I'd be totally cool with hearing sermons about pagans one week and Jews the next and Muslims the week after that, if there was any actual depth of teaching about any of them.
- the lack of ritual.
- the fact that the choirs are usually just bad.
- the lack of emphasis on beauty and sacredness during worship.
Reasons why I haven't felt at home in other churches I've visited:
- Although I feel a deep connection to the Jesus story, I interpret the mystical elements (virgin birth, resurrection) as metaphor. I absolutely accept the existence of a historical Jesus, but many of the aspects of the story emphasized in traditional churches get in the way for me.
- I am not a person who can pay lip service, "fake it 'til I make it."
- Even though my view of Jesus isn't traditional, I'm finding myself leaning much more Christian than anything else. (And, if you knew me, you'd be blown away by that statement.) Christianity, I've come to accept, is a cultural touchstone for me, and I am unlikely to stray too far.
Best of luck in your search!
What do you do about extracurriculars and different children
in The Chat Board
Posted
I would let him play soccer.
What helps in our family is only allowing one activity per child. That is not always popular in today's culture of extracurricular overload, but there is a finite amount of time in each day. We have noticed that if we allow any more than one activity per child, it cuts too much into our time together as a family.
Also, what I learned two children into my five is that it is OKAY to drop an older child off at practice (if allowed) to take the younger child(ren) to their activity. For a while, I felt bad that I could not watch every single practice, but I am COMPLETELY over that now.
Good luck with whatever you decide!