a little monkey business

In lieu of this book, Caps For Sale, Lisa had all the kids bring their favorite hats to school and together they engaged in role playing games and a photo shoot. I received these a few days later.

Sexy carrot legs makes for a tasty dinner

"E.T. phone home"

I won't be giving this little one Reese's Pieces just yet. Heck, even Altea is still deprived of such luxuries. But one day, it may just be what is needed. Haha.

Here she is, third trimester photo shoot, and looking more alien like than ever.

the makings of a french ballerina

Many months ago, Altea began to ask to take classes. We've been slow to board the "activities" train because Mike and I are both strongly against over scheduling. And with Sweet Peas, regular playdates, my babysitting, and other various activities that always seem to come up, we already have a full schedule. But she is four now, and has reached an age where we believe these classes may be beneficial. We've been discussing her options for months and she has narrowed down her interests to French, Ballet, and Martial Arts.

About a month ago a friend of mine sent out an email to our AP parenting group and mentioned that she was trying to set up a private French class for her daughter and others. Her daughter is a good friend of Altea's so I immediately emailed her back and agreed. Starting in March, Altea, Soleil, and Freya began a two hour weekly French class with an amazing teacher. The first day I had planned to stay with her and check it out. We were the first to arrive, so I introduced myself to Nathalie, her teacher, and began explaining to her that Altea was slow to warm and would probably not talk to her for a little while and would like me to stay. As I spoke, Altea interrupted me and told me to leave. She said she was fine and wanted me to go. I still planned on staying, but over the next 15 minutes she urgently pointed to the door and insisted that I go. So I went. I went all the way to Peet's and enjoyed myself a nice cuppa tea. Is this girl ready for classes? I believe so.

Well, here we are, one month later, and signed up for a ballet class. I decided to start at the local rec center since it was inexpensive and for a short duration. The first day went ok. I was disappointed that the teacher failed to introduce herself to the students and none of the kids knew each other's names. This was very problematic for Altea as knowing a person's name is a key base for building trust. Her, and I, were not interested in letting me leave. And I plan to stay for a while at this one. I just wish the seats were more comfortable.

It's so cute to see how attentive she is in class. Most of the girls are timid, but Altea has much to say and offers a lot of feedback to the teacher. I loved to watch her spunky attitude and confidence displayed in a room full of strangers. Here are some pics I shot of her first day in Ballet and at the park afterward.

Conversation

Altea: What animal is beef from?

Me: Beef is from a cow.

Altea: Oh, I thought a cow was pork.

Me: No, pork is from a pig.

Altea: Oh, then what is human meat called?

Me: We don't eat humans.

Altea: Why?


And that is how we started our conversation on cannibalism, which has continued to many conversations on cannibalism.

Birthday Bash!

Batta batta batta batta batta batta SWING!




And she whacked that piñata right down to the ground!

a mission for excellence

The Omnivore's Dilemma has quickly become one of the most informative and intriguing books I have ever read. Michael Pollen takes his reader with him through his search for the origins of all the food he sees on his kitchen table. He discusses how prominent corn is in our diet, GMOs, and artificial fertilizers. He researches the cattle industry and feed farms and even purchases a steer to follow it from birth, through it's time at the feedlot, and all the way until it enters the slaughterhouse, where they close the doors and forbid Pollen from viewing. He covers the organic industry and discusses the difference between the original grassroots efforts and the now multimillion dollar organic companies, who's policies are not that much different than their mainstream partners. He spent a week living on a farm whose philosophy revered themselves as grass farmers. After following a farming practice that mimicked the organic life cycle, as closely as possible, he decided in order to make his research complete, he must hunt and forage an entire meal, himself.

Condensed with information, this book took me months to read, but I can't think of much that's more important than learning where the food that fuels our bodies comes from. My favorite part was the chapter on Joel Salatin's Farm, Polyface, Inc.. I learned in great detail, the health benefits of grass fed beef and chickens whose diets were rich in fresh grass and insects. His process of rotating the animals on a rigorous schedule that mimics the way they run from predators in the wild, allows the grass to grow to optimal levels and prevents the animals from eating their own fecal matter. This makes for happy, healthy, and nutritionally rich animals.

I made the decision to stop eating red meat about 6 years ago. I've never really liked the taste of beef and hearing claims of saturated fat and heart disease, I really thought that avoiding it would be best. After reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and hearing about Salatin's Farm I decided that reincorporating grass fed beef, that is low in saturated fats and high in Omega 3's, would actually be a smart dietary choice. After spending a Saturday afternoon researching local farms, I found a farm nearby, Marin Sun Farms, who follows Joel Salatin's principles. They sold their meat at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market in San Francisico. I called up Tanicia, and made plans to take Muni to the Ferry Plaza, in search for a couple steaks. The two of us were quite a scene at the beef stand, having no prior experience in steak purchasing. We asked lots of questions, didn't get very many answers, and settled on two top sirloin cuts.

The very next night, Mike cooked them up, along with potatoes and asparagus, and we had what I'd set out for, a guilt free meal of organic grass fed beef. I don't know about a taste difference since it's been years since I'd sampled a steak, but I'd say it was pretty tasty.