Me and Three: Mush-yoom Fun

"Ta-da! Mush-yooms!"

me: Those are amazing!

three: Where these mush-yooms come from?

me: They grow from the mycelium, which is underground. A mushroom is the way they release their spores so that more will grow.

three: Oh. I pick them?

me: Let's just look at them for now.

three: They so cute! Somebody live in mush-yoom?

me: Maybe somebody tiny, or a bug.

three: A foe-y (fairy) lives in one.

me: Yeah.

three: I pick them?

me: No, we'll leave them to grow. There's another one!

three: I pick that one?

me: Let's leave them for the squirrels.

three: I want to pick one. Right now. You not tell me no pick mush-yoom.

me: Let's look for more, maybe over here.

three: I pick mush-yoom right now.

me: Do you have to go pee? Are you thirsty?

three: Those mush-yooms are so cute and so pretty. I want to pick them. They are treasures for me.

me (picking her up): I think I hear mama calling. Let's go see...

10 Quick and Easy Natural Snack Ideas for Kids

Feeding your kids natural snacks that are fast and easy to prepare can be a challenge for fathers that aren't so natural in the kitchen. Here are 10 ideas from the Natural Father:

1. Keep a bowl full of fresh organic fruit within reach of your children, washed and ready to eat. Fruit is a great hit with most kids, and a blood sugar boost may be just what they need for a natural attitude adjustment.
   
2. Raisins and sunflower seeds are cheap, available just about anywhere, and taste great together. Buy in bulk and keep some in a container for easy access. Try some other combinations: raisins/peanuts, dried cranberries/walnuts, goji berries/sunnies.
3. Is plain old fruit not exciting enough for them? Try blending a banana with water. Now you've got Banana Milk. Goes great with anything. Add raisins after blending, and it's "Chunky-style Banana Milk". Add a teaspoon of cocoa powder and it becomes "The Amazing Chunky-style Chocolate Banana Milk". Get creative and think of a silly name, and you can get them to eat just about anything.
4. Sheets of nori spread with tahini or peanut butter or whatever you've got. Roll them up and watch them disappear.
5. When making banana milk or smoothies or other liquid treats, put some in popsicle trays or tupperware for the next "I'm hungry." If they are offered "ice cream" or "popsicles", they'll go for it.
6. Popcorn sprinkled with nutritional yeast and salt is super easy if you've got an air-popper (I see them at the thrift stores all the time - cheap). You can do it in a pan on the stove just as easy, but you can't walk away until you're done. Spirulina makes an extra-tasty super green snack and gives plenty of material for funny pictures as well. For a sweet treat, mix some sugar and cinnamon, drizzle the popcorn with alternative butter of choice, and mix in the cinnamon mix. I wouldn't recommend using honey or maple syrup with this unless you can hose them down afterwards. Trust me.
7. Two words: peanut butter. On anything.
8. If you're a sprouter, chop a little onion, grate a carrot, or a zucchini, or an apple over a bowl of sprouts, maybe add a shot of soy sauce or ketchup (or peanut butter), and serve with crackers.
9. Romaine lettuce leaves make excellent wraps, and can be filled with leftovers or sprouted seed spreads (I'll post some recipes for these soon), or your favorite pseudo-cheese product. Ours is jalapeno jack almond cheese. Fill one with a banana and raisins and yes, peanut butter. They'll probably go for it.
10. Oatmeal takes maybe 10 minutes to cook, and you can add any dried fruit or nuts (coconut flakes are tasty) and they'll be fueled up until mealtime. Why do we only eat oatmeal for breakfast? Some sort of food stereotyping conspiracy, I'm sure. If you make a big batch, keep the rest in the fridge and make fried oatmeal with it. Make cookie sized patties and fry in a hot skillet until slightly browned.

The most commonly heard question in my house? "I'm hungry. What can I have to eat?"


peace

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Fatherhood and Personal Growth

In order to achieve all that is demanded of us, we must regard ourselves as greater than we are. -Johann von Goethe

Becoming a father can bring up a lot of issues for us and make us take a look at who we are and where we're going. It can make us question our ideas of work, money, happiness, and romance. How am I going to pay for it all, being the sole supporter? Does what I do for a living mesh with my family's needs? What do I do if my child or wife gets sick?

I remember thinking that it was pretty amazing that we could have a baby and that we were solely responsible. We weren't just babysitting, and wouldn't be giving the baby back to someone later. I mean, where's the owner's manual? What if we forget to do something? Who's responsible here?

As with most things in life, most of it is just suiting up and showing up, doing your best. Once we listen to our intuition and connect with our child and partner, we will be able to act in full confidence, no matter what the situation is. And the acting part is the important part of regarding ourselves as greater than we are. We act. Then we become.

When our daughter was an infant, I used to joke that I wished that we had twins, so that I could hold one. I envied the closeness of mother and child, and was impatient for papa-time. When she got older, we had more one on one time, but when she was an infant, I was just the designated burper. Now we have papa-time, and she's so curious about me and what I do, and how things work, and what project can we work on together?

Sometimes I wonder if I can possibly be the father that my children need. I've got my flaws and weaknesses, so how can I teach them something that I don't know for myself?

Within each of us is a natural pattern and a natural connection to the source of all wisdom. Tapping into that is how we become a natural father. A father that listens for the teaching in everything, and a father that learns from his child.

I've heard the term natural parenting, and natural mothering, but natural parenting probably has a very specific definition to some people, so I've been using the term natural fathering. Natural fathering embodies an intuitive approach to the role of the father in the new green family. It's a positive model of masculinity and fatherhood, of being fully present with our family and fully conscious of our power as men.

First we act as strong fathers, capable fathers, intuitive fathers, and then we become great fathers. We act as friends and teachers to our children, and through the homeschooling experience we receive our own education.

The rewards of fatherhood are many, but the personal growth that happens is huge. There probably isn't a school or book anywhere that can teach you as much as having children does. By living simply and focusing on the important things in life, like love and good food and positive relationships, our children learn those things alongside of us. It's a blessing for sure.

peace

Sprouting, Part 2

Soaking times and amounts for sprouting with a quart jar:

• Alfalfa: Soak 2 Tbs for 4 to 8 hours
• Clover: Soak 2 Tbs for 4 to 8 hours
• Broccoli: Soak 2 Tbs for 8 to 12 hours
  
• Whole lentils: Soak 1 cup for 8 to 12 hours, then eat
• Fenugreek: Soak 1/4 cup for 4 to 8 hours
• Radish: Soak 3 Tbs for 4 to 8 hours
• Raw hulled sunflower seeds: Soak 1 cup for 6 to 8 hours, then eat
• Chia: Soak 1 cup for 6 to 8 hours, then eat
• Sesame: Soak 1 cup for 6 to 8 hours, then eat
• Wheat: Soak 1 cup for 8 to 12 hours
• Rye: Soak 1 cup for 8 to 12 hours

Many seeds and nuts may be soaked and then eaten without sprouting. One of my favorites is sunflower seed milk, made by blending soaked and rinsed raw sunflower seeds with water to the consistency of milk. Honey or maple syrup may be added for a sweetened drink. Using the same method of blending the seeds, but only adding a little water, gives you a base for dips and spreads that you can add fresh veggies and herbs to.

For the more adventurous, you can fill trays with soil and grow sunflower greens and buckwheat "lettuce". Any shallow container with drainage will work, as will regular plant pots. Use raw sunflower seeds in the shell and unhulled buckwheat, soaking 1 cup of seeds per tray for 8 to 12 hours. Spread the seeds evenly over the soil and cover with a little extra soil. Water it well, cover with newspaper or a plastic bag, and put it in a spot that stays at room temp and is dark. Be sure to give them a daily watering, but don't keep it soggy. After a couple of days, you can take the covering off and let them have some sunlight. Let them grow until 4 to 6 inches in length. When it's time to harvest some for lunch, simply cut the sprouts near soil level, rinse, and enjoy! If you cut more than you can eat, the sprouts will stay fresh in the refrigerator just like any greens.

Kids really dig having these sprouts around, and you can make tiny trays out of whatever small containers you have, giving them their own sprout garden. Engaging them in the process of soaking, rinsing, growing and eating sprouts will give them a real sense of cooperation and being in rhythm with nature.

See Sprouting, Part 3

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