I have been contemplating joining a family farmers network for a few years and this year, we've taken the plunge. I am sooooo excited! I truly cannot wait for June 20th to get our first look at how this goes down every week. For 18 weeks, we will meet with our family farmer at a local drop-off location situated just 5 minutes from our house every Wednesday afternoon. Apparently, they set up much like a mini market and we get our pick of the veggies available that week. The website even states that they provide recipes for vegetables which may be new to us. Yum! Best of all, it's all organically grown. Double yum!
Between this weekly catch and the tomatoes and herbs in our own garden, I'm betting my vegan wannabe crusade will be on the road to success, at least in the summer months. Although, I probaby will never be 100% vegan, I hope to integrate more and more vegan meals in my diet and there's nothing like fresh produce to give a girl a push in the right direction.
I'm hoping to get the girls excited about this too. So far, my enthusiasm hasn't rubbed off on them, they just don't get it. Like it or not, I plan on insisting they join me and get up close and personal with our family farmer. The way I see it, it's all about appreciation of good, natural food. Hopefully, our family farmer will become a strong ally in getting them interested in healthy eating. One day, I hope they will be as excited as I am in front of a colorful, vegetable-packed plate.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Mother Nature... quit playing around!
By now, you've probably understood the fact that I am a summer girl. Warm weather, sunny skies, and driving with the windows down all bring out the best in me. Yesterday, it was once again nearly 30 degrees (Celsius that is), today it was barely 15 degrees and by the weekend we will be back to a possibility of snowflakes.
You gotta love Quebec weather. Or not.
Can you guess where I stand on that one?
Of course you can, it's a no-brainer.
What's up with all the taunting Mother Nature? Make up your mind!
And I am warning you. Don't you dare send more snow our way than the girls' trampoline can handle. Bad enough you ruined our gazebo for the 3rd or 4th time last year, that trampoline is off limits! It's the only thing that can keep the girls outdoors and active for hours. It even has the power to keep them away from the Family Channel not to mention the fact it's an absolute magnet for friends. All they have to do is bounce up and down once and wham! the neighbourhood comes running (or bouncing) along providing plenty of conflict management opportunities (wow, aren't I in a very positive state of mind tonight...).
Seriously, a trampoline is really a constant block party which means tons of fresh air and a fun cardio workout for all with the added bonus of simplified bedtimes.
So hands off the trampoline! It is desperately needed... at least until pool season starts.
You gotta love Quebec weather. Or not.
Can you guess where I stand on that one?
Of course you can, it's a no-brainer.
What's up with all the taunting Mother Nature? Make up your mind!
And I am warning you. Don't you dare send more snow our way than the girls' trampoline can handle. Bad enough you ruined our gazebo for the 3rd or 4th time last year, that trampoline is off limits! It's the only thing that can keep the girls outdoors and active for hours. It even has the power to keep them away from the Family Channel not to mention the fact it's an absolute magnet for friends. All they have to do is bounce up and down once and wham! the neighbourhood comes running (or bouncing) along providing plenty of conflict management opportunities (wow, aren't I in a very positive state of mind tonight...).
Seriously, a trampoline is really a constant block party which means tons of fresh air and a fun cardio workout for all with the added bonus of simplified bedtimes.
So hands off the trampoline! It is desperately needed... at least until pool season starts.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
How I humiliated biggirl...
and made her proud all at the same time. You see, when she started grade 6, her backpack was still in pretty good shape. So, I convinced her to wait on purchasing a new one, knowing they would all be on sale just a few weeks after school started. Of course, I was right... but by then she had forgotten all about wanting a new backpack. In all my early Christmas planning due to our trip to Florida, my mother picked up the backpack and matching lunchbox she had yearned for in October and tucked them away, crossing one Xmas present off her list. We were so proud!
Then, when Christmas came along (beginning of December in our house), biggirl was thrilled to receive the perfectly high school worthy kit. Come January, we had to do a lot of convincing to get her to use it right away. She wanted to keep it looking brand new for high school... I finally got her to use it before her old one tore open. When I stated that arriving with brand smacking new gear on your first day of high school is uncool, I knew I could rest my case. Sometimes, parenting pushes you to provide extreme explanations I guess...
Just one month later, the inside pocket was completely torn, providing me with a new mission: to get this replaced, free of charge. Now, I am not normally one to return merchandise or cause trouble, but this was probably the most expensive backpack she had ever had and it really was supposed to carry her through at least her first year of high school too. Since, after just one month of use it was damaged, I went to the store, with the girls and the backpack (plus the lunchbox tucked inside), determined to get this business taken care of.
Having worked in retail myself, I know very well that it wasn't the poor manager's fault, but it all didn't go down very well. You see, she started by telling me that there was a 60-day guarantee. Do the math. It was purchased in October, received as a gift in December, and only used as of mid-January...way beyond the 60-day mark. But, I strongly expressed the fact that the bag had not been used for 60 days and that we should not be penalized for Xmas shopping early. I also voiced the fact that this was a pretty expensive kit and that I was very disappointed of the quality. The manager then inspected the bag as I looked on red-faced and exasperated. When she told me that the backpack had obviously been torn by books...I lost it! Of course there were books in it. I mean come on lady, it's a school bag. Then, as I explained that I needed the lunchbox exchanged too since we had paid for a matching kit to begin with because that is what we wanted, I really felt as if we were out of luck. She finally asked me for my phone number and promised to call after she had checked with her supervisor.
Throughout this scene, I could feel the girls' eyes on me, I could tell they were uncomfortable, and I even had time to think of what kind of example I was setting... talk about multi-tasking!
When we left the store, biggirl told me she was a little bit embarassed about how I insisted...but also very proud. As I said, when we pay a lot for things, we expect them to fulfill the purpose we spent money for. I also told them that if the bag were mine I probably would not have done anything, but when it comes to my girls, I will fight no matter what! I also insisted on the fact that I remained polite with the manager. There was no name-calling involved in all my attempts to prove my point.
I don't know how many times I replayed the scene in my head.
Can you guess the final outcome?
A few days later we walked out of the store with a new backpack.
And
A new lunchbox picked out by biggirl. She was happy. I was happy. The manager probably wasn't.
Hopefully the lesson learned is not : get angry and get what you want, but more along the lines of stand up for yourself and make a wrong right.
One thing is certain, the girls know their mom is not a pushover. And I am definitely proud of that!
Then, when Christmas came along (beginning of December in our house), biggirl was thrilled to receive the perfectly high school worthy kit. Come January, we had to do a lot of convincing to get her to use it right away. She wanted to keep it looking brand new for high school... I finally got her to use it before her old one tore open. When I stated that arriving with brand smacking new gear on your first day of high school is uncool, I knew I could rest my case. Sometimes, parenting pushes you to provide extreme explanations I guess...
Just one month later, the inside pocket was completely torn, providing me with a new mission: to get this replaced, free of charge. Now, I am not normally one to return merchandise or cause trouble, but this was probably the most expensive backpack she had ever had and it really was supposed to carry her through at least her first year of high school too. Since, after just one month of use it was damaged, I went to the store, with the girls and the backpack (plus the lunchbox tucked inside), determined to get this business taken care of.
Having worked in retail myself, I know very well that it wasn't the poor manager's fault, but it all didn't go down very well. You see, she started by telling me that there was a 60-day guarantee. Do the math. It was purchased in October, received as a gift in December, and only used as of mid-January...way beyond the 60-day mark. But, I strongly expressed the fact that the bag had not been used for 60 days and that we should not be penalized for Xmas shopping early. I also voiced the fact that this was a pretty expensive kit and that I was very disappointed of the quality. The manager then inspected the bag as I looked on red-faced and exasperated. When she told me that the backpack had obviously been torn by books...I lost it! Of course there were books in it. I mean come on lady, it's a school bag. Then, as I explained that I needed the lunchbox exchanged too since we had paid for a matching kit to begin with because that is what we wanted, I really felt as if we were out of luck. She finally asked me for my phone number and promised to call after she had checked with her supervisor.
Throughout this scene, I could feel the girls' eyes on me, I could tell they were uncomfortable, and I even had time to think of what kind of example I was setting... talk about multi-tasking!
When we left the store, biggirl told me she was a little bit embarassed about how I insisted...but also very proud. As I said, when we pay a lot for things, we expect them to fulfill the purpose we spent money for. I also told them that if the bag were mine I probably would not have done anything, but when it comes to my girls, I will fight no matter what! I also insisted on the fact that I remained polite with the manager. There was no name-calling involved in all my attempts to prove my point.
I don't know how many times I replayed the scene in my head.
Can you guess the final outcome?
A few days later we walked out of the store with a new backpack.
And
A new lunchbox picked out by biggirl. She was happy. I was happy. The manager probably wasn't.
Hopefully the lesson learned is not : get angry and get what you want, but more along the lines of stand up for yourself and make a wrong right.
One thing is certain, the girls know their mom is not a pushover. And I am definitely proud of that!
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