So, back to my 10 week plan for a better me.
I have been keeping up with all of my goals, except jogging or bike riding.
I hate this weather. It is bringing me down, man, and I've used that as an excuse..
Last week, the goal was to buy no meat unless it came from a great local source. Due to price and availability, this cuts our meat consumption considerably. We normally only eat it once or twice a week tops, and during our co-op were able to eat local easily. During the winter, we bought Laura's and "natural" chicken. But, I realize that we could easily do more. So for now, we are vegetarians. I am looking for local meat that is in our budget, and when we find some, it will be our special treat-which will be much healthier for us anyway.
We are also working on outreach. I found a great volunteer opportunity for myself and the children. We are working at our church's food bank, and the kids absolutely love it. They get to shelve food, load grocery bags, and enjoy people. It has really been a blessing to us.
This week I have made an attempt to cut our dairy intake by half. This has been the toughest so far. I love cheese so very much, and without meat, I use it as an easy part of lunches and dinners. We use our local dairy for milk and I often substitute soy milk in recipes. We long ago quit buying creamy condiments. Likewise, I can fool the family with recipes that require eggs, but the cheese! My beloved cheese. I tried to simply skip it at the grocery store, and made a trip back to the store for some today - it is only Tuesday.
I guess the nice thing about making your own goals, is that they are yours to repeat, retry, be reminded of, and generally just own. I will continue to try on this cheese thing or at least seek healthier, more sustainable options.
My spiritual goal for the week puts an emphasis on church attendance. I find so much comfort and value in being part of a community of love and kindness ---this family of God's that accepts everyone and binds together to discuss eternity and outreach and love. I surround myself socially with like minded individuals, and my church attendance helps remind me that we are all so very different, but often can have the same heart, the same hurts, concerns, and joys.
I put all of these goals here, for no other reason than to help keep me accountable. I will eat meat and cheese if I come to your home and you are cooking it up. For any of our lifestyle choices here at home, I never, never want to make a host feel uncomfortable. We like the taste
after all, but are rather taking
small steps here to lead healthier lives and be more responsible consumers.
We approached the week with green hair.
And moved on with our study of ancient Greece. This statue of Athena is the largest indoor statue in North America, and it is, well, big. It is hideous, in my opinion, but something to see, none the less. The Parthenon itself IS impressive, and we experienced the architecture and myths to the fullest.
We have a fantastic and diverse group of homeschoolers in our co-op, and we are lucky to have hooked up with them. I dare not show you pictures of their faces, but they are beautiful, smart, and inquisitive.
Huge doors- movable by design be even to the littlest Rayburn.
Handsome boys
They also have a replica of this machine, but asked that I not photo it..
Happy sunshine and swinging afterward.
