Monkey Mama Lite

Buffalo! And the makings of a perfect Sunday

My MIL is a Methodist Pastor. And she recently received a new charge in Northern Baltimore County/Carroll County, Maryland. For those of you not familiar with that area of the world, that basically means, farm country. It had been awhile since I had ventured up to that part of the world, and I had forgotten how simply beautiful it was there.

 

There was something about today. The people at the two churches were very welcoming, the weather had finally turned away from oppressive heat and was actually pleasant, and I just couldn't get enough of the rolling green hills.

And as a woman who is trying to embrace the new Primal lifestyle, my day was made absolutely perfect when I discovered that right next to where my MIL was staying was a Buffalo Farm!  Twin Springs Buffalo Farm, to be exact. And the man who was managing the farm right now was so informative, and honestly excited to share everything he knows about Buffalo meat. 

And I am so excited to have discovered this little jewel of a farm. The word on the street is that they are going to be carrying fresh cheeses soon too which pleases me to no end. I want to fill my family's bellies full of natural, healthy, delicious things, and finding this farm was the perfect Sunday surprise. And next time, PEY will get to enjoy the petting zoo!

 
It's the teacher in me that gets excited about all of these fun, exciting, learning experiences. And I want to help PEY's curiosity blossom at places like this one. Where he can learn about food and animals in this amazing hands on environment. I know, I'm one big fat cheeseball.   

So this Sunday, it was a great Sunday Funday.
 

Trying to wrap my brain around getting "Primal"

A bloggerwho I respect very much and have read for years, has started her own "food revolution" of sorts. And I am fascinated by it. She has even started a new blog, based around the primal lifestyle.

I really want to try this. But my fears are currently holding me back. The biggest fear, and probably the one that I find hardest to admit, is the fear of change. I mean, let's get real, I don't like it when Dunkin Donuts changes their breakfast sandwiches. So, completely and whole heartedly changing the way I eat and they way my family eats, is a hard pill for me to swallow.

But I really believe this Modern Matriarch. I believe in what she is doing, and I want to invest the same kind of energy into my life and the health of my family.

I know the first step for me is going to be reading. Because I am always a big fan of doing a little research. My husband makes fun of me on a consistent basis for the "research" that I am always doing on one topic or another. But more then the research, I need to continue to hear the success stories and beyond that, I need to believe that I am capable of changing my life in such a drastic way.

I worry about seemingly insignificant roadblocks, like the hours that I work. I spend at least 12 hours of my day either at work or commuting to work. And when you add on at least an hour at the gym, it doesn't leave a whole lot of extra time in the evenings for food experimentation and the trial and error of new recipes and a new lifestyle. Will I be able to be successful on the Primal train with the schedule that I keep?

And of course, there is also the husband. Breaking the husband of his unhealthy food habits is certainly not going to happen overnight. In fact, bringing him onto the whole "Primal Bandwagon" with me will probably take quite some time. And of course, there is also the 15 month old cherub. Do I feed him the same way that I am feeding myself? What will I send with him to eat while at daycare?

I am probably putting the cart before the horse here, since I obviously need to start reading. I need to learn about this lifestyle a little more before I start to subject myself and my family to some serious changes.

Bottom-line, I think I'm ready. But that is one very large "think".

My little garden

This year I decided that I wanted to try and grow a few of my own veggies. I come from a long line of vegetable garden growers but I have never had much of a green thumb, at least when it came to plants.

But I wanted to give a garden a try. I decided to start small. I only planted tomatoes (four kinds, including grape, which consequently have grown the best so far), zucchini, cucumbers and yellow squash. So far the only thing that has provided any fruit yet are the tomatoes.

I'm curious if and when the other plants will bloom. The zucchini has gotten rather large, but I still don't have any zucchini to show for it.

Now that I know that I am capable of growing veggies and not killing them I have ambitious goals for next summer. I want to dig up the whole side of my house and add more to my loot, like broccoli and an entire herb garden (right now I just have basil, mostly for pesto and capresse salad), and onions.

I can't wait to share the garden with PEY as he gets older. I want him to learn to love vegetables as much as his Mama, and I want to teach him about how things grow. That part is the teacher in me. Childhood is full of exciting teachable moments. And I also want him to learn about food, all kinds of food, and learn to appreciate the deliciousness of a tomato grown from your own garden.

The beauty of the local farmer's market

I miss the Waverly Farmer's Market that I used to frequent on a regular basis when I lived in Baltimore. It was pretty fantastic. Lot's of options, and you were pretty much guaranteed to run into at least a few friends, for a fun Saturday "catch-up".

Since moving out to "the boonies" (note: we live about 20 minutes from a major grocery store, although there are lots of local, small town options near us. My husband teases me because my idea of the boonies, is his idea of perfection. And in reality, I am learning to love the small town feel of where we live more and more. It is safe, family oriented, and actually a great place to raise a family. But healthy food options, that requires a drive into Annapolis, which when you really need something for daycare lunches on a Sunday night, is a little annoying) I hadn't found that perfect farmer's market yet. But in reality, where we live, there are farm stands every few hundred feet on the main road into our little community, so I shouldn't really complain. But I did miss the "extras" that the Waverly market had, like fresh breads, grassfed meats, homemade cheeses, etc.

Yesterday I visisted the Deale, Maryland, Farmer's Market and was pleasantly surprised. There were only four little stands but they had options. There were homemade breads AND a man selling farm raised beef and fresh eggs. And he promised to have steaks next week. And the sweet corn was plentiful. I was excited to find the little farmer's market, just a few minutes from my house, and also excited to support the local community while also feeding my family with healthy, unprocessed foods.

Farmer's markets are popping up all over the place these days. I just hope that they continue to stay local and fresh. Because the little gems, like the one in my little town, make me feel like I am making a difference, both in the lives and tummies of my small family, but also in the support of local farmer's.  

And so it begins.....again

After thinking long and hard about the age old question "to blog or not to blog, that is the question" I have decided that I miss my blog. I miss writing. So here I am again. All paid up on my fancy typepad account, and ready to start this blog thing again. This time with a few more posts and a lot less "absenteeism".

And my vision is to share the journey I have entered over the past 6 months, of getting myself back to a healthier place, and bringing my family, kicking and screaming, along for the ride. Don't let the word "healthy" scare you though. I like to think of myself as Monkey Mama, Lite. I'm trying organic, I'm trying local, I am trying "clean", I'm trying it all. And I'm figuring out what works best for me and my crazy life. Cause let's be honest, for the woman formerly known as "The Rockstar" living without at least SOME adult beverages and the delicious cheesy fries is simply sacrilegious.