Full Circle Child Blog

   Have you ever had someone say this to you?  Although my husband usually says this line sarcastically, meaning that he is not the one responsible for the way things are, when he said it the other day it really got me thinking.  We were in the middle of a conversation about recycling, when he mentioned that there were no recycling bins at his work.  Hundreds of plastic water bottles and soda cans are used and thrown away each day.  As someone who is very proud of the fact that the trash from our family of five fills one 30-gallon biodegradable bag and is equal to the amount we recycle each week, I was a bit irritated (okay mad) to hear of the company’s disregard for the environment. 

   The phrase “I just work here” echoed once again, but this time neither of us were satisfied with its implications.  Is it not the responsibility of all of us to care for this earth and create a sustainable future?  Just think if everyone took responsibility to spread the message of ecology and sustainability from their homes to their workplaces, to their schools, to their communities!  We all have the power to make a change; one that will ripple out from our own lives and affect all of those around us.

   When my husband left for work today, he brought a big plastic bin with him which will be full of plastic water bottles and soda cans when he returns.  I urge you to take responsibility where you live, where you work, where you play.  As parents, the most important job is to ensure the best future possible for our children. 

     We tell our children to ask questions; “You’ll never learn the answer if you don’t ask the question.”  All change begins with a question.  As a society we have been overcome by Apathy.  Not only are we not questioning the way things are, we are making a deliberate effort to remain ignorant, because apathy is expected of the ignorant.  How can you care about something you have no knowledge of?  However, we have no excuse today with a world of information literally at our fingertips. 

   When I think of my children and their future, this is what worries me most.  If people are not upset by injustice; are not outraged by war; are not saddened by poverty; are not worried about environmental degradation, what hope do we have?  Please read our page on “American Apathy”  

   You’ve probably seen the commercials paid for by the “Americans Against Food Taxes” which depict a happy American family who is concerned that taxing their soda will financially destroy them.  Are they kidding?

First and foremost, soda and juice drinks ARE NOT FOOD!

   I find it appalling that a great number of citizens actually believe that soda, “juice drinks”, and other flavored beverages are a necessity.  Now I understand why so many children today hardly drink water.  For anyone who believes this nonsense and scare tactics, look at the “Americans Against Food Taxes” website and notice who their main supporters are; Pepsi, Coke, McDonald’s, etc.  Sure, there are some other associations, including AARP, but these groups oppose basically ANY TAXATION.  Think about how much profit beverage companies, fast food chains, and grocers make on sugary drinks.  It’s all water and high fructose corn syrup! 

   For everyone complaining about taxation, the government already heavily subsidizes the producers of corn; a big portion of which goes to manufacture high fructose corn syrup.  Therefore, we are already being taxed to produce soda and other sugary drinks.  The difference is that now those government subsidies find their way into the pockets of those huge corporations (as cheap production costs, etc.), whereas the proposed taxes would help fund healthcare in our nation (God forbid).

   Don’t expect most healthcare professionals to point it out, but many chronic health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and even some behavioral issues, are directly related to nutrition.  So, if the government is going to provide healthcare to everyone, nutrition must be a part of it.  A proposal that helps discourage people from buying products detrimental to their health (and proven so), is fine by me.  Personally, I’d like to see more junk taxed in order to subsidize healthy, nutritious foods and healthy school lunch programs.  What people should be upset about is the fact that many Americans have a hard time affording fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains.  This falls into the same category as other excise taxes and is no way a tax on food or any necessity.

This tax may not be the best idea, but detrimental to families?  Give me a break and go drink a glass of water!  

   Last week the kids and I returned home from two weeks and 4,000 miles traveling out west to Washington state and back.  We had a nice visit with family and a total of seven days on the road.  Hearing (or reading) about seven days on the road with three kids might make some question my sanity in making the trip or since then.  However, it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.  The trip was, of course, cheaper than flying and renting a car, etc.  But the mountains, rivers, sunsets, and geological wonders we were able to enjoy together were absolutely priceless.  It has always been a dream of ours to buy an RV and travel around the country, but doing so when the kids are grown seems backwards to me.  Our American dream is to live life to its fullest and enjoy this beautiful and wondrous world together, not live to work.     

   Yesterday was both fun and an educational experience for us as we visited the Shatto Farm, home of the Shatto Milk Company.  We have been buying Shatto milk for about two years and had been looking forward to their annual family day festivities.  Upon arrival, I was surprised at just how many people were there.  It was a 45 minute wait to get into the cow barn.  The kids ate a snack and watched a couple horses while in line.  It was a worthwhile wait to see the baby calves and our oldest even got to milk a cow!  Then we were able to walk through the milk production facility.  Outside they had free food, samples, music, and bouncy houses for the kids.  

   The kids really enjoyed it and I think it was a great experience for them.  Now they know just where their milk comes from and I can feel even more confident providing it for them. 

   If you live in the midwest near a grocer who sell Shatto, try it!  You’ll have a hard time going back to your old milk.  If you have tried it, you know what I mean.  Whatever part of the country you live in, I encourage you to find locally produced, glass bottled milk.  Our family’s purchases alone keep at least 200 plastic bottles from being used each year, the milk is fresher, tastier, and I believe more nutritious. 

Check out our Local Foods Page for pictures.

   I just finished reading Michael Pollan’s latest book, In Defense of Food, and it is full of great information, as I knew it would be.  One of the most basic points he makes is that we must get informed about our food choices; not only what we eat, but where it comes from, how it is produced, and how we consume it.  The idea to eat healthy, nutritious, “real” food consumed at the end of a short food chain is not new at all.  The difference is that until recently, people didn’t have to think about it. 

   It seems to me that perhaps a shift in the way our food was produced, and the rise of big agribusiness, coincided with the feminist movement.  As women went to work outside of the home and had less time to worry about what to make for dinner, this important role was taken over by corporate marketing.  Women were told they could get more done and spend less time in the kitchen with quick, easily prepared meals and TV dinners.  This propaganda pushed away the very person who made the decisions about what to eat, knew where her family’s food came from, and took pride in nourishing her children.   

   Of course women have every right to work outside the home or not, and equality is a right all people are entitled to, but the idea that providing healthy meals for a family is an unimportant chore simply needs to end.  As strong women and mothers we must take back our right to know what we are feeding our children and take pride in doing so!

I wonder if citizens today, for the most part, believe that deception by government or corporations is only something read about in our history books?  No matter how much evidence to the contrary, mainstream Americans seem to think that their best interests in matters of health and well-being are being looked out for by government and that it is just crazy or paranoid to think otherwise.  Nor do they believe that it is possible for corporations to conspire to deceive them.  Well, just check out this link!  It is unbelievable, even for those of us who do not trust the government and huge corporations!   http://www.enviroblog.org/2009/06/-its-1960-embattled-tobacco.html?utm_source=BPA-Call&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=second-link&utm_campaign=Toxics   

   With knowledge and learning comes responsibility.  Incorporating this new information into one’s life is what we call change.  The change may be subtle or it could turn your world upside down; it may be a welcome relief or extremely terrifying.  But it is our responsibility to make the changes necessary for our own growth and evolution.

   We also have the responsibility to share our knowledge with others, for we are all students and we are all teachers.  The evolution of the human mind is happening at such a rapid pace because new information and knowledge may be transferred from one another faster than ever before.  With all of this collective learning taking place comes the need for great change as well. 

   When we deny this necessary change in our lives, because of fear or uncertainty, we suffer.  When we aren’t teaching those who need to learn from us, we suffer.  When we are not thirsting for knowledge like eager students, we suffer.

   After decades of technological advancement and corporate domination over the natural world, our children are paying the price for the convenience of modern society.  The symptoms are millions of children suffering from asthma, ADD, and previously unheard of allergies to foods humans survived on for thousands of years.  Mainstream medicine and pharmaceutical compaines would have us believe that our children should be medicated, just as millions of parents are today.  However, a growing number of scientists, doctors, nutritionists, educators, parents, and even journalists are joining together to stand up for the rights of the next generation to have a clean environment, healthy nutrition, natural and preventative healthcare.  Given these basic human rights, our children will have the opportunity to create a better future through innovation, creativity, and perseverance.

I used to think that in order to be a good mother I should have my life figured out, a career, a set path.  Attending college while raising three kids made me feel like I was going backwards to finish something I should have already done.  Now I realize that what I am learning may actually benefit my children much more than if I had learned it before having them.  It’s as if we are on a journey together; one of self-discovery, knowledge and the inter-connectedness of our world.  I am learning to appreciate and be inspired and find my place in the world.  And this place is not separate from my children, just as it it not separate from the environment and all others living in it.  It is important that my children learn how they are connected to everything else and that they have the power to change our world for the better.  The realization that learning does not only take place in an institution, but perhaps even more in the natural world has helped me to begin on a path with my children, which is lined with wonder, inspiration and hope.

 Join us as we experience nature together–http://www.fullcirclechild.com/ExpNature.html