Spring is my favorite time of year (followed closely by summer). I love being in the sun after a dull winter. When dinner rolls around, usually a family member finds me puttering outside to ask what’s for dinner. Needless to say I’m not thinking about food much these days. We are eating most things on repeat. This is the familiar refrain:
Quiche - we have lots of eggs right now. Our chickens give us 6-7 eggs/day.
Protein Pancake <—plus more breakfast recipes
Big Mac Sliders - a variation on this recipe but more meat in a bigger pan. I also use dried onions for convenience and powdered mushrooms (haters never know!) Burgers on the grill would be better but these bake in the oven so I can shower.
chocolate pudding - I double the recipe and add another yolk. Pro-tip: store pudding in jam jars for quick access from the fridge. My people love individually packaged foods.
Deviled Eggs + spinach salad with raspberry balsamic, pistachios & strawberries
Roasted Veggies Read here how to roast from frozen.
What I’m Reading
Novels by Amor Towles - his vocabulary is astounding (not out of reach) and character development keeps me thinking! 1/ Gentleman in Moscow is about a Russian aristocrat living under house arrest in Moscow hotel 2/ Lincoln Highway each chapter is written from the perspective of a character.
Purposeful and Persistent Parenting - might be the best parenting book I’ve read for kids under 10. The authors speak with Biblical wisdom, experience, and compassion - taking into account personalities and life experiences. I’m leading a group of young moms through the book on Sunday mornings. Highly recommended.
When it Hurts to Hope: Honest Conversations about Living with Unmet Longing - I wish I’d read this book in my early 20s. Everyone can say they’ve been let down by expectations…but what do we do with the disappointment? Written from a Biblical worldview, the book is divided into 2 parts: the weight of unmet longing (fav chapter is “Lies You’ve Heard at Church” and how to live with the longing (fav chapters “A Holy Ugly Cry” on grief/disappointment and “Share the Load” on community.) Would be a good book for book club discussions. Recommended. Find Rachel Sims Miller on Instagram.
JADAM Organic Farming: Innovative organic farming technology established in Korea. No-till, Weed free, and High-Yield, Ultra-Low-Cost, make your own natural pesticides, microbial inputs, and fertilizers. This is a paradigm shifting gardening book.
Podcasts
I find myself in the car from time to time and want to redeem the time. Two recommendations:
David Thomas, author of Raising Emotionally Strong Boys, was interviewed on The 1,000 Hours Outside podcast. From the show notes:
David has worked with thousands of families over the past 25 years and get one hour of what he has learned from family after family. It’s so valuable.
How to Take Over the World - about world leaders from Caesar to Schwarzenegger, Disney and DaVinci. Language is clean and both younger kids enjoy it, dare I say ASK to listen. Recently Caroline, almost 14yo, mentioned an episode where we’d listened about Napoleon. One of his theories/quotes “loosing hope is worse than loosing blood (soldiers).” It’s been interesting to have conversations with my kids as they collect information and integrate it to their lives. At one point my youngest observed “all these famous people have to fail a lot before they have success.” So I recommend this podcast to you for historical value as well as mindset inspiration + redeeming time in the car.
KY Derby Museum
The first Saturday in May promises the greatest two minutes of sports. What you may not know is: two weeks before the Kentucky Derby, Louisville is absolutely nuts with celebrations. My kids are merely transplants and don’t (yet) understand the fullness of the shenanigans. This year we began our spring break with a 4 hour visit to The KY Derby Museum. I mention the length of the visit to give an idea of what a lovely time we had. (We included a leisurely lunch in the cafe.) It’s just off interstate 65, so if you find yourself in the vicinity, I highly recommend a visit!
Fragrance
Fragrance is one of the worst, if not the worst offenders in the beauty industry. Chemicals used to make a single fragrance are linked to hormone disruption, cancer, and skin allergies (among other effects).
I stopped wearing perfume long before I turned crunchy. Has it been twenty years? Thirty? Mostly because it gave me headaches. My body was telling me of the toxicity before my conscious knew how bad it was for my health. After ceasing perfume, I said goodbye to air fresheners and scented candles because: headaches. Now that I have mostly eliminated fragrance from our home, when I come in contact with it I am especially sensitive.
Why Care about Fragrance?
Do any of these plague your family?
ADHD
Immunity
Metabolism (weight gain/loss, diabetes, hyper/hypothyroid)
Puberty
Infertility
From National Institute of Health (NIEHS): Even low doses of endocrine-disrupting chemicals may be unsafe. The body’s normal endocrine functioning involves very small changes in hormone levels, yet we know even these small changes can cause significant developmental and biological effects. This observation leads scientists to think that endocrine-disrupting chemical exposures, even at low amounts, can alter the body’s sensitive systems and lead to health problems. (emphasis mine)
If you struggle with any of the above, consider working to remove “fragrance” from products you use. The word fragrance is actually a loophole of proprietary information which can remain undisclosed and anything can be added. It is NOT a single ingredient. This word could contain any combination of 3,000-plus stock chemical ingredients.
Removing fragrance is not an easy task and I’ve been working for years to eliminate man-made fragrances from our home.
Beautycounter Launches Fine Fragrances: Above and Beyond Clean
Screened against 23 health and safety endpoints
Third party tested for harmful chemicals
Mindful ingredient sourcing
Sensitive skin tested
Full ingredient disclosure
Leaping BunnyTM Certified
Advocacy for safer fragrance
Recyclable glass packaging
There are full sized, roller balls and a discovery Set: ($35, includes all 5 scents, each in 1.8 ml spray testers) Fragrance is so personal and something we all like to try before we buy. Take a fragrance quiz to see which one might match your preferences. If you are local to me, I have all 5 and am happy to loan them to you.
Know the proper perfume technique?
One of the most widely accepted ways to apply perfume is to spray onto wrists, then rub them together. Yet, Camme believes very strongly that this mistake will shortchange a perfume’s lifespan. “We suggest never to do this,” he warns. “Rather, allow the fragrance to dry down naturally. You won’t crush the top notes this way and you will allow the layers of fragrance to properly play their role.” It may take a minute to dry, but a little patience will go a long way with fragrance.
Life is hard; food doesn’t have to be.
Julie
PSS - Would love to know what you’re making on repeat.
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