Regrouping

Where is the year going?  I swear time is flying so fast I can't catch up.  This is only the 2nd blog post I've written in over a month! 

I've thrown myself in more heartily with just "being" with my family.  We've shut the tv off more frequently and hung out together.  I'm enjoying watching my kids' personalities develop and change.  I've spent more time alone with my husband in our bedroom after he gets home from work, just chatting and re-connecting before the rest of the night begins.

I haven't felt the need to be on the computer a whole lot.  While it puts a cramp in my blogging time, it sure makes our family life flow better.  

(this photo is from 4 days ago)

So now I regroup, moving away from the busyness of summer and buckling down for the long cold winter.  The summer is over.  We got our first dusting of snow this week.  While our autumn temps are cool and it's still beautiful outside; winter is coming.  It's time to focus harder on academics and get back into the habit of daily book learning.

 (2 days ago)

The kids and I switched out all their clothing this week, putting away the shorts and tees and bringing in the long johns and fleece.  I still need to go through the winter gear and make sure everyone has a setup that fits them.

(yesterday)

On Monday our new wood stove gets installed.  I'm so looking forward to having a heat source that doesn't depend on the power grid.  I've been so concerned about the idea of our power going out long term when it's -40 and having no way to keep from freezing to death (literally).  Plus, there is something really wonderful about a crackling wood fire.

I hope to be online just a little more, but maybe with a better balance so I don't "check out".  

I really want to show you all the new projects I've done this summer.  I have a redecorated living room, a redesigned master bedroom closet, a stenciled wall and a refreshed laundry room, as well as a really cool industrial style piece I re-did. 

I hope you're all ready for winter, especially my Alaska friends.   

 

GMO Free Grocery Shopping

Our family has committed to purchasing GMO free foods only.  As I talked about in my post Genetic Roulette, we were ALMOST there, but after I attended a March Against Monsanto meeting, the resolve was made.

There was a little bit of sticker shock to our grocery budget initially.  However, we were also really surprised at how many convenient options we had available.

While organics are a pretty safe choice since they cannot be knowingly made with any GMO ingredients, products that have the Non-GMO label are excellent since they've been verified by a third party to be GMO free.  The kids and I get really excited to see that awesome stamp on products we love.

Here in Alaska, groceries are already expensive, but the local options for veggies are improving all of the time, as is the access to a lot of quality products.

Here are some of the ways that I keep my family's food intake as GMO-free as possible...

I order through an Azure Standard drop each month for bulk groceries and lots of unique natural household items.  

We also have a new place named the Co-op Market that opened this year and they offer natural and organic items only and have tons of local produce, which is so exciting for me.  

The local Farmers Market is also an excellent choice wherever you live.

My favorite grocery store is Fred Meyer (it almost rivals Target for me, and you know how I adore Target!).  I can get nearly everything I need there, and their organic/natural section is excellently stocked.  

I did a shopping trip to Fred Meyer and then took some photos when we got back home.

Most of these products were delicious, though the cultured cottage cheese was too sour for my preference.  

To see the agonizing process that sometimes takes place when purchasing a product, check out what Kristin at LiveSimply posted about Kerrygold 

We don't always buy this many convenience products, but for the sake of this post, I wanted to see how many things I could get GMO free to replace those quick snacks and meals.

   

These are delicious replacements for Reese's Peanut Butter cups

The kids are thrilled to have an M&M replacement.  The colors are made with vegetable dyes.

 

These aren't good for teeth, but as a treat, it's nice to have an alternative to Smuckers.

This particular load of groceries cost me $303. Yikes!  In the lower 48, it would likely be around $200-$225, depending on your location.

There is no meat in there as we buy that in large quantities at Homegrown Market.  I am able to occasionally purchase a 1/2 beef, lamb or pig from local farms.

 Dave has also started fishing for salmon and trout and will hopefully bag us a Moose or Caribou this season.  

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My next goal is checking our wine, beer and spirits to make sure they're GMO free.  Also, deciding what to eat when out and about.
 

 Thanks so much for reading about my journey to get my family healthier and I hope it might inspire you to start looking for GMO free ingredients for your own family. 

Alaskan Summer

We've been really busy lately around here.  Until this year, we haven't really done many traditional "Alaskan" things.  We're trying to get into those things, so our life has taken on a busier pace than we're used to.  

Since I haven't had a chance this week (until now) to sit down at the computer, here's a random grouping of what we've been up to.

The weather has been gorgeous lately here in the interior.  Warm with very little rain (though there has been enough to help a little with the fire season)

Dave spent the weekend in Soldatna dipnetting Chinook Salmon.  They didn't get mass amounts of fish (the weekend before would have been more successful), but he got the experience, and I think he's hooked!  We're planning a family trip to Valdez next month to fish for Silvers.

We're going to spend the evening processing the fish they were able to catch.  There's a high learning curve for all of this, but I'm determined to learn.  Part of living here in Alaska is the desire to harvest from the wild what you can and I want to embrace that a lot more.

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I did one trip so far this year to pick blueberries.  I gotta say, I pretty much hate picking wild blueberries.  It's a lot of work for not a lot of harvest.  The mosquitoes are plentiful when you're out there and I feel a little crazy with those bloodsuckers trying to find a spot that doesn't have bug spray on it (they even bite through your clothes!)  For now, I'm swearing I'll never go again, but since I'm a glutton for punishment, I probably will. 

  

  

This is bear country, so we go armed  

(remind me to never where that outfit again...so unflattering, even for berry picking)

  

 

   

Though the kids are so loud, we're likely very safe

Lydia is getting good at picking berries for herself

 
My kids got to ride on their friends' little 4 wheeler for the first time

Even Lydia got in on the action.  They had so much fun!!

 

I got to spend some time picking fireweed to make jelly.  

My friend, Candice (a true Alaskan woman for sure) and I picked during a light drizzle of rain and it was so peaceful and lovely. I had a great time.  I'll go fireweed picking any day!  We were soaked by the time we got done, but it was a lot of fun.

 

I'll post about what I did with these beautiful flowers next week

The kids have been going to fun day camps, which keeps us busy with all the driving.  We also went to Chena Lakes for the first time since we've been here.  Man, have I been missing out.  The lake is awesome and I can actually get a tan out there since the mosquitoes aren't that bad. 

We were out there from 6:30-9:30...check out that 9pm sunshine!

Hopefully I'll have a chance to get some photos of the salmon processing tonight.  I'm excited to learn how to freeze, can and smoke those beauties.  Wild caught, healthy fish to feed our family over the winter is a huge blessing and I'm so glad to get the chance to experience.

Genetic Roulette

Last night I attended an educational meeting hosted by a grassroots organization here in Fairbanks called March Against Monsanto (you can check around to find an MAM group in your area).  

I have long been interested in learning more about Genetically Modified/Engineered Foods and this meeting was very helpful in putting the information together in an easy to comprehend format.

They had us watch the film "Genetic Roulette".  This is an excellent documentary that I can't recommend highly enough.  

On June 15, this film will be available to watch for free from their website.  You can also watch it from YouTube from what I understand. 

It's long and nearly painful to watch when you realize the crime that's being perpetrated on all of us...without our consent.  We are being used as test subjects...as science experiments, but yet they don't gather real data to know how what the outcomes are (sorta like with vaccines.  By the way, The FDA just approved the first GMO flu vaccine! - it contains reprogrammed insect virus.   -Awesome-).

 http://www.aperfectworld.org/10195.html

 

My family eats about 80% organic right now, but this meeting convinced me to make sure that we are almost 100% GMO free.  There are so many options out there now, it's not as hard to do as it may seem.

The Non-GMO Project website is very helpful in figuring out how to support the companies that are GMO free and how to keep my family healthy.  They even have an app for the iphone where you can verify products that are GMO free.  I have an android phone, so I'm on the hunt for an app for it now.

I'm asking all of you to (please) become informed about this issue.  It is affecting all of us already, and will continue to affect our children and grandchildren for generations to come.

Wild West Alaska

While in Anchorage I usually do quite a bit of shopping, even if it's just browsing.  This time the kids and stopped at an antique store that had some really nice things, but I didn't find anything I "needed" to bring home.  
 (That visit also brought an encounter with a very disturbing Cockatoo who came out of nowhere and scared the wits out of Adin and I, but maybe that's a story that would be better not re-lived...it still gives me a chill to think about.  I think it was a guard Cockatoo, if there is such a thing).  

We went to a fun store called Ozarks that has absolutely beautiful things, but most of their prices are so outrageous, there is really no option for me to spend...kinda like when I go into Nordstroms to look around.  This is the third time I've been into Ozarks and I've never even been greeted by the people working there...maybe it's an Alaskan thing?!  I think if they were more friendly, I'd find something to buy.   

Despite all that, it is a simply gorgeous store that I could spend hours in.  Here's some eye candy from their lovely shop.

Goodness, if only I'd have had an extra $600 (if my memory serves correct) to bring that pink beauty home.

The highlight of our whole trip to Anchorage had to be the quick stop we made at Wild West Guns...right before they closed for the day.

We have faithfully watched Wild West Alaska since it started.  We enjoy the silliness (Alaskans are so weird, which is why we love it here) and of course, all of the amazing guns.  We have to filter some of the scenes, but it's mostly kid-friendly programming.   

The kids were in awe to be in the store.  The staff was so friendly to us!  I loved that some of the staff open carry their guns...awesome.   
When Bryan heard the kids were excited to meet the cast, he and Ken offered to get a photo with them.  The lighting wasn't great, so the photos are crappy, but they're still a great memory. (Ken is a nut, and we were all so thrilled to see his trademark fox hat)

In true Alaskan style, Bryan even made us a cash deal for the souvenirs we bought.  Awesome!  

 If you haven't seen Wild West Alaska and would like to check it out, click here for the link.