A Local Farm in the Dutch Countryside

I was in charge of our date this week so I thought we would go check out the local farm that was about a 40 minute bike ride from our house. I try to follow the dietary recommendations of the Weston A. Price Foundation which centers around traditional methods of preparing food and therefore lots of raw dairy, lacto-fermented foods, organic and grassed meat, organic fruits and vegetables, with soaking grains and beans, homemade meat stocks, and plenty of good fats, barring all processed foods. This stuff just makes sense! Why would I want all of the good nutrition to be killed through pasteurization and processing or microwaving?  Foods have a certain way they need to be prepared so that we get the maximum nutrition possible from them. I really enjoy learning this stuff and feel so empowered when I know exactly what is in my food and how it is prepared. You can find out more at westonaprice.org. I'm not this skinny by chance! 

This method of preparing and eating food is a bit more expensive because of buying organic, but we save money by not eating out and therefore making things homemade, and we aren't going to the doctor all the time. I feel that you cannot put a price on health. At first it is a bit time consuming because you have to teach yourself a bunch of new habits and new tools for cooking. I have been trying to grasp all of this for over a year and a half and I'm still not quite where I would like to be with it. After you learn it, it becomes second nature and it doesn't take too much more effort. These are skills that I am going to be using everyday and for the rest of my life so all the effort to learn it, is worth it to me. I still don't have a great kitchen so I cannot prepare everything the way I would like yet, but I do what I can, and I should have a wonderful kitchen soon.

Andrew is still eating Paleo so we definitely don't see eye to eye on the subject of fats. Granted, he is on a weight loss diet and fats are good for a sustainable diet and in maintaining weight. We are experimenting a lot with gluten and how food in general affects us. Andrew has to eat often because of the lack of fats and carbs and filling food. Up until this week I was eating my normal breakfast. I soak a cup of oats in kefir and water over night and then heated it up on the stove and added cinnamon, honey, bananas, blueberries, and nuts and raisins. I often had to add a couple of snacks before lunch. I eat a good amount since I am breastfeeding. Recently I added butter to the oats and raw milk to round out my breakfast and I didn't feel hungry until 5 hours later. That is so interesting to me and shows me a bit about the role that fats play in our diet. 

I feel that this is one of the most important things I can learn: the proper nourishment of my family. It is very different from the average households approach but I feel it is worth all the effort. I can't wait to get Colin in there to help me.

It takes more effort to get raw dairy since many places make it illegal for stores to sell it, so I have been asking around (the foundation has a local chapter leader who helps point you in the right direction and I am apart of a natural parenting Facebook group in Amsterdam and they are so helpful as well) and checking out different sources. I have finally found a couple of places in the city but I wanted to visit a farm anyway. This one sells raw milk ice cream when the weather gets nice. I will definitely be taking Colin next time.

We started off in the city

With busseling traffic and tons of entertainment

It is hard to get around without a GPS in a city that doesn't always label their roads. We get lost a lot.

We finally got into the beautiful countryside and come across this tiny town called Zunderdorp, where the farm is. it was just outside the northern city limits.

They had many man-made canals, I guess for irrigation, and the sheep were grazing right by the road.

We made it to the farm and were delighted by what we saw.

Keeping it Dutch

They had tons of Hens treated humanely with no hormones.

We got to see where they kept their calves, goats, and bunnies? (I forgot to ask why they had bunnies). We couldn't see the whole farm because of heavy machinery and such but it was very lovely and they answered all of my questions.

We went to the milk tap and met and talked to the owner of the farm who gave us fresh milk in the glasses that we had to bring ourselves.

Afterwards, I told Andrew that we have always done the city thing but that I might actually be a countryside girl. I can imagine living in a French cottage in the countryside with plenty of fresh air and green grass for our kids to play in. I could get my local fresh dairy and food from my farmer. It could be really great. 

We are loving being in the middle of the city but I don't need shopping, museums, and restaurants at my finger tips. I actually prefer living somewhere where shopping for fresh food is more inexpensive and convenient. Right now I have to go to an expensive store for organic products and I can go to the organic market across town but only on certain days when the farmers come. There are a ton of great options for healthy food here, don't get me wrong, this is Europe. I just think there is something to be said for living less expensively on the outskirts, with nature and with fresh local food at your fingertips. I want my children to see gardens and farms so that they know where real food comes from and then prepare it with me. The city can be visited weekly by bike. 

I'm just trying to figure all of this out. Hmmm... we will live in the city while here in Amsterdam and mostly because it is closer to Andrew's work and we want to feel like we are living in Amsterdam and feel connected. I think the countryside is a good option later down the road, maybe 5 years, and when we have a car. Would we need a car? I don't know all of the logistics but since changing the way I eat and becoming more naturally minded, this idea sounds perfect. A little house in the French countryside or in a village. One major condition for our choices in housing is that we have to wake up in an inspiring place. Oh man, this is reminding me of a post I did a while back called We Will Live in France Someday.

This is funny that I am now coming to this realization that I don't mind living in the countryside (it does have to be a certain kind of countryside) because I NEVER thought I would be that kind of person. I'm glad that Andrew is okay with this idea. So am I a city person or a country person? I think right now there are equal pros and cons and that maybe the city or the country is right for a certain time in my life. I dunno but the wheels in my brain are turning.

Raw milk kefir is a superfood rich in probiotics which help clean out that gut that is being damaged by toxic foods and boosting your immune system. I gave Colin some kefir the other day and it is some sour stuff when made right, bubbles on your tongue because it is alive, an acquired taste. By the way, I am still trying to understand all of the nutritional science stuff so my science talk is really dumbed down. The kind I gave him wasn't raw milk kefir since I just found out how to get that and am excited to try that on him. I am really excited to get some kefir starter grains and make my own. Anyway, he loved it and I mixed it with banana to make it even yummier for him. You have to start young with this stuff so that they know what real food is and crave it from the beginning. 

This is a picture of Colin's kefir face as he is eyeing the glass of kefir.

The other day at church, the American missionaries made brownies for a baptism, our Dutch friend said he did not enjoy them because there was too much sugar. I grew up with that crap so, of course, I loved all the sugar. They prefer slightly sweet things here and I have really seen the light. It is still really hard for me to stay away from processed sweets and  processed foods made by other people because I have yet to figure out how to deal with eating this way outside of my home. Colin will go to friends homes and nursery and we will eat at other peoples homes or at social gatherings. We have gotten a lot better but we aren't strict with ourselves. One thing that has helped me is deciding that if I wouldn't give it to Colin then I shouldn't eat it myself. It is much easier for me to say no to certain foods for Colin because I am much more protective of what he eats. I don't feed him grains or gluten yet so when he turns 1, then I think the baked sweets will be easier to resist with him around. I need to prepare snacks for ourselves before going out so that we have healthier options. Change takes time.

All of this is a huge change in how we live our life but I really like the way things have been going for us since we have gotten more serious about what we eat since September. If we see such positive results in how we feel and look then why stop?

French Library

My friend told me about how the French consulate is connected to the French institute where they do events, cultural activities, literature soirées, conferences, teach French, etc. There is a library with books, audio, media, and my favorite part is the children's library. You can go and read there for free and it is very centrally located. I kind of want to stay here long enough for Colin to profit from this library of knowledge. Right now, books are something to bite and sometimes look at. Books being in a different language aren't important until we get to the "listen to a story" stage.

I even found some well illustrated French books which we know Andrew will appreciate. It is a dream of Andrew's to illustrate a childrens' book. I have started to write down a list of some awesome books. You may already be familiar with the book "Saisons." It is done by a French graphic novelist and illustrator named Blexbolex. He has done many wonderfully illustrated books including "L'imagier des Gens/People", "Abecedaria,"  and "Ballad/Romance".

And I found this sweet ABC 3D pop-up book

"Henri's Walk To Paris" is another great book illustrated by Saul Bass, who was an American graphic designer known for his movie posters and title sequences.

"Mon Hippopotame" is illustrated by a French graphic designer, Janik Coat, and it teaches you about opposites and basic spatial, dimensional, and aesthetic vocab through this minimalist red hippo.

After finding wonderfully illustrated books in French, I am now hopeful for the future of our home library. Books are so wonderful, and a French library is especially wonderful for roamers like ourselves. 

Everyday we play by the window and watch the people pass by on their bikes or stroll along the busy street. We practice saying hi and bye and just take in the sounds of Amsterdam. I love it and I love this view!

Baby On The Move

Andrew caught this great moment of Colin and me on our bike ride to church. I am on the bike path which is next to the pedestrian sidewalk and Andrew is riding on the road. The bike paths are in the red color so you can identify them anywhere.

This is Colin on the left and I am on the right at about the same age. I would say we are twins except for the hair color.  Genetics are pretty neat.

Colin started crawling on all fours in the last couple of weeks so I got a video of it. I am surprised because in seeing how close he is to walking, I totally expected him to skip this stage.

and His favorite new activity is climbing up the stairs, which as I have said are deadly. Not only are they steep, but they curve quickly as well and this staircase to the third floor has holes in it to fall through as well as a jagged brick wall to fall on. I have recently slipped on the slippery wooden steps and hit my back in the same place every time , while simultaneously scratching my arm on the brick... and I'm an adult. We should only be here for 2 1/2 more weeks, thank goodness.

We have this wooden ottoman-like furniture in the living room. It rolls and is the perfect height for a walker. Colin pushes it around for practice in the video below. The other video is of him trying to figure out how to get down when he is upright.


bank
Through Facebook, I have met up with many French/French speaking moms. We have gone to a birthday party, met up in cafés, and had small playgroups. I am so happy that I have the opportunity to surround Colin and myself with French so easily. He will have friends to play with in French and I can ask these ladies all of my child-rearing questions when it comes to language and culture. I don't believe I would have that opportunity so easily back in the U.S.



We have really tried to get involved with the missionaries here. We invite them to dinner regularly and meet with them to discuss our missionary goals.  I never knew who the missionaries even were in our wards in Provo and so it is a goal of ours to get involved here. Andrew helped instill the "Harlem Welcome" into our Amsterdam ward. In meeting with the missionaries, we found that it was hard to know the membership status of people. We suggested they have all the people who were visiting for the first time to introduce themselves to everyone after sacrament meeting. They are given a microphone and stand up where they are. This helps the members know who is investigating the church or who is just visiting, etc. We are all much more aware of who needs to be fellowshipped afterwards. It has really helped but I think it is a bit culturally shocking for some people to stand up and introduce themselves. The people don't give you a big hearty welcome after each introduction like they did in Harlem though :(

In all of Andrew's eagerness to get involved (like taking it upon himself to photograph everyone for the ward directory) he received the calling of Elders Quorum president (leader of all the men aged 18-50 or so). These callings of leadership always come at the busiest times of your life I guess. So now Sundays aren't really family time. Andrew works on Saturdays so Sunday was the only day that I felt we could more equally share parenting and household duties, and spend all day together. I'm not really that excited for it, but I know it is the right thing to serve.

Speaking of time management, Andrew puts in freelance time every morning before work and after work, and pretty much every spare moment. We have to schedule a bit of time together every evening. So as to diversify our activities and not always try to watch part of a movie (movies are way too long to finish in one evening because a little someone always wakes up), we have labeled our evenings. Inevitably things get in the way on random nights but it helps us do meaningful activities that connect us when we do them.

Sunday = planning/spa night
Monday = Family Home Evening
Tuesday = Work
Wednesday = movie
Thursday = dinner with friends
Friday = Read book and French lesson
Saturday = Date day (essential with a baby)

It is way too hard to keep up a marriage and raise a baby. I am praying that things get easier and soon.  From what I have heard, that isn't the case. After a certain age it will be but not anytime soon. Colin is reliant on me for everything and I have been having a hard time giving so much to everyone. It is the most demanding stage of my life and creating balance is something I am trying to do but I fear is never going to happen. I am a very organized person and having a baby really messes all of that up.

Sometimes I see pictures of people without a child and I resent the fact that they have so much freedom to do anything, go anywhere they want and whenever, at a whim. I am jealous of people who have so much freedom, even my husband. Unless you have been a mom then you don't know how much work it took to just get myself ready (even the 5 minute version) and feed and cloth a baby (in the winter mind you) just to get out the door and then be somewhere. I wish I could take a long, hot bath in the morning and have fun just leisurely putting on my makeup and trying on outfits, then doing my hair. Meeting up at a café isn't like it use to be. It isn't a relaxing conversation where I can take my time drinking a hot chocolate and formulating well-put thoughts. I am struggling to keep Colin from touching things that might hurt him or chasing him if I put him down. High chairs help (if they have them) but I still have to have prepared a snack beforehand and I have to be aware in case he  chokes while he feeds himself. I am constantly multi-tasking and life doesn't slow down enough for me to have a break and simply ponder. I know this is the life I signed up for, but it is exhausting and I wish more than anything else that I had more freedom and time for myself.

As I am writing this post, I have to go to the bathroom but my baby needs me to hold him. So what happens? I pee my pants a bit or I hold him while I go to the bathroom, which is awkward and uncomfortable. It can sometimes end up with his foot falling between my legs into the line of fire. My life isn't my own. Sorry but you caught me on a day where I really do not want to be a mommy. I love all of the sentimental happy moments but these hard feelings need to be remembered too.

I came up with the idea where I would do something just for me on Saturdays when Colin takes his morning nap and Andrew is home. I decided I like going to the organic market/ flea market and I just bike around and stop wherever. In that hour and a half or so, I feel free to go anywhere and do anything without any responsibilities. It is enough for now. I am really trying to focus on the happy parts of life though. I CAN control my attitude and choose to be happy. That's definitely still a work in progress.