One of the major reasons we wanted to move out of the small town where we lived and into the city was the abundance of metro parks and hiking trails. There are 15 huge parks with great hiking all within the city area. Today we took our first hike since the move to Ohio after years of good hiking in Arizona. Wow… what a great feeling to be back on the trail. There were lots of families there hiking, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and enjoying an afternoon picnic. It was so beautiful out. It was my three year old’s first real hike… we did a couple miles… and he did great!

At first I wondered if we would even get him on the trail since he seemed to love this field of tall grasses. After convincing him that there was water yet to come he decided to follow me onto the trail head.

He skipped stones…

And he sat and watched the creek for a loooong time…

And we walked some more..

And we scoped out some berries… there were lots of these. Mulberries??

And we just had the best day… I just love my little family so much.. each day is a new miracle. Three great kids (one of whom was not with us today) and a man that I am still crazy in love with after 11 years. How did I get so lucky?

I think we have decided to buy some small canoes or kayaks since we live so close to these creeks. I can see lots of family fun creekside in our future.

Our new place has wood laminate floors. So far I am not crazy about them… I would much rather have real hardwood floors but it is what it is. They get scuffed easily and they feel so thin it is like walking on vinyl. It is actually a very thin layer of wood with a couple paper layers on top that are printed to look like a wood grain. Then a coating seals the paper.

You can easily strip the top coat and start degrading the paper if you use harsh chemical cleaners and then you have ruined laminate floors. But all the scuffs and visible spots make you want to clean it… a lot! Oily cleaners are a no-no because it collects on the surface and attracts dirt and dust.

I think I have found my system for dealing with these floors and it is no muss no fuss… just the way I like it… green too. Just remember that if you have new laminate floors under warranty you will need to pay attention to their rules but you should be fine.

1. Sweep the loose stuff – I use a good old fashioned broom and dustpan and sweep up crumbs and other loose debris.

2. Fill a small bucket with warm water and add 2-4 tablespoons white vinegar.

3. Take two terry cloths and wet them in the water and vinegar solution. Wring them out and walk across the floor with them with sweeping motions. Scrub scuffs with your toes.

4. After the floor is clean you can let it air dry or take two microfiber towels and walk with them on your feet to dry and dust the floor.

Viola…beautiful floors and the vinegar smell only lasts 15 minutes or so. Another super easy way to clean these floors is to use the Rubbermaid Spray Mop. The spray bottle can be filled with vinegar and water, or any cleaner you want, and the cloth pads are washable. LOVE it!

Ever heard of the raging debate about A1 and A2 milk? No? I hadn’t either. But I am generally not a fan of milk so I thought perhaps I just wasn’t being observant. Raw milk is about the only milk I will drink and I haven’t even had that in a quite a while. A new book I read this weekend has me wondering if that shouldn’t be a permanent thing. As it is now, we have reverted back to using some milk products… like cheese. 

I picked up a book called Devil in the Milk and the introduction talked about how science in more “health conscious” countries is indicating that a tiny protein fragment called A1 beta-casein can cause a range of serious illnesses, including heart disease, type-1 diabetes, autism, and schizophrenia. Whoa…

The author, Keith Woodford, is a professor of farm management and agribusiness and he first heard of the A1 debate when a New Zealand company called the A2 corporation claimed they were selling milk that was healthier than “normal” milk. Of course the diary industry was quick to downplay this new milk and say that these claims were invalid. That was sadly all it took to convince Woodford that there was nothing to this A1/A2 thing. Then a friend of his joined the company and he handed Woodford several scientific papers and studies that had obviously been buried by the powers that be. This was the catalyst for his own research into the matter. Devil in the Milk was originally released in New Zealand but the US and Canada are all producing A1 milk with this potentially harmful protein fragment and he expects that within the next few decades this will become an issue here as well… as consumers start to demand A2 milk.

It all started with a private study into why Samoan children living in New Zealand were very susceptible to Type-1 diabetes whereas Samoan children living in Samoa had an extremely low incidence. Obviously they knew it had to be an environmental or dietary factor. Eventually they decided to see if milk might be the culprit… specifically a casein and they learned from a dairy farmer that there was a little something “unnatural” going on with beta-caseins in cow’s milk. They learned of the beta-casein proteins A1 and A2 and how a mutation had occurred within the amino acid strings.  This mutation was passed on throughout the western world via large scale breeding and most of the cows used for milk in the western world have A1 cows. Could the diabetes issue be as simple as that? Soon after they did a study on mice. None of the mice fed the A2 beta-casein got diabetes. Of the mice fed the A1 beta-casein, 47% got diabetes. To make a long story short, other scientists got involved and studied the issue more and found links between consumption of A1 and other health problems.

There is lots of good info in this book about the nature of cow’s milk and how it relates to human consumption. Human milk has far less protein in it AND it has A2 beta-caseins. The A1 mutation is also said to be bad for people with a leaky gut… which I found interesting since many parents of autistic children find their kids have leaky guts… where elements of the food they ingest makes it way out of the intestine and into the blood stream.

It is a highly technical book but very interesting and the opening chapters really put it all in layman’s terms to help the non-scientific understand the argument. I think it will be of interest to people who drink a lot of milk…. especially people who drink raw milk and follow a Nourishing Traditions type diet with all its lovely full fat milks, creams, butters, cheeses, ect. Not because it effects them more than anyone else in the Western world but because it is an issue they may not even know they should be concerned about. Consuming A1 beta-caseins may nullify some of their ideas on why that style of eating is healthier.

If you drink a lot of milk you probably want to give this a read. In a few years time it may be the new concern…. A1 versus A2 along with GMOs and rBST but perhaps more serious and with more obstacles to overcome in getting it out of our milk.

An alternative for us has been almond milk. My oldest son is now making it himself even.

Saturday June 27 is The Great American Backyard Camp Out sponsored by Green Hour. It would be a great date to take your whole family into the backyard and go camping!

While camping away from home with kids can be daunting and even expensive when you consider gas and camping supplies, camping in your backyard is very do-able for most families. You don’t even need a tent. If the weather is nice you can just sleep outside in sleeping bags or use fluffy comforters and pillows. If you want some shelter you can make a lean-to on a tree or your house using a thick blanket or a tarp.

You could use a grill to cook camping fare or prepare some nice healthy snacks in advance. Wouldn’t it be nice to wake and up and eat pancakes with blueberries outdoors in the morning sun???

You could also play games… board games, dominoes, ring toss, bean bag toss. etc. Read to your kids by flashlight… maybe Harry Potter. Learn about for constellations, look through a telescope, and catch lightning bugs. An outdoor adventure need not be any more than 20 feet away from your back door.

And remember to take pictures and submit them to the NWF Flickr group. We will be! You can submit videos too I believe. Might be the perfect time to take advantage of a rockin Amazon sale on Flip video cameras… only $50!! That is a $95 dollar savings.

The whole family is crazy for good summer tomatoes. So far they have been so-so but pretty soon we will be drowning in fresh tomatoes from our garden and the local farmer’s market. My fave way to eat them, is sliced with a little Himalayan sea salt sprinkled on top.

But the tastiest version that we make for snacks and meals is just sliced tomatoes, a thin slice of soft mozarella cheese, drenched in EVOO, vinegar, and dried Italian herbs. In the heat of the summer I think the kids and I could eat this for lunch and dinner… just a plate of tomatoes. Leave out the cheese and you still have a spectacular dish. It is a little slice of heaven on earth…

What’s your favorite summer snack or quickie meal idea?