Real Milk Drinking Here.

Isn't it peaceful?

Something about driving between an aisle of greenery just sends me into a tranquil state of mind. This is Brownsburg Road. The main road leading to my trusted farm source for dairy, Birchwood Farm.

I love my drives here. I squeeze them in when I can, which is usually once every 12-14 days or so. I look forward to the calm after the chaos. The stillness in the winding roads after I've made it down crazy Route 1 South. Something magical happens after your cross over Princeton. The air lightens up and the world slows down...
if only, just a little.

I began driving here almost two months ago when a friend recommended I try raw milk or as some would like to call it, "real" milk. When she first recommended I try it, I immediately thought, "No way!" The concept seemed so foreign to me. "Is it safe?" "Would we digest it ok?" "Are there really any benefits to it?" Then she handed me a glass, smiled, and said "try it." And that was the beginning of my slight addiction.

I originally thought I would never share about this experience for fear of being judged or criticized. I know how it feels to be on the side of questioning and uncertainty. But if part of my journey is to learn and the other part is to share my journey, then this certainly counts as a part of the whole process.

Years ago (before most of us were born), real milk was the norm. It was what everyone drank. It was delivered fresh. It didn't include any antibiotics or hormones, and wasn't pasteurized. The cows that produced the milk were cared for and ate foods that were good for them, like grass, hay, and root vegetables.

Things are different now. To keep up with consumption and commercialism, factory farms now mass produce milk by giving their cows growth hormones to help produce more milk. These cows are also expensive to maintain and are fed cheap and widely abundant corn, which is not natural for their digestive systems. They're also fed feeds laced with pesticides and chicken manure. It's no wonder the milk needs to be pasteurized. The unfortunate thing that happens through pasteurization is that the milk is stripped from all of the healthy vitamins like Vitamin C, B12, and B6. And because these cows are confined, often times they are stricken with diseases.

Real milk, on the other hand is fresh, contains no additives, hormones or antibiotics. The health benefits are numerous including the perfect balance of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and enzymes. It also includes healthy bacteria which helps our bodies absorb the calcium, iron and phosphorus better and aids in digestion.

After researching the health benefits, I took the plunge and now my whole family drinks it. I try to buy it when I can, but I will admit, it is not as convenient as going to my local supermarket to buy a gallon of milk. In fact, they don't even sell it in New Jersey. I have to cross into Pennsylvania, but I'm now hearing areas of New York now carry it. It's also more expensive. So, I compromise and make the effort to buy a few gallons every two weeks or so and supplement with organic milk in between my trips.

With regards to taste, one word: scrumptious.
With regards to digestion: easy. So easy.

If you're unsure where you stand with milk, I would encourage you to read the links above to learn more about the health benefits. And in her blog post "Milk 101: Whole, Raw, Oranic, Low-Fat," Lisa Leake breaks down the different types of milks and their pros and cons. She personally does not drink raw milk, but she does describe some of the different options and it may be worth exploring.

Cheers!

(Some of the lucky cows at Birchwood Farms.)

My Broken Delorean.

(The Delorean time machine from the movie "Back to the Future")

It has been a FULL summer. A busy, running, driving, chasing, swimming, butterfly-catching summer.

It's racing.

And sometimes I feel like I can't catch up. 

Some days I dare say I feel like I'm in a time warp. As though I wake up with 24 hours to my day and somewhere between breakfast and lunch, my time machine gets a flat tire and I'm suddenly cooking dinner and getting the kids ready for bed.

When did that happen?

I'm sure we all feel a sense of the "I can't fit it all in" conundrums (right?). But some days, I feel it more than others. Really.

These thoughts are culminating as I look back and realize that this month officially marks my three month anniversary of living a healthier and more holistic lifestyle. Since the beginning of my journey, many of my friends have asked me "Marilyn, what does holistic even mean?" It's a question I have asked myself before and wrote about in an April post called "Holistic-ish". The bottom line? We're trying to make healthier choices in our nutrition and lifestyle and incorporate more natural ways of living to better ourselves and the environment.

For me, this lifestyle is ever-evolving. It's also not as black and white as I thought it would be. It's a delicate dance. A slow, steady salsa of compromise. I'm ok giving a little of this, but not ok giving some of that. And sometimes I'll take a little of this...but I'm not ready to take any of that.

Regardless of whether or not we've mastered natural nutrition, home-life or health, these changes have certainly marked a difference in my day to day life.

This brings me back to my broken Delorean. Did the day really just fast forward? And then I wonder...
Are my lifestyle changes to blame? Lets take a look at the other day for example.

I worked from home with my little "moo-moo" (that's Mia). We needed to pick up Daniel by 3:30 pm because we all had a visit with our chiropractor for our regular check-up. This is new and something I would have never done before, but having incorporated this into our lives for three months, I've seen huge improvements in our health. I've learned that regular, quality chiropractic care can boost your immune system, reduce proneness to injury and keep your body working properly.

Before picking up Daniel, I packed a cooler of snacks and dinner for the kids. Some organic fruits, cheeses, sandwiches and milk. In the past, I would have just gone through a drive-thru. Now, I almost always pack a cooler whenever and wherever we go. It just amazes me, now more than ever, the limited food options at a lot of supposed "kid-friendly" places. Amusement parks, pools, beaches to name of few. You will find plenty of fried goodies but not much in terms of anything fresh or organic.

After our appointments, we headed home. Baths and bed for the kids and kitchen time for me. I find that most weeks I need to plan in at least one night of "bulk" cooking or baking, where I'll batch cook time-consuming meals that I can freeze and later re-heat or serve for other meals during the week. A typical batch cooking night for me will include one or more of the following: granola, breakfast muffins, bread, pizza dough, tomato sauce, fresh beans and pureed vegetables that I can use to add to dishes (typically squash or carrots).

So I wonder...
Were my days always this full? Or have I just not quite figured out how to master my time with these lifestyle changes? Whatever the case is, I know it's worth it.

At the end of my day, I'm optimistic. I know that the next months will bring even more learning and my slow salsa will be a little more smooth. Yes. I won't be tripping over my own feet. In fact, maybe I'll have enough time to ride in my Delorean without a flat and have a little more time to spare!

Hello? Where have you been?

Hello? Where have I been? My alter ego, Tech-and-Social-Media-Loving Momma, has been on a virtual hiatus these past few days.

I've been omitting the time to check my personal email accounts. Not texting. Avoiding some social media. Not following my favorite blog sites.

This all began last Thursday night when I accidentally dropped my cell phone. It crashed and broke beyond repair. I was bathing my little ones and had my cell phone near the sink. Just. In. Case. 

Really? Just in case? Was I going to miss an earth shattering phone call in the five minutes it would take me to rinse the soap off my child? Would I not be able to respond in lightening fast speed to the next text message? 

What seemingly began as an accident and an inconvenience strangely turned into a peaceful haven. Yes, I miss the interaction. I miss the current event updates. The quick conversations. The convenience. But, I can't help feel a sense of quiet. And peace. 

Don't get me wrong. The first night sans cell phone drove my absolutely ballistic. I was not a happy momma. "How am I supposed to function?" I fumed. But soon, the quiet of no ringing, buzzing, red light flashing telling me I have a message, was nice.

It has meant a lot more live conversations, either in person or on my house phone. More time to think. More time to focus, as opposed to multi-tasking -- doing one thing with one hand and texting with the other.

Then I began to wonder. Just how addicted to our cell phones are we? Myself, I use it for just about everything.

Tell the time.
Set my alarm.
Check the weather.
Book a movie.
Coordinate my calendar.
Check my emails.
Text message.
Tweet.
Interact on Facebook.
Take pictures.
Take videos.
etc.
etc.
etc.

I'm not one to snob at technology. Like I mentioned earlier, my alter-ego loves it. But I also know more and more studies are attributing heavy use of cell phones and social media to shorter attention spans, lack of ability to empathize, and weak self identities, especially with the younger generation. Even scarier, there are newer studies that link heavy social media usage with symptoms of loneliness. They say the bonds of our social connections aren't as strong and as a result people are feeling isolated.

But let's face it, in the world we live, we depend on our phones to get through our lives. I can't even do my job without my phone. So what now? My company mailed me my new phone today. I'm officially connected again.

But that's the interesting thing. Although I'm connected, I'm taking my hiatus as a lesson learned. A lesson in balance. In learning when to disconnect technologically so that I can connect personally. For "a connection is not the same thing as a bond."And a bond is so much sweeter.