Kale and Kraut

Hey Valentines! Have a happy day! 💚

It's really about balance 💚

Food Isn't Medicine. Here's Why It's Dangerous To Believe It Is. Dietary changes can go only so far to prevent, manage or cure the vast majority of diseases. Here's where to draw the line.

Hey there friends!
Most of you know me from The Clubhouse, have seen me dancing and playing with your kids, and may have had a chat with me about nutrition-type topics. As a professional, I've represented myself in a specific way, and through social media I've successfully branded myself as a super healthy, always outside, organic eating, plant medicine practicing, holistic individual. Entirely unrelatable, right? But I didn't start out that way!
The truth is, I wasn't always the well-behaved day care owner. Like anyone out there, I've been on my journey, I've made my mistakes, and mostly learned the hard way why certain healthy habits are important. I recently commissioned XPLR Studios to create a logo and marketing package so that I can properly resurrect my blog site, Kale and Kraut. I intend for the FB page and website to be a resource for my client's most commonly asked questions, as well as an opportunity for me to share some of my background. My hope is that by sharing some of my hurdles and stories, I can inspire other people to make healthier choices for themselves, and maybe be less overwhelmed by the process.
To begin, I'd like to share my essay I wrote for my application to UConn this past spring. There are 3 classes I need to retake in order to complete my degree, and tomorrow will be my first in-person class in 26 years. I will continue to blog periodically, as I'm certain that this experience will kick up some of the old "trauma dust" if you will. If you're interested in following along, please like my page and drop a comment or two if you feel like it. I'd especially like to hear from the folks who knew my parents. 💚

Regarding The Gap In My Education To Whom It May Concern, It was my mom’s dying wish that I keep my scholarship, and finish school. She passed away the summer before my sophomore year at UConn, just a couple weeks after my 20th bir…

My daughter, Claire, just celebrated her third Christmas. She runs and plays with her pals at school, dances in front of the mirror daily, and complains when it's time to wash her hair. Her favorite color is purple, and she insists on wearing skirts or dresses- no pants. She is the quintessential "girly-girl", all tutus and glitter, and we love every minute with her....

Our Coming Home Story My daughter, Claire, just celebrated her third Christmas. She runs and plays with her pals at school, dances in front of the mirror daily, and complains when it’s time to wash her hair. Her f…

UPDATE: Songbird Infection Alert

The recommendation from CT Audubon, CT DEEP and other wildlife organizations regarding safeguarding songbirds in your yard has been expanded. Until experts are able to identify the cause of the infections, which are now being found in Connecticut (not yet in Simsbury) and other East Coast states, the recommendations are as follows:

1. Empty birdbaths and clean them with a 10% bleach solution. Temporarily remove the birdbath or turn over the bowl portion of the birdbath until it's safe to use again.

2. Remove hummingbird feeders and clean them with the bleach solution or white vinegar. Native plants like anise hyssop, cardinal flower, and salvia are a great choice to plant for hummingbirds, as well as pollinating insects, so adding those to your yard - and thinking of your hummingbird feeder as supplemental to native plants - will give the hummingbirds nectar sources. Non-native hummingbird-friendly nectar plants, which are a good choice for container planting, include lantana, fuschia, and petunias.

3. The recommendation at this time is remove and clean bird feeders. Simsbury has an ordinance which prohibits feeding birds except during winter months, with the intent to deter nuisance wildlife, so no feeders should be out now in general. Birds are just fine without humans feeding them during the warmer months; they actually benefit from the lack of feeders since they should be foraging. Here's where a yard full of native plants is the best thing you can provide - seed plants like coneflower and Joe Pye w**d (which isn't a w**d!), bushes like serviceberry and blueberries, and other pollinator-friendly natives (opt for native over cultivar) will naturally give the birds everything they need.

Note about feeders - If you choose to put feeders up during the months it's permitted in town, be sure to clean them thoroughly once a week with the 10 % bleach solution or white vinegar. To avoid all avian diseases, not just this one, it's important to keep your feeders and birdbaths germ-free, not just refilled over and over without cleaning.

At this point, the reported infection (which is symptomatic through neurological tremors and crusty, swollen eyes) affects the following: Common Grackle, Blue Jay, European starling, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, House Finch, House Sparrow, Eastern Bluebird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Carolina Wren.

CT DEEP advises that if you see a live bird with these symptoms, don’t try to capture it. Contact a wildlife rehabilitator instead.
If you find a dead bird with crusty eyes, take photos and keep track of the date and location. Then, wearing gloves, double bag it and discard it in the normal trash stream, taking care not to touch it and not to allow pets to get near it.

Dead birds should be reported to the CT DEEP.

Healthy habits
We know what they are, we do our best to incorporate them. With the upcoming heat, I filled this giant dispenser with filtered water, and stuck it in the fridge. Some roses for vitamin C, some mint to keep my tummy happy, and a small splash of maple sap that we never finished boiling down to add some trace minerals and electrolytes. My goal is to stay hydrated!
Please share, what are some of your favorite habits that set you up for success? 💚

In memoriam, with gratitude.

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Excerpt from “The Carrying”, poems by Ada Limon. Happy Mother’s Day 💕

Happy happy day! 🌲

Finally, fresh green things 🌿 what have you picked lately? 🌱

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Look at this! My favorite online source for herbs is sharing some activities for kids in their blog- check it out! 🌿

Natural Sensory Play for Children: Hearing Want to explore the benefits of sensory play for children? Find out how you can use nature for simple and natural sensory play activities for kids of all ages.

This is what it might look like when you get kids in the kitchen. It’s gooey, it’s messy, it’s haphazard. But most of all, it’s learning. Learning how to be a part of the process, learning that they can be in charge of nourishing their bodies, learning that they can contribute to something important. The life long impact is worth so much more than getting the recipe right, or the extra 10 minutes it takes to clean up after. Let them chop it, let them squish it, let them lick it. Do your best to keep those family recipes alive, let the kids feel the comfort to be found in sharing history.

“If you’re going to talk about food, and you’re going to talk about health, then you have to talk about soil”

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Wishing all the sweethearts a happy day, and remember to keep looking for the love all around us! Have you found any hearts in nature? Please share away my Valentines! 💚