The Organic Mommy Weblog

As a stay at home mom I am constantly trying to find ways to cut our grocery budget since its the one bill that we have some control over monthly.  I know alot of people are struggling with the higher prices of everything lately and its a shame that we have to pay more to eat healthy and organic.  But at least for now this is the case so if you are trying to start eating organically but are fearful of the high grocery bills that might go along with it then I would like to share with you some of my favorite receipes. 

Specifically for meat I just have to buy hormone and antibiotic free meats now that I know what is in the “regular” brand meats that come from large industrial farms.  I could eat vegetarian and be happy ( I did it for ten years)  but my husband is a meat and potatoes kinda guy and I do want my son to eat some meat until he is old enough to decide what health choices he wants to make.  So with that being the case I still have to buy some meat and that can get really expensive when trying to eat organically. 

My best advice is to buy the cheaper cuts of meat that you can use in a variety of ways organically or at least hormone and antibiotic free.   I would rarely buy a ribeye steak that is organic unless its a special occasion.  For beef I stick to london broil, flank steaks, and ground beef mainly and the brand I find in most stores is the Black Angus Natural.  For chicken I usually buy thighs and sometimes drumsticks.  I can use some for dinner and then use the leftover meat for chicken salad for lunch.  Below are my favorite receipes that I rely on for speedy (yes, I have a one year old!) and healthy dinners.  I put what I usually buy organic but if you cannot afford that then use the regular.  I try to base what I use organic as to how much pesticide is retained in the produce.  For more on this please look at my post http://organicmommy.wordpress.com/2008/06/26/full-list-of-worst-pesticide-offenders/

Meatballs:

• 1 lb ground beef (hormone and antibiotic free) 
• 1 onion
• breadcrumbs
• 1 organic egg
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated

Mix this all in a bowl and form small meatballs.  Saute in a pan until the outside is cooked, about five minutes.  Take the meatballs out and start the sauce below.  Once all the ingredients are in the sauce then put the meatballs back in and let them simmer.

For my sauce I saute an onion and one clove of garlic.  Once that is soft I add a large can of crushed tomatoes with salt, pepper, and some basil or rosemary from my garden.  Let it all simmer for at least an hour but the longer the better in my opinion.

My version of hamburger helper:

• 1 lb ground beef (hormone and antibiotic free)
• 1 box pasta (whatever you like)
• 1 block organic cheddar cheese
• 1/2 block organic montery jack
• flour and butter to make a roux
• organic milk

Start to boil water in large pot for pasta.  In large saute pan brown ground beef until no longer pink.  Remove ground beef from pan and take out all oil left in pan.  Add three to four tablespoons of flour and about three tablespoons of butter.  Let the flour cook for a minute or two stirring with the butter.  Once the butter is absorbed into the flour and clumpy start to whisk in milk.  You have to just see how this goes as to how much you need but you want to keep slowly adding milk and then whisking until its about the consistency of pasta sauce.  Add salt and pepper and slowly whisk in the cheeses.  When its all melted together add the ground beef back into the sauce.  Add this to the drained pasta and voila you have a healthy version of hamburger helper cheeseburger mac.  You can add veggies to this also or just serve on the side.

Chicken and peppers:

• 1 package of organic chicken thighs (or antibiotic free)
• 1 large organic green pepper or two small
• 1 onion
• 1/2  cup red wine
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup organic crushed tomato sauce or leftover pasta sauce

In a large pot saute the chicken thighs.  After both sides have cooked for a few minutes then add the sliced peppers and onions.  Add garlic and salt and pepper.  Allow veggies to become soft then add the tomato sauce.  Add the wine and mix all together.  Let the whole pot simmer for at least 1/2 hour but I think the longer the better.  The meat will fall off the bone and be so tasty.  I serve over brown rice.

Curry chicken salad:

• leftover organic chicken thigh meat (or boil two thighs in water with a bay leaf or rosemary and save the stock afterwards for soup!)
• 1 organic apple diced
• 1/2 cup raisins
• curry spice aprox. 2 Tbs (use as little or much as you like)
• mayo (use as much as you like to your consistency)

Take the chicken meat and shred it with a fork.  Add the curry and salt/pepper.  Add the diced apple and raisins.  Mix in the mayo to the consistency you prefer and enjoy.  This is great for lunch and is wonderful on whole wheat toast or on a bed of greens.

I hope to see some comments with your favorite receipes too!

www.theorganicmommy.org

I was watching Planet Green last night and saw this receipe for an all natural cleaner that you can use on almost anything to disinfect and clean.  Mix it in a spray bottle and go….its safe to use around kids and pets.  I used it this weekend and its amazing, no nasty fumes to deal with and my shower and stove have never looked so clean!  Just wanted to share it if your interested.  Enjoy!

2 cups water

1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide

1 cup white vinegar

www.theorganicmommy.org

In the last 20 years sugar consumption by Americans has gone up to approximately 135 lbs of sugar per person per year.  Its no wonder we consume so much since sugar in one form or another is added to almost everything we eat these days.  We know the obvious health concerns that sugar can cause such as obesity and tooth decay but there are many more links to other diseases than you might realize.  When ingested sugar raises your insulin level which prevents the release of growth hormones and in turn causes your immune system to become suppressed. 

Because the chemical structures of vitamin C and sugar are very similar they end up competing for entry into your cells.  Therefore if there is more glucose in your system the cells will take this instead of the vitamin C.  So when you eat any form of sugar you are directly affecting your immune system and its ability to fight disease whether it be a common cold to cardiovascular disease.  The American Dietetic Association agrees that sugar is one of the three major causes of degenerative diseases.  If you would like more specific information on what sugar is doing to your body then read Nancy Appleton’s list of 146 reasons why sugar is bad for you at http://www.rheumatic.org/sugar.htm

So do you have to give up your sweet tooth altogether?  Raw unrefined sugar is a much better option than regular white sugar or brown sugar.  Some people think brown sugar is the same as raw sugar but this is not the case.  Brown sugar is just as un-nutritious as white refined sugar but its mixed with molasses to give it that dark color.  You want to find raw unrefined sugar as that still contains the beneficial minerals of the sugar cane plant such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium.  Additionally when sugar is refined there are many harmful chemicals that are added to it such as sulfur dioxide, formic acid, and phosphoric acid which are used to bleach the sugar to white.  Also don’t turn to artificial sweeteners thinking they are better than natural sugar because they are extremely unhealthy for your body and have shown to cause cancer in lab animals.  Nothing makes me more mental than being out at a restaurant and seeing a parent give their two year old diet soda thinking they are giving them a healthy alternative to sugar.  Please!

Speaking of children,  if all this sugar can hurt our bodies as adults imagine what it can do to a child.  Dr. Nancy Appleton says that many food allergies to wheat and dairy are due to the fact that sugar is usually ingested at the same time as the wheat or dairy.  She claims that we can make ourselves allergic to any food that is continuously taken with large quantities of sugar.  If your children has any of the following symptoms she suggests removing sugar from their diet for 10 days and seeing if this helps;  allergies, headaches, hyperactivity, difficulty concentrating, overweight, constant eating, and difficulty falling asleep.

The best path seems to be limiting the amount of sugars you ingest and remember that processed foods have high amounts of sugar.  Eating natural foods that you cook yourself let you control the amounts of sugar and carbs ingested in a meal.  If you have to have some sugar then use raw unrefined sugar or honey because at least they contain the extra minerals.  Remember white sugar is the worst type of sugar to ingest and it is not only void of any nutrition but it also contains chemicals that are used to bleach it.  Try taking small steps to encourage your family to cut down on their sugar intake.  You may not be able to control what your kids eat outside the home but at least you can control what they eat in your house, and you will probably save money from buying all that sugary junk food!

www.theorganicmommy.org

The National Vaccine Information Center reported that there were 385 reports in the second half of 2006 made to VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) reporting young girls having fainted, collapsed and experiencing seizures as well as symptoms of tingling, numbness, fever, nausea, headache, and loss of sensation in the limbs from Gardasil.  There has been reports of facial paralysis and Guillian-Barre Syndrome as well.  According to the National Vaccine Information Center Merck only studied Gardasil in fewer than 1200 girls under age 16 in trials and they were not studied in combination with other vaccines the children may have had. 

Aside from that there is question as to if the vaccine is even effective as it claims.  There were reports of girls contracting HPV and genital warts after receiving the vaccine, but it is unknown if they were possibly infected prior to the vaccination.  There are more than 15 types of HPV associated with cervical cancer but Gardasil only contains two of those types.  You may want to consider if its worth having your teenage daughter vaccinated just yet.  If they do receive the vaccine monitor them closely for 24 hours for any reactions. 

For more info on reporting a reaction or a copy of the NVIC’s report on Gardasil please visit www.nvic.org

www.theorganicmommy.org

I found this receipe for homeade mosquito repellant and thought it would be good to share.  According to Amy Lovejoy, a freelance garden and food writer, Iowa State University did a study and found that the oil in catnip is 10 times more effective than DEET which is a pesticide and should not be used on children.  Below is Amy’s receipe but if you don’t have the time or garden to do this then I found an all natural repellant from Burts Bees that is safe for children using rosemary oils.  I plan on testing both and letting you know how they work.  Enjoy!

CATNIP AND ROSEMARY MOSQUITO CHASING OIL

As I do more and more research I am amazed (not in a good way) and concerned about how vulnerable our children are to the world we live in.  We don’t even realize how many toxic chemicals our precious babies are exposed to during the first years of life and how the choices we make now can dictate the health they will have for years to come.  Try as we may to want to do everything right for them it could be the everyday things that we don’t even think about that could be harmful.  I feel naive that I never thought about toxic chemicals in my home and food before now and think about how many parents never realize how much their children can be harmed just by the pesticides they use on their lawns or the insecticides they use in their homes.  I am a cancer survivor having had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at age 25, and I still didn’t make the connections until recently. 

I then realized that even if a parent is aware of these risks and takes action at home to prevent the use of toxins around their children; they may not realize sending their kids to school can expose them to just as many chemicals.  Schools regularly use insecticides inside the building to manage pests, use pesticides outside in play areas, and may even use pressure treated wood for play structures which contains arscenic that can leach to the surface.  And all of these have been shown in studies to elevate the risk of cancer especially in young developing children.  

Here are some facts to consider:

• According to EPA’s Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment, children receive 50% of their lifetime cancer risks in the first two years of life
• Children with brain cancer are more likely to have been exposed to insecticides in the home
• A study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute indicates that household and garden pesticide use can increase the risk of childhood leukemia as much as seven-fold
• Health effects of 48 commonly used pesticides in schools: 22 are probable or possible carcinogens, 26 have been shown to cause reproductive effects, 31 damage the nervous system, 31 injure the liver or kidney, 41 are sensitizers or irritants, and 16 can cause birth defects
• US EPA and Dow AgroSciences recently agreed to phase-out chlorpyrifos, one of the most commonly used insecticides in schools, because of its high risks to children, after allowing it to be used in schools and homes for the past 30 years

The rate of childhood cancer is increasing approximately 1% on average per year.  This is an unacceptable rate especially if we consider that some of it may be preventable with education.  Many parents still have the attitude that “we survived without helmets and car seats and we lived” and “why stress over everything, there is enough to worry about already with the world”.  Well I agree we all have too much stress already and all you have to do is watch the evening news to become overwhelmed and depressed.  And yes our generation had very few safety restrictions and most of us turned out ok…but I already know four people under the age of 35 that have had cancer and three that have auto-immune diseases just in my small group of friends so did we really turn out ok?  Can we really say for sure that eating foods laced with pesticides and hormones, playing around lawns treated with chemicals, and all the other things we were exposed to without a second thought really haven’t made a difference?  I think that ignoring these warnings are neglectful to our families…no one ever said parenting was easy right? 

So what can we do to protect our kids?  Well remember that government standards for regulating environmental hazards are sometimes inadequate, at best a bare minimum, and could be a threat to your families health.  In short I wouldn’t trust the government to tell us if something is safe for our kids because they have been wrong many times before and have special interests of their own.  So you have to take the initiative to look at what might be harmful in your home and research products that you buy. 

Eliminate all obvious causes of toxins inside and outside of the home including pesticides, insecticides, molds, and pvc plastics especially those that would be heated outside in the direct sun.  If you have a pest problem there are non toxic ways to manage them that you can try prior to using chemicals.  These would include removing sources of food and water and destroying possible shelters or breeding sites such as litter or plant debris.  For more info on natural ways to control pests visit http://www.beyondpesticides.org/alternatives/factsheets/index.htm and you can search their information by pest!  Avoid pressure treated lumber that isn’t sealed if its an area that children will play in and touch.  At school become involved and find out what pesticides are being used on lawns and in the buildings to manage pests.  Also don’t use mosquito sprays that contain deet for your children as it is a pesticide and will be absorbed through the skin.  Instead try a natural product like citronella, lemon eucalyptus, and rosemary oils. 

Maybe we don’t need to have the greenest lawn on the block especially if our children’s health is at risk.  I love living in the country where my lawn can be “rustic” and natural the way its supposed to be.  I know that my child will encounter many risks along his journey through life but at least toxic chemicals in his yard won’t be one of them.  I hope that all the organic food and lowering his exposure to toxic chemicals will ensure him a healthier and happier life for years to come.

facts from BEYOND PESTICIDES at www.beyondpesticides.org

www.theorganicmommy.org

There are many things to consider regarding the vaccine controversy.  Many have claimed that the ever increasing vaccination schedule is part of the reason childhood illnesses are rising at alarming rates.  In the 1980’s more vaccines were given earlier in infancy and combined together rather than as separate vaccines.  Many feel that this combination plus using mercury based preservatives contributed to the increase of diseases such as autism and ADD.  

Statistics show that the cases of people in the US having diseases such as mumps, measles, polio, ect… has dropped dramatically since the 1960’s.  It went from hundreds of thousands of cases per year to under 50 cases in current years, and those few cases were mostly from foreign travelers that brought it here to the US.  Almost eliminating once epidemic diseases in the US is certainly a benefit and one that should not be taken lightly.  Polio used to cripple thousands of children a year and almost everyone used to get measles prior to vaccinations.  We certainly don’t want to go back to having what could be preventable diseases.   

I am not anti-vaccine by any means but my issue with them is that there is absolutely no reason that they should contain any toxic chemicals or mercury based preservatives.  The drug companies should be held accountable for what they are giving our kids and we as parents shouldn’t have to choose between protection of diseases or possibly causing harm to our children. 

So what is in a vaccine that makes it so bad?  Vaccines are cultured in animal tissues and therefore the body is encountering foreign animal proteins from the vaccine.  This would only normally occur in our digestive system so when it’s injected into our blood stream these proteins can have the potential to wreak havoc on the body.  The second concern about the animal tissue is that its possible for the vaccine to have unwanted animal viruses mixed in. 

As if this wasn’t enough vaccines can contain dangerous chemicals used to preserve them.  This is only done because of the drug companies trying to be cost effective.  Since doctors have vials of multi-dose vaccines they have to contain a preservative so they don’t become contaminated with bacteria.  I don’t know about you but I would prefer to pay more and know that the vaccine my son is receiving is safe of toxic preservatives like mercury based substance, acetone and formaldehyde.  Many of these chemicals are neurotoxic and lead to a whole range of other health issues such as autism, ADD, and other developmental problems.  These toxins are built up over time and some children are not able to rid their bodies of them. 

According to the US Dept of Health and Human Services, none of the routine vaccines given to children in 2008 contain thimerosal (mercury based preservative) except the flu shot.  Funny that my pediatrician never mentioned any risks when they asked me about my son having the flu shot, but thankfully since he is home with me I declined him getting it.  If you look closer the truth is actually that there are “trace” levels of thimerosal in many of the vaccines but they consider this not enough to warrant a warning of any sort to the parents.  The question then becomes when combining all these vaccines are children subjected to higher levels of mercury than they should be?  I have read many articles by parents that had bright happy children one day and after receiving their vaccine the next day were staring at a wall unable to speak.  The doctors will say there is no conclusive evidence of this but they are often basing this on scientifically flawed data that is given to them by the pharmaceutical industries.  Even though most vaccines may not contain thimerosal, many still contain formaldehyde which is a known carcinogen. 

The government sticks by their claims that there is no conclusive evidence that thimerosal contributed to autism or any other developmental problems, but in recent years they have worked to phase out the use of thimerosal in routine vaccines.  Why if there was no evidence are they removing this substance from vaccines?  I’m sure we will never hear the real answer to that question…they claim its just a precautionary measure. 

I am now facing this decision to continue to vaccinate my son since learning all this information.  Why am I working so hard to give him all organic foods if I am just going to be forced to inject him with toxic chemicals?  In our state he will be unable to attend public school if we don’t get him vaccinated.  I will write more to let you know what I decide to do but as of now I am going to discuss a delayed vaccination schedule with my pediatrician and see what he thinks.   As always keep your family safe!

www.theorganicmommy.org

Genetically Modified Organisms happen when a set of technologies alter the genetic makeup of a living organism such as plant, animal, or bacteria.  I won’t get into the technical part of how this is done because I’m not a biologist and unless you are its pretty complex.  Lets just say that they take favorable genetic traits from one organism and combine that DNA trait with another organism which they want to have that specific trait.  For example, if you wanted a pepper plant to have a longer growing season you might take a DNA trait from another organism that has a high tolerance to cold such as a fish and take that DNA trait and mix it with the pepper plant’s DNA.  Sounds a little Frankenstein right?  That is why there is so much controversy surrounding it.

According to the government’s Human Genome Project, in 2006 a total of 252 million acres of transgenic crops were planted in 22 countries by 10.3 million farmers.  The top countries for this were the US, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, China, Paraguay and South Africa.  The majority of these crops were herbicide and insect resistant soybeans, corn, cotton, canola, alfalfa, and rice with increased iron and vitamins.  The hope was that this rice would alleviate the chronic malnutrition in asian countries.  According to the HGP coming soon will be bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases, fish that mature quicker, cows that are resistant to mad cow disease, and fruit trees that yield years earlier.

Some make it seem like GMO is the answer to all our problems.  We can take natural organisms and make them the best DNA has to offer.  Well not so fast, whenever you mess with mother nature (and god if your the religious type) then there is usually a price to pay.  As with many of the issues today regarding safety of chemicals and pesticides, GMO foods have not been tested enough to accurately determine what the human health impact will be. 

The government says that the benefits will include reduced maturation time, increased nutrients, resistance to pests and herbicides, and new growing techniques.  They say animals will have improved health, better yields of eggs and milk, and better resistance, productivity, and hardiness.  As for the environment they claim conservation of soil, water, and energy, better natural waste management, and bioprocessing for forestry products.  And finally they claim that it will be increased food security for growing populations.

I can’t help but think that most if not all of these “benefits” can be achieved using natural organic methods and  that those that cannot are pretty much against the natural way of things and shouldn’t be achieved anyway!  I mean we know that mad cow disease comes from cows eating animal bi-products and unsanitary conditions so why do we need to mess with DNA to make them resistant to it?  Wouldn’t that just give the slaughterhouses more reason to treat the animals inhumanely and keep them in filthy conditions?  We are trying to increase efficiency and produce more from animals but I just don’t think that its natural to expect cows to produce that much more milk or chickens to produce more eggs.  Why not put that money back to the farmers and encourage farms here in the US that could help with food shortages and boost the economy?  There must be a reason that plants don’t mature years earlier than they already do and that is up to nature.  What will happen to the bees now since they are in charge of pollinating these new GMO crops?  Some things are just the way they are and not to be messed with!

So the controversies as the HGP calls them are potential human health impact, allergens, transfer of antibiotic resistance markers, unknown effects of environmental impact, unintended transfer of transgenes through cross-pollination, and loss of flora and fauna biodiversity.  Other cons could be that few companies would dominate the world food production, increased dependency on industrialized nations from developing countries, and foreign exploitation of natural resources.  Ethically speaking there is the violation of nature, tampering with nature by mixing genes among species, and stress for the animals. 

Labeling is not mandatory in the US and probably won’t be even in the future so you will have no way of knowing what you are eating.  I think its easy to see that the negative aspects of GMO far out way the positives at this point.  I don’t know what it will take to get away from this trend but being educated about it is the first line of defense.  Try to purchase non GMO foods that you can find in health food stores and even sometimes in the regular supermarkets.  A CSA or farmers market might be your best friend so talk to the farmers nearby and see what growing techniques they are using, most likely a smaller farm wont be using GMO crops.  As always try to keep your family safe and healthy!

www.theorganicmommy.org

Five years ago my husband and I bought our home together in Wantage NJ.  Those of you not familiar with NJ might think that it is one big turnpike with factories spewing out toxins into the air.  There is a small part of NJ that looks like that and unfortunately the entire state gets a bad rap for it.  But there is a reason that its called the Garden State and I believe that is found no where more than in Sussex County where I live.  We have woods all around our yard that is a little over 1/2 acre and a family of groundhogs that live under the shed.  There are many farms around us which is becoming a rare site in NJ these days.  We live on a lake and have beautiful views year round. 

The only bad side is our house is a small bungalow that needed lots of fixing up, and five years later we still have quite a to-do list….I say “we” meaning my husband.  But one of the best investments we made was to buy a wood burning stove to heat our home.  Its a small home so the stove heats it up more than enough, in fact there are quite a few nights in the winter we are sitting in tank tops because it went all day and was so hot!   

When I went out on maternity leave and had our son in January of 2007, we went from a two income family to one.  NJ is one of the highest for auto insurance and taxes so we knew we would have to adjust to less money.  Since I was home all day we decided to try to heat our home mainly on the stove for the first time.  With a tank of oil costing us over $600 it seemed like a nice addition to our newly frugal lifestyle.  My husband got wood from a lot that our friend’s parents had cleared for a new structure.  It worked out great and last year we only went through one tank of oil instead of our usual four-five tanks per season. 

This year in 2008 winter we plan to do all wood burning with no oil at all.  We are not sure if it will work totally but we are willing to try.  I hate supporting the oil industry anyway and it feels good to heat your home and know you aren’t contributing to them.  I love walking outside in the snow and smelling that burnt wood smell in the morning air. 

We plan on using a space heater for a few hours a day if needed to keep our pipes in the basement from freezing.  I will let you know how it all turns out in the end.  If you don’t have a wood burning stove then you should consider it for your home.  Its the best of living frugal, green, and warm!

www.theorganicmommy.org

7-15-08  Let me just add for anyone concerned about cutting down trees that we have not cut down any live trees in the four years we have used a wood burning stove.  If you don’t know anyone that has wood they are getting rid of then there are many options.  The state park by our house lets you buy a permit for $15 and you can go there and load up as many fallen trees and wood as you can put in your truck.  It helps clear the paths at the park and help new growth develop so its win win.  Also my husband works by the city and since many people outside the city don’t have wood burning stoves when a tree is cut down because its dead or whatever the situation, many times they are thrilled to get rid of it for free and give it to us as long as we haul it away.  In the small amount of woods on our property there are always fallen trees that have died or fallen from a storm.  Each year we can get quite a bit of wood from just clearing the fallen debris from our property. 

I think choosing wood burning over oil or propane is still a greener choice and affordable.  I would love to have geothermal or solar energy heating my home but I don’t have thousands to put out for that right now.  Maybe some day in the future I can hope!

The option to homeschool has been something I have been interested in exploring ever since I was pregnant with my son.  He is only 18 months old now so I still have some time to decide if we will homeschool or not.  My husband and I see both the pros and cons of it and we are lucky that the public schools in our area are ranked very high. 

I noticed right away when the topic came up one night at a dinner with friends that I got some strange looks for saying that I would consider homeschooling.  People seem to think that you are going to have a social misfit that can’t keep up with the other kids educationally or socially.   I felt like they thought it was one step away from abuse because our poor child would be isolated and lonely and we must be control freak parents for even thinking of such a thing.  Even though there is alot of positive research regarding homeschooling there is still a stigma attached to it.

There are many reasons to consider homeschooling.  You may want to incorporate religion into your child’s curriculum.  You may want to have a little more say in what they are learning about in regards to politics and current events.  The rising statistics of school violence, gangs, and peer pressure may concern you.  Maybe your child is already in public school and being mislabeled by them with ADHD or other learning problems.  Whatever the reasons are homeschooling parents want better for their child and feel that they can do a better job of delivering this than the government can. 

I find the homeschooling lifestyle very attractive.  If done well it allows a healthy family life and socialization benefits.  I think many people believe that a homeschooled child sits at the kitchen table all day reading books by themselves.  This is not the case and most homeschooled children spend a large portion of time at the library, museums, parks, and after school activities just like public school children.  There is more family time because chaotic rushed meals, hours of endless homework, and commuting are no longer taking up valuable time together.  Also they are not subjected to all the negative socialization that takes place in school regarding sex, violence, and drug/alcohol abuse.

Socialization is probably the one thing that concerns parents the most about homeschooling their kids.  But the reality is that children often don’t respond well to large groups.  Peer pressure causes them to want to be like everyone else and not think for themselves.  They become nervous and overexcited which causes learning to become difficult and may promote behavioral problems.  Studies have shown that children are best socialized by parents and not other children.   In many studies homeschooled children have displayed more self-confidence, leadership and independent thinking than their peers. 

If you want to consider homeschooling there are alot of great resources available thanks to the internet.  Consider the following:

• You don’t have to have a PHD in order to educate your children as there are many online courses and curriculum’s to choose from all the way through high school.   (many colleges accept homeschooling as well, including ivy league)
• Find homeschool groups in your area or start your own.  Its a great way to make friends and have your child socialize with other homeschooled kids
• Have your child join a club or group that interests them.  There are many free ones to choose from if money is an issue such as girl and boy scouts, 4-h clubs, and sports programs
• Consider how it will affect your life as a parent.  It may cause financial issues if you are not used to living as a one income family since one parent will have to be home with the children.  Even if you can work from home your time will be limited.  You will have little free time and be with your children pretty much 24/7 so you need to be honest and decide if this is for you.

I believe the benefits are real to homeschooling and it shouldn’t be ignored just because people think it’s unconventional.  There is no evidence to say that homeschooling in any way hurts your child or will make them less educated or social, in fact the complete opposite may be true.  I think if you are interested in it then find out more information and make an informed decision.  It might be the best thing you can do for your child!

www.theorganicmommy.org