Feeding the Kids

I haven’t baked a single loaf of bread since Autumn’s birth three months ago. And while I wish I’d found time to do some freezer cooking at the end of my pregnancy, I didn’t. So we’ve been eating lots of processed food at our house. And cheap grocery store eggs.

Maybe that’s why Saturday was so much fun. I’d asked Miss Janet, a friend from church, if I could come to her farm to buy some of the fresh eggs she sells. “Of course!” she said quickly, and soon the errand turned into an event for my friend Amy and me and our kids. We got to see Janet’s chickens, horses, cows, her turkey, and her two very sweet dogs. She let the kids gather eggs right out of the hen house and pet the animals. Then we all picked veggies from her garden—squash and purple and yellow beans—and ate lunch together on her porch.

Janet wouldn’t even let me pay her for the eggs. I almost felt like I’d invited us over, but Amy said, “Don’t worry about it. Janet’s just like that. She is so generous.”

That night Adam and I grilled the veggies and I folded a couple of the eggs into a batch of cookies. I mixed the bright orange yokes in with some oats and raw honey and wheat flour, and wow, it felt good to watch my kids eat homemade cookies later instead of goldfish crackers or pretzel sticks.

I’m trying not to feel guilty about all the processed food I’ve given my kids over the past few months. I wish I was one of those all-natural mamas who cooks everything from scratch and avoids the microwave and breastfeeds around the clock and then somehow blogs about it all too. But the truth is I’m still adjusting to my days alone with three little ones and right now I’m proud of myself if I manage to fold one load of laundry.

I think God cares about what we eat and what we feed our kids. But He also tells us not to worry about it. Jesus always brought it back to the main thing: being fed spiritually. Janet shared real food with us (her yummy, organic, fresh food!) and she reminded me how wonderful it is when someone goes out of their way to be kind. It made me wonder, do my kids ever see me showing that sort of concern for others?

I’ll be happy when I have a little more time to spend in my kitchen. One of these days I’m going to bake bread with my kids again and I can’t wait. Maybe we’ll even give it away.