Who's Who?

Now all you need to do to find the blog is type: www.LaurieBerknerBlog.com!

       Laurie Berkner           Susie Lampert             Adam Bernstein           Bobby Golden              

Comments

[B.W.]

I was searching for christmas music that my 2 year old would like and sing along to and I was thinking how awesome would be if you had a Christmas CD (just saying).

[Denise]

We LOVE you Laurie and LOVED your Noggin Special. We DVR'd it and watched it daily...until it got erased!! We have emailed Noggin to see if they would re-run it... no luck yet!! We are eagerly awaiting your New CD!

[Kim hakimian]

Nothing better in the summer than playing with water. My kids love water guns I however am not a fan of traditional water guns and it's hard to find squirts made of things other than guns, so I picked up some squirt bottles like the ones the barber uses, I marked them with the word water so not to be mistaken for chemicals. They are so much easier for my 4&2 yr olds to spray unlike the one finger trigger kind, great for motor skills and the best part is you fill them and it takes a long time to run out of water. And the fine mist is soo refreshing and mom doesn't mind a squirt on a hot day.

[Jenn]

We saw you in Philly today. What a show! My 3 yo loved it...he has sensory issues and LOVES rocking OUT and getting his jumpies out...you guys ROCK! We have been diggin' on your music since our first was born in 02. Keep on rockin'!

[Kay B]

As always, LOVE your music for getting my son up and dancing all the time. Also, I love seeing so much going on now for getting kids to eat healthy foods, and trying to get the big buisnesses to recognize they need to change as well. At a kids expo a couple of years ago I stumbled across a book called baby bites written by another wonderful crusader for healthy eating Joann Bruso http://www.babybites.info/
People like you and her make me feel great about the choices I'm making for my son!

[Kate E.]

Hi!

I think exactly what is going on here is a big part of the solution. Now that it's coming to the attention of the American people, we have more power and hopefully it will be grassroots movement of little things adding to more little things to make a big difference. I was thinking along the same lines recently:
http://katesconsideredlife.blogspot.com/2010/03/food-choices.html

I'm so happy that this awareness is in the mainstream and I think that will enable us to have better choices in the future!

p.s. - You already sent beautiful postcards to my kiddos which we treasure, so no need to send more! Thanks so much!!!

[Ross Brown]

First of all, LOVE THE MUSIC! My kids (2 yrs and 4 yrs) make a habit of serenading my wife and I with "Moon, Moon, Moon" at least once a day! My wife comes from a family of farmers in SE Michigan. The farmers hands are almost handcuffed by the seed company (I use the singular because Monsanto IS the seed company) with terminator GMO seeds. To use grass to feed the cattle would almost ensure a financial loss for at least 3 yrs. The solution, food co-ops with local farmers that offer produce stands. If a person cannot get to these stands to buy the food, do some asking around to friends and family that would "try out" the stand and would pick up a few things for you. Think of it as car-pooling for groceries. It takes some paradigm shifting in our convenience thinking to endure, but it is worth it in the long run. Great topic, keep the music going!

[Tara]

Gosh, to be truthful, I try not to watch or read those documentaries about food, because it seems like we have such little choice. Living where we do in Mississippi, there are no CSAs or butcher shops or small local markets. Even the farmer's market is nasty. It's especially hard in the military because we move so often, making it hard to put down a permanent garden. The best we can do is to try to eat seasonal foods and avoid as much processed foods as possible. Some friends have started raising chickens, and if I could get my husband on board, so would we. We do patronize the "pick yourself" berry farms which don't use harmful chemicals and freeze the berries to eat all year. It's so sad that there are whole communities in parts of Mississippi that don't even have 1 grocery store! The people who live there do all of their "grocery shopping" at gas station/convenience stores. It's no wonder obesity and diabetes are such a problem!

[Judy Klein]

Laurie,
I was born and raised on a family dairy farm in Upstate NY. I also raised my 2 older sons {ages 22 and 21} on a family dairy farm. My youngest son who is 2 will miss out on much by being off the farm.
I miss having my own meat and milk that I raised myself. We still have a garden and I can and freeze everything possible. It can seem overwhemling to those who have never tried it. Freezing is as easy as boiling water and setting the timer. You can also freeze cooked foods although they loose much of their nutritional value. If you have a few hours a week you can plant a very substantial crop of many veggies. If you don't have space you can plant in pots and set them beside your door. Kids can learn many lessons and feel a great accomplishment when they eat what they grow.
If you are big meat eaters you can buy right from farmers and pick your meat up at the processors all it's already flash frozen, cut and packed the way you prefer.The up front price may seem high, but if you figure the end pounds and the cost per pound it is much less expensive. Plus the money goes to the farmer who did all the work and not the middle man who did barely anything.
If you think about the price you pay for a gallon gas compared to a gallon of milk ... who physically does more manual labor and has more costs involved. The average farmer is in debt more than your oil companies {using a scale of how much the income and debt are in the size of the business}and you know the product is made in the USA!!
We enjoy your music!Keep up the excellent work!

[April Knight]

The Let's Talk About Food topic really hits home for me, because I am a pescatarian from Texas, where the main food staple for most people is meat. Have you ever heard of chicken fried bacon? It's popular here. My husband is a meat and potatoes guy (like many Texans), and my switch to a semi-vegetarian lifestyle 5 years ago has caused much turmoil in our household. I think about where every bite of food that I eat comes from, and I feel like my purchasing options are often limited due to our family budget and the lifestyles of our friends and neighbors. Anything grown sustainable and/or organic is limited in our grocery stores and supermarkets and is sometimes twice the price of the non-sustainable/organic choices. Texas is a leader in the restaurant and hospitality industry, thus many families eat fast food several times a week because it's readily available and easy. I feel that a good way for working families to buy food from local markets that don't support big business farming is to make a family trip to a "pick your own" farm. The website, www.pickyourown.org, is a great place to find these farms in all 50 states, as well as outside the U.S. I grew up with a family garden, and I have fond memories of picking vegetables with my brothers and my parents. Visiting these farms is a great way for families to get great food and fresh air and is also a great tool for parents to use to teach their children where their food comes from and the love and labor involved in producing it.

[Sarah]

Laurie, you bring up a very good point. I am embarrassed to say that it never even occurred to me before reading your post. What's even more embarassing is I consider myself a fairly educated shopper. I always try to do my part and shop responsibly. I really need to expand my research!

The first step in trying to solve this problem is to spread the word. Believe me, as a mom and a teacher, I plan to do just that. Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention.

I feel fortunate to live on Long Island. In the summer and fall we have so many local farms to shop at!! Most of our fruits and vegetables can be bought from local farmers. Even my local big chain super market stocks "Grown on LI" produce during these months.

When the tomatoes are at their best during the late summer and early fall, I cook up a storm, stock my freezer and feel a sense of accomplishment! I always make my famous roasted vegetable soup. It freezes in a cinch and keeps us going through the winter.

That's just my little way of trying to make a difference! Thank you for ALL YOU do!

[Yvonne Richard]

We live in a rural area in Virginia. Last year a farmers market was started in our county. Venders could only sell food that is produced in our county. It started out very small and as summer got warmer the market got larger. We tried to visit weekly with our reusable shopping bags and pick up some fresh goods. It was a great way to be out on a Saturday with the kids, see lots of neighbors, and help with the local economy as well.

[Jennifer L Andersen]

If it were not for friends we would not know about the local farmers and where to get their produce. It is very important to know where your food comes from. I mean, you know where it's going. That is why a friend and I have decided to raise our own chickens for eggs even though we live in a large city. We are even growing produce and swapping with each other. I am creating my own compost so that I can know exactly what my family is eating. So many preservatives are used in order to transport these foods a long way and they are chemically altered to get the "best" crop. Not to mention the fuel used to transport them and the emissions that are polluting our air. I did notice that Laurie used a metal water bottle at her show. Way to get children involved in their future! Let's all try to be a little greener.... if for nothing else but our children!

[Karen Terrien]

Thank you so much for the information. Here in RI we do have several Farmer's markets in the Spring thru Fall in several communities. After reading your Blog I will be more diligent about buying vegetables for my family at these locations rather than the local supermarket.
Karen T.
PS: Our 2 yr old daughter loves The Laurie Berkner Band! Mommy and Daddy do too.....

[Becky]

I am so intrested in this subject! I am from a farm family, and have always been concerned about what is being put in and on our fields. Being from a rural area leaves us with limited shopping choices. A town about 30 miles away has a food co-op that is great, but we dont get there very often. We also love the farmers market in the summer, but being from Minnesota that is a pretty short season! I do buy the "chain organic" brands when it makes scence. We love fresh garden foods in the summer time, and if you have the time and resources I would recomend canning fresh veggies and fruits when they are in season. We get our meat from a local butcher shop http://www.bergenmeats.com wich most small towns have around here, it insures you are contributing to a small farmer instead of a large industry. Basicaly the down side is that you have to take time to go to different speciality shops - butcher, coop ect instead of just shopping at the big box stores. Also I have noticed that so many things even food items are avalible on the internet now, if you can tollerate the cost of shipping. If you are in Minnesota http://www3.mda.state.mn.us/mngrown/?gclid=CJq-y5fqz6ACFQtL5wodfF4Zyg will help you locate all kinds of local products.
Door to door organics delivers in some areas of the country- but it is very diffacult to impossible to find affordable delivery of fresh organic products. Not even whole foods offers online shopping that I know of. Anyhow I share your frustration and concern about finding localy produced products, grown with care. Thank you for this blog!
Oh yea and we love your tunes :)

[Stacey Rothrock Steinfeld]

This is a tough subject, thank you for opening up the discussion.

I try very hard to give my family good food that does not have to spend most of it's shelf life o a truck. In order to do that we need to visit the local farmers market, try and eat seasonally by buying fruits and veggies that are in season, and growing our own foods.

For families that can't afford to buy into a CSA or always shop at the farmers market a home garden is not out of reach. Hit the local library and borrow a book on Square Foot Gardening. It's the type of garden I grew up planting and is easy for families with small yards to implement. For those without a yard, containers are the way to go. With a few holes for drainage in the bottom a plastic storage tote filled with soil becomes the perfect portable garden bed.
Thank you for your wonderful music!

[L Lavery]

We live in Ohio, so not a lot of warm weather months here. We planted a large garden last year and grew vegies using compost we made ourselves and love. :o) No fertilizers or bug killers for us. Tried to freeze what we could to keep over the winter. When the months aren't as kind, we try to buy produce in stores that list where they came from, such as Whole Foods or the Andersons. I don't buy organic myself because I'm not really sure they are better unless you can verify the source(see where and how it's grown), but you sure do pay for a difference. As someone else started- best defense is get informed. Make your voice heard buy using the power of your purchase.

[Bonnie Walker]

Laurie - my Grandchildren love your band. They also love listening to the old Patti Page song "How Much is that Doggie in the Window". They love songs about dogs - any chance in the future you may do one on dogs - or have you already and we missed it? Thank you Bonnie Walker - I am on your facebook.

[Emma Mammano]

We are members of a CSA, which is of course a great way to eat locally and organically. We eat a mostly vegetarian diet to avoid supporting an inhumane and environmentally devestating meat industry. If we do choose meat, we always purchase free-range and grass-fed. We feel it is worth the higher cost, especially because we eat it infrequently. We avoid corn and soy products as much as possible. After I read "In Defense of Food" I realized that "soy" in not always the health food we think it is. I am planning to plant a garden this spring (this will be my first attempt at gardening of any kind, wish me luck!), which I will tend with my daughter, who is four. My son might be able to spray the hose (he is 19 months)! The more I research this issue the harder it is for me to purchase processed food. We stick to the produce section and eat lots of whole grains and fruit. The way we eat is potentially more expensive in the short term, but I feel what we ingest affects not just our bodies but our souls. It is well worth it. Thanks for drawing attention to this very important issue.

[Tracy Troup (daughter is Kacy)]

I am lucky enough to live near a rural area with a very large farmer's market. There are also several family-owned grocery stores around here, and the difference in their produce and those of the chain stores is huge!

I try to be aware of what parent company owns the food I buy. For instance, there is a super large company that does a LOT of animal-testing. I do not agree with it, and I refuse to buy their products. They have a VERY large umbrella, and some of what they owned surprised me.

I think the key is just being very aware. If you're reading this, you're connected to the internet. Do some search. Dig deeper. Make informed decisions.

Also, support your local markets and farmers! Yes, the price may be higher, but what price are you ultimately paying by saving a few cents?

Thank you for all that you do! I don't know if my ideas will change the world, but awareness is a huge deal in something like this!

[Jessica Marks]

We do as much as we can to be sure our kids (6 and 3) are eating wholesome and healhful meals and snacks. Reading the label is key, including where the food is made and by whom. Admittedly, we do not have all of the info that you informed us of in this post regarding who owns what, but we do try to buy as local as possible, and from trusted brands.

We are fortunate enough to live in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA, where there are seasonal farmers markets, natural food stores and co-ops where we can purchase these types of foods, along with a few co-op farms - which we will be looking into joining this spring!

Thanks for the great info (and music!)

[Ray Failing]

We love you music and are looking forward to seeing you in the Philly/Baltimore/DC area hopefully sometime soon! Thanks for doing what you do! You guys are awesome! My kids ask me to bring you up on my Ipod all the time! Love getting the FB updates too!