There are several reasons organic produce is more expensive and it is all due to the USDA Certification protocols - read here: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?navid=ORGANIC_CERTIFICATIO&navtype=RT&parentnav=AGRICULTURE Any time the government is involved red tape headaches are created. Paperwork is the same reason it costs so much to visit your doctor and why your health insurance is so high...thank you HMOs (another posting). First there is a list of prohibited and allowed substances that the producer must be aware of. And guidelines to follow for both growing and harvesting. Inspections are mandated. Everything the organic farmer does on his farm, every pest, disease or additive he has to deal with MUST be documented as to what was used, when and how much. Then there is a whole host of handling processes from farmers through any middlemen on up to the grocer stocking that produce in your local grocery. Every additional step drives the retail price up. Back at the farm, the land must be uncontaminated by residual pesticides and non-organic fertilizers for at least two years before the first seed is even planted. The seeds themselves must be a product of certified organic production. Synthetic fertilizers aren't used and compost takes time to make - requiring both space and labor - not to mention prevention of run-off into streams and other watersheds. Of course it doesn't do any good until added to the soils. Some farms are using no-till methods which may or may not be a requirement for organic certification; all to protect the watersheds. If a non-organic farmer ends up with pests - he dumps pesticides to save the crop; the organic farmer does not and in fact, cannot. There are approved organic controls he can use, remember the list? But if they fail, he loses a good portion, if not all of his crop. Others in his area may be in the same boat or...worse, if neighboring farms are using pesticides, where do you think the pests will go? With reduced harvests, basic supply and demand principles come into play. Everyone has a choice. You can eat less expensive vegetables that have been produced for quantity instead of quality, which may or may not be a time-bomb (unknown long term effects...remember DDT; or contaminated...currently tomatos - but they're not really sure???) Or you can pay a little more for foods certified "safe" because someone thinks its important enough to go through all the hassles of growing it "organically." Or...trade $$$ for time and grow one's own food. What is your time worth? Off the soapbox now...

I came to be a professional horticulturist in my late-30's, after my hobby gardening had become so obsessive that I was driven to try to make it a career. I had originally had an Economics degree and a career in banking, didn't like it and quit to start a family. I worked at some piddly little part-time jobs to earn a few bucks and save my sanity while raising my daughter. I decided to try raising and selling a few plants at the local farmers' market. Fun but I couldn't begin to compete with the prices at the home improvement stores, and my area isn't upscale enough to sell much in the way of unusual plants. One day the local family-run garden center had a help wanted sign, so I stopped in on a whim. They were looking for someone part-time to work during school hours while the boss was out doing landscaping jobs. The pay stunk, but the hours were flexible and while my child was in school. I liked the work but the company sold out after a year to a larger chain. The owners of the chain had been impressed with my helpfulness and cheerfulness when they came in to check out the place (they were "undercover" and I had no idea who they were at the time!), so they kept me on and I got a nice raise. The work was physically more demanding but I really liked the new manager and my coworkers. Then we got a new manager and my responsibilities were changed. Took some time off to help my husband recover from surgery, then it was time for the seasonal layoff of all the part-timers and I had no more work for the year. I was really disappointed. Made the rounds of everywhere I could think of but found nothing that suited me. Started volunteering at the city botanic garden for fun and a possible foot in the door but city budgets were tight. Finally I realized that since indoor gardening was my first and primary passion, why not look for a job tending indoor plants ("interiorscaping")? Got on the internet, sent out some leads, ended up finding a teeny little ad in a local employment rag and getting a job with a small but terrific company. I've been there a year now and I really like the people and the work. Not sure what the future holds - I don't like being in management or sales, prefer to be the quiet one working hands-on with the plants, which doesn't leave much room for advancement. My husband is thinking of taking an early retirement, so I might try to bargain into a Tuesday through Thursday part-time arrangement so we can have more time together and do some long-weekend trips if we want to. I had considered at the beginning of this whole search going back to college and getting a Horticulture degree. While there are definitely bits of knowledge that such a degree would have provided, I'm not sure it would have helped me get a foot in the door, and I doubt I would be getting paid much more salary. Not worth spending the tuition and the years needed at this point in my life. I do read extensively, both books and on the web, so I have a great deal of self-taught knowledge, and I will pick the brains of anyone I meet who really knows their stuff. I had also considered studying landscaping, but a reality check of this 40-something out-of-shape body told me that I wasn't up to the physical demands of the job and it wouldn't be getting easier as I continued to get older! That's a long answer, but I bet no one else has an identical resume to mine! It's been an interesting ride...

Look back on your own childhood and how you were parented. Is there a good example there? I was blessed with good parents who taught me about parenting by example. They made me feel valued and accepted for myself. Some people think they need to mold their children, make them into "something better." They mean well, bless their hearts. But you have to let children be themselves, learn about who they are, and figure out how to be their best selves. It doesn't mean you don't expect good things from them. It's a shift in thinking to "I know these kids do good things, and are capable of even more, and I'm watching for that" instead of watching for the mistakes to criticize. I have spent time with many other mothers. Some of whom I admire very much b/c of how they relate to their kids. I learn from them and try to model what they do when I notice something I really like. I remember noticing one mother whose kids were great little people, not just well-behaved, but really happy, well-adjusted kids. The thing that stood out to me was the mutual respect. She talked to her kids the way she wanted them to speak to her and to others. Of course she corrected them, but she corrected them the way an adult would *want* to be corrected by, say, an employer. With respect and a goal in mind. Once when I was preggo with #1 I observed a mother in a store, total stranger, whose kids impressed me the same way. I complimented her and asked her for insight, telling her that what she had accomplished was my goal. Every time I ask a parent I admire, it always comes down to respect. Just because they are children does not give adults the right to belittle them, rudely criticize them, embarass them, and generally disrespect them. That's hurtful, and hurt kids cannot be their best selves. It's a good idea to find a moms' group to join. That saved me when my kids were young. The exchange of ideas and comraderie of knowing you're not alone is invaluable. You'll meet parents you like, and some you don't. But you can learn from all of them. If you see your husband's anger as part of the problem you really have to find a way to address that. You still have a long road ahead, so find a way to have these conversations. Does he think he's right in what he does? Or do you think he's also confused and without ideas? I know I don't always do the right thing with my kids (ages 7, 10, 13 and 16). I try, but I have bad days. So does my DH. If I don't like the way he handles something, I tell him later, when things are calm. It has taken practice to get to the point where we know which of us handles certain situations better and we let that one handle it. I'm better at handling school stuff. When our 16 y/o gets a low grade, I remind DH to look at the big picture before he acts rash. Is this one low grade among 10 good ones, or is there a pattern? DH is better at handling DS's social life issues, he knows how a guy thinks and is better at getting to the truth with DS. Parenting takes practice, it really does. The fact that you are thinking, questioning and trying to make adjustments is a good thing; it doesn't mean you're failing. When your kids are babies and toddlers and you are physically exhausted, not sleeping, can't close your eyes or take a shower- people tell you "It gets easier." They are just trying to make you feel better for the moment. It does NOT get easier. The issues of that age pass, but it just gets hard in new ways. Emotionally exhausting ways instead of physically. ;o) Not to scare you, just acknowledging the truth of it. If you were expecting this to come easier, but it's not, it is not a comment on YOU, but rather on the challenge of parenting.

Of course, my kitchen is anything but standard. We have recessed panel, inset, birch cabinets from the 1920s to 1930s. When we did our remodel twenty years ago, we had matching cabinets and built-ins custom made. I stained and finished the entire kitchen myself, so just finishing one dishwasher door would be no big deal at all to me. But, I also suspect that the uniqueness of our cabinetry eliminates any chance I'd have at all of finding a match from any standard line of cabinetry. Anyone know of a standard line of cabinetry that is unfinished and has flat panel, rail and stile doors with an ogee (at least I think that is what this is) trim on the recessed panel edge? Thanks again.