Chickin Feed

WE'VE MOVED!

2011-04-18T13:38:00.004-04:00

Please come visit our NEW WEBSITE!
All of our previous BLOGS (below) are on the new site too!
Check out BISCUIT STUDIOS also. A very big Mo' Hen THANKS goes out for some great design, build & programming!

Georgia Organics Conference & Expo 2011

2011-01-26T13:57:00.004-05:00

Hope you can join us in Savannah at the Georgia Organics annual conference & expo! Chickin Feed is coordinating the Children's Track (where the 6-12 year olds will be hangin' while their parents get schooled.) We've got some fun presenters lined up to educate & entertain with gardening, art, plant propagation, music, active games & more! Let us know if you are attending and please sign up your chickins NOW! There are only 20 spots and they go quickly.

HEALTH CASTLE RECOMMENDS CHICKIN FEED

2010-12-14T06:50:00.003-05:00

Super Cool! Health Castle is a leading Canadian nutrition site & publication. They added our Chickin Feed Track'N PlaceMat to their Holiday Gifts to Help Kids Eat Better! Check it out...

HAWAIIAN CHICKIN FEED!

2010-12-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

We're working hard on the new website! It will have some really fun pieces for little chickins and we'll let you all know via our newsletter and/or Facebook page when it's up & running. You can see a preview page @ www.chickinfeed.com now.

As temperatures are in the teens here in Atlanta, I thought I'd post about somewhere warm!!!

This Hawaiian Chickin has nothing to do with pineapple...

A while back we got an order from a Honolulu based mom that wanted to start a Chickin Feed School. She wondered if we would give her a special price if she ordered six Starter Kit's. Surely!

She had in mind to bring her kids and some of her friends and neighbor's kids to her home and use our book, The Chickin Feed Primer for the basis of some healthy kid classes she thought she'd like to lead.

Samantha runs a biz with her hubby and is a passionate mother of two chickins - a beautiful daughter Raiatea (8) and an eleven year old son, Heimana who is something of a skateboarding sensation – he'll will be starring in a new program on ESPN, called NextX.

It's always refreshing when people really get what Chickin Feed is all about and implement it in creative ways.

Keep on Cluckin' Sam!

TRICK OR TREAT ... SMELL MY CHICKIN FEET

2010-10-23T18:40:00.003-04:00

Give me something GOOD to eat!

Clever marketing initiative by "a bunch of carrot farmers" trying to fight fire with fire. Hey...whatever it takes.

COME FARM GRUB W/ CHICKIN FEED @ FIELD OF GREENS!

2010-09-27T14:04:00.003-04:00

COME SPEND A BEAUTIFUL DAY ON THE FARM! The FIELD OF GREENS is this Sunday 10/3/10 at Whipporwill Hollow Farms in Covington, GA. This is a wonderful event for the whole family. Get tickets online in advance @ Whole Foods ($15 adults - kids 12 & under FREE!) or at the door if they still have them for $20. This is a fun farm fundraiser!

Food tastings from some of the finest restaurants in the Atlanta area, Food Trucks, Farm Demos, Cool Vendors, Live Animals & a great kids area. Chickin Feed is proud to be joined by Chef Vanessa Parker McIntyer for some silly food fun and our good friend Rachel is coming from Seed Factory to run the seed planting station. Check out the full schedule here... And did we mention the music?

Chickin Feed's FARM GRUB Revue band will be belting it out at 11:30... You DO NOT want to miss this folks. We had a little preview last Saturday in Piedmont Park and the girls were killing it! We'll have plenty of copies of our new CD for sale. 15% of each CD Sale goes to Slow Food Atlanta - beneficiary of this fine event & 15% of each CD Sale goes to Georgia Organics.
Check out below for some "Reviews of the Revue"

"I was singing and laughing along to Farm Grub Revue. It was hilarious for kids and grown-ups. And, the message of healthy real food is so important. Great stuff."
– Mr. Eric
New York Times Bestseller Author of
Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes

"Chickin Feed don't do no "kiddie" tunes - Real Music for Kids about Real Food for Kids. Only the finest fresh local talent and rockin' tunes with no additives or preservatives or things you can't pronounce, unless you don't know Spanish. Chickin Feed exhibits THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT belief that kids music can be for everyone. It's for you too - go buy it now!"
– Amy
Host of am1690's Creative Loafing Critics Choice Award Winning show
The Kids Are Alright.

"It's really hard to find kids music that doesn't make you want to put an ice-pick through your f'ing eyeball. Good job on the Farm Grub thinggy...can I get back to work now?"
– Don
Papa Chickin

2010-09-15T12:50:00.009-04:00

PEEPS!

Come join up for a great Day of Action!

Slow Food Atlanta is gathering peeps to help build

school gardens and then celebrate at a Picnic in Piedmont Park.

Chickin Fans, you'll get to hear live for the first time...

TUNES FROM CHICKIN FEED'S FARM GRUB REVUE!

Details on the event are below. Please RSVP to Ms. Harris!

Atlanta, GA - "Slow Food Atlanta Dig In"

CONTACT: Anissa Harris, Slow Food Atlanta (Click here to RSVP)

Charles R. Drew Charter School 301 East Lake Blvd. SE Atlanta, GA 30317

Sammye E. Coan Middle School 1550 Hosea Williams Dr. NE Atlanta, GA 30317

9/25/10 8am-12pm

"Dig In" and help a school build a garden! The Atlanta Chapter of Slow Food is celebrating school gardens! We are kicking off the National Day of Action getting our hands dirty. As harvest season has ended, and fall planting has begun, we will help two schools clean their existing gardens and prepare for spring planting. We will build beds for the plants, construct compost bins, place barrels to collect rain water and even plant fruit trees! Once we are done getting our hands dirty, we will meet at Piedmont Park for a parade and a picnic lunch.

SEED & FEED & RADIO!

2010-08-14T21:50:00.007-04:00

Chickin Feed is excited to be headed back to the Seed Factory! Saturday, August 21st @ 11am. We'll be tellin' tales & singing tunes' all about food, farm & fun. And we'll have a fresh supply of our super wonderful - screen printed on canvas (by Bo @ Velocity Screen Printing- great job!), handmade books - FARM GRUB A to Z. Check out our Facebook Page for a fun little video preview.

And we're super excited to be joined again by Drama Chick, Amy Handler...aside from her day jobs, she's crankin' out show after show of super cool music on her Saturday Morning show - The Kids Are Alright - am 1690. Listen up Peeps!

Mo' Hen & Chirpin' Chick, Katherine will be on Ms. Amy's show with hot copies of our brand spankin' new CD... Lil' Chickin Radio presents The FARM GRUB Revue... (I heard some pretty complete versions of the songs tonight and cannot express how excited and overjoyed I am about this CD! Katherine & Fletcher Moore - you are amazingly talented folks. Adam, Annette, John K., James, Jimmy, John B., The Chickin Chorus & The Real Farmers' Chorus – Je t'aime!. What a wonderful job. Thank you so very much.) More to come on this obviously!

AND SAVE THE DATE... Labor Day Weekend - Saturday & Sunday 9/5 & 9/6 come say "Howdy" at our booth (same place as the past two years) at the Decatur Book Festival! It's awesome!!!

EMAIL TODAY FOR BETTER SCHOOL LUNCHES TOMORROW...

2010-08-09T17:06:00.006-04:00

We're approaching the one year anniversary of the Eat-In @ the Decatur Book Festival where this photo was taken. The Eat-In's all over the country did great things to raise awareness of the need to improve the Child Nutrition Act.

Now the rubber meets the road...!

Please take a moment to send an URGENT EMAIL... to your US Representative TODAY if you can - it's easy.

Here's an email sent out just now from Slow Food USA / Time For Lunch Campaign...

After our huge campaign where 20,000 Slow Food supporters gathered for Eat-Ins all over the country, over 100,000 emails were sent and phone calls bombarded Congress, last Thursday the Senate passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act - the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. This is the legislation that governs the quality of school lunches. Thanks to everyone for such a huge effort! The version that passed in the Senate included a bunch of our priorities - more funding for healthier meals, regulations to kick junk food out of school vending machines, and $50 million for Farm to School programs, but it also makes cuts to food stamps in order to pay for them.

The next step is for the House to pass the bill, maybe when they return from break in September. Or maybe they will pass it tomorrow before they head out. This is why we need your urgent help. http://www.slowfoodusa.org/onestepcloser The House bill, which is still being debated, has much of what we asked for but avoids making cuts to food stamps (SNAP) - a move which will impact the children that are the most vulnerable. School lunch should not be funded at the expense of other important food programs. Contact your legislator now to make sure that we get the bill our children deserve. http://www.slowfoodusa.org/onestepcloser

Thanks for all you do,
Jerusha Klemperer,
Program Manager and the Time for Lunch team at Slow Food USA.

p.s. The First Lady wrote a great opinion piece last week on why we need to pass this bill. Check it out here.

Make a phone call for better school lunches!

2010-07-03T06:46:00.006-04:00

...

Hi Peeps...

Got a request to make some calls to help get better school lunches NOW... If you have a minute, please read the forwarded message below & make some calls soon. Thanks!

FORWARDED MESSAGE:
_____________________
"I’m contacting you today to provide an update on the Child Nutrition Reauthorization and to encourage you to contact a couple of key members of Congress in your area.

In short, we are hoping that the House version of CNR will be introduced into the Education and Labor committee either next week or the week of July 12th. This bill isn’t perfect, but is a big improvement over the current CNR in many ways. The concern is that if the bill isn’t on the floor of Congress by the end of August, we will be stuck with the current CNR for at least another year.

Congressman John Lewis and Congressman Tom Price are on the committee and so could help make sure that the committee vote happens soon. Could you call each of their offices and urge them to help make sure the bill is introduced soon?

The staffer for Child Nutrition in Congressman Lewis’s office is Michaleen Crowell (202-225-3801) and in Tom Price’s office the staff person is Chris Skrzychi (202-225-4501). Please leave a message if he/she is not available. It would be great if you could pass on this request to others in your network as well.

The message is simple! Urge your Representative to support H.R. 5504: “The Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010.”in the upcoming committee vote!"

END FORWARDED MESSAGE:

DUCKIE'S NAG PREVIEW!

2010-06-08T12:50:00.006-04:00

How would you become a Modern Mobile Duck you ask? She's happy to tell you all the things she does to stay fit. And she loves to let Piggles know that she's NOT on the right track... Sound familiar to anyone?

BRAVA..Ms. Katherine Moore as Duckie! Hilarious & Fabulous and out of breath I'm sure...

CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW...Lyrics are in the video and below:

DUCKIE’S NAG (An ode to Gilbert & Sullivan’s Modern Major General)
Lyrics, Chirpin’ & Plinkin’: Katherine Moore (some lyrics by Mo’ Hen- the ones that don’t work as well!) Mixin’ & Recordin': Fletcher Moore Backup Vocals: Annette Wawerna & Adam Cole.

Duckie:
I am the very model of a modern mobile duck, you see.
I keep my feathers flapping and my toes a-tapping constantly.
I do plies and releves and pirouettes so gracefully.
I rarely play my X-Box, I prefer to do my yoga Wii.

I make my wings so big and strong by climbing on the monkey bars
I jumpy jumpy with my jumpy rope until I’m seeing stars
I pedal pedal on my bike until the wheels go hummy-hum.
I ride the tire swing until I’m queezy in my tummy-tum.

Chorus:
She rides the tire swing until she's queezy in her tummy-tum.
She rides the tire swing until she's queezy in her tummy-tum.
She rides the tire swing until she's queezy in her tummy-tummy-tum.

I work my garden and I do the laundry and I clean my nest,
And then I quack and eat a snack and run a marathon with zest.
How do I keep my girlish size?
I run and swim and even fly
(I feel it in my hips and thighs).
I get my daily exercise!

Chorus:
How does she keep her girlish size?
She runs and swims and even flies,
(She feels it in her hips and thighs)
She gets her daily exercise!

Duckie @ Piggles:
Get up you should be prepping for the farmer’s market trip right now.
I don’t know why you’re napping like an overfed seahorse or cow.
I’ve come to wake you up agai-ain from your sugar co-o-ma,
Only to see wrappers from pretend food in your ho-o-ma.

You really should be helping Farmer Goat to load the cart right now
Instead of lounging on your tushie eating bonbons like a sow.
Clean off that sugar from your snout and wipe away that sluggish frown
Roll off that sofa, make your body like a verb and not a noun!

Chorus:
Off that sofa, make your body like a verb and not a noun!
Off that sofa, make your body like a verb and not a noun!
Off that sofa, make your body like a verb and not a, not a noun!

Your body is so stationary that your tushie’s growing roots
The time has come to pull you up and don you in your working boots

Get up, get up and move around!
We have to get the food to town!
Be like a verb and not a noun!
Your only active chowing down!

Chorus:
Get up, get up and move around!
We have to get the food to town!
Be like a verb and not a noun!
Your only active chowing down!

CONT...

© 2010 Chickin Feed, LLC | All rights reserved.

SNACK CAKE BLUES..

2010-06-07T13:44:00.008-04:00

Preview of Piggles "Snack Cake Blues" (Click on the black box below and LISTEN UP!)
from the upcoming CD... Chickin Tunes by the Farm Grub Critters.

Chickin Tunes are churning!

2010-06-02T13:44:00.008-04:00

I love love love to meet open-hearted creative folks. No matter what their field. I've been so lucky to have found some of the most creative music souls on the planet (I'm certain!) living nearby and am so pleased that they've gotten on board to help record our new CD Chickin Tunes...

Katherine Moore (Chirpin' Chickin) is leading the efforts with her tirelessly talented hubby Fletcher Moore (Punker-Roo?) doing the recording, mixing, picking and surprise! Punk Vocals - he used to be in a band and is really great. (I told him I get to do his hair for our first live performance...) Katherine has taken on the job of writing stories for the Farm Grub series as well that we are about to debut. She takes the lead on the fast paced patter song called Duckie's Nag. She has a magical voice through and through and I'm so honored to be the recepient of her many lyrical gifts.

Also chirpin' for us is Annette Wawerna, whose voice I would steal if I could. She reminds me of my favorite singer, Diana Krall. Annette sings the lead on Snackcake Blues, a great song penned my Ms. Moore that would make Little Debbie turn over in her grave. Annette has recorded her own CD and is one of the chirpin' chickins on our theme song you might have heard on our website. She also recently retired as one of the favorite teachers of The Music Class (where Ms. Katherine Moore still chirps).

Adam Cole joins us again with his particularly funny brand of cross-singing in our Tango Empanada (he plays a female Argentinian Bovine Chef with aplomb!) and he's lent his piano talents & vocals to other songs so far too.

James Palmer, a majorly talented illustrator, and leader of the The Wipes (a parent band of the Grant Park Cooperative Preschool that also has included Ms. Wawerna & Mr. Cole at times) is lending his southern thang to the Lamentation of the Rotten Zucchini.

And rounding out the main players so far is one of the finest pickers to hit Cherokee Avenue, Jimmy Galloway (co-owner with wife Bridget of Intown Healthy Hound in Grant Park).

Our backup singers include the "Chickin Chorus" and some real live Farmers! Who better to sing a song about composting! Farmer Joe Reynolds of Love is Love Farms, his mom (Mama Reynolds) & her friend Robert "Birdman" Ridenour and Farmer Matthew Bagshaw recorded a kickin' chorus for the Punk tune fronted by Punker-Roo Fletcher Moore entitled, Don't Trash Me Baby. What is really neat about this experience is that Mama Reynolds said the experience made her "Bucket List." How cool is that!

STAY TUNED! We've got several events scheduled over the summer to roll out FARM GRUB & CHICKIN TUNES...

LUNCH & LEARN WITH EFFECTIVE PARENTING

2010-05-03T13:26:00.005-04:00

I'm teaming up with Dr. Kellie Ritter of Effective Parenting for a workshop on Friday May 14th. ...Come join us if you can... There will lots of chatting about getting your chickins to eat well and we'll be eating well with some free-range Chicken Pot Pies.

DRAMA ON THE RADIO!!!

2010-04-26T20:59:00.004-04:00

kid's music for everyone! (or kids' music for people who hate kids' music)

Well, The Kids are Alright and coming to an AM frequency near you! Chickin Feed's own "DRAMA CHICK" is going to be hosting her own little Radio Show on Atlanta's Voice of the Arts - am 1690. It's the coolest thing you've heard ever! Yeah, I said so. There is even a rumor that Chickin Tunes will make it's debut. Woo Hoo...

Listen or stream it live this SATURDAY morning - May 1st @ 9am Eastern Time. Be There or Be Square.

NUTRITION DELIVERED

2010-04-19T08:43:00.006-04:00

DELIVER IT PLEASE! Just found this site that delivers healthy toddler food to your home! Ah, the art of delivery – only in NYC. From my oat sowing days as a receptionist for Eisenman Architects on 21st in NYC, I remember perfecting this art as we would call down to the deli around the corner to bring up an iced coffee. Most of the time, we had 3-4 drinks ordered up, however...sometimes is was just ONE. How ridiculously indulgent!

On the other hand, here's a great excuse for delivery in the Big Apple – Toddler Food, help those picky chickins make good choices by bringing it straight to the door!

My favorite thing on their website is this cool handy Nutrition Chart that delivers all the essentials in a VERY DIGESTIBLE format. Chick them out @ Din Din's Food

COOL PROPS FROM CANADA!

2010-04-08T15:29:00.004-04:00

Here's a great review from our friends North of the Border at Canadian Family Magazine - April 2010! Before the article hit, we were picked up by two mom-stores in Alberta... Cater Tot and Great Things in Store... Give them a little FB FAN and tell them Hello from Chickin Feed!

TV Worth Watching tonight.

2010-03-26T10:41:00.002-04:00

Check out JAMIE OLIVER’S FOOD REVOLUTION 2-HOUR PREMIERE FRIDAY MAR 26 8|7c.
Then read through & follow up with this TOOLKIT put together in association with the PTA.

Thanks to Natalie Rogers. A local mom working hard to make this a reality!

Dear Task Force on Obesity... Less Talk-y, Paper Shuffley, More Do-ey...

2010-03-24T11:18:00.003-04:00

1. FULLY fund the Child Nutrition Act - it's cued up for you. Take the shot.

2. FULLY fund FARM TO SCHOOL programs too. Kids need to reconnect to their food source. And this is a real valid learning tool.

3. No Child Left Behind ... hmmm anybody think that taking PE & Recess out of schools in order to spend more time prepping for tests is a good idea? It seems like it should be called "NO CHILD'S LEFT BEHIND should be too big to fit in their seat because we don't allow them to run around during the school day and Dang, why can't they pay attention anyway?!"

4. Parents & Task Force members... BE ROLE MODELS not ROLL models. We all have to do this together...It's not up to the government to make this one work...we do need their help but this one hits too close to home to leave it up to someone else.

5. Let's not try and solve every problem with a "tech-y" solution. Video & Computer Games are fine in small doses, but trying to get a kid to sit in front of the computer in order to learn about how to get healthy seems a little oxymoronic to me.

seeds, BIRDS | creative chickins

2010-03-18T10:33:00.006-04:00

I just MUST post about this. My friend Rachel owns one of the coolest kid's stores I've ever been in. It's called the Seed Factory and is located on the west side of Atlanta, GA. She is hosting an event with one of the most creative artists I've seen in a long while. Have you ever seen a gigantic felted bird cage? Fantastic! Sign up & show up if you are geographically inclined. Even if you aren't, it might be worth the road trip.

What does it have to do with building healthy habits you ask? Well, inspiring kids to follow their creativity is a tremendously healthy habit!

Dr. Geary Recommends...

2010-03-10T17:06:00.004-05:00

I like this blog (the author, Dr. Natalie Geary lives in NYC and I like that too...jealous much, am I) Check out this nice review of our Nutrition Tracking Boards.

Click here to check out all the helpful Nutrition info she has posted too!

"Keep on Cluckin'!" awarded to Local Mompreneurs!

2010-03-05T09:23:00.011-05:00

Aside from getting to do what I love every day – The Chickin Biz – I get to meet lots of other interesting folks that are doing what they love too. I wanted to share a couple of stories about some that I find particularly inspirational for varied reasons. Keep on Cluckin' mommies!

Great news from fellow Atlanta mom-preneur, Britt Menzies who started a business based upon her passion for teaching children – Little Stinkers – to make good choices and "always be leaders of good." Britt just landed a really sweet deal with Madame Alexander to license and produce her line of plush dolls based upon the "Stinky Kids®"characters she has created. WAY TO GO BRITT. Thanks for being an inspiration to all mom/biz-owners to follow your passions and the rest will follow!

I met this mom late last year. Always thinking of ways to grow and expand, I thought about how Chickin Feed might work in the whole in-home party model – Having a Hen Party! – and my research uncovered local mom, Beth Remmes. She has built a company called ZOLA the art of living green, an eco-friendly home party business. She has a great section of links & resources. If you are a mom looking to Go Green in your home or looking to start your own home-based biz...Chick it out!

And I just met Jody Goldfarb, local mother of three, who saw a problem (school lunches) and started a business catering fresh foods to local schools to solve it: Lunch For Learners. Great idea and thanks for being Part of the Solution, Jody!

PART OF THE SOLUTION...

2010-03-01T12:46:00.006-05:00

We need to combat the childhood obesity epidemic with KNOWLEDGE. Teaching young children AND their families about nutrition is essential if we want to tackle this massive public health issue. Giving children and their families simple, fun, interactive tools that do show them what they NEED to be putting into their bodies and that don't encourage them to sit in front of the computer is the mission of Chickin Feed (chickin is an affectionate term for children).

Aside from making eco-friendly products (locally produced & recyclable) we pride ourselves on good design. After all, if something is a well-designed tool that folks WANT to look at, interact with and take pride in possessing, rather than “some piece of paper they handed out at school that we had on the fridge but it fell off and we aren’t inspired enough to put it back up” odds are the outcome will be better.

By reconcepting the food pyramid into a user-friendly interactive board, Chickin Feed has really helped folks associate what they've HAD to eat vs. what they NEED to be eating. Actually seeing a representation of four servings of vegetables that need to be consumed each day and having to mark them off when you are done really does turn on a lightbulb! And sometimes children need tools that they can use to make good choices independent of their busy parents and well-intentioned urgings of the lunch lady.

We need some help spreading the word. Talk about healthy foods with your friends and neighbors, start an active club at your school, get involved in the local food movement or just do one small thing in your community to be part of the solution instead of focusing on the problem. It will all work out! As long as well all do too :)

Yours truly,
Mother Hen
leslie at chickinfeed dot com...

WAY TO GO EWA!!!

2010-02-19T16:01:00.004-05:00

NEW YORK—The sixth annual Wonder Women of Toys Awards were granted in nine categories on Feb. 14. The awards, which honor achievements by women all along the children’s entertainment supply chain, were presented by networking group Women In Toys and Playthings magazine at a gala at The Penn Club in Manhattan.

Some great big kudos to our good friend Ewa Martinoff, founder & hot mamma behind Shainsware the maker of our Nutrition Tracking To Go!

She just got some much deserved recognition for her really cool innovative products. Check it out!

YAY EWA!

WE DON'T HAVE A CHILDHOOD OBESITY EPIDEMIC . . .

2010-02-11T11:46:00.004-05:00

because children want to be overweight. I believe that we have a childhood obesity epidemic because the adults in their lives are too full of excuses to do anything about it. Thank goodness the First Lady, Michelle Obama, has brought this issue to the forefront and done so in a way that doesn't shy away from the parental responsibility that will be neccessary if we really to address the issue.

REPOSTED from Sept '09.

Let's face it, none of us launched into parenthood with the aspiration to become the "Crusher of All Dreams." The fact that 20-30 times a day we have to tell our children what they CANNOT do gets to be quite tiring. After awhile, you start giving in a little to make peace and/or to get back to work and the very important adult things that we do.

One of the places that a lot of us give in, is where food is concerned. After all, we all HAVE to feed our kids. Several times a day in fact. We all must eat! We are busy and pinching pennies and just don't seem to have time to think about something we have to do so frequently. So we give in and justify it for numerous reasons...See if any of these excuses sound familiar?

• Healthy food is too expensive.

• I just don't have time to prepare healthy foods. Eating out is so much simpler.

• They don't like vegetables and I just can't argue about one other thing today - I've picked all my battles!

• I don't want them to call me out as a hypocrite . . . "I can eat whatever I want because I'm grown but you have to eat healthy because you are still growing" Hmmm...Eat as I say, not as I do!

• My kids should be learning about nutrition at school - I pay lots of money in taxes for goodness sake! And I'm sure they will use that knowledge to make good choices once they grow up.

AND the great reason that our kids are less active these days...drumroll please,

• They can't go play outside right now, the mosquitoes are too bad and there might be a pervert lurking around the corner.

Which one is your favorite excuse? I know about three that I'll cop to on any given day. I think it might be time to grow up a little.

How are we, as the adults, going to help fix the very real obesity epidemic if we don't accept some responsibility? After all, IT'S NOT PRIMARILY OUR CHILDREN'S FAULT THAT THEY ARE OVERWEIGHT OR THE GOVERNMENT'S PROBLEM TO SOLVE. Parent-UP peeps!

Sincerely,

Leslie Smith Grant
President & Mother Hen
Chickin Feed, LLC

Un-busy a little bit.
Go play WITH your kids.
Feed them less / better...

How to PLAY with your chickins!

2010-02-09T09:14:00.002-05:00

Ok, this seems like a no-brainer... Everybody knows how to "play" right? Well, there are some ways to get more out of it for both parents and the children. I met Dr. Kelli Ritter about a year ago. She's a hip intown mom that just happens to be a specialist in "playing" with your kids. I wanted to pass along her new lunch & learn format workshops for those of you in the Atlanta area. Chick it out! AND HAVE FUN WITH YOUR CHICKINS...IT'S GREAT EXERCISE.
Effective Parenting Workshop

Fluffing the Primer

2010-02-04T18:32:00.004-05:00

So we recently had a publisher that was interested in Chickin Feed say that they just don't "get" our book, The Primer | a useful companion for modern families. They just couldn't quite pigeon-hole it. What category does it fit into?

Well, I take all the blame. When I was looking for some way to give my family (myself) a "health makeover" if you will – I thought up the idea for the Nutrition Tracking Board. A very simple concept. If I can SEE what we need each day to be healthy and mark it off, then I will be more aware, more accountable, and make better choices. It has worked! For myself and quite a few chickins all over the planet :) Yay!

Just after we concepted the initial idea for the Nutrition Tracking Boards we thought it would be good to have some sort of USER'S GUIDE for the board...someplace you could easily reference more info on all the good things the board addresses. Like a notebook that had been assembled over the years of all the helpful information you had collected on being a good parent, building a healthy home and healthier habits.

Putting simple to digest information in one place and designing it well so that folks want to pay attention to it seemed like a great idea at the time. So we chunked (Editor Chick, Michelle Newcome's term) the book together in sections:

NUTRITION by Nutrition Chick, Emily Harrison- the first, most important part in easy to understand terms that you can easily explain to you chickins OR yourself!
BUILDING A NUTRITIOUS KITCHEN by lot's of folks– think what Martha Stewart and Erma Bombeck's love child would be like...hmmm...it's a great chapter on how Kitchen 101.
RECIPES by Chef Chick, Sheri Davis – why not show people what real food looks and tastes like? This chapter breaks the meals out by meal of the day and even let's you know how many of the different food groups you are "chicking off" as you go.
OLD SCHOOL P.E. from Coach Brookins (Head Yard Bird) gives you some great fun FREE ways to get in a little exercise.
DRAMA-CIZE by Drama Chick, Amy Handler is perhaps my favorite chapter since it comes from the brain of a mad woman (in a good way) gives you some really fun, creative ways to exercise your funny bone, imagination and body at the same time
GETTING EVERYONE ON BOARD gives you tips to try and deal with the other folks that influence your lives because we all have to live with other people...
RESOURCES is a handy little chapter that lists some of our favorite places to get more information on some of our favorite subjects that help you build a healthy life.

WHAT'S not to get? Our customers seem to get it.

We had it posted on amazon for a bit. Five Star Reviews on Amazon...

So, the original Primer is going fast...Our first edition is dwindling. If you'd like a copy they are available at a few stores and online @ www.chickinfeed.com. Hurry up Peeps! Get 'em while they are hot :)

Run! Chickins Run!

2010-01-25T11:40:00.003-05:00

Want a great way to get active, be a role model and have a great time WITH your girlie chickins? Check out Girls on the Run. Sign your daughter up if there is one already at your school OR set one up at your school if you don't have one. BE A ROLE MODEL...not a roll model. :)

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

2010-01-15T12:31:00.002-05:00

A bit late and really not where you think I might be headed with a blog about good nutrition and exercise, but...my New Year's Resolutions include some other healthy habits:

1. Estate planning (not that we have much of an "estate" but we absolutely must make sure that we voice, legalize and protect our wishes when we are no longer here to speak. This mom blog has some good resources http://alexismartinneely.com/)

2. Always recognize friendship in whatever form it takes BUT don't mistake being a friend with "needing to fix" someone.

Thank you Wesley. God bless you!

Chickin Crafts @ the Holiday Lights and Market in Grant Park

2009-12-08T11:23:00.005-05:00

We'd love to get a visit from lots of little chickins and their families this weekend in Grant Park. The Grant Park Conservancy (a great organization dedicated to restoring Atlanta's oldest park) is starting a new holiday tradition – revamping the European style Advent market. A three day, outdoor festival with music, vendors (Chickin Feed will be there!) and winter goodies - hot beverages...YUM! ALSO going on in Grant Park...The Grant Park Candlelight Tour of Homes & Artist Market (indoors) and take a stroll through Oakland Cemetery too!

We'll have some fun crafts and activities for the little chickins – POPCORN & CRANBERRY STRINGING – and we've got some cool ornaments that we whipped up from the fabric pile featuring "little chickin" and his Farm Grub friends (see above). We'll have some "make & take" ornament fixins for the chickins. AND we'll stay warm with a little cardio whenever we need!

And Cooking for Monkeys PAM is going to be visiting us before she goes indoors to the Artists Market at St. Paul UMC! Check out her blog about an upcoming Web MD -cast! Go PAM!

Plus! On Sunday @ 2pm, Katherine & Fletcher Moore will be performing on the stage a few tunes from the FARM GRUB REVIEW! You DO NOT want to miss this! The "Lamentation of the Rotten Zucchini" is sure to drive the crowd wild...Katherine has been practicing her yodel! :)

Come see us.

An Organics Primer

2009-12-07T12:52:00.007-05:00

QUALITY vs. QUANTITY... Cutting health care spending starts at home. By eating a variety of fresh foods, healthfully prepared, each day, we are able to stay in better health and curb our personal health care expenditures. Buying ORGANIC foods is a great idea because they are regulated so as to minimize the exposure to pesticides and other harmful chemicals. BUT they are EXPENSIVE... Where should you draw the line about what to buy Organic and what won't make that big a difference? Based on a study by the Environmental Working Group, a list of the "dirty dozen" was put together to prioritize selections. We've formatted the information into an easy reference guide for your fridge. Because sometimes you just need good info, in a handy place.

Green Mamma Blog Interview

2009-12-04T11:06:00.003-05:00

Sucking the marrow from the bones of the Rachael Ray appearance photo:)! Here's an interview I did with Jessica from the Green Mamma Blog. She posts some great info about being a mom & being green. Chick it out! If you don't already own a copy...it gives you some back ground on the Chickin Feed Primer.

MO' HEN . . . LESS HEN Part Deux

2009-11-30T19:12:00.003-05:00

So, I've been enjoying the time & talents of the Healthy Weight Class @ Ponce Preventive Care for two months now. I completely intended to report more frequently on my progress in trying to amend some of my less savory habits. SO, drumroll please, I'm doing better :) BMI is better, lost some inches overall & fat has been transformed to muscle for a net loss of . . . not so much.

I have to say I was a bit disappointed after my first couple of meetings. I actually said to David (the RD running the program) that I wanted more of a kick in the pants from him. He kind of smiled and said, "OK, but that's not really my job, is it?" I went home thinking, "Well then, what IS your job and What am I paying for?" I was thinking that when I "signed up"/ "started the program" somehow I would be magically transformed because David would be nagging me to make the changes I had said I wanted to make.

During my first face to face conference with him I actually about fell out of my chair when he mentioned that maybe by "joining the program" I was trying to find a MAGIC PILL! It took me so far aback, that I think I actually started to laugh. My whole rant about not wanting to follow in my mother's footsteps and take the easy way out by looking for a "simple solution" (in her case Phen Fen, diet drinks and skipping meals & all) and look where he found me? Searching all around for the Magic Pill that would ring me up & ask me why I needed that cup of ice cream at 10pm?

A lot of gears started turning during that meeting and I really am starting to accept that the change must come from within. This whole experience is much more of a therapy session than I ever imagined. Not about reforming diets, but paying attention to choices, when I make them and making them GOOD choices so that I feel good later... HMMM heard anybody preachin' that lately?

Later...A little Less' Hen!

FARM GIRLS ROCK!

2009-10-12T17:32:00.003-04:00

Just found out about this amazing lady, MaryJane Butter's and her really cool world in Idaho (that's not her in the picture). A potential client in AL asked if I knew about Mary Jane's Farm Magazine. She suggested I should see about advertising because she thought it would be a great fit. So I looked it up and sent an email introduction and darned if Mary Jane Butters herself didn't just call me and leave me the most wonderful message! I hope we'll get some Chickin Feed on Mary Jane's Farm soon! Check them out!

SMALL BIZ OWNERS HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TRUST EACH OTHER

2009-10-12T10:15:00.005-04:00

I'm able to keep Chickin Feed up and running because I have received lots of help from lots folks that wanted nothing in return from me, except to see me succeed. I am so very grateful. I've also placed my trust in the hands of many people.

Each time I leave my products in a store on consignment or overnight at an event, I am participating in the unspoken agreement of trust that small business owners extend to each other every day. When I sign up to participate in an event, the organizers trust that I will participate in a way that honors their event and that I will bring my A-game. Fellow vendors trust that I will keep to myself and not take any of their merchandise while they step away from their booth (everyone has to go to the bathroom at some point!). Customers trust that I will not spam them if they sign up on my email list and the ultimate trust is given when they hand me their credit card to process. AND I've extended my trust to the customer assuming that they are handing me a valid card. Only on an occasion or two have I been stiffed and it might be because I wrote something down incorrectly and didn't get proper contact info. For the most part I've been very fortunate. I've always understood how important that extension of trust is and would never do anything to jeopardize that relationship.

If you know me personally, then you probably know that I don't have much to hide ('cept a few lbs.) and I'm always willing to help. (My husband thinks it is a sickness) I'm always happy to lend my ideas and resources as I'm able . . . ESPECIALLY to fellow business owners. Again, I wouldn't be where I am if many other people hadn't shared their resources - with no strings attached - with me. So I am particularly shocked and bothered by an event that happened to me one week ago.

Last Sunday, I exhibited at a great event called the Field of Greens (fantastic day!) I ran into a vendor that I hadn't seen since I met her at another event a few months back. We had a good time chatting and joking that day. She even helped me showcase one of my products by wearing it the whole day. We talked a lot about sources and "where can I get this and that done" and decided that we should just meet for coffee on Monday since we live in next-door neighborhoods.

We talked Monday first thing and since part of what she was interested in was how to do some iron-on transfers, I suggested that I could come over to her place to show her how to load them up and print them out on her computer. She said her roommate was sleeping, could we meet a the local coffee shop instead? Of course we could I said. She said she would bring her laptop. I brought her 10 or so iron-on transfer sheets so she could try them and wouldn't have to go to the office supply store right away. We talked for about 45 minutes - I showed her lots of places to look for things on the computer and some ideas about how to set things up so that her business ideas could be more easily expressed and about a great site where she could pop he logo on a bunch of different products for branding purposes.

Just before we were ready to leave, I got up to go to the bathroom. When I got back I noticed a deposit slip on the couch and asked if she had dropped it, she said no and I realized it was one of mine from the previous week. We chatted for a few more minute and I left.

I was headed to pick up some supplies on the north end of town and something (intuition) told me to check and see if I had brought my debit card with me that day. I looked and it was missing. I called my husband to see if he could locate it in any of my pants pockets and he could not. I decided to cancel the card - it was to our personal checking account and since we usually run close to the margins, I wanted to be safe. Later that night my husband asked if I'd had fun at Target that day.

Approximately 20-30 minutes after my "let me spend my time to help you with your business" meeting ended, a charge for $194.94 ran through at the Target five minutes up the road from where we met. I've seen the security camera tapes and it is unmistakably her. The one that I trusted to watch my purse while I went to the bathroom.

CODA: She sent me a money order for $200 later in the week with a note that apologized for her "actions" without admitting to what she had done. Since the bank covered our charges, the money is not mine to take, I've done what I should with it. And I'm really not going to spend much more of my time thinking about this, I did want to get it out and to encourage folks to trust their intuition and tote their purse to the bathroom, just to be safe.

FARM GRUB REVIEW

2009-10-08T11:16:00.004-04:00

So I got to thinking awhile back that Lil' Chickin was a bit lonely. I've played with making him a pumpkin, a cowboy, a Santa, etc. But really what he needed was some friends. Meet: Farmer Goat, Horse, La Vaca, Duckie and – drumroll please – Piggles (my kid's personal favorite). Each character is a member of Farm Grub a new series that we're pitching that incorporates the concepts of eating Real Food, Organic Gardening, Composting, Cooking, Healthy Snacking, Un-healthy snacking :) and Pink Fluffy Cupcakes (that would fall into the latter category).

This Sunday, we'll be previewing the series with The FARM GRUB REVIEW (think A Mighty Wind on Broadway!) at the Taste of Atlanta Amica Insurance Kids Stage - Sunday @ 1:00pm. We've got Fletcher Moore on guitar, his lovely wife Katherine will be chirpin, and Drama Chick, Amy Handler will be leading chickins in some fun ways to move to the beat. You can print off the lyrics and see the Farm Critters below!

If you miss us there, plan to come by The Seed Factory on Saturday, October 24! More details on that event later chickies...

POWER OF SUGGESTION...

2009-10-01T13:21:00.003-04:00

MO' HEN QUIZ... Who said, "You look like the Fourth of July. Makes me want a hot dog, Real Bad."

The power of the visual in what we crave is tremendous. For instance – every time I look at the little picture in the Snack Healthy article (posted on FB Page) I want to rip open the box of fruit loops that's been left in the pantry (yes, I'm confessing to weak moments in the grocery store – although I am happy that they've remained largely uneaten.) Oh, just in case you were wondering, Froot Loops help your family get healthy you know. Just look on the side of the box! ;}

WE DON'T HAVE A CHILDHOOD OBESITY EPIDEMIC . . .

2009-09-28T16:14:00.006-04:00

because children want to be overweight. I believe that we have a childhood obesity epidemic because the adults in their lives are too full of excuses to do anything about it.

Let's face it, none of us launched into parenthood with the aspiration to become the "Crusher of All Dreams." The fact that 20-30 times a day we have to tell our children what they CANNOT do gets to be quite tiring. After awhile, you start giving in a little to make peace and/or to get back to work and the very important adult things that we do.

One of the places that a lot of us give in, is where food is concerned. After all, we all HAVE to feed our kids. Several times a day in fact. We all must eat! We are busy and pinching pennies and just don't seem to have time to think about something we have to do so frequently. So we give in and justify it for numerous reasons...See if any of these excuses sound familiar?

• Healthy food is too expensive.

• I just don't have time to prepare healthy foods. Eating out is so much simpler.

• They don't like vegetables and I just can't argue about one other thing today - I've picked all my battles!

• I don't want them to call me out as a hypocrite . . . "I can eat whatever I want because I'm grown but you have to eat healthy because you are still growing" Hmmm...Eat as I say, not as I do!

• My kids should be learning about nutrition at school - I pay lots of money in taxes for goodness sake! And I'm sure they will use that knowledge to make good choices once they grow up.

AND the great reason that our kids are less active these days...drumroll please,

• They can't go play outside right now, the mosquitoes are too bad and there might be a pervert lurking around the corner.

Which one is your favorite excuse? I know about three that I'll cop to on any given day. I think it might be time to grow up a little.

How are we, as the adults, going to help fix the very real obesity epidemic if we don't accept some responsibility? After all, IT'S NOT PRIMARILY OUR CHILDREN'S FAULT THAT THEY ARE OVERWEIGHT OR THE GOVERNMENT'S PROBLEM TO SOLVE. Parent-UP peeps!

Sincerely,

Leslie Smith Grant
President & Mother Hen
Chickin Feed, LLC

Un-busy a little bit.
Go play WITH your kids.
Feed them less / better...

MO' HEN . . . LESS HEN

2009-09-21T12:56:00.006-04:00

We've all heard that saying, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life." I'm really feeling it today. I'm going to start something that really scares me. It could also build a whole new future for me and my family.

Never in my life have I been one to go on a diet, or exercise too much. Thus the "fluffy-ness" that I've dutifully maintained for the past 20+ years or so has become very comfortable (not in a good way). It has just been where I seem to land with the amount of food and exercise I'm getting. Mind you the quality of food and balance of foods that I'm getting have improved dramatically as well as the level of regular exercise since I started paying attention with Chickin Feed. But I have to face the fact that I'm not truly practicing what I preach. I tend to wander off the board too much and not move my "activity magnets" over enough.

Let's face it, if I was following the Nutrition Tracking Board regularly then I would be in really good shape. AND the perfect testimonial for my company. Recently I thought about starting a "Chickin Feed Challenge" that would encourage families to see who can follow the board most closely and to see how their overall health improves. "Sounds like a great idea, Leslie. Why haven't you done it?" Hmmm . . . I think it's the fear that if I challenge others, I'd need to do it myself and that I might fail. And who would visit all my old habits and keep them company anyway? OR...what if I succeed, god forbid!

Several things have happened that have nudged, pushed and now made me understand that I don't need to wait anymore. One began about seven years ago . . .

THING ONE - MISSING MY MOM.
My daughter was two and a half and the light in my mother's eye. My mom was the perfect doting grandmother. All she wanted was to spend time with Lucy. She didn't need to buy her stuff or take her places or even to have me be a part of her interactions with Lucy. Some days I felt like she loved Lu more than I did! She just wanted to hold and love my baby girl and it made me happy to finally have done something to please my mother so. It was really a magical time for me as it brought out so many great characteristics in my mom that had been covered up for many years. It ended all too suddenly when my mother died in Feb 2002 from what we assumed was an aneurysm (my maternal grandmother's cause of death.) We came to find out that the cause of death was in fact an aortic dissection and that my mother had been taking Fen Phen, a dangerous weight loss drug combination that was very popular. A possible side effect to taking Fen Phen, as listed in the class action lawsuit paperwork we found at her home (my mother must have sent off for them days before she died) was Aortic dissection.

Other than being honest about my history and somewhat cathartic, the reason I bring this up is to make a point about my mother's approach to "getting healthy" – which is not dissimilar to many people in our society – was to search for "The Magic Pill." What is the thing that you can do that will "fix" the problem quickly. Well, I'm grateful that I have learned the lesson that no matter how good the magic pill seems to work, it just doesn't. And sometimes it can have very tragic consequences. My deep sadness, at not having my mother around to love and watch my children grow, combined with a desire to make sure that my children grow up with well informed ideas about what it takes to be healthy, it what inspired me to start Chickin Feed.

THING TWO - MISSING ME?
A year ago, I ended up in the hospital myself with a very rapid heartbeat that would not quit. Given my health history and the look on my kids faces, I was quite fearful that my chances for being around to enjoy my grandchildren might not be as certain as I think. Intellectually, I understand that I need to be as healthy as I can to combat my history of poor food choices, lack of consistent exercise and love of sugar. Practically, my habits improved a little more after this scare, but not enough to make the change I need to. As my hubby likes to point out, I have a very hard head.

THING THREE - HOPE AND FEAR.
Last October, I was set up in a booth at the Candler Park Festival. A guy came by the booth and he seemed very intrigued by the boards. He said he was a Registered Dietitian and he immediately "got" what our product was all about. I'd hear from him occasionally but he emailed recently to see if we could talk. He had joined a practice earlier this year in Decatur, GA that was all about Prevention. It's called Ponce Preventive Care and they are conducting a Healthy Weight Program that he said he'd be interested in using the Chickin Feed boards for. We talked for a bit and I began to think that this just might be the last time I was going to have this bell rung. So I said, "David, what if I took the class?" As soon as it got out of my mouth I regretted it since I might actually have to act on it. I talked at length with both David and Dr. Chad today and am convinced that this is the way to go for me. They seem committed to helping people that want help but not promising them lot's of shiny pretty promises that lead nowhere.

You might think, "What's the big deal? Mom goes on a diet. Happens every day." But I really really don't want this to be about me "going on" something but rather a commitment to changing some fundamental well-ingrained habits. And that is very scary to me.

So I'm going to do this and I'll let you know how it goes. I'll blog here under the title of "MO' HEN . . . LESS HEN" Right now, I'm hopeful but apprehensive(fear has given way to apprehension, I guess that is good). If you see me noshing out at the Krispy Kreme, tell me to keep it to a minimum and go fetch my jog bra!

WANT CHICKIN FEED IN YOUR SCHOOL?

2009-09-18T08:55:00.006-04:00

We would love to come to a PTA Meeting & chat with families about "Building Healthy Habits at Home." OR if you have a class that would like to have Mother Hen come in and "Chickin Chat" we'd like to do that too. Here are a couple of tools to use... (We're in Metro Atlanta...If you aren't but would like some tools! Let us know that too.

CONTACT MOTHER HEN - leslie at chickinfeed.com!

THIS IS FOR THE SCHOOL (PTA OR TEACHERS)

THIS IS A LETTER TO SEND HOME TO PARENTS
AFTER WE HAVE A DATE SET TO COME TO YOUR SCHOOL.

THIS IS AN ACTIVITY SHEET TO GET CHICKIN BRAINS
LEARNING ABOUT THIER FEED GROUPS.

PARENTS MAGAZINE OCT 09!

2009-09-11T08:56:00.004-04:00

Check out Chickin Feed in Parents Magazine - Oct '09 issue.
Thank you Keith G!

Thank you Decatur!

2009-09-08T11:59:00.006-04:00

GO DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL! Thank you to the amazing crowd and all that turned out for the Time for Lunch EAT-IN and the terrific Closing Picnic. Thank you to Daren Wang & Book Festival organizers for making it all happen. Photos courtesy of our fabulous volunteers including David Naugle and Donata Renfrow.

Pictured here are: Sally Wylde – Co-founder of the Oakhurst Community Garden, Mo' Hen, Josh Viertel – Pres. of Slow Food USA, Pam Galencamp – Owner/Author of Cooking for Monkeys, Julie Shaffer – Founder & Former Pres. of Slow Food Atlanta chapter.

State Representative Stephanie Stuckey Benfield showed up to support the cause with her two little chickins and we also found Eli Kirshtein – a current contestant on Top Chef. And in the middle is Judith Winfrey of Love is Love Farms and the Slow Food Atlanta chapter leader. Judith is the wrangler extraordinaire! She sang our Real Food song as the blessing for dinner on Sunday night @ Holman & Finch. Thanks for everything Judith!

Here are some more pics from our viewpoint at the Decatur Book Festival.
GO! Gedaliah!

DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL!

2009-09-03T09:50:00.001-04:00

It's here! The Monster of all Book Festivals! Please come see us if you can. EAT-IN with us on Sunday night... LOTS OF DETAILS BELOW.

Thanks Tiffanie for the great T-shirt idea!

2009-09-02T09:06:00.002-04:00

Chickin-T's for REAL FOOD!

2009-09-01T12:54:00.006-04:00

CHECK OUT OUR COOL T's FOR REAL FOOD! Order one today to wear to your EAT-IN!

FRONT & BACK V.1

FRONT & BACK V.2

EAT-IN goes BIG!

2009-09-01T12:43:00.004-04:00

BIG NEWS! Just found out that Josh Viertel, the President of Slow Foods USA is coming to Atlanta to EAT-IN! Over 290 Eat-in's are planned throughout the USA and he's coming to ours... If you can come on Sunday Night to the one we're hosting with Cooking for Monkeys @ the Closing Picnic of the Decatur Book Festival... Please DO! If you can make it to Piedmont Park on Labor D ay, you can meet him there. EAT-IN PEEPS!

DETAILS IF YOU CAN'T READ THEM!
We’re expecting you for dinner on Sunday Night 9/6/09. 5:30p. Meet us on the square in Decatur behind the Old Courthouse. Take MARTA...It’s Smarta! Bring a great picnic dinner that you’ve prepared from some fabulous foods that you purchased locally from a Farmers Market on Saturday and your blanket! Or purchase a plate for $10 from Southern Foodways Alliance Wear a “recycled” T-shirt. You and your chickins can sport a cool T-shirt to show support for getting REAL FOOD into SCHOOL LUNCHES. (We’ve got some nifty ones ready to ship @ www.zazzle.com/motherhen1* or you could make your own!) Get your picture made with THE SIGN! You’ll see when you get there! AND... we’re honored to host the Big Kahuna of Slow Food USA! Josh Viertel will be in the house. Make sure to come out and show him how Decatur ROCKS for REAL FOOD in Schools! & stick around for Closing Picnic music by Sweet AlizAbeth. Don’t miss it, BEEEE there!

Fall Excitement

2009-08-26T13:46:00.002-04:00

Anyone that knows me knows that Fall is my most favorite time of the year, the cool days and crunchy leaves underfoot make it an irresistable season to fall in love with and it is also the time to get your cool season garden underway. Lots of herbs love the cool weather and parsley is one of them, plants lots now and you will also be well underway for the beginnings of a great Butterfly garden in the spring!! You may notice your parsley disappear overnight because caterpillars are tenacious eaters but who doesn't love a beautiful butterfly! Plus you can't beat fresh parsley throughout the wintertime. Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and lettuce just to name a few, all love the cooler weather so don't let your vegetable garden sit empty this fall put some plants in it!! There are many plants and seeds to choose from, so pick your favorites and some not so favorites(you can't say you don't like it if you've never tried it) and dig in the dirt with your little ones!
Mums signify that fall has finally arrived but please don't just toss them when all the flowers are spent. They are perennials in Georgia which means they come back year after year and they don't need full sun. So dig a little hole and put them in the ground after you've enjoyed their time with your scarecrow and they will come back to see you next year....

Happy Harvesting and enjoy this unbelievable August we are having.....
The Plant Chick

EAT-IN FLIERS & ADVOCACY SHEETS!

2009-08-23T20:38:00.013-04:00

The Slow Food USA "Time for Lunch" campaign & Eat-In's are a few short weeks away. If you are in the Decatur/Atlanta area and would like to post some fliers! Here they are...

If you'd like to let you little chickins learn how to advocate for themselves and ask their Legislator to "please give me real food" you can print this flier / follow the simple directions.

Check out the EVENTS tab on our Chickin Feed Facebook Page for all the details on our Eat-In.

REAL FOOD TUNE!

2009-08-14T16:22:00.004-04:00

Check out the latest Chickin Tune!

CREDITS:
Song & Photos by Mother Hen.
Pecked up in the Chickin Shack.
Crowin' by Nichole Lupo & Katherine Moore
Extra Scratchin' by Seth from Seeds of Nutrition.

Thanks! Katherine, Nichole & Seth!

WELCOME PLANT CHICK!

2009-08-07T15:05:00.003-04:00

Yeah! We have a posting from our Chickin Coop. The newest addition is Christena - a mother and very avid gardener. We met at the Georgia PTA convention where she was helping out with Farmer D's fantastic booth. She will be blogging for us & providing some great helpful hints about keeping your chickins more active and healthy by keeping their hands dirty!

Welcome Plant Chick!

First time post for Plant Chick

2009-08-05T14:14:00.002-04:00

Hi fellow good food lovers! Nothing brings me more pleasure than strolling into my gardens and picking food for the day or harvesting some wonderful flowers to create an easy arrangement to brighten my home. Unexpected things are always happening around our household and as our garden and extra large yard always keeps us busy we relish in the blessings that we have.... Good food for all!
Tomato and cucumber salad is my most favorite dish this thyme of the year, a little bit of salt and balsamic vinegar and the thinnest red onion in the world and it is perfect... my chickins LOVE it and they love it most because they grew it all by themselves....

Happy Harvesting....
Plant Chick

Chickin Monkeys | EAT-IN | DBF!

2009-08-04T09:19:00.010-04:00

Chickin Feed & Cooking For Monkeys (Pam Galencamp's terrific blog & bento boxes) will team up to exhibit at the Decatur Book Festival over Labor Day Weekend (September 5&6).

If you've never been to the DBF - it's fantastic...some of my kids favorite authors will be there including John Scieszka author of my daughter's favorite series that includes Science Verse! And I just Lulu scream when I said that the author of THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX is going to be there.

I think this year they've blown the top off 'cause I just found out that Abdullah the Butcher will be there! My brother's favorite wrestler growing up! (Did you see him eat that aerosol can of oven cleaner?)

Check out their website to see all that is going on!

AND WE ARE HOSTING AN EAT-IN on Sunday Night - September 6th. Come bring your picnic dinner and rally round the Chickin-Monkey booth. We'll be sharing a meal and letting the good folks up in Washington DC know that we'd like them to support the CHILD NUTRITION ACT!

GET YOU LITTLE CHICKINS IN ON THE FUN by having them send their own letter to congress. Chickin Feed has put together a REAL FOOD • REAL FUN • REAL ADVOCACY sheet so that the chickins can send word to congress too! They are never too young to advocate for REAL FOOD!

PARENTS: just PRINT this sheet and have your little chickins fill it out then send it in to your legislator!

TEACHERS – Have your class send them in! (If you cannot print from this .jpg just mail leslie@chickinfeed.com to get a .pdf copy!)

CREATIVITY IN SPADES... GAINESVILLE FLA ROADTRIP REPORT

2009-07-28T11:44:00.004-04:00

Mo' Hen and the chickins roadtripped to Gainesville, FL recently. We visited a phenomenal restaurant called SATCHEL'S that we are 100% sure should be "Chickin Feed Certified" 'cause it had really great, fresh salads / pizza and an OVERDOSE OF CREATIVE FUN FOR THE KIDS! Somebody has really found their bliss in this wacked-out land of kitsch. Check out some of the creative ways that they have turned some real trash into treasures!

MOTHER HEN'S FEED STORE!

2009-07-15T14:56:00.006-04:00

Ever wanted some "reward" stickers for your little chickins. How about having them "good choice" their way to a cool Chickin T-shirt, Apron, or heck – they might even like a Chickin Trucker's Cap? (Then again, you might want to save it for the Rooster)...Mother Hen's having some fun with a cool site called Zazzle!

ACTIVE CHICKINS!!!

2009-07-13T14:14:00.003-04:00

Here's to getting chickins active at a young age! Hilarious...a little creepy, but too funny!

CHECK OUT EVIAN'S ROLLER BABIES!

HOORAY FOR PARFAITS FOR BREAKFAST!

2009-07-07T10:28:00.002-04:00

Summer is hot! and no one wants to fuss with cooking in the morning. We had a great breakfast this morning. Frozen cherries and blueberries layered with some no-fat greek yogurt and drizzled with a little honey and granola! Make sure to put it in a clear glass so that your little chickins can see the layers... SO PRETTY AND SO YUMMY!

REAL FOOD QUIZ...

2009-06-22T17:16:00.004-04:00

Hey kiddies...admit it. Have you eaten all of the REAL FOODS that are shown on the left? IF YOU CAN IDENTIFY all the foods that are scrolling through at the top of our blog, Mother Hen will send you a little gift...

IF YOU'VE EATEN all the foods in the pictures then I'm really proud of you and I'm going to send something to the adults that fed it to you!

Drop me a line when you have your lists compiled! leslie at chickinfeed dot com

Want to sign up for our FEED MILL e-mails? We send out updates and COUPONS too, mom!

A MANGO AND A CARROT WALK INTO A BLENDER

2009-06-10T10:54:00.002-04:00

It's HOT and we're a little woozy.

I thought we'd try to make some CARROT / MANGO smoothies today. Carrots / Frozen Mango chunks / Plain LowFat Yogurt / OJ... Blendy Blendy and then pour into popcicle molds - or muffin tins if you don't have molds...

We'll let you know how it goes!

TRY SOMETHING UNTRADITIONAL IN A COLD FREEZER POP!

LISTEN UP!

2009-05-14T10:39:00.002-04:00

Terry Gross has an always intriguing line up of folks who speak about all types of different topics on her show on NPR. Last night she featured a fellow that talked about overeating and why we do it. Shockingly enough...the triggers that make us overeat are the foods that aren't good for us to begin with! Please take a minute to listen to this great piece which features some great ideas for how we can make a "critical perceptual shift that will allow us to see foods for what they are" and how to change our "conditioned hyper-eating."

*** Former FDA commissioner David Kessler warns that sugar, fat and salt can hijack our brains and cause us to overeat. In his new book, The End of Overeating, he describes the way the food industry works with the advertising industry to create the food cravings that are so hard to resist.***

After doing some snooping around to find out more about Mr. Kessler, I happened upon a publisher of his RODALE, Inc. that had some other great resources on their website including a book that every parent should probably own called Eat This, Not That! for Kids! (in addition to your Chickin Feed Primer! of course). There are some shocking facts like how many calories, fat and sodium are in a banana walnut muffin!...Use your own judgement about which things actually constitute REAL FOODS...

Good Stuff Peeps!!!

WHAT DO A HEN AND A POSSUM HAVE IN COMMON?

2009-05-11T12:55:00.005-04:00

Well for one thing...they might inhabit the same territory. As in a possum might sneak into the chicken coop to suck a couple of eggs down for a late night snack.

And it has been heard about town that Mother Hen is actually running for the title of Possum Queen! "What is the world coming to," you ask?

It's all very easy to explain, officer... See there is this contest for the much coveted title of Possum Queen. The contest is the brainchild of some smarty-pants PR person years ago that thought it would be the perfect way to raise money for the spry folks at the St. Paul Golden Age Center.

Well, it worked and these days, everyone wants that darn crown! My stiffest competition is coming from one of our favorite writers, Hollis Gillespie. She'll be tough to beat but it's all for a great cause. Come out & enjoy the fun if you have a minute The Festival is this Sunday 5/17. There will be food... Hopefully NOT possum.

Votes are $1.00 - You can donate online just follow the St. Paul GAC link above & scroll down.

Pulizter in the Hood!

2009-04-21T09:04:00.002-04:00

Why did the Chickin cross the road? To congratulate our neighbor who just won the Pulitzer Prize! Way to go Doug!

HOW TO BUILD A HEALTHY CHICKIN – BLOG SHARE...

2009-04-07T11:08:00.004-04:00

Nutri-a-licious. Just found this mom's blog about healthy eating. Check out this great page of articles about childhood obesity. Then go back to the home page & read from there.

If you have suggestions you'd like to share about How to Build Healthier Chickins! let me know... email: Mother Hen (leslie@chickinfeed.com)

Like to visit Chickens?

2009-04-06T10:50:00.002-04:00

Chicks in the City Tour...Really cool tour of chicken (with an "e") coops in and around the east side of Atlanta. Save the Date!

GUESS WHAT THIS IS?

2009-03-30T10:25:00.003-04:00

We went to YDFM this weekend (that's Your DeKalb Farmers Market) which is a real international wonder located in Decatur, GA. If you are a local and have never been... Make sure you visit - (just have your NYC cabbie shopping cart drivers license handy.) YDFM is a mind-blowing array of foods from around the world. They also carry local products! My chickins love to watch the "fishies jumpin!"

Something I like to do is try and find something we've never before tried and buy it. I thought the root veggie pictured below was really beautiful (in a Neil Gaiman kinda way...) so much so that I had to photograph it. One pic has some pretty beets with it.

Does anyone know what this is? First one to Facebook or Tweet me (see post below) with the correct answer, will get a FREE Chickin Feed Shopping List!

2009-03-28T10:17:00.005-04:00

Become a Fan of Chickin Feed on Facebook!
This is a great place to tell us what is on your mind!

Do you Tweet? Follow Chickin Feed on Twitter!
We'd love to follow you too! Let us know your Twitter address.

CHICKINS ON THE FARM

2009-03-16T11:18:00.009-04:00

A DAY OUT!

Last week I took my two chickins to an Organic Farm. It is actually called Love Is Love Organic Farm! What a cool name. The Glover Family has owned the farm since the 1800's and have brought in a lovely young couple "Farmer Joe" and Judith, to help them run it and be the fortunate recipients of their lifetime of farming wisdom. We met Joe at a Chef's to Schools event that was held at the Neighborhood Charter School a few weeks ago. The program was put on by Georgia Organics and Seeds of Nutrition - both fantastic organizations that have common missions to educate folks about healthy eating. The end of March brings the Georgia Organics Conference & Trade Show with !!! Michael Pollan !!! as the keynote speaker. Fan-tastic.

There is a growing list of organic farms around Georgia and I encourage anyone to try and take the opportunity to get your kids out to a farm. (Check out this directory to find one in your community - www.localharvest.org) Let them know how food grows, where it grows and the importance of fresh, organically grown foods in our diet. Eating foods that were farm fresh used to be the standard. It seems to have moved into the realm of luxury. As our health and economy creep downwards, we might all need to think about growing a few good foods. Find a few sunny square feet and try to supplement your grocery store trip with something fresh picked from your own yard! Treat your family!

Here are some pictures from the Farm! Enjoy...

New Chicks! Willy & the Rabbits The Farm Onions Potato Seedlings Honey to Bee Farmer Joe Strawberries Bonsai Baby Lettuces Shitake Logs Lu & Willy in the Creek Frog Eggs & Manure to grow it all better!

CHICKS IN THE CITY!

2009-02-26T10:08:00.010-05:00

We did it! Mother Hen and the newly-dubbed "REALITY CHICK" Amy drove 15 hours to the Big Apple; loaded ourselves into Javits like the real chicks that we are; found some free parking in NYC; had a wonderful time with some great old and new friends including the amazing EWA of shainsware; DID NOT see Heidi Klume in Bryant Park; DID meet a very sweet editor/mom @ Parents Magazine and made some wonderful contacts at TOY FAIR 2009! After a great week we packed it back up in the rain and headed home. And just for grins...we checked out how the Amish dry their laundry. Very resourceful folks!

CHICKIN TUNES in the BIG CITY

2009-02-10T16:09:00.003-05:00

Chickin Feed's Vice-Chick in charge | Sales, Amy and I are headed up to NYC on Friday to see how the ToyFair likes Chickin Feed!

While we're gone...Check out our brand new CHICKIN TUNE! It will be up on the website Saturday!

Many Many Thanks! to Fletcher, Katherine, Annette & Adam.

Feast or Fowl

2009-02-09T10:20:00.000-05:00

Feast or Fowl

2009-02-04T22:37:00.002-05:00

CHICKIN TUNES!!!!

How exciting. We just recorded the first rifts to our upcoming "Chickin Tunes" CD... Yet to be properly titled . I must say being pretty much musically illiterate, I was hopelessly blown away by the improvisation of Adam Cole. I've known Adam and his family since our daughters were one (eight years +) and have always known that he was musically talented. I had no idea that he was so darn good at improvising.

A few months ago I contacted my other two hugely musical friends Katherine Moore & Annette Wawerna to see if they might be able to help me with a "chickin tune" or two. Maybe we could squeak out a little jingle to put on the website. Well those two came back at me with a full blown musical that is so creative, funny and I can't wait to get going on it. The idea came up that we could cobble together a little tune that we could get up on the website and that I could take to the upcoming Toy Fair for a little background booth filler.

Annette & Katherine wrote a lovely little tune that throws you right straight back to the day that Western Swing was the thing! The lyrics came soon after and Annette asked Adam to come lay down some piano tracks tonight. (Annette and Adam are in a rockin' neighborhood band called The Wipes together) He sat down at the piano, looked at the sheet music for about a minute and then with Fletcher Moore ready to record (another genius - more about him later) ... Adam riffed on the chickin song in no less than 10 different styles.

I couldn't believe that he had never seen the music before! Our faces hurt after 20 minutes of amazement. What a lovely thing to be surrounded by so many generous and talented folks! Thank you all!!!

Stay tuned for CHICKIN TUNES!!!

Phone-a-Hen

2009-01-29T13:31:00.002-05:00

Hiya,

Want to hear our chit-chat last night with Shelley & Co. @ One Roast Vegetable? Just give this a whirl.

Cheers,
Mother Hen

2009-01-24T23:20:00.007-05:00

Share the Love!

2009-01-22T12:33:00.004-05:00

I just finished up a little article for the Leaping Lizards Newsletter. Pete & Co. have a great indoor playground in Decatur, GA. It's a "jumpy castle in a heated/air conditioned space" concept that seems to be catching on. One of the reasons I liked their place was that they offered healthier choices for snacks. Not that we go for the food but...if we do choose to get something, we aren't faced with candy bars and potato chips! They also publish a little email newsletter that I contribute to - when I don't slack...

The article I just finished is all about Sharing the Love. Teaching our children to share is socially a very important concept. The idea that they need to share their toys, space, TV time, etc. is the focus of many a meltdown but worthy of the temporary rise in blood pressure.

I think it is important to also work a sharing of their treats into the mix too. A healthier way to eat a donut is to share it. Want a little fries with that shake? Just share it with someone else...You'll eat less, be healthier and the beneficiary will like you more. After all... Healthy Hearts Share... (Did I mention I'm about to cut a deal with a greeting card company?)

Inauguration!

2009-01-20T12:51:00.006-05:00

Inaugural thoughts in my head, I started to dig around for some pictures to show my kids of an inauguration thirty-two years ago. My mom worked on the Carter Presidential campaign in 1976. In January 1977 she traveled to DC with her friend Merri to attend the festivities! She was about five years younger than I am now. Can't tell if they are whooping it up with Hamilton Jordan or holding him up :)!

Check out this piece on Junk Food...for thought.

2009-01-15T17:42:00.000-05:00

Chickin Press (a.k.a. poultry push ups?)

2009-01-13T20:14:00.007-05:00

Tis January the 13th and nary a blog I've posted. Holidays, New Years, Gift Mart, etc...

The kids and I had a great time this December shopping for groceries! As I stood in the checkout aisle, I got to embarrass the chickins and annoy all the folks in front, behind and beside us. I'd casually grab a copy of Atlanta Magazine's December issue and flip to the piece about Chickin Feed! Then share it with all (un)interested parties. Humility be damned. It's pretty darn cool to be on the newstand! And I didn't even have to have Brad Pitt's baby. Hmmm.

This month, Mother Hen went national! Next time you are browsing through a Barnes & Noble, check out the magazine rack for HYBRID MOM magazine. There is this beautiful glam shot on the cover...not me. Check out inside the back cover. Tell everyone you know that you know me. Even if you don't - I'll appreciate it. How cool is that!

2008-11-20T14:28:00.005-05:00

WANT TO HAVE A PLAYDATE?

Join us at the coolest new store in Atlanta!

2008-11-20T14:24:00.003-05:00

FREE SHIPPING FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

Yes, That's right we've knocked off the $7 / $9 or more charge that is tacked onto your online order to get it to your door. The FREE SHIPPING is to the connected 48 states and lasts through 12/15/08! Get orderin' folks... www.chickinfeed.com

Also, scroll down the Feed Store page, we've got some really cool Chickin Feed Starter Kits - for a Healthy Future...

2008-11-20T14:06:00.003-05:00

CHICKIN LAUNCHING... (No poultry was harmed)

Last week I attended/vended at the Ladies Who Launch Live event in Atlanta. Lots of fabulous women who've launched their own ideas were in the house. It was great to share ideas and glean a little inspiration from all in attendance. Lot's of Mother Hens in attendance that wanted to help their chickins eat healthier! Thank you ladies...

And I highly recommend the Ladies Who Launch Incubator program if you have something you think might be your future but you just aren't quite sure! Get out there... Tell Angela, Montine or Traci that Mother Hen sent you!

AND... You can now get a copy of the CHICKIN FEED Primer on AMAZON.COM! Yeah - just type Chickin Feed Primer into the search bar and it'll take you to us!

Want to shop locally for Chickin Feed this Holiday Season? (We're in Atlanta, GA)
Get some at one of our local retailers! Welcome to our newest, SEED FACTORY, COOKS WAREHOUSE and BOUND TO BE READ BOOKS {And it ain't exactly our target audience but you can find us while you're taking care of your pooch & kitty @ INTOWN HEALTHY HOUND in the Grant Park 'hood}. CHECK OUT THE FEED MILL for additional retailers!

Chef Sheri Rocks!

2008-11-12T13:25:00.005-05:00

Along with being our favorite Chick in the Kitchen...

Chef Chick, Sheri's Popcorn Ball Extravaganza! @ Harris & Clark | Thoughtful Grocery in Serenbe Community ... (haven't been yet? Snap to it! It is the coolest place to hang out with your chickins. Great shops, loads of nature trails and trampolines @ ground level for lot's of safe jumping.)

Sheri also is the Skateboard Club Mom! Way to keep those Chickins Active Sher!

2008-10-26T07:24:00.011-04:00

COOL CHICKS & CHICKINS (early Oct '08)
A little photo essay on where we've been & chick(in)s we love!

Willie Chickin made a great healthy snack (Celery boat with tomato pirates) from the prettiest tomato I've ever seen. We get a box of fresh organic produce from a local CSA (community supported agriculture) organization that we joined. Ours is called Mellow Bellies!

If you're in GA - check out Georgia Organics to find one near you. If you're in the wider world check out Local Harvest.

Multi-Tasking Chicks are Never Too Busy To Vote!

Going to Vote? Go Early!

Need some online life support?
go to Kyle Young's cool site - Multi-
Tasking Woman!

Join us both at the Ladies Who Launch BYOB event! Nov 13th!

Cutest Chickin in Alpharetta!

What a cutie pie! This was our biggest fan at the Crossroads at Milton Art & Antiques Show. Held next to a great shop, Broadwell Cottage, that has some unique art and gifts (including, of course, Chickin Feed in the kitchen!)

Chickin/Monkey siting at the Candler Park Festival!
We made a great new friend of Pam Galencamp. This Decatur mom started a biz called Cooking for Monkeys (her name for her little ones!) She sells these very cute Bento boxes and has to coolest blog with photos of how she puts together some amazing food for her monkeys! Way to feed your chickins, Pam!

Chef Sheri and Pam demo Chickin/Monkey!

Cooking with Chickins in the Country!

2008-10-20T10:34:00.006-04:00

Come spend a beautiful day in the country. Serenbe is the location for a wonderful organic farmers market, a harvest carnival, and a cooking class for children with Chef Sheri Davis. Come join us! (see flier for details)

It's the ECONOMY silly.

2008-10-08T19:31:00.002-04:00

Sounds terribly boring I know, but I listened to the best description of where we are, how we got there and what is being done about it. This American Life is a radio program that did an amazing piece the other night. If you get a chance, check it out http://www.thisamericanlife.org
Giant Pool of Money episode. It's wonderful!

Multi-Tasking ... Again

2008-10-08T19:22:00.002-04:00

Our favorite Multi-Tasking Woman, Kyle Young is asking that every woman in the sound of this blog register to vote! Absolutely...We're never never too busy to vote. Listen to a debate - read as much as you can about what is being promised. Do some googling about the issues and then make up your mind and GO VOTE! Check this out! www.NeverTooBusyToVote.com

How much is that book-ie in the window?

2008-09-24T16:47:00.007-04:00

Will-da-beast and I went to see big-sister ride in the Girl Scout Float last weekend at the East Atlanta Strut – what a great parade! Go Girl Scouts!! You were fabulous. I also enjoyed the local High School marching band...right up until the point I felt it necessary to distract my five-year old by throwing some candy off to the right for him to chase down. The gyrating maneuvers that the drill team kicked into made me blush want to run for cover! And I am not that faint of heart. Lucy is most definitely attending a convent...

Will and I took a walk up the street afterwards to the local independent East Atlanta book store BOUND TO BE READ (Hey Jeff and Jef). And there in the store window - radiating almost, was... (I asked Will to go look into the store window and tell me if he saw anything. He looked and looked and said, "There's a Spider Man book.")...The Chickin Feed Primer! In it's first store window. I'm so proud of our little book-ie. Will just asked me to unwrap some more candy for him.

A little cross-bloggin'

2008-09-24T16:41:00.003-04:00

Click here...

I'm trying to Cross-Blog to this fun "picture essay" of a nice night we had in the lovely town of Milton! Scroll down a little for your chickin fix!

We'll be joining them again for the Crabapple Festival on Saturday, October 4th! Come see the chickins...

Flyin' North with the Coop

2008-09-12T12:15:00.005-04:00

We ventured OP (outside the perimeter) the other day. Chef Chick Sheri, Vice-Chick in charge of Sales, Amy and myself Mother Hen went calling in the little town of Roswell. Sheri has some great friends that own a gallery in Roswell on Oak Street The Timothy Michael Gallery in the SOCA district on Oak Street. Hey Donna!

To say they have some beautiful paintings is an understatement. One of them flew the coop that day (not mentioning any names...) Chickin Feed is going to be hanging out with them next Thursday (9/18/08) at the Alive After Five event. Come by if you are in the neighborhood.

We then went further north to the city of Milton and to what used to be a tiny little intersection of two roads called Crabapple. We were directed to go to this great new store, the Broadwell Cottage and found a new home for Chickin Feed!

Last night we were asked to come help them celebrate their Grand Opening and have a little Primer book signing. Thanks to all who turned out - the Chickins had much fun with the City of Milton's finest (three of Milton's distinguished Fire Dept. and Mr. Mayor!)

We were serving up more Roesmary Popcorn and discovered how deep the love for our Chef Chick runs... Chef Sheri Davis closed her popular restaurant Dish in Virginia Higlands at the end of last year so that she could spend more time with her chickins. Good news for us and you... Several of you wanted to know how to get in touch with Chef Sheri Davis for catering purposes - you can reach her from here! (Click on the little orange chick at the bottom of the page.) Sheri has many pans in the fire right now including an idea for Chickin Parties & Hen Parties. You know you want to have an amazingly tasty cooking party with one of Atlanta's finest chefs!

POULTRY, POP CORN & LABOR DAY, Oh My!

2008-09-12T11:30:00.004-04:00

What a fun Labor Day weekend! Great crowd at the Decatur Book Festival and the Summer Shade Festival. We are so encouraged to see so many folks that "get it" – that want to encourage their "chickins" to eat healthy and get more active!

We apologize to those of you who need advice about feeding poultry. We'll try to get a link to a good website :) for future reference.

ROSEMARY POPCORN ANYONE? Thank you Chef Chick, Sheri! Your popcorn was a huge hit. Want the recipe? Buy a book!

We were glad to see some of our friends from Ladies Who Launch (thanks for the picture Angela) and lots of old and new friends.

Thanks to those of you who paid attention while we talked about what we do in the Emerging Writers Pavillion on Sunday. Thanks Drama Chick, Amy & her lovely assistant Jake for a wonderful demonstration of RACING THROUGH YOUR DINNER (it's part of the Primer!)

We hope you are all enjoying your Primer reading - let us know what you think... when you get a minute!

If you picked up a $2 off coupon from us to use at Leapin Lizards -make sure to go by and use them... Keep them chickins moving!

We are happy to announce that Leapin Lizards along with our friends at FitWit will be one of the first of our Chickin Feed Certified businesses (more bloggin later about this). If you know of a restaurant or business that is doing something to help kids & familes make good choices - please let us know! certified@chickinfeed.com

We're Published!

2008-08-26T06:49:00.009-04:00

The chickins and I picked up the Primer yesterday! I kept saying to the kids, "Isn't this so exciting, we're going to pick up our first book ever!" To which I heard from the back seat... "Bor-ing." I promised to deliver wedgies to all when we returned home.

The printers wanted to get us some copies so that we had some for this weekends festivities (see blog below) and will ship the rest later this week. I was to meet up with them at a Chick-Fil-A on the interstate (how appropriate!)

It stopped raining for a few minutes just before Terri arrived with the books - little bit o' loveliness, don't you think? The book is so beautiful, I was crying on the way home. I'm so very impressed with how it turned out. Thank you Don for the rockin layout!

It is so much more fun in person than I imagined it to be. The pages are really sturdy and the colors are so nice. Thank you Electric City Printing!

Some photos from the Press Check in SC last week...

Ever seen an ink cartridge this big?!

Chickin Feed overload – LABOR DAY WEEKEND FUN! Come join us

2008-08-25T08:45:00.006-04:00

Howdy Folks!

If you are in the Atlanta area and want something fun to do this weekend (April 30/31, 2008), come join us at the Summer Shade Festival in Grant Park (home of the Chickin Coop). You can visit Grant Park on Saturday - hear some awesome music & taste some of the best food in town @ the Corks & Forks event. Then on Sunday come see us at the Decatur Book Festival. We will be on the Emerging Writers Stage Sunday at 2pm. We'll be playing a bit, experiencing a bit of drama and doing a little Food Q & A with prizes for the chickins! Click here for a full schedule of events. Check out lots of great things for the little chickins to do!

And get your copy of The Chickin Feed Primer | A useful companion for modern families! We'll be debuting the book at both festivals. If you are too far to come celebrate in person...we are offering an early bird special that expires Labor Day - check it out on our website!

Blog plans

2008-08-21T16:27:00.008-04:00

Want to save the world? Yeah, me too...right after I stumble through another ADD ridden day of Chickin work, pick up the kids, shop for groceries, throw something together for dinner, try to do the dishes, some laundry & read a bedtime story.

There are so many things I'd like to get out of my head and into reality for this Chickin Company. On the horizon we have two simultaneous festivals over the Labor Day weekend 2008 (Decatur Book Festival & Summer Shade Festival). There is also the super cute Chickinware that's rumbling around in the hopper, several other new products being hatched, get Chickin Feed into a few more stores around the country (photo is from one of our "Chickin shacks"...Harris & Clark in the Serenbe Community), talk of expanding Chickin Feed into a couple other countries, getting my little chickins to blog about their favorite foods and setting up our CERTIFIED Chickin Feed program.

We would love to communicate more with the folks in our Feed Mill - please email me, leslie@chickinfeed.com if you'd like to get on the email list! And we love to get photos of your chickins if you'd like them posted on the web and your feedback!

Make sure to have some fun with your chickins!

Hello from Mother Hen

2008-08-07T17:29:00.000-04:00

Howdy! Just got around to setting up the Chickin Blog. I think I know what I'm doing :) It seems to be pretty idiot-proof. I bet I can mess it up though! Hope you will tune in to see what's going on with the Chickin Coop, find out where we'll be and maybe exchange some tips about how to feed your chickins. Got FeedBack? visit our website & drop us a line! www.chickinfeed.com

UPCOMING
We have a very busy Labor Day weekend planned and would love to see some of our Feed Mill - please come visit us at one of two festivals in Hot-lanta.

It's here! Hot-off-the-press, The Chickin Feed Primer, A useful companion for modern families will make it's debut at none other than the Decatur Book Festival in downtown Decatur. The Chickin Feed booth will be right in the heart of the festival between the bandstand the Target Activity Tent. Very close to the Little Shop of Stories & Children's Stage.

Additionally, we will be celebrating our one-year anniversary! at the Summer Shade Festival in Historic Grant Park. Our Nutrition Tracking Boards hatched just one year ago, at this wonderful "shady" family festival that we call home.

We'll be offering several freebies for the chickins including Chef Chick Sheri Davis' signature Rosemary Popcorn or "chickin feed" *while supplies last:). We also have some Chickin-toos (little tattoos) and lots of other goodies including the Primer.