Back from Va-Cay '09

Sorry for the sore lack of posts for the last week.  We have been enjoying a sunny vacation in Arizona with our friends Greg & Julia!  Steve's Dad and step-mom also drove over from California to see us and we had such a great time with everyone.

Arizona is beautiful and there is no humidity there.  God bless Arizona for that!  (I hate humidity and I just so happen to live in one of the most humid cities in the USA).  Here is one of my favorite pictures that Steve took from the trip.

I will be posting more pictures from our trip, but I am still recovering from our 20 hour road trip back yesterday.  I am tired.  So instead, I am going to tell you a little secret about milk.

Milk?

Yes, milk.

We have been hearing concerning things in the news lately about the hormones they are giving to cows in order to make them produce more milk.  These hormones can cause early puberty in children, can alter their balance of estrogen and testosterone, and can also increase our risk of cancer.  Most dairies also give their cows routine antibiotics in order to keep them "healthy".

Hmmmm.  Hormones + Antibiotics = Healthy???

I know that lot's of people, including the Horvath's, have a hard time justifying the price of buying Organic milk.  I looked in the store today, and it was $6.50 per gallon.  We usually drink 2 gallons of milk per week between the four of us. Buying organic milk at that price would cost us $676 per year.

Here is the secret...Braum's.  Their milk is hormone and antibiotic free!  (Side note: My husband endlessly makes fun of their advertising campaigns because they are about 20 years out of date.  Have you been inside a Braum's lately or seen a commercial?  You would probably agree with Steve. They are really not putting their money into atmosphere & ambiance.)
Braum's milk = $3.50 per gallon.  Drinking 2 gallons per week, we would spend $364 per year on milk instead of $676.  Almost half the price!

Here is an excerpt from their website regarding their milk:

"We have always believed that the natural way is the best way. At Braum’s, we know that we can produce the best quality milk by feeding our cows natural, healthy ingredients. We do not inject our cows with hormones like rBGH to stimulate milk production and we don't add antibiotics to their feed.

We feed our dairy herd of 10,000 Holstein cows a mixture of alfalfa hay, corn, grain, whole cottonseed, soybean and more(the majority of the feed for our dairy herd is grown on our family farms.) This provides the cow with a well-balanced diet which is very important because what a cow eats directly affects the type of milk she produces."

I know that all the information out there can sometimes be overwhelming, and one can start to feel like EVERYTHING causes cancer and disease.  But milk is something that some families consume a large quantity of daily, and if there is an alternative out there that doesn't cost anymore than an additional trip to another store, I thought I should pass along the info!