Not So Nostalgic Anymore...

Bed time the last two nights has been a little odd. It's only odd because Bill is in the process of putting down flooring on the second floor, starting with our master bedroom. Currently 1/2 the room is done and that means all our furniture has been moved here and there. Our bed just happens to be in the middle of the unfinished portion...which also means my phone charger is no where near our bed. What that really means is that I can't lie in bed and scroll on my phone while it charges and by the time we go to bed, my phone is seconds from dying. So, lying in bed means I am forced to think...and think...and roll over and think some more...while my phone is charging on the other side of the room.

And I have to admit, I have some weird and random thoughts! 😂 And one of my thoughts just happened to coincide with a topic I wanted to share with you. What topic you might ask? Grocery delivery. Yep, just sitting there in bed and what started as one thought snowballed straight into grocery delivery.

I thought about starting from the beginning of this thought, but have decided to start with the end. The end being grocery delivery services. I'm totally blown away that it's even a thing, but on the other hand, I'm not. Because of the C-V one niner (think about it for a sec, you'll get it) grocery deliveries became a huge concept, mainly because so many people were not being able to get out, as well as the fear of being around others and getting sick or contaminating others. Grocery stores began online shopping and curb side pick up and then evolved to delivering or having other delivery services pick up and deliver to you. However, for some of us old enough to know better, this is not a new concept whatsoever. For a mind-blowing amount of people though, it is. We are in a day and age where grocery stores are dang near the size of malls. Going to the store can be an adventure for some and for others, popping in to 'pick up a couple things' will take 1/2 a day because there are 739 aisles and of course once you get the hang of all 739 aisles, they go and change it on you! Or add an additional aisle🤦🏻‍♀️

But what brought me to the thought of grocery delivery last night? Well, I was mentally going through my list of things I need to do today and I kept telling myself, don't forget to order your milk! Yes friends, we have a milk man!

Yes, just like days gone by, we have a milk man! Growing up, my family never had a milk man, but Bill did and he fondly remembers getting milk delivered to his family and put in a milk box like the one below. I didn't even know they existed and I'm only two years younger than him and grew up about 7 minutes away from him! We got our milk at the grocery store and I thought everyone did lol. But obviously as I got older, I realized the milk delivery (among other necessities from food to medicines) and not pizza, was ages and ages old. I just happened to be living in the midst of milk deliveries fading out in suburbia America...

So why do we have a milk man? It's a two part answer really. While reading one of my favorite blogs a couple years ago, I learned that this particular homesteader was in the process of purchasing and picking up their family a cow. She mentioned the type of cow she was getting and why and in that small amount of time reading her blog post, my mind was opened to yet something else I didn't know about milk. She talked about A2 milk and quite honestly, I thought that was farmer's lingo for something. But she talked a little more and then I went rabbit hole jumping to learn more.

So in a nut shell, this is what I've learned about A2. First, there are two major proteins in milk: whey and casein. Casein makes up the most protein in milk, but there's also types of casein, one of them being beta-casein. A1 and A2 are two types of beta-casein. I've learned that in the past, cows produced mostly A2 protein, but now, the majority of milk we consume today is A1 protein.

So what are the differences in A1 and A2? What I've learned is that when digested in our small intestine, A1 protein produces a peptide called beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7). A2 does not. BCM-7 then goes into our blood stream which can cause stomach/gastro problems including pain, gas/bloating, and even diarrhea. For a long time, people have been diagnosed as being lactose intolerant because the intolerance has the same symptoms as the A1 protein for some. Studies have shown that when lactose intolerant patients were given A2 milk, many had no symptoms which has lead scientist to believe that the lactose (for some) is not the issue, but the A1 protein is.

So, am I lactose intolerant? To be honest, I don't like milk. I rarely drink it because to me it smells funny. I don't believe I am lactose intolerant, but I never have enough to find out. Bill LOVES milk. He's the guy that even drinks it a day or two after the expiration date...which makes me want to absolutely lose it...🤢 Like I said, the smell is bad enough, then throw in expiring milk smell...OH MY GOD...

Then one day I saw an advertisement for farm produce delivered to your door. Of course I had to check it out because we love our farmer's market and having fresh farm products is a HUGE PLUS. I learned that this service has a website you shop from. It's a business comprised of many farms and you pick what you like and it's delivered to you on a certain day of the week. So you can continuously get farm fresh food! Everything from eggs to meat/poultry, cheese, baked goods including meals, and MILK! And guess what...they have A2 milk! I decided to give it a try. I mean, why not, plus I might end up liking milk lol.

HOLY CRAP I was shocked!!! First the bad shock...the price. It's not cheap, I will be honest, if I was to have to feed a family of 5 again, I probably wouldn't do this because as much as our current administration doesn't want to admit it, we are in a recession and the best alternative to this is owning your own cow. But, the good shock is this...it TASTES AMAZING! And fortunately it is just me and Bill and our kids are on their own. But the taste...wow, it's so good. I did buy a regular whole milk and an A2 whole milk. As you can see from the labels below, they are non-homogenized but pasteurized (not ultra pasteurized). And yes, when you open the top for the first time, there IS the wonderful heavy cream (yum!) The taste between the two is even different. We find that the A2 is sweeter and does have a little difference in smell. Neither smelled like the store bought milk though and I personally feel like the milks are a little creamier.

The milk above is the dairy that provides us with the A2 milk to the service which is Marketwagon. Like I said, there are several farms and dairies-it just depends where you live that will determine your choices. We started using Marketwagon at the beginning of this year and are STILL loving and using it. I've bought other products here and there in addition to our milk and I really hope you check them out! Also, when you click my Marketwagon link, you will get $20 off your first order just for reading about it here!!! Just make sure you click to be my friend! I want to make sure you get your discount!

I totally encourage you to do a little research on A2 milk if you are lactose intolerant. Oh and I did price compare; the grocery store A2 milk is approximately the same price as the one get we delivered. And it really is a wonderful feeling getting milk delivered the not so old fashion old fashioned way. Oh, I forgot to mention how they do our delivery- what they do is deliver your products in a nice insulated tote with ice packs to your front door. They ring and run (lol, not really run) and send you a text/email when it's on the way and when it's been delivered. You keep the tote and put it out for the next time and they will swap you at your next delivery. Now if they could just bring back the old milk trucks! And glass bottles because you all know how I feel about glass!!!😁

And for all my international followers, I encourage you to look into your local farm market delivery service as well. I'd love to know and hear if it's still a big thing in your country! I'm sure it probably is!!🌍

Can't wait to see where my thoughts will take me tonight!