DATE ARCHIVES : July 2016

I’m Not Ready for Summer to End

I’m Not Ready for Summer to End

As I look on my calendar, I realize that the kids go back to school in about a month. While many parents are doing somersaults and are ready to do the happy dance, I can honestly say I’m not. Truthfully, I’m sad that summer vacation as we know it will be coming to end sooner than I can say day at the beach.

Although there have been plenty of times my kids have driven me crazy over the past six weeks, there have been more times filled with laughs, smiles and hugs. For this, I am eternally blessed. There have been playdates and get togethers with friends that we don’t get to see as often during the hectic school year. I’ve been able to actually watch my kids learn how to swim right in front of my eyes. This is an accomplishment that I am more than proud of because there were plenty of moments when I honestly thought it would never happen! There have been walks on the beach and melting ice cream cones along with carnival rides and rollercoasters. There have been countless nights of no bedtime so we can stay up to watch “Full House” re-runs on Nick at Nite (this is a personal fave!). There have been lazy mornings listening to my girls actually play with each other without killing one another.

So, why would I want summer to end?

I’ll be trading all of this in for bedtime fights followed by morning struggles of literally pulling my girls out of bed. There will be the whole Kindergarten transition for my youngest (that’s a topic for an entirely different post). I’d rather poke my eye out with a spork! I can’t wait for the outfit battles this year now that our school has switched from a uniform to a dress code policy. That should be fun!

There will be extracurricular activities and sports to keep the girls busy and Mom crazy all at the same time. Saturday mornings will be taken up with soccer games and smelly cleats. There will be the birthday invitations coming home for kids I didn’t even know existed! Don’t forget the homework and the effort to get it all done without a fight.

Remind me again why I want the kids to go back to school? I’ll trade all of that in for an endless summer…along with the sunshine and great weather. A momma can dream…

 

 

 

Restaurant Menus Are Failing Our Kids

Have you ever noticed how limited many kids’ menus are at restaurants? Honestly, it never really hit me until we were on vacation last month. Ninety-five percent of the choices for kids consisted of chicken nuggets/tenders, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, macaroni and cheese, or grilled cheese. Of course the options for sides included fries because there is no other way to prepare potatoes apparently. Some offered fruits and vegetables…but not all.

Sigh.

I know many people are brainwashed to believe that is the complete food pyramid for many kids. Is that just because that’s all that we’re offering?

Case and point. During a dinner out while on vacation, my 4-year-old was not in the mood for the typical kids’ choices. She moaned and groaned. When she asked what I was having and I answered steak, she asked why she couldn’t have that too. Good question. So, I asked the waiter if I could order a smaller steak for her. While he said they couldn’t do that (hmmm…okay, can’t you just cut a smaller piece of meat?, but I digress) he did tell me I could simply order a beef kabob that was listed as an “add-on” on the adult menu. While this satisfied her carnivorous craving, I asked myself why this couldn’t be an option on the kids’ menu. Sure, I could have just given my daughter some of my steak, but that still doesn’t solve the problem. Plus, mama wants to eat too! Why are kids locked into a box of hot dogs and grilled cheeses? Can’t we do better for our kids? It’s no wonder we have a childhood obesity problem in this country.

Maybe some of it comes down to the all mighty dollar.We all know restaurants are making some bucks on their kids’ meals. Sorry, but when you’re charging $5.99 for a bowl of mac and cheese and a drink, I know there is profit to be had. A box of Kraft mac and cheese goes for about one dollar…and that’s a whole box that feeds more than one kid. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out who’s coming out on top here. It’s certainly not the kids and parents. If it’s not mac and cheese then it’s a $4.99 “meal” that consists of a hot dog, fries, and a drink. Sure it’s cheap, but mama always said, you get what you pay for. There is nothing nutritious going on in there. Why not offer more balanced “adult-like” meal options? Maybe baked chicken, steak, dare I even go so far as suggest fish? If restaurants have to charge more then so be it. It will then be on the parents to decide whether they want to pay an extra five bucks for their kid to have a better quality meal. Until or should I said if this happens it looks like I’ll be ordering that beef kabob from the adult menu for my kid.