In keeping with the healthy theme...

Oh, you don't remember a healthy theme to my blog? Well, I'm sure if you scroll back far enough you'll find something. There WAS my whole "weight loss challenge 2009" thing last year...

Anyway, in keeping with that theme, about a month ago Noah's class was working on "persuasive writing". (As an aside - this is not a subject Noah needed any help with - in fact he told me a few days ago that persuasive writing has been his favorite part of language class this year... no surprise as I've been saying since he was 18 months old that he is going to be a lawyer...) Quite a few of the kids in Noah's class wrote persuasive letters to the principal regarding the unhealthy school lunches. (Noah's letter was concerning the atrocity that is called "Only Twenty Minutes for Recess")


School lunch in our country seems to have become a national topic as of late. I was reminded of an email that went around about a year ago regarding school lunches around the world: (please note: these pictures were copied from various articles about this on the internet. I did not actually get to visit schools around the world for the purpose of this post. Unfortunately.)

Russia

South Africa

France



China

China Again..

Japan

Japan again...

And a variety of school lunches from around the USA...

Carbs, fat, carbs, fat, carbs.... very sad for our kids...

Noah and Emmy complain that at their school the pizza is too cheesy, the waffles and pancakes are too drenched in butter, etc. but they would LOVE to buy lunch on chicken nugget and smiley fries day. NO WAY! Now, I only let my kids buy lunch once/week, and I know I shouldn't even do that. But it is a compromise because they would like to buy more often like their friends do... And there is that occassional morning when I haven't prepared well enough (read: don't have any food in the house) and having that once a week cushion is helpful to me on those days.

Jamie Oliver is doing a show this season, Jamie's Food Revolution, which explores the whole idea of healthy school lunches, and eating in general. I have to admit I haven't had the opportunity to watch the show yet, but tonight is the finale on ABC, and I hope we get to watch it as a family.

You can also visit Jamie's website here about this and even sign a petition. I appreciate his passion for good (real) food and his desire for people to think about what it is they are putting into their bodies.

I hate to admit it, but Great Britian does not come to mind when I think of "good food" but between Jamie Oliver, and this report done by the BBC, maybe it's time for me to rethink my position on that... Here they tell us how Japanese elementary students study, grow and cook a different food plant every year. They integrate food awareness into their everyday school environment. Living in such a rural area, I stomp my feet and say, "Why aren't we doing this here!" If we felt more connected to our food, maybe wiser choices would be made.

I'm not standing on any soapbox here, nor would Noah consider this a persuasive argument. I just wanted to open it up for discussion since my boy brought it into our home. Here's to healthy eating habits, Cheers!

And on that note: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Showdown IS still in the works! (It's all about balance, people...) All of the ingredients have been purchased, I've just been lacking a full day to dedicate to the baking of 6 different recipes of cookies!!! Thanks for your patience!

Disclaimer

It can be a dangerous thing, having a blog. There is a fine line between sharing/journaling what one is feeling/experiencing at any given time, and creating an image of life and family that might not be accurate. Mostly, I want my blog to be a way to remember what was important to me and/or my family at any given time, and to keep others who are interested up to date. Occassionally, it is a fun way to share tidbits, and always, it is a creative outlet for me.

But when mostly all you post are positive experiences, well, one's life can start to seem - perfect. An individual can start to seem too good to be true. I sometimes start to feel that way with other blogs that I follow. And sometimes, I hate to admit, I compare my life to the perfection they are blogging. And tiny seeds of discontent can grow from that. I don't want that here at this blog. So, I ask for accountability in keeping it REAL.

For instance, if one should think it amazing that I had time to bake so many cookies over the holidays, I offer exhibit A:

My nightmare office that I've been putting off cleaning for months-

the other half of the room is even worse.

And there just happens to be a door and a window leaning against the bookcase there so you can't even see what's behind there. (in fact, not sure what's back there myself...)

For every evening of bliss around the dinner table after the dishes are cleared, know that there are 4 others of complete chaos, spills on the floor, whining and tears. There are many happy times here, but there are days bitten by disappointment, hurt feelings that need mending, floors that need washing and clothes that need folding. For every 2 papercrafting projects I complete, there are still 100 more I want to do. We do NOT eat a vegetable with every meal. And some days I just get in a major funk cause all I want to do is go to Europe. Oh, and my Mii hasn't lost any weight yet and for the past week all I've been craving is chocolate.

Just layin' it out there for ya, people.

I could go on, but I think you get the point, yes? I want to share stuff here, but don't want anyone to see it as bragging, and don't want to be creating a false image. So, if it starts to seem that way, let me know, and you can always stop back here to the Disclaimer to be reminded of just a few of the flaws I've shared so far...

And as for sharing... I'm hoping to share an "after" picture of the office with you within the week. Hold me accountable, please?