but is it organic as fuck?

[gfrancie]

Another day. Another bender at pre-school. Today the kids seemed rather high strung. Maybe it is the wind and rain we have had the past few days. They got worked up over a lot. Senor Onion wasn't at his best. Yeah. Eventually everyone sorted out their ya-yas. The parent in charge of snack this week is worried that the kids aren't getting enough protein in their snack. She mentioned that her son comes home exhausted and she blames it on the lack of protein. He is three. He has spent the morning having a good time. He is supposed to be a little worn out. Plus it is snack. Not lunch. The whole point of snack is more for the social experience, trying new things and being independent. (They pour their own water, hand out snacks, put away their dishes/mats) This Mom is pretty nice if a little wound up at times. Her son is a real sweetie. Anyways for snack she threw down with ham, pineapple, peas and these gluten-free brownie things... (we have a kid with gluten allergies) The kids loved the ham and pineapple. They did not touch the peas. The brownie things.... well the kids ate them because hey they are brownie things. I tried a taste and they were truly awful. Never trust the taste of three year olds. They will eat chalky brick things if they taste faintly of chocolate. This brings up another interesting note. The teacher and I giggled because one kid was going crazy for the chocolate brownie things. (I can't call them a brownie because those awful things weren't brownies. They were...things.) He ate a few pieces of pineapple and the things. The kid's Mother had mentioned a few times at parent meetings that she is concerned about nutrition and hopes the kids aren't eating junk food and things like costco muffins. And yet there was her son with a ring of chocolate around his mouth. I would say that over all the kids eat a rather well-rounded snack. A lot of fruit and veg and fun things. It is always interesting to see what gets a parent worked up in terms of food.

There is the wicked part of me that wants to bring in pixie sticks and kool-aid and say, "and there are free puppies afterward" and just watch everyone have seizures.

An amusing article on doing a cleanse. I like the author's honesty about choosing a juicing cleanse based on the label and fonts.

Comments

[sallysimpleton.livejournal.com]

Oh, man. Locals get so worked up about their food (I'm guilty of it in various fashions and at various times, I realize), that this just cracks me up to hear you retelling how it gets demonstrated through the children. Yes, some of my reaction (finding it very funny) is because I've spent some real time agonizing over what to bring to some gatherings where I know a gluten-free acquaintance is present.

Brownie things! I love how you refer to it as that.

I think I've had them.

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

Yeah. They are awful things.

I understand some of the logic when it comes to food allergies and the like. But damn some of these parents are thinking too hard about it. But hey I am the asshole parent when given snack prep duty throws down with attractive arrangements. I can't help it. But I do know by doing it they tend to eat more of the food if things look appealing.

[stevieannie.livejournal.com]

This always amuses me hugely. My boy is 14, and has run the whole gamut of food-obsessed schoolmate parents. Me? Not so much. As long as there's a good helping of fruit and veg, carbs and protein, I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist about a packet of crisps or the occasional muffin.

Now, at the age of Stroppy Teenager, my son will happily eat an apple instead of a muffin if both are on offer. His friends with the food-obssessed parents scarf the muffins every time. When they leave home and are in charge of their own diets, I suspect that most of them will put on 50lbs in the first month...

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

Exactly. BALANCE. I was talking about this with Mr. Jenner over dinner and I said that I hesitate to apply morality to food. It tends to lead down a crazy path which can sometimes lead to disordered eating and what not.

[emmabovary.livejournal.com]

Oh god I'm SO glad I'm neither raising toddlers anymore, nor doing so in the States. (Well, certain states. I'm sure these conversations do not take place in Oklahoma. Where "snack" is a fried chicken bucket.)

It would be hilarious for you to bring in the most politically-incorrect snack you could concoct. That said, I'm sure the Food Police would poo-poo graham crackers and grape juice these days (my nursery school snack in days of yore). "Too much sugar! Too much white flour! Not enough fiber!"

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

I fondly recall graham crackers and milk. I liked to dip the crackers in milk until they were just this side of soggy.

[needlediva.livejournal.com]

designer grape juice and locally-sourced-flour graham crackers.
gen, do you remember camille whose mother was all into the rice cakes and soy milk, who would go downtown to the showbox bakery and scarf sugar donuts?

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

Hee. I thought of her immediately. You know Camille made amazing pound cake. She was hanging out with Molly one time and I came over and there were all these delicious things she made. Pound cake, stuffed mushrooms, cookies.

Grumpy old man rant

[solar-diablo.livejournal.com]

Back in my day, when we were still allowed things like Halloween parties at school and no one got offended, they used to feed us candy and soda and chocolate cake until our eyes spun in their sockets and we saw into the fifth dimension. No one had allergies and if they did, they either took it upon themselves not to eat the offending item or they fell to the floor and convulsed, whereupon the other kids giggled and rolled them about until they recovered. And when they came to they said "Oh no, maybe I shouldn't have eaten that sugar/flour/wheat/eggs/yellow dye no.5/MSG infused item and then when into anaphylactic shock, swelling up like a beach ball and speaking in tongues!"

But that's the way things were, and we liked it.

Re: Grumpy old man rant

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

I have a real problem with the whole soda thing because kids really don't need that. Yeah once in awhile it is okay but I would rather the kids had milk or water. That is my thing. When I was in school we usually had juice or water. Which was fine.

Okay here is the thing about food allergies. Kids can sometimes die and there have been situations over the years where some well-meaning parent will say, "here eat this" and the kid will say, "but I can't" and the parent says, "here have a little" and then the kid goes into anaphylactic shock and dies. It ruins the party. It doesn't happen often but just enough that it makes it easier to make things nut-free.
I used to occasionally baby-sit a kid who was allergic to a ton of stuff -as in I had to know how to use an epi-pen so she wouldn't die on my watch kind of thing. I am inclined to take food allergies very very seriously.

This is snack and they are at an age where it is good to learn that variety is a good thing and that sitting down to eat with others is a pleasure.

Re: Grumpy old man rant

[solar-diablo.livejournal.com]

I knew that wouldn't go entirely unchallenged. :P

Leaving the whole issue of allergies aside, it's a question of moderation. You say juice is fine, but I remember my own experiences with "wound up" parents, specifically during the planning of Halloween parties at one particular school of my daughter. One at a time, a parent would stand up and argue specifically against juice, cupcakes, soda, candy, cookies, or whatever it was they found offensive. That there were also more healthy/less death-inducing options that would be offered to the children was irrelevant - the fact that some kids were eating junk food that other kids couldn't have made the whole thing UNFAIR (this was actually one mother's lament).

Coupled with the fact that this was a Catholic school (my kid went there from kindergarten to 2nd grade) and there was a couple of parents worried about the "negative spiritual influences" of Halloween, the school simply prohibited ANY parties the last two years my child went there. They wouldn't even do Christmas for fear of another parental hassle, and this was a private religious school. It felt like the parents were the whiny children, and the school was saying "Look, if you can't play together nicely with the shiny I'm putting it away." Trouble is, as a result it's the kids who missed out on the communal experience you speak to.

Re: Grumpy old man rant

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

I completely understand and agree with much of that. Moderation folks. My thing about juice is that I hate the stuff that has sugar added to it. Juice on its own is pretty darn sweet and adding weird stuff to it gicks me out. (plus it usually tastes awful. Yeah that is the bigger thing for me. "this tastes like crap why feed it to others")

Ah yes. Halloween. Nothing but devils and shit. Dare we tell them that the church co-opted a pagan celebration because they knew the Irish weren't about to give up something that important so easily? It is a Catholic school... why wouldn't they celebrate Christmas. I mean come on. I loved how my public school back in the day would have a Halloween parade around school. It was grand. We also celebrated Christmas. I loved Christmas parties at school. A bender of sweets and crafts.

Interestingly enough my son's preschool is doing halloween (big party this weekend) but Christmas...not so much. I think it will be more winter holidays and introducing people to the whole continuing theme that many cultures have festivals involving lights and stuff.

Re: Grumpy old man rant

[solar-diablo.livejournal.com]

My thing about juice is that I hate the stuff that has sugar added to it. Juice on its own is pretty darn sweet and adding weird stuff to it gicks me out.

I pointed out that very thing during that pre-party meeting that most juice has an equivalent amount of sugar as soda. I mentioned it to defend allowing soda at the party, but to my chagrin another parent ran with it and essentially turned it into "SEE? They shouldn't have either!" Ack.

The whole "No parties ever again, including Christmas" thing floored me, but we knew the daughter was not going to be at that school for much longer anyway (the dealbreaker was the cost, not the lack of parties) so I shrugged it off. It just seemed sad, since I remember fondly the holiday doings I got to attend as a kid myself. The public school my daughter is in now has to be careful about some things - the parties this week aren't specifically for Halloween (although there are decorations and costumes are allowed), and yeah, they are now called "Winter festivals" and the school is cautious to steer the holiday shows away from overtly religious carols. But thankfully, they seem to have a better handle on how to balance divergent opinions on food and beliefs than the private school did.

[cutebutpsycho99.livejournal.com]

I think the only thing I've worried about is peanuts and other nuts, but that's because of the kid's allergy.

I'll admit to being a bit strict on candy and sugar, but that's because of how prevalent it is in EVERYTHING. I'm always amazed by the stuff that has sugar in it that doesn't need it (like wheat bread).

But I'm also of the belief that if my kid is going to have chocolates and other sweets, then by heaven, I am going to give her the good stuff. No cheap waxy chocolates for her!