School Lunches: You Say You Want a Revolution

Photo: bleublogger on Flickr

Peanut butter, peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter and honey, ham, or cheese? When I was in sixth grade I, along with other girls from my class, got to help out in the school's cafeteria. (The fact that only girls were eligible to work in the cafeteria is bothersome... but that's a subject for another post.) I went to a private school and they really did school lunches right. There would be a main dish that was usually quite healthful, though they did sometimes serve spaghetti noodles with butter -- gag. There was no pizza or chicken nuggets that don't even remotely resemble chicken. There was always fruit, always vegetables, and the sandwich choices were available for anyone who didn't want the main course. Looking back, I know they could have made the meals more nutrient dense by using whole grain breads and so forth. But everything was fresh, everything was made right there, and nothing was frozen or processed.

My son's school lunch choices aren't at all what I had. Even though his school makes a big deal about their "wellness policy" and how they're making an effort to serve more healthful foods, the proof isn't on the plate. Breakfast choices include PopTarts, egg and sausage sandwiches, donuts, cinnamon sticks, muffins and sticky rolls. At least they also have fruit. Lunch isn't better. Nachos, chicken patty sandwiches and pizza are the staples. The vegetables they serve are soggy and unrecognizable and the salads are limp and browning. Drink choices are appalling, too. Soda is readily available as are slushies and other high-calorie treats.

There's no wonder why I pack my son's lunch every day.

When I look back at my grade school hot lunch program, I know it can be done. All the excuses -- budgeting, time constraints, staffing, number of students -- are just that... excuses. While it's certainly a big change from the status quo, our schools can do a better job of serving healthful meals to kids.

Chef Jamie Oliver thinks so, too. He tackled Britain's school lunch program and now he's come to this side of the pond. His new show, Food Revolution, airs Friday nights. I can't wait to see how he manages to shake up school lunch programs while staying in budget and working with existing staff. And I can't wait to see what the kids think when their greasy pizza goes away.

What do your school-age children do for lunches?

A Lesson in Apologizing

Photo: Fatback[Dale] on Flickr

All kids make mistakes. It's part of their job description. Guest blogger, Jenni, from Four Feet More fills us in on her ideas for teaching kids to deliver sincere and heartfelt apologies when their behavior takes a tumble.

There have been a lot of public apologies in the news lately. Whether it’s Jesse James or Tiger Woods, celebrities seem to have a lot to be sorry for. If you watched Tiger’s live apology (I didn't) or read about it later (which I did), it may have been enlightening to you how he apologized. Not the exact words, per se, but the format. As if there were rules he was following when composing his mea culpa. This is what I learned from Tiger's apology:

A sincere apology must have 3 parts:

1. Honestly admit what you did.
2. Explain why it was wrong (including who it hurt and why).
3. Give a "plan of action" to show that what you did will not happen again.

I'm told this is classic 12-step-program procedure, but never having gone through such a program, I hadn't really thought about it before. It seems so logical though. I know when someone simply says "I'm sorry," I often don't feel that they really understood why what they did was wrong. With my kids especially, the words "I'm sorry" are more of a way to get out of a lecture or move on from a situation, rather than a sincere acknowledgment that what they did was wrong. So, much to our kids’ dismay, we have instituted the 3-step apology rule in our house.

This was put to the test recently when my 8-year-old daughter was caught lying about a school project and not completing her homework. First, she had to verbally apologize to us, which was very hard. She wanted to blame everyone but herself for the incomplete homework. However, she finally took responsibility and was able to verbalize why not doing her homework was wrong. Then, I broke the news to her that she would need to write a formal letter of apology to her teacher. Oh, the drama that ensued! Tears, groans, and “Why are you making me do this?! It’s not fair!” were thrown left and right in an attempt to get out of writing the letter. My daughter really likes her teacher, you see, and didn’t want to admit to her that she’d lied about the overdue project.

It took my daughter two days and four drafts to write that letter, but when the final draft was signed, it was good. She hit all three parts of the apology and came up with a practical plan to ensure that her homework was completed in the future. I was proud of her for taking responsibility and hope that her teacher is too.

Even though the 3-step apology elicits groans from both my daughter and son, I’m glad we’ve implemented it in our home. I think it has made our kids much more reflective about how their actions and words affect others. Hopefully this will eventually result in them thinking about potential outcomes before they act, rather than atoning for them afterward.

Toy Review: Made By Me Boxed Set

There aren't too many kids who don't enjoy getting their hands dirty with a good craft. But after the fridge is full of your child's artwork, what do you do with it? The Made By Me boxed set provides a craft that will keep your little ones busy and provide them with a lasting toy after craft time is done.


AmeriKid toy reviewer, Joey, recently took the Made By Me boxed set for a test drive. Joey knows from cars -- even at the tender age of four Joey can list off car makes and models like a pro. But getting to design his own vehicles was new territory for this car aficionado.

The set includes wooden bodies of a train, tractor, tugboat, and truck as well as wheels and axles for each. You have to supply additional materials -- decorations (paints, markers, crayons, stickers, etc.) glue, and a hammer.



Mom's notes: Joey had been a bit under the weather, so this was a perfect activity to keep him engaged, but still have quiet time. He had a great time decorating all the vehicles and they were really easy to assemble. Joey was even able to put them together himself with his toy hammer. The toys have held up to Joey's less-than-gentle play, too!

Link Love: Caffeine, Tooth Fairy Crafts, and Stupid Sock People

Photo: Janine on Flickr

Do your kids know what to do in an emergency? Strollerderby tells us about one teen who texted his parents during a robbery.

"Mom, can I have... ?" How many times have you heard this while standing in line at the check out counter? MomLogic details just how much money you can save if you skip the snack bar.

Could chocolate being keeping your child awake at night? Divine Caroline gives us the buzz about kids and caffeine.

I'm all for saving mementos of my son's youth, but I don't think I want to take it this far. LilSugar grills us on gold teeth.

KidCrave recommends the Stupid Sock People book. They're cute, but when my son's socks are ready for retirement they should be bombed or at least buried... certainly not turned into a toy!

Sweet Dreams

Photo: flickrized on Flickr

There's a secret among parents. No matter how much your child acted up throughout the day, no matter how many temper tantrums they threw or how big of a stink they put up about eating their broccoli, all you have to do is go watch them sleeping. Any trace of parental frustration just melts away when you look at your child when they're peacefully asleep.

But for some families, sleep doesn't come peacefully or easily. Many kids will fight bedtime tooth and nail. In that department, I'm one of the lucky ones. Bedtime is usually quite pleasant in my house. My only regret is that our sweet bedtime ritual is starting to melt into that pre-teen "I'd rather be alone" state of mind.

When my son first moved in with me he was 10-years-old. I was in shock when he confessed that, until then, nobody from his birth family or in previous foster homes had ever read to him. But we read. Every night I'd plop a big floor pillow next to his bed. I'd kneel on the pillow while he curled up under the blankets. We'd trade off chapters or pages depending on the book -- he'd read a little, then I'd read a little. As he grew tired, I would just read to him... letting him be lulled to sleep by the sound of my voice. I credit those nights reading books such as "Island of the Blue Dolphins," "Maniac Magee," and "The White Giraffe" with the best of our early bonding as a family.

Sometimes he'd fall to sleep while I was reading. Other nights he'd be ready to sleep when I closed the book. On rare nights, he'd ask me to rub his back and sing while he fell asleep. I loved those nights. There's nothing more precious than those quiet moments.

He's getting older now and more often than not he refuses my offers to read. He prefers to go up to his room on his own and flip through a magazine before bed. It's a modern-day right of passage I guess. So I let him go, but I quietly miss that together time before bed.

I think that's why I so enjoyed reading about other families' bedtime rituals on Parenting.com. How about you? Is bedtime easy in your house? What bedtime rituals do you have with your kids?

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