More about sugar, this time High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

Ever since watching Jamie Oliver's TED talk ( http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver.html ) I have been completely re-inspired to feed my child/family well.  For the most part, we sit down every night for dinner with a good well, rounded home cooked meal (6 out of 7 nights cooked by my husband! Thank you, honey!)  When I am food shopping, I read ingredients and do not buy foods that have HFCS added (a problem when buying graham crackers for my cheesecake), and am just continually surprised and frustrated by how many foods contain HFCS (well, and just regular corn syrup too).  But HFCS is REALLY, REALLY BAD FOR YOU.  Here is a link explaining the reasons when compared to sugar:
http://www.grist.org/article/researchers-yes.-hfcs-is-much-worse-than-table-sugar

It doesn't go into the chemical reasons why it's bad for you (like the process of creating HFCS leaves Mercury residuals). But it is still a very great eye opening study, and well grounded regarding the impact of HFCS on your body and fat.

Here are a couple of my reasons why I know HFCS is bad for you (it's my cynical reason - not grounded in any true factual evidence):  1.  Why would you believe the Corn Refiners Association and their evidence stating that there is nothing wrong with HFCS?  That's like saying not brushing your teeth won't lead to gum disease.  That's what we would call a non-objective study.
2.  Again, why would we believe Pepsi-Co and their study refuting there is any harm done to humans and obesity, etc by drinking soda.  Again, that's what we would call a non-objective study.  I don't care that they have a doctor (hired by them) to state on Nightline (watch the video at the end of the article) that he finds there is nothing wrong with HFCS.

Seriously, we are supposed to believe people HIRED by the people making these products that indeed, there is nothing wrong with them, contrary to a study done by doctors with no connection to anyone or any company?  Seriously?  My belief is with the evidence and the non-biased doctors.

Today I was Supermom.

Today I was supermom...started with oversleeping, then breakfast with Hunter.  Getting him ready for school, thank you that today I didn't need to make his lunch, and good thing I just look like a normal mom that rolled out of bed to get her child to school and we don't have to make sure we look "dressed" to drop him off and pick him up.  I look like all the other moms (love that).  I get him out the door into the car and off to school (yay, we're not late!).  Get home, make coffee, and figure out what to cook for dinner tonight for our friends.  Love my new Ina Garten cookbook...decide on Chicken Picata.  Now what you will soon discover is that I am the baker in the family.  I bake the banana bread, the cupcakes, the cheesecake (all of which I'm REALLY good at), I am not a cook.  I make lasagna (which to me is baking), I make (baked) ziti, I make casseroles...which to me is like baking.  I am not a cook.  That is my husband's department. 

A few weeks ago I declared Friday night my dinner night, to give my husband a break.  (I supposed Friday ought to be his cleaning day to give me a break -- but I digress).  So, I've decided what we're having even though I've never made it before, how hard could it be?  Pound the chicken breasts, dip in flour, dip in egg, dip in bread crumbs, put in pan, put in oven....oh right then there's the sauce..., in hindsight, maybe not so easy.  Also making broccoli and wild rice.

Anyway, I went grocery shopping, then vacuumed the house, cleaned the bathrooms, picked up Hunter, took him to park for 1 1/2 hours (because I said I would yesterday), played at home with Hunter before his nap, then naptime.  Ahhhhh, naptime.  I love naptime.  Quiet.  I finished vacuuming, cleaned the rest of the house including two sets french door windows, showered, poured myself a glass of wine and started to make dinner! Thanks to husband for prepping the sauce, so that when I needed the ingredients, they were right there.  Guests arrive, house looks great, all is well.

whew! end of day! success all around!!!  Glad that I don't need to be supermom all of the time.  It's exhausting!

Enough already! I'm tripping over the toys!

Tonight as I was walking out of the family room, I literally stuck my foot into a toy.  It is one of those rolling bumblebee toys for toddlers.

Hunter left it in the entrance to the family room.  I stepped my big size 10 foot through the handle bar (somehow!) and took a step all while walking and balancing my computer in one hand as I used my other hand to catch my fall twisting my ankle going down onto our cement floor. 

Yes it hurt, but seriously what would have hurt WAY more was if my computer had slipped out from its precarious spot balanced in my left hand....but no, my guardian angel who watches over my computer didn't let it fall (thank you very much).  My ankle hurts a bit, but I can get over that.

So, the point...seriously WAY TOO MANY TOYS RUNNING AMUCK IN MY HOUSE.  I think they are breeding somehow. 

Not needing any sympathy, but wanting a "wow that was close" from my husband, he says instead that it looked funny from behind.  He didn't know that I was holding my computer precariously.  I'm sure it did look funny.  I'm still on the high that results from knowing I somehow just saved $700+ by not dropping my laptop.

I don’t like green, I like blue and orange

This morning I was telling my nearly 3 year old son Hunter that tomorrow we have to wear green to school, throwing in “if your Irish” at the end. He says he doesn’t like green, he likes blue and orange. Then he asks, “What’s Irish?” in his cute nearly 3 year old voice, almost intelligible. I begin to explain what Irish is.


But here’s my question…why do we need to in preschool, celebrate everything? Hunter has been bringing home artwork that is all about pots of gold, shamrocks, green this and green that.

Are they learning anything at all about the country? About who St Patrick really is/was? Does anyone ever bother to learn about why we have St Patrick’s Day? Or are we just playing along…by wearing green, making green cupcakes and cutting out green 4 leaf clovers? I’m just asking.

And if my son doesn’t like green, but likes orange and blue, do I dress him in green just to have him not stand out and be the only one not wearing it? Does it make me a bad parent if he doesn’t?

Sugar

Have you seen Jamie Oliver's TED talk? (http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver.html)

First, who is Jamie Oliver you might be asking.  He's a chef who has made a name for himself by not being flashy, but very down to earth and cooking food using produce right from his own garden in his backyard.  He's English.

Second, you also may be asking, what is a TED talk?  "TED (taken straight from it's website ted.com) is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader."

We Americans have a problem with sugar.  Maybe our context about sugar is that it makes problems go away...to quote Mary Poppins "a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down"...don't like the taste of regular milk?  Just add some sugar and chocolate to it and kids will drink it.  My philosophy, if they don't like the regular taste, just skip it and give them some yogurt instead (for the vitamin D, etc)...good concept initially, but then you have to contend with the added sugar in the yogurt!!  Sugar is in everything we touch.

I'm trying to be a good mom, by staying away from sugar.  But it's hard...there are the looks and comments to deal with from other parents and strangers.  People don't know how to deal with it.  We decided to not get Hunter hooked on juice.  He's a milk (yes, he drinks the real thing...organic, not sugared) and water kid.  No juice for him.  I don't make a big deal about it if he has some occassionally but his teachers know not to give it to him.  Also, he's a no sugar kid...except on special occassions is he allowed to have a cookie, cup cake or ice cream.  Sometimes the special occassion is that we are at a friends house and their daughter is eating ice cream as her after dinner treat.  So Hunter will get to have a small tiny amount.  He knows it's a special thing.  He announces it to the world if he gets to eat a cookie, cupcake or treat of any kind. 

Really, I am doing this because by today's standards, the level of sugar usage in our lives is unnecessary and out of control.  And, I think it's really bad for us to be exposed to it at the high levels that we are.  Have you ever read the ingredients on all of what you buy?  I keep being amazed at what I am NOT buying because of sugars, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup (which is just awful for you, seriously bad, and it seems like it's in everything).  I believe in "sugar in moderation".  For example, in the cake you bake (and make from scratch, not from the box) so you know how much sugar (and can cut down on the suggested amount) you are putting in.

Now I see as I write this, the cascading effect of all of this.  I could write a post just about baking...which I probably will...and how no one bakes from scratch anymore.  We are blind and oblivious to the ingredients we are putting in our bodies because we don't make anything that doesn't come out of a box anymore.  The art of cooking is going by the way side.  People are buying mash potatoes in a bag, ready for you to pop in the microwave and steam.  DO YOU KNOW HOW BAD THAT IS FOR YOU?  First, there's the microwaving that is, in itself, controversial regarding toxicity and killing any nutritional value in food, then there's the microwaving plastic which is a huge no-no in the "that's toxic" world...and I could go on and on...but it leads me to the question of "why does one need to do that?"  Can't you just make mashed potatoes?  They aren't all that hard to make.  So you eat 30 minutes later than normal. 

I'm with Jamie Oliver on this one...we, Americans, need a food revolution!  First order up:  cut down on the sugar!!!

My mother

So many people have said, "I've learned so much from my mother". In my case, my mother is a professional in the area of raising children, starting early in her career being a teacher at a nursery school, then getting a Master's degree in Parent Education and then later in her career (at the age I am now) her Master's in Counseling specializing in Family and Child Therapy. I find myself daily thinking about my mother and the difference she has made in my life not just in what I have learned from her in the area of being a parent, but in all the other areas as well.

My mother has taught me two main things regarding parenting: listen and give your child some space to experience and live life.

When I say listen, I don't mean listen because someone is talking to you. I mean listen as in being really interested in "what is my child trying to say to me". When I listen to my own son, who is 2 years old and doesn't have a huge vocabulary, I have to also listen and watch the other forms of communication. So when he is frustrated and on the verge of a tantrum, I stop and get on his level and ask myself 'what he is trying to tell me?'. I can't figure it out at my level (5'9"), I have to get down to him at 3' and look at life from where he is standing. Usually that initiates him talking to me (again, with hand pointing and some words I don't understand) and somehow I begin to understand him and his frustration defuses. I have to think about what he is trying to tell me that he doesn't have the words to tell me.

When I say give your child some space to experience and live life, I mean try not to fix what is wrong or save them. I remember when I was a teenager, I came home from school one day and stomped around the kitchen, slamming doors and complaining to my mother that there wasn't any food in the house (which in fact wasn't the case). My mother let me stomp around and then asked me what was upsetting me. I said something about no food in the house and stomped downstairs to my room. A bit later, I went back upstairs and sat down at the kitchen table and talked to my mom about what was really bothering me.

I think about this when my son is playing and a toy isn't working the way he wants it to. I try to just let him figure it out. I know he will and if I get too involved in the figuring it out, he won't learn whatever there is for him to learn. Sometimes he gets frustrated and scatters the toys away from him and sometimes he gets it working and experiences the triumph of having figured it out! Such a smile I get to see when he is victorious and I get to celebrate with him. When he gets frustrated, he comes over to "tell" me about it and get some loving from me. Both endings I love.

I have learned so many other things from my mother but those two rank right up at the top. I hope I continue to learn from my mother and have the ability to pass that knowledge on to others. Celebrate all that you have learned from your mother and the other mothers in your life.

Happy Mother's Day!