I am about to make that my official new title.
It is not just the holidays, but of course, the sugar intensity is greatly heightened this time of year.
It is everywhere!
Home, school, church, parties!
Even the other night, my husband commented that we needed to limit the sugar in our son's diet. When I followed up with the fact that it would need to be a family affair to make it work, he quickly made issue with the idea that he had a problem.
What a team player!
We are not a perfectly healthy eating household. And I do believe in flexibility and enjoying treats. My quest for organic has been limited with our move here. I can get a few things (milk thankfully!), but most everything else just has to be more natural and or at least the healthiest I can find. And there are lots of times I cave at the store when a young person is with me.
But this sugar thing is like a speeding train that needs to be stopped!
School parties last week were ridiculous. I always volunteer for non-sweet items because I know that 80% of the table will be sugar. And I am usually right. It was abundant at my dtr's party, but thankfully me and a few other mothers contributed otherwise. My son's party table looked a bit better than the Halloween party they had, but the take-home bags from other kids (mothers!) and the teachers were loaded with candy.
Church is almost worse! Since we moved, I have never seen my kids eat so much in class. They almost always come out of Sunday class with a treat and Wednesday usually involves a snack and juice.
Then I get to take my kids home and try to put them to bed. Thanks!
I know it starts at home and I need to do a better job so I won't have to worry so much about what happens when they are not here. I would love to make some significant changes, but it would be a struggle with my big kid's love of all that is a sugar or white-product.
It would probably turn into the One Mean Mommy Show!
I guess I will ponder some more and figure out how to make some of the changes for our family in the New Year. We are going to make some other changes anyway, so hopefully I can just slip this one in without anyone noticing! :)
Excuse me while I go throw away some chocolate!
Stacey
4 comments:
Throw away the chocolate!!! Have you gone mad, woman!!
I don't really even try much during the holidays. Baking is part of my festivities and what's the point if you're not gonna EAT IT? :)
I was so very good with the "healthy eating" kick for a couple of years - no store bought bread or eggs or milk; brown rice, organic whatever-I-could-find, no processed foods, and no boxed cereals, etc...
and then I realized: I was an idolater. :)
It was stressing me out and making me judgmental and I was always anxious about what my friends would think if they saw this or that. If the kids had a sniffle I felt tremendous guilt.
I am such an extremist and I've had to learn to LET IT GO. God is not waiting to strike me or my kids with cancer because we eat boxed cereal. Somehow I am able to make even FOOD all about ME. :)
Oh, and I also read a book about the Environmental Movement that scared me and made me walk on the other side of the aisle from the "Green Groupies." But that's another story and I'm still working on BALANCE there. :)
Like I said, I am an extremist and it's miserable work, that. I so admire balanced people.
Good luck cutting back sugar at CHRISTMAS! ;) I see a cold turkey around the corner from your house... ;)
In the meantime, have a happy Christmas despite the sugar rushes!
Love,
Jen
I've got similar issues around here, although I must say that the school my boys attend truly tries to limit sweets, even though their last day contained more sugar than normal. However, at Christmastime, I do not allow food to be an issue for myself, nor the boys. Of course I still monitor the amount of sugar/chocolate they consume, but seriously, no one is monitoring my husband and I on the other side of the spectrum when it comes to the salty snacks. And believe me, we love our salty snacks. I'd take a bowl of Tostitos and salsa anyday over the sugar cookies. Any thoughts of limiting portion sizes, etc. kind of just goes out the window for three days in December. Eating is part of the fun. We enjoy it. But I hope you find balance and I completely understand where you're coming from. Have a great Christmas!
The candy canes were multiplying like rabbits around here! What is the deal?! I was throwing away candy right and left... and I'm not anti-sugar in the least. But all those M&Ms seriously went to Wog's head!
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