Mommy and We

OK. I’ll admit it. My kids are PICKY when it comes to eating. They do, however, like some fruits and veggies. One of Tristan’s favorite things is actually broccoli! {Oh, the horror!} We don’t eat much “junk”, and they’re truthfully not all that big on candy. They both like to drink milk and juices and generally prefer them over sodas. Our biggest downfall is convenience. We eat a lot of boxed foods. But that being said, I HATE school lunches and their “PUSH” to be healthy.

With me being a stay-at-home mom, we simply don’t have a lot of money to throw around. So we usually get free or reduced meals through school. This year, since our end of the county is generally low-income, they’ve started a school wide free meal program. That’s AWESOME! Except for the fact that the food sucks. Big time. I KNOW it’s because of this “healthy” and “childhood obesity” crap that is trying to be shoved down our throats.

Last year, I went to school for a visit with my kids almost every day at lunch time. One day, they had something that was some type of egg roll-ish thing. ONE child in the cafeteria ate half of it. I don’t remember exactly what the sides were, but this was the “main entree”. Yuck. I have nothing against egg rolls. In fact, I like them. If they’re made well and aren’t generally disgusting. THIS was gross. Truly. I go every year for their Thanksgiving and Christmas meals(excuse me “Holiday” meals–but that’s a bitch-fest for another time).  The food has zero flavor, is dry and I’m pretty sure that ONE piece of turkey lunch meat does not a meal make.

This year, they’ve cut back the chicken tenders from 4 to 2. Really? That’s supposed to fill a kid up? I don’t think so. Gwen used to love their spaghetti. Not this year. She refuses to eat it. Four out of five meals at school, my kids eat a peanut butter sandwich from home. (more from the picky-vault) We are asked to encourage our kids to eat school lunch so they can keep the free program. Why? So they can throw out more than they use?

I guess my biggest question is: HOW can it be so “healthy” if our kids aren’t eating it? I’d much rather my kid eat a peanut butter sandwich (or Nutella, in Gwen’s case), Cheez-its, a cereal bar and a cup of pudding for lunch than to go hungry because what they’re given in school is inedible.

When I was in school, I remember we had GOOD meals. We had pizza. We had stromboli. We got salt and pepper packets. We were even allowed more than ONE pack of ketchup or BBQ sauce. And the majority of us were slim. Know why? Because we got UP off our asses and went OUTSIDE to play. Every morning at my house, we had eggs or pancakes and bacon or sausage gravy. Every night, supper was steak, potatoes, corn and peas or chicken, mashed potatoes, corn….You get the drift. LOTS of GOOD food. I never weighed over my “suggested” weight until AFTER I had Tristan. It certainly wasn’t because I was eating “healthy” in school. I was eating GOOD in and out of school. But being ACTIVE while doing it.

One of the biggest problems with school, is the lack of PE. If I remember right, we had it daily. Gwen gets to have it twice a week, I think. Another is the TIME they give them to eat. They have to stand in line and wait on their food. OK. Fine. But if they’re in one of the later classes, they have to stand in a line for 10 minutes or more which cuts into their eating time. We are ALWAYS after Tristan to slow down eating when he’s home. Know why? Because he’s so conditioned in school to “hurry” that he shovels everything in. He gets maybe 15 minutes to eat. *I* can’t do it when I go in for those holiday meals. I HATE it.

So, I’ll stop bitching now…Anyone else have anything to add? I’d love to hear how things are done at YOUR school and if you approve or disapprove…Am I just being overly sensitive?
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