Lunch Wars: A Review

Synopsis from Barnes and Noble:
There's a battle going on in school lunchrooms around the country...and it's a battle our children can't afford for us to lose.

The average kid will eat 4,000 school lunches between kindergarten and twelfth grade. But what exactly are kids eating in school lunchrooms around the country? Many parents don't quite know what their children are eating-or where it came from. As award-winning filmmaker and nutritionist Amy Kalafa discovered in researching her documentary film Two Angry Moms: Fighting for the Health of America's Children, these days it's pretty rare to find a piece of fresh fruit in your average school lunchroom amid all the chips, french fries, Pop-Tarts, chicken nuggets, and soda that's being served. But what, if anything, can parents do about it?

My Review:

I enjoyed reading Lunch Wars, and was appalled at the same time. I cannot believe how terrible school lunches have become, and how much red tape surrounds the process of cooking and serving school lunches. I also found many useful ideas to get healthy foods implemented in our local school cafeterias and many of them involved blogging. In fact, in some ways I found this book to be a recruitment for bloggers to post on their blogs and start a food revolution.

I was inclined enough by the scary information in this book to conduct my own experiment with my 3 year old son, limiting his sugar intake to less than I normally allow. The result was pretty significant, he was much calmer and focused. I have vowed to put an end to some of our bad habits, and for that alone, I think the book was a good read. Now will I completely revolutionize our eating habits, or take over my children's cafeteria? That remains to be seen, but I know I will make sure to be more aware of what he is eating for lunch.

Please go visit Blogher to join the discussion about school lunches.

This was a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Jumbly goo

I so want to write a post about how awesome my child free trip was, and it was awesome. Reallllllly good food and beverage, ridiculous hard, completely uphill 5k, and great talks with my sis.... oh and these pics which you have all seen if you are friends with me on Facebook, (I am all into recycling):

Before 5k-Yes I know my # is on upside down, I fixed it.

All uphill and steep! This pic doesn't even capture it.

Me in my favorite.dress.ever. at my favorite winery.

Love my sis!

If you ever get a chance to go to Traverse City, do it. It's absolutely gorgeous, the food and wine is amazing, and it's just a chill spot for adults. If you like wine or food or golf or pretty things you won't be disappointed. For dining, I would recommend:

Trattoria Stella
Jolly Pumpkin
Poppycocks
Peninsula Grill
Scotts Harbor Grill

I don't think there is a way you can go wrong at any local place as long as you order fish and local wine/beer. Seriously, if you go there and eat at a Subway, you should just walk your ass back home. Just sayin'.

Anyway... I would write more but I am in the midst of closing out a chapter in my life and moving on to the next. I officially got my walking papers- my organization is caput on October 1st. This is the first time I have ever been laid off. It's sad, yet freeing in a way- I know my life is going to get so much less stressful The good news is that my office is flexible enough that they were okay with me bringing my 3 year old son to work for the next 3 weeks so that I can have him in part time preschool and save a little money.

Of course, this has made my life really hectic and tiring. I mean obviously. The boy has the attention span of a gnat.

Also, totally unrelated, but it has been so cold and we still are stubbornly refusing to turn on the heat yet! It's only September dammit! It was 60 in our house this morning. I was frozen and am just starting to thaw now.

Happy Friday everyone! If you live in the Midwest I must ask: Is your heat on yet? Also- when are you going to visit Traverse City? (Fall Foliage= beautiful!) I would go back this weekend if I had a babysitter and was less fiscally responsible. Man, sometimes it sucks to be a grownup.

Get Away

Today I leave for a much deserved vacation with my sister, away from the family, from the "Hey Mommy" and following-nose-up-my-butt dog, the job concerns, the curriculum and cub scouts and are-we-signing -up-for-enough-things-for-him and do-we-have-enough-childcare-for-other-him worry-- and going to wine tasting and food sampling. Also hopefully some loud-music-blaring-really-bad-singing, eating-lots-of-bread-and-cheese-and-wine good time.
Oh yeah, and a pesky little 5k that I didn't train for. Through vineyards (yay!) that are hilly (boo!)

This is what we will look like after the race and after the third vineyard.

I'm spending time with my sister that I have never spent more than an hour child free with for over 6 years. (No, I am not counting our day after Thanksgiving shopping, because I was without sleep and half-zombie.) We might be sharing a bed. I promised to cut my toenails and wear PJ's, so she is in for a treat.

I am hoping... hoping to forget my worries for 3 days... wish me luck!

Also: Mr. B had a splitting headache today... pretty sure it's from freaking out that I am leaving for 3 days for the first time in 2 years. He went to sleep at 8:30pm last night to cope. He is very stressed out about all the new and different pickups for the kids today- wish him luck too!

Slow Love Review: Time to stop and smell the roses

Recently I got an opportunity to review the memoir Slow Love for BlogHer Book Club. Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness  by Dominique Browning is a book about learning to slow down your life and appreciate all of your surroundings.

In 2007, Dominique Browning lost her job as editor for Home and Garden Magazine and found herself adrift, questioning her purpose in life and her identity without her job. This memoir is how she finds that purpose.

Browning goes through many stages to find new purpose in her life. Her growth takes time, and often she was wallowing in food and drink and poor relationships, which I can completely relate to. I often found myself agreeing with many of her opinions and ideas (seriously, what single woman would want to cook dinner for herself), and felt by the end of the book that Browning was a friend and confidant of mine and was invested in watching her learn to be comfortable with a slower paced life. It really made me wonder if I could ever do the same, and it made me interested in trying to slow down as well. (Oh, who am I kidding? Maybe one day...)

Want to find out more? Please come join in the discussion at Blogher!