Happy Days:)

I love my kids:)  I do.  I love being with them and taking them out and about and having them around as my side kicks.  They're cute, they're funny, they're kind, they make me and those we're around smile.  Usually:)  Not to say they don't have their moments (and I mine...) but overall, I really just kinda like having them around.  And when they're not (like nap-time, now) I am ever so glad to have a break and to be alone, and I love to get out into the world on my own, too, but all in all, I think we go good together:)

I say this after spending the morning going to doc for a prenatal visit.  This is the first one I've brought the kids to and since we were late due to traffic, we had to wait even longer than usual for our turn to see the doctor.  But they were well behaved and good company.  Keller tried out each and every seat in the waiting room and told the nice old lady next to us about our vegetables we bought yesterday and then showed her some fancy spinning jumps.  Neko just sat in his stroller with his green Crocs and chubby little legs taking it all in.  When it was our turn to go to the nurse's office, the boys stayed with the nurse while I went across the hall to the bathroom.  When I returned, the nurse was laughing away as Keller was going on and on about how he was going to be a farmer today and plant seeds and vegetables.  When she told him the name of the stethescope, he quickly replied to her that he knows that already.  Know it all;)  He charmed the doctor who performed his C-section and they chatted briefly about their garden plans (she's doing her first official garden this year, too).  And Neko just sat and took it all in, probably glad that he wasn't required to contribute to the conversation.

So from the doctor's office we hit the "dirt store" to buy more soil for the second garden box, came home, had lunch, filled up the little pool and got to it!  The boys played happily in the shade at the pool while I filled up the garden with dirt and sat with my notepad trying to make a plan as to what to plant where.  The kids splashed and giggled and screamed and dumped water and had a blast while I put some plants into the ground.  After a couple of hours, the kids were hosed down and soaped up and we headed inside for stories and naps.  Perfectly tired kids and a perfectly hot and sweaty mommy.  After a busy weekend of going up to New Hampshire to visit Abby and her husband, coming home late Sunday, Trav taking a test Monday morning and working in the garden in the early afternoon, then hitting the parade and going to the store for dinner and then making dinner, and bathing children, it was nice to have a day with "no plans" except to hang out and actually plant the garden.  I am ever so grateful to have these not-so-lazy days home with the kids.  And just to be fair, I will add that the only reason I was actually able to complete this post is because both kids are actually sleeping, which is not always the case and in such the situation as that, the tone of this post would have the potential to sound very different, if you know what I mean!!!  But as for today, I am glad for my happy days home with the kids:)

Sweet Commitments

I recently read an article about kids and sugar intake.  The article of course linked sugar to obesity and pointed fingers at sugary drinks and even 100% fruit juices, not surprisingly.  The article said that kids should keep their sugar intake to 12g per day, or 4 teaspoons.  (A kids Chobani berry flavored yogurt has 14g sugar)  Women should keep it to 24g or 8 teaspoons, and men to 36g or 12 teaspoons.  Several years back, pre-kids and pre-husband, I remember a New Years resolution that was as simple as having less sugar in my tea.  I am now drinking two cups of tea a day and was adding more than one but less than two teaspoons of sugar to each cup.  I also have not even really been "enjoying" my tea, it has seriously become more of a ritual (and physiological need;) so I've been thinking about what I can replace it with...But until then, I'm committing to only using 1 measured teaspoon per cup which will cut the sugar involved in my tea ritual nearly in half.  I have also committed to no longer buying the crap store brand (or even Smuckers on sale) jelly and will stick with the no corn syrup spreadable fruit (Polaner's) type spread.    Occasionally when I'm in Trader Joe's I pick up the organic stuff but anywhere else is just too expensive.  I will also be more diligent about bread...I need to buy better bread, no corn syrup or a billion other ingredients...granted, we usually buy the Arnold's or "higher end" whole wheat store brand type bread, but I want to officially "commit" to finding a bread without corn syrup and other crap.  (not to mention taco shells...what the heck is TBHQ...I will commit to finding this out along with whether these recommended teaspoon amounts also apply to naturally occurring sugars such as those in milk (lots) and fruit)  Another biggie which bothers me is yogurt.  The Stonyfield Farm yogurt is gross because it's just too sweet for me.  Sometimes I'll by a big tub of flavored and a tub of plain and mix them together, but still, the consistency is not creamy enough or something.  And the kids love to eat yogurt, but really the sugar content is terrible...ugh.  I need to find something in the yogurt department I'm comfortable with (those Chobani kids ones are really yummy though:)  Another thing that we've fallen off track a little with is whole grains, well not really, just in the English Muffins department.  (but the not 100% whole grain ones are much yummier...)  But back on track...and Granola.  I keep meaning to buy some to put in my yogurt but when I read the ingredients, I get mad and tell myself to just make it on my own (which I've done in the past with delicious results but...) and so I go without.  And again, when I go to Trader Joe's, their Muesli is pretty pure and fairly priced and that is yummy in yogurt, too.
The other slippage that has occurred in this house has to do with our cereal choices.  While I would always try for the organic or more natural brands, since Keller has such specific requirements, we stick with the very basics, Chex, Kix, Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies...and we generally will buy the store brands except when Gorilla Munch is on sale or when we get the organic rice or corn puffs from the health food store...But after reading that whole disclaimer on Facebook about the Kashi cereals and how highly pesticided they are and knowing that regular corn is such a subsidy and chemically driven commodity, I don't feel good about the 5 boxes of cereal I just brought home that are store brand even though their ingredients are really basic and "whole"...what a conundrum.  And on the topic of cereal, I recently bought myself a "treat" of apple cinnamon flavored "O's" to mix in with my organic plain "O's" (because alone that cereal is too sweet, might as well eat Apple Jacks!) so I read the label after just having read the sugar article and then carefully measured one serving 3/4 cup into my bowl, which constituted a full serving of the cereal (14 grams of sugar!) along with a cup of regular O's to make what would seriously be considered one grown up serving of cereal, added my milk with another 12 grams of sugar or whatever ridiculous amount that was and that simple meal brought me to my recommended limit for sugar intake.  Craziness.  But anyway, just stuff to think about and keep in mind.  We're in a much better place than most sugar-wise in this house and the kids aren't missing out (yet!) but still, it's something that I/we need to keep bringing to the forefront because food marketing and school-based food services and even preschool programming are not looking out for us.  I look forward to our CSA starting up again because that will make me have to cook what we have on hand and therefore go to the grocery store less.  That place just bothers me all around!!  Too many choices...