As many of you know I am a huge fan of Jamie Oliver and share many of the same views as him on the way we eat and the huge problem we face. Jamie Oliver declared last Friday as Food Revolution Day. It was a very simple concept. A day to educate others about what they eat, how to cook, and inspiring others. This is a great way to get people together to enjoy a meal, each other's company, and learn how to eat better. I spent last Friday with great friends eating a meal that was all freshly prepared and absolutely delicious. This is such a great time of year to have days like this. As the gardens are starting to blossom and the weather is starting to get nicer, I can't think of better ways to spend the summer nights. I understand that the Food Revolution Day has already come and gone, but we can continue this all summer long. It can be a weekly event where we have Pot Lucks and fun gatherings with our friends. It is great to share delicious and healthy recipes and also involve our kids in the process of preparing the foods.  It is a shame that recipes are not handed down through generations anymore. We can get this going on again by kids cooking with us adults and hopefully continuing to do so as they grow older.

http://foodrevolutionday.com/

Let Them Be Little

As an overachieving type A mother and a kindergarten teacher that wants everyone of my students to succeed, I find I have a hard time finding the balance between letting kids be kids and pushing them as far as we can. It seems that every year in school the bar gets set higher and higher for young students. I remember when I started teaching first grade, it was our job to get the kids to read in first grade. When I started teaching kindergarten we were happy to give the kids a solid foundation and get them reading basics- cvc words, sight words, and predictive text. Now in kindergarten, we are encouraged (not quite expected) to push the kids even further and have them reading complex text. For this to happen, kids have to come into kindergarten knowing all of their letters, sounds, and have an awareness of phonics and phonemic awareness. Can we get kids here. Some but not all. We truly will be pushing kids beyond their limits and would you rather have your child enjoy learning and reading or see it as a chore and a forces activity. I think we can push our kids but need have it well thought out and make sure our kids are ready to be pushed.
This holds true in sports now too. There are programs out there that get kids started doing gymnastics at birth and soccer at 18 months. By the time a child is in kindergarten, they play a different sport each season. I am a huge fan of getting kids active and I think sports are a great way. I choose to drive 40 minutes for a soccer program. It is not because I want my child to get a head start but more that I want her to learn how to play the right way, have discipline, and also have a lot of fun. Again, we can push our children in sports beyond their limits. Kids can keep going but we need to make sure they are learning valuable lessons and having fun.
So do we push our kids to their limits and beyond or do we let them be kids? I think we need to find the balance. We need to encourage them and push them but stay within means. Let them direct how far we go and always push them a little further than they want to go but at the same time never push them beyond where they can go. My rule of thumb is stop when it is not fun anymore. Revisit it later or try something new. A childhood is such a tiny amount of time in life but it molds these individuals for the rest of their lives. Find a balance in everything and maintain it.

People eat worse after having kids

I wanted to share an interesting article that I recently read on a study about the effects of having children on a parent's diet. The article states that the study was a no brainer and it is obvious parents eat worse after having children for several reasons. This article and study really bothered me not because there wasn't truth behind it but because it is so true in many instances but should not be.
As a parent, we know what is good for us and what we should eat. I have a philosophy that if I am going to feed it to my kids then I am going to eat it and vice versa. I don't buy kid food and I don't buy unhealthy snacks. My eating habits actually got much better and continue to after having children. I have educated myself on food and have seen how food effects the way my kids act and feel and how I act and feel.
Below is a list of answers to why parents don't eat healthier. I think these are bogus. After each answer is my alternative for parents to eat healthier with an easy adaptation. But most importantly know it is ok to sometimes pick the unhealthy as long as the healthy gets chosen more often!

1. Being a parent is tiring, and tired people reach for comfort foods. Maybe because it takes more energy to swallow mac and cheese than to chew lettuce. Maybe because kale doesn't remind you of your own childhood. If you are tired, don't go for comfort but go for energy. Instead of picking the mac and cheese, grab a cheese stick or apples with peanut butter. Even more satisfying. There is nothing worse than scraping the bottom of the mac n cheese pan to still feel hungry and blah. 

2. Tired people also eat sugar. Often at 4 PM.

Cut off all sugar after 4pm that is not natural. If you are craving sweet, grab a fruit. Limit the sweets in your house. If they are not there, you will not eat them. If you are at work or on your way home, pack some almonds and chocolate chips or a fruit.  

3. Being a parent is time-consuming. The days when you could leave work, head for the gym, then stop at the market to wander the produce aisle, are gone. Now dinner is a game of beat the clock, and the winner is whoever gets food on the table before the whining begins.

Healthy hearty dinners don't have to be time consuming. On average, we can get dinner on the table in about 30 minutes using only fresh ingredients including a fruit and vegetable. If you don't have time to shop the produce isle, buy frozen in bulk. Make shopping at a farmers market a fun weekend outing. Join a CSA and have the produce delivered to your house. If you can't hit up the gym, go for a walk, run, or bike ride around the neighborhood. While waiting for your child at their sports event, go for a little run.

4. Kids have working taste buds. The foods they like -- and see advertised, and taste at friends houses -- are high in fat and sugar, and salt. In other words, once they sample french fries they aren't going to be demanding carrots. Plus, they look so darn cute when their faces do that light-up-with-joy thing after you hand over an ice cream cone.

Kids are not naturally picky eaters. Picky eating is a learned behavior. So kids will eat what they get if they don't have an alternative. If there are not french fries at the dinner table but carrots, they will eat the carrots because there is no choice. Sure, they may enjoy foods high in fat and sugar but if they don't have them to pick from they will eat healthier foods. The parents are the ones that do the shopping! 

Then, the ice cream cone starts to melt. And they hand it to you to finish.

How often should you be buying your kids ice cream cones? If they are only getting them every once in a while, licking a melting cone will not contribute to unhealthy eating! 

5. Being "Snack Parent" means eating snack.

Buy healthy snacks so then you will eat the healthy snacks. Instead of supplying fruit snacks, supply fresh fruit or even fruit leathers. 

6. Having snack foods in the house means eating snack.

Again, snacks can be healthy. Buy less processed! 

7. Stopping in just for a minute to pick them up at a birthday party, means eating snack.

Self control! Yes, they look and smell so good but remember you are just piking up. Make a rule that you only grab birthday treats at parties you actually attend. 

8. Pizza crusts have calories.

Start buying thin crust! 

As parents, we care about the health of our kids and we need to care just as much if not more about ours. Our children see what we are eating and will inherit these unhealthy eating habits. While it may be a no brainer that people eat worse after having kids, they really don't need to and there really isn't good reason to. Think of it as a family lifestyle and make a change as a family to eat healthier together. 

What's for Dinner?

Last night the kids had friend sleep over. When we have friends over, we like to make it about the kids as much as possible, including picking out what the entire family eats. When asking the kids what they wanted for dinner, we instantly got a unanimous response of chicken nuggets and mac n cheese. I thought that sounded great and let them know that it wouldn't be coming out of a box or freezer though. Kids comfort food can be mimicked in a healthy way and also in a way for adults to enjoy it as well.
To make homemade chicken nuggets, I cute boneless skinless chicken breasts into chunks, coated them in egg and then dipped them into almond flour. I quickly browned the chunks in olive oil and then baked them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. These were such a hit that 4 kids and 2 adults consumed 6 chicken breasts! To make the mac n cheese, we brought 2 cups of milk, 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup butter, 6 dashes worchester sauce, teaspoon ground mustard and salt and pepper to a low boil. Then combine 1 box of Quinea elbows into sauce. Pour into a casserole dish and bake on 400 for 10 minutes or so. We served corn and roasted rainbow potatoes as our vegetable. Not only did the kids love their chicken nuggets and mac n cheese, but it was also a very enjoyable meal for us parents.
It may take a little extra time and energy but it is well worth it to put a healthy homemade spin on kid food!

Run a Mile

My first experience running was in high school when I joined the cross country running team. I wanted to get involved in sports, I wasn't super coordinated and felt behind everyone else in competitive sports because I really did not have exposure to them. I knew my dad was a marathon runner and even though we never talked about running or ran together, I had that in the back of my head. I remember starting running and it was much harder than I would have ever thought it would be. Pacing was always a challenge. Run your hardest so you don't have anything left at the end but pace yourself so you can still finish strong. And it is just so easy to say you are tired and start walking. Certain things stick in my head from running in high school- As long as only one foot is on the ground, you are running. You can run slower than a walking pace but you can only have one foot at a time on the ground. Singing songs while running. Having a place of peace.

In college, I ran leisurely and really got back into after college. It became my therapy. It was my alone time, my time to clear my head, and my time to challenge myself. When I started to get back into running, I really liked Jeff Galloway's running philosophy and training program. It was gradual and made you feel successful. 

Over the last couple of years my running has refocused again. I now run to run without a purpose but to just enjoy it. I enjoy every step of it. Sometimes they are long, sometimes on trails, sometimes in the neighborhood, and sometimes even on a treadmill. I have introduced running to my kids. I have a few memorable runs. Running with my father is very rewarding for me. He always points out how special it is by saying who knows if we will be able to do this again. Our last run on the beach was probably one of our best conversations ever. Another very special run was the first time, Ella said she was ready to run a loop in the neighborhood with me. We have run several times together since then. It is amazing how she is able to run stride for stride with me. She has tried a few different approaches to running. At first El really liked the sprint and take a break while I caught up technique. Then she agreed that maybe my technique of pacing and enjoying it was better. 

A run with a good friend with no words exchanged is incredibly way to bond. Pushing two kids in a stroller, with one riding her bike next to you in 90 degree weather to just get some exercise. Running with my husband who now can outran me but whined and cried when we walked when we first met. 

I have also been very fortunate to be involved with a program called Kids Running America. We teach kids how to run with many lessons such as goal setting and nutrition. We run with the kids to accrue the mileage of a marathon. This was incredibly rewarding to see kids set goals and achieve them and start to love running. 

My fondest running memories over the last few years involve people of all different ages and abilities. WIth this being said, I encourage you to run with your kids and parents no matter the age. Start with a step, walk more than you run and finally build up to running more than you walk. The American Running Association puts on National Run A Mile Days. This is a great way to introduce running to children. Even if you don't put a formal event on, it is a great week to set a goal of running a mile for kids. Introduce them to running and get them active. 

http://www.runamile.org/become-a-host/

How To Go Gluten Free

I have eaten a gluten free diet for quite some time now. I understand many people have no choice and can not eat a drop of gluten because of Celiac disease. Others say gluten free is just a fad that will come and go. We decided to cut it out and see if we felt a difference and it made sense for us. Since cutting gluten out of our diet, I always felt satisfied but never grossly full or bloated. Headaches decreased and my energy level increased. While doing this with my husband we were always lenient with our kids and allowed them to eat gluten while out or have certain snacks. Recently, we took gluten 100% out of our 4 year old daughters diet. I initially thought she may be anemic. She had a low energy level and was more trying than the typical 3/4 year old. While researching anemia, everything brought me back to Celiac disease and gluten intolerance. I did more research and learned that anemia, diabetes, and arthritis are closely connected to Celiac Disease. This was very interesting to me and I felt that eliminating gluten out of my daughter's diet was worth a try. I was absolutely shocked at how quickly I saw a difference in her behavior, energy level, and overall attitude. She started eating more regularly, was much happier and was not dragging an hour after waking up. I am a strong believer in feeling better when cutting the gluten out. While sharing my story, many people have asked me how to go about taking gluten out of your diet. It is believed that gluten is in everything and that by cutting it out of your diet you will just be eating fruits, vegetables, and meats.
When we decided to change our diet, we decided to go wheat free first and slowly progress into a gluten free diet. We changed out wheat flour over to spelt which was very easy to substitute into any recipe. We just equally changed the flours out. I also started out with an 80/20 philosophy. I said I would be gluten free 80% of the time but gave myself 20% of the time to have gluten to ease into it all. I naturally moved into 100% gluten free pretty quickly. I have an all or nothing attitude and I felt so much better when I didn't eat it.
At first, lunch was difficult for me. I didn't know what to pack since I couldn't throw together a sandwich. My fruit and veggie intake increased and we bought less and less processed food. The staples like bread, pasta, and cereal can easily be substituted. There are a million gluten free products on the market now. As a family, we don't buy much of the gluten free stuff. We will buy bread and thats really it. We started out still eating oatmeal and then went over to gluten free oatmeal too. We have also tried to stay away from products made with white rice flour. If buying gluten free I always check the labels to see what flours are used. When baking, we use almond flour and have gotten used to the texture and taste. Below is a breakdown by meal and what we often eat. We now do this as a whole family and don't miss out on anything.

Breakfast-
eggs- anyway. we love to scramble them with veggies and cheese
any breakfast meat
almond pancakes
almond waffles
Chex cereal
GF oatmeal
GF toast with almond butter and sliced banana
Plain Greek yogurt with agave and fruit

Lunch-
we eat a lot of dinner leftovers
salad
veggies and hummus
yogurt/cottage cheese and fruit
meat and cheese roll ups or lettuce wrapped
tuna with veggies
chicken salad
nachos-with corn chips

Dinner-
grilled meat with veggies and quinea or rice
Quinea pasta- make spaghetti, pasta salad, homemade mac n cheese. Use it in anyway you would make a regular pasta dish.
Tacos with corn tortillas
Salads
Enchiladas with corn tortillas
soups-pasta free
Pizza with gluten free dough Bob's Red Mill makes a great one
Chicken tenders- bread them with almond flour
kabobs

Dinner for us is the easiest one. We just don't eat bread with it and changed the pasta over to quinea. W always make dinner fresh and use very little processed products.

Snacks-
Corn chips and salsa
potato chips
almonds
fruit
veggies
cheese
rie cakes with almond butter
popcorn
A million GF products out there including pretzels and animal crackers

Desserts
Choc. covered strawberries
A million mixes for cakes, brownies, cookies, and treats
dark chocolate

There are a million blogs and websites full of recipes out there too. It really is easy once you decide to do it!

Farm Camp

I am very privileged to have partnered up with a great friend to run a summer farm camp. This summer we will have 6 camp sessions teaching children about the importance of farming, fresh foods, where food comes from, and letting them be kids outside. I feel very passionate about this camp. There is a very valuable lesson to be taught and I feel a responsibility to teach it to young children as an educator. These kids are our future and unfortunately a lot of these lessons get over looked at school. Farm camp will not only teach our children how things grow and the science aspect of plants and vegetables but it will also teach these kids where their processed foods come from and a better and more simple way of enjoying these ingredients. I am a huge fan of Jamie Oliver and his Food Revolution. We can eat healthy and it can still be delicious and yes kids will still eat it. It seems like many adults are set in their ways and have such bad habits with eating that maybe targeting children and educating them, we can make a healthier society. We don't need to give up chicken nuggets and french fries. But we can make them from scratch. To make chicken nuggets, cut pieces of chicken breast and coat them with almond flour and bake them. Instead of deep frying french fries, cut potatoes and bake them. It doesn't take much more time to cook like this and it tastes so much better and you feel good after eating it. Childhood obesity is a huge problem in our country. Educating kids is just a small step in this process. Kids enjoy their vegetables so much more when they grow them and take care of them and eat them fresh out of the garden.
If you are local, check out our farm camp. If you are not, please consider creating a little garden or buying fresh vegetables at the farmers market. Include your children in the process and try to recreate some children's comfort food in a healthier fun way.

http://www.solysombrafarm.com/

The Unspeakable Hiatus

I had a hard time starting by blog because I didn't want it to be something I started and then quit. But like many others, life got unbelievably busy with 3 active children- one who had a few health problems and sleep issues in his first year, a new job, and a few more hats to wear. What is even more difficult than stopping and having so much to say is finding a good time to start back up. So here we go, now is the time to give it a go again...
Here in Colorado, it is open enrollment time, re enrollment time, lottery time and kindergarten registration time. It used to be easy, you would send your child to preschool where they would learn all of the skills necessary to enter kindergarten and your child would go to the school in your neighborhood.
Now we have so many choices. You can pick the school you want and even enroll in several (your not supposed to but many do). You can change your mind when ever you want to and even change schools every year or when you no longer like your child's teacher because they handled a situation differently than you did. My advice in making these choices and changing your mind...Always have your child's best interest in mind and go with your gut feeling.
Now on to kindergarten. In my district we have adopted the new academic standards which ar much more rigorous and have much higher expectations. The standards were back filled into the grade levels. They were created to ensure that every graduating senior would be ready for Colorado. Starting with those skills, each grade level was back filled with certain outcomes all the way down to kindergarten. It may not make sense but this is what it is. Even if your child goes to your district preschool they may not be properly prepared for kindergarten. While all kindergartners are at different abilities, there are certain things that can be looked at and worked on to better prepare your child.
Below is a Kindergarten Readiness Checklist. This is a teacher's wish list. If Kindergartners come in with this knowledge, they will have the building blocks to soar in Kindergarten. If you have a child preparing for Kindergarten in the fall, it would be great to work on these skills over the summer!
Social and Emotional
Pay attention for 10-15 minutes to adult-directed tasks
Understand behaviors have consequences-both positive and negative
Show understanding of general times of day
Share with others and take turns
Follow rules
Recognize authority
Control oneself
Willingness to communicate/Respond to questions
Know how to win and lose appropriately
Follow 2-3 step directions
Persevere on task asked of them

Literacy
Sit and Listen to stories without interrupting
Recognize and identify rhyming words
Talk in complete sentences of 5-6 words
Identify the beginning sounds of some words
Identify some lowercase alphabet letters in random order (10-12)
Identify some sounds (5-7)
Recognize some environmental words (stop)
Write their name
Draw a representational picture

Math
Trace basic shapes
Sort similar objects by color, size, shape, and name
Recognize groups of one, two, three, and five objects
Count to 10
Recognize numbers 1-10

Motor Skills
Cut with scissors
Grip a writing utensil properly
Bounce a ball
Gallop around the room
Button shirts, pants, and zip up zippers