Mommathon

Our boys usually take their lunch to school. Liam isn’t really interested in eating anything they have to offer, so that’s why he takes his lunch. Colm REALLY, REALLY likes to eat hot lunch though. He likes the corn dogs, hot dogs, pasta, nachos and the chocolate milk. I am a mean mom though, I make him take his lunch most days. I was feeling nice a few weeks ago, however, and decided to let Colm eat hot lunch several days in a row. He had a horrible week at school that week and I think his teacher was about ready to hang him from the rafters.

It makes me sad that there are some children who rely on school lunch and school breakfast as their major sources of nutrition. It’s crap. There’s no other way around it. Have you seen the macaroni and cheese? It’s florescent…it’s almost green. There’s just so many things wrong with that. Two chocolate milks? How is that healthy? Chicken fries? What is that? How can we fuel our children’s bodies with chicken fries, nachos and chocolate milk and expect them to be able to pay attention and learn? If food is the fuel that runs our children’s bodies, I don’t think corn dogs are premium unleaded.

So, after Colm’s horrible week in kindy I decided to go back to being a mean mom. He has taken his lunch to school every day. He hasn’t had a bad day since. Is there a connection? I think there might be.

Sunday-Chicken, Green Beans, Bread and Butter, Pumpkin Bread
Monday-Fundraiser Dinner for School
Tuesday-Chili and Cornbread
Wednesday-Chili-Lime Salmon, Black Beans and Mexican Rice
Thursday-Stir-Fry
Friday-Chicken Enchiladas or Dinner at Church
Saturday-Date Night

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.

by Mary Jean Iron

Monday-Pizza and Fruit
Tuesday-Cheese Ravioli, Meatballs, Foccacia
Wednesday-Fajitas and Cantaloupe
Thursday-Sloppy Joes, Corn, Cantaloupe
Friday-Italian Sausage, Peppers, Onions, Tomatoes
Saturday-Kitchen is Closed

This is the book he picked out at the library at school last week. It is a cute book. It’s the story of a boy who has a sweet tooth, but this isn’t any ordinary sweet tooth. It has interrupted wedding receptions, ruined Easter celebrations and bothered movie goers. How will he defeat his sweet tooth? You’ll have to read it to find out.

Heartbreaking, informative and inspirational…

Why does everything that’s good for you have to taste so NASTY???

That was Liam. I had made cheese ravioli which everyone loved. It’s the sauce that gets him.

This is the second book I have read by Haigh. This is the story of a very dysfunctional New England family… a husband, a wife, their two sons and their daughter, each with their own baggage. The book starts on Cape Cod where the family summers and ends there as well. I loved the last few sentences of the book. The author chose those last few words very carefully.

I think being a new preschool teacher is a trial by fire type of gig…you figure out REAL quick what works and what doesn’t work. If you don’t figure these things out, your ship is going to go down FAST. I learned two important things within the first two weeks of teaching preschoolers…use glue sticks instead of liquid glue if at all possible and there is much less chaos if the kids use baby wipes to clean their hands after snack as opposed to washing them in the sink. One thing that I learned the easy way based on knowing the personalities in my little class is that some projects are best done in pairs/small groups while the other kids are doing something they can manage on their own. (i.e. anything with glitter or large amounts of paint).

I love how much the kids have grown already this year. I had one child who couldn’t write his name AT ALL. He is now not only trying to write his name, but is doing a pretty darn good job. One little girl had no idea how to hold her scissors and is now using them appropriately most of the time, but more importantly recognizes when she isn’t doing it correctly and asks for help!!! That is major, folks!

Love it!!!