Do you eat "healthy"?
I ask because there are so many schools of thought on this very subject.
As a mom I try to serve and eat healthy, balanced meals. Which isn't always an easy task, especially if you have picky eaters. I am pretty lucky that our kids aren't too terribly picky with foods. For several years now I have tried to diet and lose weight trying everything under the sun. No Gluten, No Carbs, No sugar, No processed foods, No Fat...and on and on. We were even Vegetarian for almost a whole year. Always coming back to a basic diet of balanced meals and treats.
Which is where I find myself now.
I believe the word my grandmother used to use is "Moderation". Not always an easy task being a choco-holic and someone who does enjoy beer, wine or a mixed cocktail of sorts on occasion.
We don't eat out much and if we do there are only a few places that I actually "LIKE" to eat at. Wait let me rephrase that and say, a few places "I TRUST" to eat at. We do not eat at McD's, BK or Subway anymore. Not to say I haven't in the past fed them from those places. But, as a personal preference we choose to not eat there anymore. I don't judge anyone for eating there either just as an FYI!! We do occasionally enjoy Culver's for a burger if we are out. But hey they have famous custard there!! :)
Another reason why we don't eat out much is because I have discovered that I can make similar items at home, with more natural "whole" ingredients, no preservatives and added sugars, salts and refined fats, and they taste so much better. I had to learn this when I went Gluten free for a few months to test my gut. We have also saved lots of money from not going out to eat. Not to mention the chemicals that stay out of our bodies.
Now I don't make everything from scratch, I wouldn't have time to write this blog if I did, but I do try and keep the few processed items in the pantry to a minimum.
Previous to this blog, I did have a couple of "foodie" blogs I was managing but would end up so over obsessed that I got burnt out on them. Besides I felt pigeon holed into one certain food style since one was a LOW CARB venture, and one was mostly Vegetarian. I think I will share some of the recipes on a page at the top of this blog, to share a few recipes that I have either come up with, tweaked from an original or just remade to be a bit more healthful. Perhaps one of these will help someone else make different choices with food or even make someone think and change it up to suit their own needs. I sure hope if you do that you comment and let me know which recipes you liked and which didn't work out so well for you and your family.
Thanks for reading...and for those who have taken the time to comment I also thank you, it helps a lot to hear where other people stand on things. :)
So many people see that 3 letter word S.E.X and they cringe and cover their kids eyes and ears. I came from a family that never talked about any of that stuff. I think it is a shame that many parents just hide the fact that humans are sexual beings. We educate our children about other "adult" things like smoking, drinking and drugs, why not teach them about sexual health and the consequences that can happen to them if they choose to try things out too early in life.
When my mom told me about my period, she handed me a friggin pamphlet and told me to read it. I was terrified.....I cried and wondered, "why does this have to happen to me"!! I thought I was alone, like it was only going to happen to me because I had something wrong with me. Even when I had questions I didn't feel comfortable asking my mom let alone anyone else. So I went through a big part of my life being scared of naturally occurring things.
That is why I vowed to always be open and honest about bodily functions, sex, and how to stay healthy. We have openly discussed everything with our kids.
Now, don't get all freaked out, it isn't like we are inviting them into our bedroom and showing them how we do it!! I am not some creepy perv!! We use clinical terms and only give them as much information as they can handle and they feel comfortable coming to us with questions.
Have you seen what some of these young kids look like nowadays??
They are developing faster physically and society pushes them to be so much more grown up than they are. My kids have even told me stories about kids in their school who may be sexually active and I want my kids to be armed with the facts. We discuss how to stay safe, and since we have a 14 yr old son and a premenstrual 11 yr old it is imperative to keep our kids healthy and safe!! Not to mention keeping them from becoming pregnant or getting someone pregnant, or getting some disease!! We are not pushing sex on our kids, rather the message we drive home each time they have questions is that it is best to abstain until they are married ideally, or until they are much more mentally mature and ready to take on the responsibility. We do not take it lightly at all.
Our goal is to give them facts, based on our personal experience as well as statistics as they are available from places like the CDC and health care professionals. Arm yourself and your kids with knowledge. If you don't know the answer to a question they have, look it up together. No shame in admitting you don't know something.
Sex is fun!!
Our bodies are wonderful and complex things!!
Being honest with kids about these things really allows for them to avoid being misinformed by their peers. All kids talk to other kids about things like that. I know I did.
Some of the weird stuff I heard and later found out is just not true is mind boggling. I wonder how many "false" stories there are out there?
If you have any please share in the comments....would love to hear what other people heard when they were younger. Don't be embarrassed, all women are the same and all men are the same. We all come in different shapes, sizes and colors but physiologically we are all the same.
Here are a couple I heard growing up :
"If you have sex standing up in the shower you can't get pregnant" FALSE!!!
"You can't get pregnant if it is your first time" FALSE, FALSE, FALSE!!!
Okay...now you share some that you may have heard.....GO!!
