For lunch I pulled out the trusty can and dumped it in a pot. I’m sure the microwave would have been more efficient, but that’s the way my mom always cooked them.  Despite being organic, they had the same bright red color not found in nature.  Hunter who is still going through his “if it’s pasta I’ll eat it” phase gobbled them up at the expense of his nearby vegetables.  Will, with the more discerning pallet, was not a fan. I took a little nibble and remembered why I never cared for them even as a child.  And that was it. Drama over.

Until…. I also picked up a boxed mac and cheese.  Again organic (so it must be ok).  This is a “delicacy” I generally reserve for trips to family and for when hubby is home on the weekends alone with the kids.  I made a box and took a test bite out of the pan. These things were so delicious! I took another bite and another! Why were these powdered cheese macs making me want to chow down like a kid in a candy store?  I took another bite and then it hit me. They are REALLY salty.  Like yummy French-fries salty. 

And this is the problem with processed food!  There are endless studies saying how we have too much sodium in our food.  We aren’t getting all this sodium from salting our homemade spaghetti sauce. It’s mostly hidden sodium in the pre-packaged, processed foods.  Whether you believe that sodium is a problem for your health or not, one thing is clear.  It made me want to chow down on the entire box of less than appetizing processed macaronis!

For many years, the strategy I employed for dealing with the onslaught of Halloween candy could best be described as “defensive eating”—I’d gobble up the Snickers bars and Rolos thinking that at least my kids weren’t eating that junk.  As I’ve gotten older and (hopefully) wiser, I’ve changed my ways—partly because I want to be healthy and partly because jeans are now so expensive that I really don’t want to outgrow my favorite pair any time soon.  Here are a few tips I’ve learned over the years for dealing with the candy avalanche that is Halloween:

The Switch Witch
I’m pretty sure the Switch Witch is best friends with the Tooth Fairy, because they both go about their jobs the same way.  A day or two after Halloween, let your kids know that the Switch Witch is coming that night.  Then at bedtime, have your kids set their candy out for the Switch Witch swap.  She arrives magically on her broomstick in the middle of the night, takes the candy away and leaves a small toy in its place.  The majority of my kids’ friends love doing the Switch Witch swap and happily trade their candy for a toy.  My two, however, are determined to hold on to their sugary loot.  So we move on to…

Enjoy it, Then Forget it
At our house, the kids can pick three small pieces of candy a day.  They choose the candy in the morning and can eat it whenever they want.  I don’t want to be asked, “Can I have my candy?” a million times a day, so they select their candy and are responsible for it.  Inevitably, one kid will Hoover down all three pieces after breakfast on that first day, but they quickly learn to space it out and truly enjoy their treats.  The best part is that since we’re not making a big deal over the candy, it doesn’t stay a huge focus for long.  This is when we start to forget it…

By day four, I move the trick-or-treat bags from the kitchen counter to the pantry—out of sight, out of mind.  A little while later the novelty wears off and they forget to pick out their candy for the day.  Once that happens a couple of times, I move the candy to the waaaay back of a little-used cupboard and we don’t think about it until next Halloween – which is good for my kids and my skinny jeans!

What about you?  Any good Halloween tricks you use to deal with candy overload?  Give us a treat and share your tips in the comment section below. 

I’ve come to realize often my son’s main behavioral challenges revolve around learning to take a deep breath and wait.  Looking back I have exacerbated this problem.  I mean the whole idea of Small Helpings is quickly whip up homemade meals so kids don’t have to wait (or compromise).  On top of that we are a kid-focused society.  If junior cries there is no way we are going to let that continue.  Instant gratification.  Need a snack? Some open a bag for instant gratification.  Personally, I waited on my son’s hand and foot, even at times tisking my husband for not moving fast enough to satisfy their every need and to avoid upsetting the little angels. 

There are studies suggesting that a child’s school success often has more to do with their ability to exhibit self-control than traditional academic factors.  So from sitting at the tables to getting dressed to waiting for that meal or snack, it is all worth the time and effort we as parents have to put in!

Here are just a few tips that I admittedly need to work on:

• Teaching self-control and routine is all about consistency, time and patience. Something I struggle with (see above.)

• Set parameters for snacks.  Don’t ever give your kids an entire bag of crackers or there is a high likelihood they will not be eating dinner.  And anyway it develops bad habits for the future. Depending on your child and their stage in growth, you may even need to limit snacks to fruit and vegetables.

• Let the children make choices within the parameters you set. 

• Encourage children to help themselves but set out the rules and limitations for doing so. (this needs work for us as my son’s favorite thing to do is “make” his own breakfast in the morning).

• Finally, set expectations high. I’m reminded of this when I go to my son’s Montessori school where they are expected to do everything themselves with utmost self-control!  Sometimes in our zest to be great parents we forget what these amazing little children can do on their own.

Ok, Mom, now to work on leading by example! No more sneaking bites directly out of the ice cream container! 

I love after putting a particular food on the table again, and again, and again to have it finally embraced.  Kids are so fickle but perhaps their pallet is too?  One thing I know for sure is that their taste buds seem to change as fast as their fickleness. A favorite seasonal food that hasn’t been served since last fall must be reintroduced. Instead of discounting their “dislike” of it, I always keep it breezy, but serve it again that same week. 

Recently the boys decided they didn’t like eggs. We used to be a six egg a morning family and then in a blink, they both decided not to eat eggs.  I simply didn’t serve them for a month. Then, this morning, without saying a word, I nonchalantly served the eggs without any other options. Alas, there were four eggs in little monkey tummies!

After a lunch of noodles where my oldest wasn’t particularly enamored and ate a few obligatory bites, he moved on to applesauce and milk.  An hour later he was begging for food.  Then he begged for an early snack of apple chips and finally on to yogurt with low sugar granola.  It wasn’t until he had the yogurt that he was ready to go outside and tackle play-time. 

And the trend has continued with both boys.  If their breakfast lacks the right amount of protein, by mid-morning they are dragging.  At school if their snack is a cheese stick they are much less hungry at lunch than if their snack consists of apple slices. 

That being said, it is not that they are protein-deficient. This is very rare in this country. They just simply need to eat a more balanced diet of protein, and complex carbs. Some ways I like to work a balanced approach into their diet are:

• French toast for breakfast.  The bread soaked in the egg and milk mixture is a great protein source.  I don’t use sugar in my recipes and try to substitute fruit for syrup.  I almost always use whole grain bread although I admit French toast made with Brioche is far superior.

• Fried rice.  Kids love carbs but by adding an egg to fried rice and using a very small amount of oil, you can mix in the complete protein into this delicious dish.  It’s also a great way to mix in some finely chopped vegetables.

• Beans and beans.  I love cooking with legumes and the kids love them too. They are easy for small children to chew and you can season them in many different ways.  For very young kids try mashing them or roughly pureeing them.  My favorite is black bean soup – yumm! 

These are just three easy ways to stop the hunger cries!  Now to stop the tantrum cries!

Do men (boys) really have a one track mind even as young children? They were talking about size, smell and all sorts of bodily functions, giggling like crazy as they expounded on these natural occurring phenomenon. 

For a while now, my oldest son has had an obsession of sorts with what he likes to call moles i.e. mommy’s private parts.  He once pointed to a mole I have on my chest and asked “what’s that?” Thinking he was indeed pointing to my mole I said that’s mommy’s mole. I haven’t had the heart to correct him because the word mole seems safer when he blurts it out in the supermarket than the alternative.  And he talks about these curious “moles” only girls have all the time!  I can just see my precocious four year old walking around asking people about their breasts, breasts, breasts at every turn. 

Last week my two year old got a spotted stuffed dog.  I asked him if he was going to name it Spot?  He said, “No, his name is mole.”  And mommy has herself in a hole. 
If only as a single woman I had the insight into the male’s brain like I now do, dating would have been so much easier!

Mix up the bread: We like the new thin buns that have been on the market for the past few years.  They are easy for little hands and mouths to get around and leave more room for yummy fillings.  Also use pitas, flatbreads, wraps of all kinds and quick breads.

Veggie flavor:  When packing lunches the biggest challenge we have is getting a good serving of veggies in.  Baby carrots are a perennial favorite, but packed every day they can become tiresome.  We like to put cucumbers on sandwiches – especially instead of tomatoes and lettuce that can become soggy.  Red peppers, raw or lightly steamed broccoli, cauliflower florets and edamame are also good lunch-box veggies.

Take advantage of your captive audience:  It’s a great opportunity to put foods in that they may not gravitate towards automatically.  The trick is to find the balance though, to make sure kids are getting enough to eat to make it through the afternoon.  For example, try putting baby tomatoes in along with other vegetables every day for a week.  Sooner or later, they might try them – and low and behold like them!

Leave your tips below or on Facebook for a chance to win a new lunch box!  Make sure you include your correct e-mail so we can contact you if you win!

The kids got on the bus tentatively. The driver, who must be a saint, was excruciatingly patient while pictures were snapped.  No sooner were the doors closed, the parents would practically break out into song.  At one corner a mom looked at me running by, threw her arms in the air and let out a pent-up “whooo hoooo!”  I started laughing and another mom added, “Time to celebrate!”  Parents were down right giddy, and I’m quite sure if it were happy hour, corks would have been popped. 

So here’s to those lucky parents who’s kids have reached school age!  And here’s to a great year of learning (and ah-hem, a little mommy / daddy time).

I raided the pantry for all different shapes and types of pasta for a favorite activity from childhood,.  A little construction paper and good ol’ Elmer’s glue and I had at least an hour of entertainment.  We channeled the creativity to make what else? Train tracks. We did manage to spell out the neighbors name for his special homemade birthday card. 

Another day we had a popsicle party.  We have a juicer so we first made a sugar free juice base of oranges, blueberries and peaches. Then I let the artists have at it.  I set out blueberries, mangos, peaches and even cucumbers. I also picked some basil and mint leaves.  The boys got such a kick out of putting leaves in their popsicles.  I had found a popsicle “maker” that freezes the things in less than 10 minutes for virtually instant gratification.  However, the old fashioned makers are just as good along with ice cube trays or any other small containers you might have.  Sure you can purchase popsicles but like so much in the kitchen the fun is in the process!

“Oh, we were just so busy.”

How many times have you had this frankly, very boring exchange?  I catch myself saying it all the time.  A go-to filler. What exactly was I really busy doing?  Was I busy having meaningful quality time with my kids or was I busy running all over town? We wear the status like a badge of honor though.  Is it possible we are so busy being busy we get nothing done?

The other day one of my brilliant mom friends who is running her own business, trying to keep up with her two active kids and running a huge charity event in town really hit me when she said, “I’m so tired of people using the excuse ‘I’m so busy’ all the time.  We are all busy.”  I was left speechless taking in her words and they haunted me for the next few days as I caught myself saying this mundane phrase over and over again.

This simple phrase impacts so many aspects of our lives, in particular how we feed our families.  It’s easy to pull out the old familiar, “I’m too busy to put together a home-made meal.” “We’ll just go through the drive-through on the way home.”  “We’ll just eat that frozen meal tonight.” 

So yesterday as I pushed the limits squeezing in a quick Target run right before lunch, my youngest saw the Starbucks (yes, embarrassingly he knows the Starbucks lady logo).  I persevered and picked up a bunch of bananas instead.  The boys ate one on the way home and then I whipped up a sandwich wrap with fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and turkey.  The boys were starving and I had to make two for each!  I was pleased as punch with myself that I didn’t let my “busyness” get in the way of the bigger picture. 

I’ve tried not to use the phrase “I’ve been busy” for the past week and it’s harder than one might think!  Anyway, I feel a lot less boring.