School Lunch

Today's students have a lower life expectancy than their parents. That is an alarming statistic. To know that my daughter should not live as long as I will is disturbing at best. Especially because we are in a fries and mac n'cheese phase. Full disclosure: she will only eat orange macaroni and cheese, she won't eat the white organic stuff... I preferred the grape, strawberry, and yogurt phase much better and last summer there was a two week period where she only ate blueberries, talk about interesting diaper contents. I try to set a good example; my husband and I both run, we go for bike rides after dinner-but we also have couch potato tendencies, boy do I love the bachlorette, but I digress.

At school, I avoid the cafeteria at all costs. I've only eaten there twice in four years. This year, we did however, have to patrol the cafeteria amid food fight rumors, honestly, serving mashed potatoes and hard boiled eggs, you'd think that they wanted a fight! I work in a rural, poor school district. The only food that some of our students eat is at school (however, they can afford Monster drinks, but that is a whole 'nother post). Most students eat pizza or buy cookies and chips a la carte. However, even the main meals aren't nutritious, I really don't even want to know what a falcon burger is anyway. We also regularly serve double cheeseburgers, chicken pieces. I know that there are districts around the country who are rethinking their budgets and the health of their students and are reworking their whole food service philosophy. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/magazine/20lunches.html In my humble opinion we must do a better job educating our students about proper nutrition, portion sizes, how to count points :) etc...Not to mention give them free samples of new foods as motioned in the article.

Other schools are implementing better gym programs, as well as after school fitness activities:http://www.girlsontherun.org/

Honestly, if every kid walked 1/2 hour to school and ate a nutritious breakfast and lunch, our jobs would be a tiny bit easier.

Excuse me please, I have to go make some Sponge Bob Mac n'cheese and microwave some fries.

First Post

Why does it always seem like I will be able to get a hundred things done, yet I can only get a few? Maybe I'll add make pb+j to the to do list so I can cross it off. The summer always seems endless, I guess I'm lucky that my profession still allows me to feel the childish joy of "summer break." Of course, childhood summers were not full of potty training, crying fits, or endless requests for goldfish, spongebob, or birdies (Penguins of Madagascar). Not that I'm complaining, Cha-Cha (as she calls herself) is a doll, and I'm glad to spend the time with her. Not to mention that this summer is much easier than the first one after she was born...when we didn't have air conditioning.
Well, I'm off to school, yes that's right, I have to proctor an exam for an eighth grader (I teach seventh grade) who desperately needs help in French-and guess who knows French?