Date with the Lunch Lady: New School Food Rules
This story originally appeared in the (ex)Expatriate’s Kitchen blog.
I pack my child’s lunch every day. When it comes to food, yes, I am a helicopter mom. Not that I don’t havegood reason to worry. Even with the improved school meals, I am still concerned about the meat sourcing and continued use of heavily processed foods. So, each day I still pack my kiddo a nice little lunch box with each item all segregated just the way she likes it.
This works, except for the morning — in the 10 minutes from car to school room — the lunch got dropkicked into the cubby or at least violently shaken by an unseen force (“I don’t know, it just was like that, Mom.”) and my well-spaced carrots then mix with the applesauce and whole grain sandwich — and the lunch got ruined. The kid ended up in the lunch line.
I find out when I get an email at work that her lunch account has a negative balance. I keep it at zero just because I did NOT want her to buy “chocolate” milk and juice to go with her lunch. Negative balance?
I get the story at home later. “So,” I asked. “What did you pick from the lunch line?”
“Well, I got a ham sandwich, apple and salad,” she replied. I had a proud mom moment there. She chose salad! That doesn’t mean she ate it, but she at least chose it. The choice thing is my other concern with school
I got the new menu for my oldest daughters lunch and noticed something strangely new: there were carrot sticks, cucumbers, romaine lettuce and even…oh my goodness…hummus, on the menu! I am a mom who likesto cook but doesn’t love to cook and like many have little time in the morning to prepare a school lunch for my daughter. So I end up letting her eat lunch at school two to three times per week.
I pack my child’s lunch every day. When it comes to food, yes, I am a helicopter mom. Not that I don’t havegood reason to worry. Even with the improved school meals, I am still concerned about the meat sourcing and continued use of heavily processed foods. So, each day I still pack my kiddo a nice little lunch box with each item all segregated just the way she likes it.
This works, except for the morning — in the 10 minutes from car to school room — the lunch got dropkicked into the cubby or at least violently shaken by an unseen force (“I don’t know, it just was like that, Mom.”) and my well-spaced carrots then mix with the applesauce and whole grain sandwich — and the lunch got ruined. The kid ended up in the lunch line.
I find out when I get an email at work that her lunch account has a negative balance. I keep it at zero just because I did NOT want her to buy “chocolate” milk and juice to go with her lunch. Negative balance?
I get the story at home later. “So,” I asked. “What did you pick from the lunch line?”
“Well, I got a ham sandwich, apple and salad,” she replied. I had a proud mom moment there. She chose salad! That doesn’t mean she ate it, but she at least chose it. The choice thing is my other concern with school
Children grow up fast. We can’t wait for healthy school lunches…
I got the new menu for my oldest daughters lunch and noticed something strangely new: there were carrot sticks, cucumbers, romaine lettuce and even…oh my goodness…hummus, on the menu! I am a mom who likesto cook but doesn’t love to cook and like many have little time in the morning to prepare a school lunch for my daughter. So I end up letting her eat lunch at school two to three times per week.
Girls Rule.
Ladies, we are having a very good year.
This election, a record number of women—binders and binders full of them—ran for office, and…best of all…won.
In the new Congress, we will have 20 female Senators, up from 17. We will have the first openly gay senator, Tammy Baldwin, in Wisconsin. We will have the first Asian-American woman in the Senate, Mazie Hirono, and the first Hindu in Congress, Tulsi Gabbard. Last I checked, 81 women had been elected to the House, while a few races were still being counted. New Hampshire will have the nation’s first all-female delegation. (Feel free to express your gratitude with a donation to EMILY’s List.)
This election wasn’t just a win for women, and it wasn’t just a win for the men who love them, it might also be a
This election, a record number of women—binders and binders full of them—ran for office, and…best of all…won.
In the new Congress, we will have 20 female Senators, up from 17. We will have the first openly gay senator, Tammy Baldwin, in Wisconsin. We will have the first Asian-American woman in the Senate, Mazie Hirono, and the first Hindu in Congress, Tulsi Gabbard. Last I checked, 81 women had been elected to the House, while a few races were still being counted. New Hampshire will have the nation’s first all-female delegation. (Feel free to express your gratitude with a donation to EMILY’s List.)
This election wasn’t just a win for women, and it wasn’t just a win for the men who love them, it might also be a