Making Babies

Upon tucking the girls into bed the other night I was asked, "Mommy, how did I get out of your body?"

Believing honesty is the best approach I looked Abby in the eyes as I stood next to her bed, spread my legs shoulder-width apart and pointed straight up at my crotch, "You came out through there. Good night!"

I should have known the subject would resurface. This morning Abby inquired, "Mommy, how do you make babies?"

Hmmmmmm. Should I give her the long, detailed version or the abbreviated one? Opting for the explanation she could handle, I replied, "You make babies with a lot of love."

She nodded her head, then replied, "And blood."

"I guess you could say that...."

Lunch Bunch

School lunches. For me they bring back fond memories of melamine trays, rectangle pizzas, & an Owatonna Public Schools delight: peanut butter cups. But times have changed. This is no longer the '80s, and I am no longer the blindly guided student. I've eaten school lunches from time-to-time as a teacher in Duluth, Austin, San Antonio & several Boston-area schools, always interested in how the locals dish it up. In San Antonio children eagerly gobbled up cornbread with jalapeños, and Bedford, Mass. never went a day without serving Fluffernutters. While I confess I never sampled either, the lunches I did try were par for the course, I guess.

But I'm not the one eating these lunches anymore, Abby will be. And as my school-teaching cousin, Shawn, pointed out, schools have changed a lot since I've been in the classroom.

We've done everything we need to do to get Abby ready for kindergarten next year. She has her shots, she is registered with all of the paperwork in place, and at preschool Mrs. Hart has been mentally gearing the children up for the responsibility that going to the big school will bring. But one thing remains, what about those school lunches? I'm confident Abby will handle herself well in the classroom, but in an effort to ward off any curve balls, I requested a chance to visit the school this spring for a sampling of the institute's cuisine.

The school was great about accommodating my request. We were given a menu and were invited to come by any day that worked for us. The lovelies and I arrived at school a few minutes early so we could grab our lunches and be seated before the chaos of the kindergarten lunchroom began.

The routine was simple, and the girls & I had the option of choosing from the main menu (that day happened to be cheeseburger), graham crackers & peanut butter, or Smucker's prepackaged Uncrustable peanut butter & jelly sandwich. The girls each opted for the pretty-packaged Uncrustables, I the luke-warm burger.

I remember my elementary school lunch days clearly. My cousin's grandma was one of our faithful cooks, and I distinctly remember feeling the need to compliment her on her culinary skills (after all, aren't all grandmas supposed to be great cooks?!) even though I thought the burgers were just okay. If my taste buds remember correctly, those burgers from the days of yore could be a Food Network sensation by comparison.

My intention isn't to call out Abby's new school for their crappy school lunches, as I'm sure they aren't much better, or much worse than most schools in America, but let's call a spade a spade.... it was less than savory.

The meal was "dished up" on styrofoam trays, and cold & mushy by the time it reached my mouth. The napkin (the quality of two sheets of gas station-grade toilet paper), spork & straw were wrapped in a little plastic bag. It was all like one disposable mass of semi-edible processed product. The girls did drink their milk and eat their fruit & their sodden french fries, but they left hungry; they hardly touched the Uncrustable. I left mildly filled from choking down my tray of nostalgia.

In the end, I accomplished my intention:

1. Introducing Abby (and Lauren) to the lunch room routine

2. Get a taste of school lunch

My girls are not picky eaters, so when they weren't interested, I knew it was bad. We still have a few months to mull it over. The truth is, if Abby wants to eat "hot" lunch, I will probably let her. But my mommy instinct screams loud in my head.... Pack that child's lunch. And that's what I will probably do. This way I know she is putting the good stuff into her body that she needs to get through the day, concentrate, learn & be productive.

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So I'm making sure my children are receiving the best lunch possible. What about the other millions of school children in America? While it is true that their parents or guardians are ultimately responsible, I firmly believe that schools have a responsibility to provide a nutritious and well-balanced meal, especially with so many children on free or reduced lunch, or parents who do not have or make the time to pack a lunch for them. The subject was touched on in recent months in Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution: www.coolhunting.com/food-drink/jamie-olivers-f.php. After revisiting school lunches, I know exactly why our country's school lunch system is in desperate need of an overhaul.

Another such quest for answers & change comes from the desk of Mrs. Q, a teacher in the Midwest who took on the challenge of eating school lunches for a year and blogging about her eye-opening experience: http://www.fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/.

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Again I stress my intention is not to throw this school under the bus. As a parent & an educator this is a subject I feel passionately about. I'm not out to start my own food revolution, at least not yet anyways. For now it's become a topic of brainstorming to which I have the summer to come up with clever & nutritious ways to keep my school girl fed. So until then....

Hand it to Abby

It was time to get Lauren out of the tub, and that means creating the great diversion from what could otherwise turn into a catastrophic meltdown caused by being the first sister removed from the bathing cavity. One thing led to another and the inquiry came out of my mouth, "What are you going to be when you grow up, Tiny?"

Lauren grumpily answered, "I don't know."

And without missing a beat Abby chimed in, "A handful."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[smile]

Thank You Thursday

Last November my lovelies and I challenged ourselves to twenty-five days of giving thanks. It was great practice in finding gratitude in small places. I've decided to challenge myself to come up with five things I'm thankful for on Thursdays; finding one is easy, but five? I guess I'll have to find out.

My first installment of Thank You Thursday....

1. I'm thankful for homemade meals (even if I'm the one whose made it).

2. Thank you, Geoff, for coming home early today. Not only did you get the lawn mowed (and it looks great!) but we get to enjoy a meal with you and you get some time to unwind.

3. I'm thankful for my clean white T. I've worn you all day and not a lick of food or stain.... does this mean I'm moving my traditional uniform aside for the updated Gap version? Hah. No.

{it's getting harder}

4. Thank you pretty, pretty clipboard. I love putting together things that are pretty. I also love giving them away. Good thing I take lots of pictures.

{hmmmmm, one more}

5. I am thankful for a new Grey's tonight. While it is true the show has lost some of its luster, I still enjoy a well-written drama. Someone else's drama.

Clipboard

I finally finished putting together the clipboard for Mrs. Hart. I'm pleased with the way it turned out, so I'm thinking stocking up when the back-to-school sales kick in this fall is a must!

Hair Ribbons

As if I really needed to take on another project, yet here I go....

{Hair Ribbons}

Ten on Tuesday

Whenever I drift off into dreams of living in Minnesota, as my heart desires, I try to remind myself that I am where I am for a reason. I found one of those reasons wrapped up in a package named Susie. She inspires me in many small, but significant ways; one of which is Ten on Tuesday. I'm not sure she invented it, but she's certainly mastered it.

This is my first edition. Ten completely random thoughts on Tuesday....

1. We never have a complete wash-out day in Ohio. You know the kind where it rains all day and you have to turn on a lamp in the house. I love those days. I hope today is one of them.

2. It's amazing how many people don't know that the top sheet should be placed facing down when making a bed.

3. I have a lot of liberal friends. It's funny how the ones on the East coast are much more accepting of my conservative views than the ones in Minnesota. Seems counter intuitive.

4. Shouldn't Bart Simpson have graduated & moved out of his parents' house by now?

5. I love my girls. I know all parents do, but I truly adore them. I am blessed.

6. It was so refreshing to hear Geoff come home and say he had a really good day yesterday.... I smiled, then went back to sleep.

7. Why can't I stop thinking about going up to the cabin?

8. Even with so much left to cross off on my mental list, this house has accomplishment written all over it.

9. I wonder if my dad has enough homemade cookies in the freezer to hold him over until I get home again.

10. I think I need to get more sleep. My hips & my knees are still aching from my mulch-a-thon. I hope it is that and not aging.