This is long but I'll try not to ramble too much
Do you plan what you and your kids will eat or just wing it? If you don't plan, do you have "normal" diets (meaning no allergies, no sensitivities, no special needs, etc). If you plan, do you have special dietary needs? Or, is eating healthy in today's world a "special diet"?
Today the kids are going to my mom's for a few hours (just left them). My mom said she planned a picnic. Well, by "planned" she meant that she was going shopping at Whole Foods with the kids and picking out things that my dd could eat. DD can't eat soy or dairy (both hard to avoid!) and we try to eat "healthy" - whole grains, fruits, veggies, etc. She also needs a decent protein source at every meal.
We get to the store and we're finding plenty for Bridget, the 6 year old Grazing Queen. Then mom realizes there's nothing for the "grownups" to eat. They're used to picking up Subs, chips and Coke (my dad - my mom doesn't drink soda) so they're not going to be satisfied with the crudetes (sp?) and stuff like that, yk?
I point out some pasta salad and mom complains it's not whole wheat pasta. I say mom, the subs you were going to buy have white bread, what's the difference? She tells me they only didn't buy the subs because of Bridget.
If you have no idea why that is relevant, don't worry, neither did I :LOL I finally convinced her to buy the pasta salad, some really healthy looking chick pea and broccoli salad and some brown rice salad. Salads are good for picnics (along with all the fruit and veggies they were bringing).
At one point she commented that it was hard doing this since a lot of the foods the kids like don't translate well to outdoors (yeah, tell me about it). She then said something about how she didn't have a choice. I said sure you do, just say (to my dad) that tonight is not a good night for a picnic
She also complained (AGAIN) that I am making her life hard by asking her not to take the kids out to eat right now. She said usually they'd go to the diner where Bridget would get "just" a grilled cheese (dairy and soy in the margarine). Now I've made it hard on her by asking her not to do that. Cry me a river
It occurred to me I might have to have a talk with my mom about PLANNING what they eat. Yeah, if you don't care what you eat, if you have no food issues, don't care if the kids eat McDonald's, etc, then you can totally wing it. Stop at a drive through if you get hungry, whatever. You can't do that with my kids.
It also occurred to me that I should be easy on my mom. I live with Bridget 24/7 and *I* find it hard to plan her diet sometimes. There are times that *I* screw up and don't take it seriously enough and we all suffer for it. Or times that I forget to pack enough food for out of the house and hitting a drive through is just not an option for us right now. My mom only sees them once or twice a week. I know she doesn't really "get" the diet thing. I'm pretty sure she doesn't believe me that soy causes my dd to freak out and dairy might be the cause of her excema BUT she is trying her best so I should acknowledge that.
Phew! Long winded as usual

Do you plan what you and your kids will eat or just wing it? If you don't plan, do you have "normal" diets (meaning no allergies, no sensitivities, no special needs, etc). If you plan, do you have special dietary needs? Or, is eating healthy in today's world a "special diet"?
Today the kids are going to my mom's for a few hours (just left them). My mom said she planned a picnic. Well, by "planned" she meant that she was going shopping at Whole Foods with the kids and picking out things that my dd could eat. DD can't eat soy or dairy (both hard to avoid!) and we try to eat "healthy" - whole grains, fruits, veggies, etc. She also needs a decent protein source at every meal.
We get to the store and we're finding plenty for Bridget, the 6 year old Grazing Queen. Then mom realizes there's nothing for the "grownups" to eat. They're used to picking up Subs, chips and Coke (my dad - my mom doesn't drink soda) so they're not going to be satisfied with the crudetes (sp?) and stuff like that, yk?
I point out some pasta salad and mom complains it's not whole wheat pasta. I say mom, the subs you were going to buy have white bread, what's the difference? She tells me they only didn't buy the subs because of Bridget.
If you have no idea why that is relevant, don't worry, neither did I :LOL I finally convinced her to buy the pasta salad, some really healthy looking chick pea and broccoli salad and some brown rice salad. Salads are good for picnics (along with all the fruit and veggies they were bringing).
At one point she commented that it was hard doing this since a lot of the foods the kids like don't translate well to outdoors (yeah, tell me about it). She then said something about how she didn't have a choice. I said sure you do, just say (to my dad) that tonight is not a good night for a picnic

She also complained (AGAIN) that I am making her life hard by asking her not to take the kids out to eat right now. She said usually they'd go to the diner where Bridget would get "just" a grilled cheese (dairy and soy in the margarine). Now I've made it hard on her by asking her not to do that. Cry me a river

It occurred to me I might have to have a talk with my mom about PLANNING what they eat. Yeah, if you don't care what you eat, if you have no food issues, don't care if the kids eat McDonald's, etc, then you can totally wing it. Stop at a drive through if you get hungry, whatever. You can't do that with my kids.
It also occurred to me that I should be easy on my mom. I live with Bridget 24/7 and *I* find it hard to plan her diet sometimes. There are times that *I* screw up and don't take it seriously enough and we all suffer for it. Or times that I forget to pack enough food for out of the house and hitting a drive through is just not an option for us right now. My mom only sees them once or twice a week. I know she doesn't really "get" the diet thing. I'm pretty sure she doesn't believe me that soy causes my dd to freak out and dairy might be the cause of her excema BUT she is trying her best so I should acknowledge that.
Phew! Long winded as usual
