Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Not So Sure About School Lunch


(Raquel likes to make this face)
Preschool is still a happy place for Raquel. It has been one week since she started and she's doing very well at listening and getting up early five days a week. Her parents are enjoying this new schedule, too. Jose likes to get up early to take her to school. I get everything ready the night before, lay out her clothes, make breakfast. He gets her up at 6:30, brushes her teeth, dresses her, fixes her hair and off they go to Starbucks for Jose's coffee and then to school where he walks her to the classroom and signs her in each day. I have had to change the way I do things at night as to get Raquel to bed early enough and make sure everything's ready for the next day. But I like having this new routine.
I have noticed she's putting on weight and I'm not exactly sure why but when I pick her up everyday in the cafeteria (that's where the parents go to pick up the kids) lunch is usually something greasy, like pizza or a corndog. That's not how she eats at home. But I know that a lot of 4-year-olds are allowed to be picky and won't eat grilled chicken and brocolli on whole wheat pasta as readily as they will gobble down cheese pizza. So the school must go with the safer choice, the foods that most kids will eat without being prodded. I'm just going to wait and see if Raquel continues to gain like this. The girl is damned when it comes to her genetics and predisposition to get fat. When I was a kid, I remember asking my mom if I would get fat when I was older (she was, at the time, very overweight). She told me I would not get fat and that I didn't have anything to worry about. She was wrong!
Jose had always been "husky" as a kid and now he's technically "obese". Our kids have the potential to be really overweight and I have always been aware of that and concerned about it. This is why ice cream, candy, soda and Happy Meals are rare things in our house. Raquel is very good at eating what she's given, although there have been those phases of pretending not to like chicken and such, which is so frustrating when it happens! She is used to the taste of whole grains and veggies. But she's very smart, too, and if she is eating dinner at someone else's house, she'll act like she doesn't like anything which will result in people feeding her less healthy food. Yes, she's that manipulative! You are all a bunch of suckers in her eyes. HAhahaha!
And now about Maxine...Yesterday after I picked up Raquel from school, the three of us went to the Target by her school to get groceries. It was Maxine's first time sitting in a grocery cart and I had to photograph the moment. I put bulky blankets and toys in the seat with her so she wouldn't slouch too much or hurt herself. She is so tiny in that cart seat! She enjoyed the ride, behaved so well the whole time.

6 comments:

Prolifegirly said...

are you thinking of making a lunch for her to bring? Thats good that you are concerned about healthy foods...it will definitely be a challenge for me when the time comes, considering how unhealthy john and i eat. but i do have a boy, and it's a lot more socially acceptable for himto be fat lol. just kidding! Raquel is so mature and smart- i hope she exceeds in kindergarten too!

and that last pic of maxine and raquel is very cute.

Jose said...

Yes, I will have to start making her lunch if she keeps gaining. I'm going to wait and see. I was worried about giving her perishable foods but I guess that doesn't really matter since she's only there for just under 3 hours.
The other night when she was eating dinner, I noticed she had unbuttoned her jeans and her belly was totally hanging out--that's when I started getting concerned. And I laughed inside a little.

Sarah Jane said...

Oops, that was not Jose who posted that, it was me, Sarah!

Iris said...

Hmmm you can get her one of those lunch pails with those coolers in it. Can't remember what they are called. I am glad you are concerned for her weight and well being.
I was always thicker than my peers. In our house we couldn't afford eating out often, but when we did it was all about mickey dees or the taco truck down the street.
The only thing I can say is my mom did make sure we were outside and active every day. I paid the price for my unhealthy diet in junior and high school gym. I failed gym. I had to go to summer school to make it up and have the credits to graduate hs. Wasn't until I was in college that I decided I wanted to change. At the time I made the decision, I was eating a cheeseburger every day from Mcds or a famous star from Carl's. So I quit all burgers cold turkey and promised to eat healthy from then on. I've been that way since. I ate a Mcds cheese burger when I was preggo. Hadn't had one since I was 18. Crazy.
Anyway, my point is you're getting Rocky off to a good start by recognizing there is a problem with junk food and looking for a way to address it :)

HektikLyfe said...

That really sucks. That sort of stuff scares me and makes me wish that home schooling was feasible. Dietary concerns are only one of the issues. Peer education is another.

Captcha "poont"

Sarah Jane said...

Iris: wow, you are SO GOOD at sticking to your plans! I can't imagine you eating a burger everyday--weird! As a kid, we ate out a lot, either fast food or restaurants. My parents never had any guidelines for eating. I faintly remember getting chubby in 7th grade when my mom couldn't afford to let us stay in dance lessons anymore. I didn't realize I was gaining until all the boys started making a lot of fun of me. Then I got back into dance class pretty soon and quickly lost a lot of weight to the point where my instructor was concerned about me not eating enough. hmph.
HL: one good thing is, her teacher does not allow candy or sweets in class, like for holidays and/or little parties or their daily snack. I'm just going to keep an eye on her for the next couple of weeks and if she keeps gaining, I'll make her lunch.