Tuesday, March 3, 2009

No More Daily Pizza

Look how sophisticated Raquel looks in her school uniform! Jose snapped this picture of her for me while I was still in bed. I just got that vest for her on a clearance rack and couldn't wait for her to wear it.
On Monday we received the preschool newsletter informing us of special events, lessons and reminders for the month of March. We also received a school menu and it confuses me. There is food on there I've never seen the preschoolers eat, such as orange chicken and rice, bean burrito and tuna sandwich. I don't believe they give the preschoolers these choices and this menu is probably just what the whole school gets. My sister in law who works in the office says the kids in 1st through 5th grades get a salad bar option and a good variety of healthy and tasty food. For these reasons, I have started making Raquel's lunch as of today. She was upset that she wouldn't be eating school food anymore, "...but I LIKE pizza!" I explained to her that eating pizza everyday is not healthy and that I would be making her lunch three days a week and allow her to eat the school food every Friday (chocolate milk day). Monday is a short day and no lunch is served so I will make lunches only Tuesday through Thursday. That plan seems reasonable to me and Raquel agreed.
Yesterday she went grocery shopping with me and I showed her what kind of food I'd be making for her. When we got home, I start washing celery stalks and she filled 3 zip top bags with seven pretzels each. I read that if you let your child help build their own lunches they are more likely to eat everything instead of throwing it away. But, since I know my daughter, I showed up 10 minutes early to pick her up from the cafeteria just so I could see her eat and help her with anything she couldn't open. The children were eating chicken nuggets, caeser salad, peach chunks and a frosted cookie. The boy next to Raquel ate nothing but when his Grandpa showed up to pick him up, the boy was given the frosted cookie anyways. I was secretly shaking my head.
After I post this blog entry I will be assembling tomorrow's lunch. And I'll show up early again tomorrow to make sure she eats most of it.
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3 comments:

Iris said...

Alright Sarah super mommy! You sure are making sure Raquel gets the best foods for the benefit of her health :) I know she will appreciate it when she is much older.

I agree, your compromise was reasonable. I don't think you should deprive kids 100% of unhealthy foods. Depriving them, only makes them want them more. Good job mom :)

Sarah Jane said...

Thank you, Iris. I don't want to deprive her. I want her to have the mentality that unhealthy foods are good occasionally, just for fun, but they are not a normal everyday diet.

HektikLyfe said...

I LOVE those frosted oatmeal cookies!!!!!