#50BookPledge Book 49 What's for Lunch

Book 49 is What's for Lunch?How Schoolchildren Eat Around the World by Andrea Curtis from Red Deer Press 2012

This is a Canadian book about the assorted types and locations of school lunches around the world.  It also looks at how children, families, communities and governments are working to make nutritious lunches available to all. 

I really enjoyed the book which was an easy and short read.  It would have been nice to read about more scenarios, but that may have been overwhelming. I don't think Miss R is ready for this book yet, but in a few years it will be helpful when she stops eating her school lunches.

Congratulations Ms Curtis for opening our eyes to how others live.

First Week Lunches

Well I haven't done horrible for the first week of school lunches but it hasn't been perfect yet.  The good news is she hasn't left anything uneaten yet, the bad news is we've had some leaks.

On Wednesday when I picked Miss R up I noticed that her cooler was wet.  When I asked her if she knew what/how she didn't have an answer! As I unpacked the cooler I discovered her chocolate milk leaked. The culprit, a water bottle that wasn't closed properly.  Cleaned everything out and rinsed out cooler but it needs a good scrubbing so went to emergency cooler for Thursday. I also decided since the cooler was empty to find out if she had enough food. She told me that she did/but didn''t. She was fine for first break and lunch, but not for second break.  It then decided to give some extra on Thursday.

I worked on Wednesday night to make some rice pudding and after some challenges with it.  It eventually thickened and I was able to send it with Miss R.  Well that didn't work as planned.  She opened the rice pudding first break then decided to eat the easier food of applesauce and raspberries. The problem was she didn't close the lid properly so when she opened her cooler again at lunch the rice pudding had spilled all over. Thankfully someone at school helped her clean it up and I got a soggy wet napkin home. Good news is Miss r had enough to eat and even brought home a small piece of hot dog.

#50BookPledge Book 35 French Kids Eat Everything

French Kids Eat Everything (and yours can too) by Karen Le Billon from Harper Collins 2012

I'm always looking for ways to get Miss R to eat better, even though most of my friends and the family doctor don't think she's picky.  By reading Karen's book I've discovered that Miss R maybe isn't much different then most of her peers, but that doesn't mean things can't change. 

French Kids Eat Everything presents things in such a way that it is easy to see where the two cultures, North American and French, are different when it comes to approaches to food.  I read the book and started to implement some of the suggestions immediately.  It was a huge surprise to mean just how well using fixed times for snacks works. 

The thing that really got my attention in this book was Chapter 9 when the family returns to Vancouver from France only to find out that the French method of eating may not work in all situations and adaption will be required to fit into your unique circumstances. 

I have marked the last chapter of for my husband to read because it summarizes the rules and hope to try some of the recipes very soon.  I also plan on posting my version of the rules somewhere near my kitchen to remind me what I'm trying to accomplish for the entire family.

Hopefully Karen's book is read by the right people to make changes in our school systems so our children don't continue to rush through their lunches just so they can be hungry a couple hours later.

Thank you Karen for showing me that I can get my child to eat better/more without driving myself crazy.

#50BookPledge Book 4 No Cry Picky Eater

The No Cry Picky Eater Solution by Elizabeth Pantley from McGraw Hill Ryerson, 2012

I admit I am one of those parents who, prior to reading this book, considered daughter to be a picky eater. Of particular concern to me is the lack of meat her diet and the overall volume of food she does or rather doesn't consume.

I have read Ms. Pantley's books in the past and used her methods with other challenges with great success. The same is true of the No Cry Picky Eater Solution which starts off telling you that what you consider to be picky eating is probably normal and your child will outgrow it before they are 8.

There were a ton of practical suggestions in the book to cover all kinds of families and situations. The biggest thing for me was getting a handle on appropriate portion sizes. There is a handy chart I hope to post somewhere in my kitchen as a reminder so I'm not surprised when my daughter only eats a quarter of a hamburger.

Another really helpful suggestion for our house was to wait 15 minutes between finishing the first helping of food or presenting dessert to give your child a chance to learn their own hunger/full cues.

As with all the other No Cry Solution books The No Cry Picky Eater Solution reminds the parent to step back and make the dinner table a friendly place to be not a battleground. I really enjoyed this book and am already seeing results with my intrepid child.

Father Daughter Time

Once a month my father and I get together for a lunch date.  My dad and I started this monthly appointment after my parents moved to London.  In some was it was meant as a way to replace the lunches my dad used to have with friends before they moved.

I am usually responsible for finding the restaurant and any coupons while the two of us trade off paying the bill. We find this a great time to get away and talk about a multitude of topics.  I find my dad is more than willing to talk about something that is important to him.  It could be almost anything, but I try not to judge or make suggestions that what he's talking about doesn't matter.

These dates aren't all about my dad though.  It is a two way street and I discuss things that are happening in my life that I want him to listen to or want his opinion on. 

If I can make a suggestion it would be try this with someone important to you.  It strengths your relationship emensely.