Fast Food vs Parental Responsibility

Today, Parents Magazine posted this saying that McDonald's is adding preservative laden apples and low-fat milk to their kid's meals. How are these "healthy" alternatives? Kids need the nutrients from milk. Taking that away is not serving any purpose.

First of all, why is this even a debate? Why are parents and even the government blaming the restaurants for unhealthy food menus? Did common sense really die? I mean, I did read an obit once... Why do we have any say in what a business serves? Stop griping about it and just stop eating there for cripes sakes. Tell your kids NO. I know it's hard, but you can do it. Really.. try it out... and laugh when they cry while telling them, "There's nothing to cry about. I'm saving you from a lifetime of potential health problems." They may not get it now, but one day they will thank you.

America is FAT. America is FAT because we make poor choices. And WHY we are asking our government to do something about it is beyond me. Seriously. Grow up and put your big girl/boy pants on and make your own decisions! We think that eating out is quicker, cheaper than groceries and more convenient. But, the fact remains that it is not cheaper to eat out. In fact, it has a long-term cost associated with it. Heart disease, cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity.

And is it really faster? It takes me 10 minutes to sautee up some zukes and mushrooms. It takes 20 minutes for me to make a homemade pizza. It takes 5 minutes to make a salad. Back in the day, when I ate a lot of fast food, I remember waiting 45 minutes one time in a Whataburger drive-thru line for my burger. How is that faster? That meal cost me over $7.

A package of hamburger meat is $4. Buns are $1. A head of lettuce is $1. Tomatoes are 88 cents a lb. If I really want to load it up, I can get a block of cheese for $5. Cheese that I can use for all sorts of things since I obviously wouldn't use it all for hamburgers. Then I can get a bag of frozen fries, or a potato for a couple of bucks. So, for about $8 I can make 6 hamburgers and have fries with that.

Cheaper? Ha. No. And, I know what's in my burger that I made myself. Do you know what's in your fast food burger? Want to know? click here.. Over to the right there's a list of categories. I don't know about you, but if I can't pronounce is, or know what it is, I really don't want to eat it anymore.

The bottom line is I'm tired of hearing from parents or even single people saying they don't have time. Make time. Budget your time better. If you are over scheduled, figure out why.Why people put their health as a lower priority on their list of things to do bugs me.

Homemade Jewelry

I don't plug very often... but Kelly's business is worth plugging.

So, go check it out!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PeanutGalleryJewelry?ref=si_shop

Swing Set Defeated!

Dear Flexible Flyer Swing Set,

DIE.

Love,

Kristal

A few weeks ago I went on the hunt for a small swing set. I only found one that didn't require me to buy lumber. It was a little more than I wanted to spend, but I've been asking since March for one to be built. It wasn't something I could do by myself with an infant, so I knew I needed help. Well, I waited... and waited... I finally asked my stepmom if she thought my dad could help, but he's swamped right now.

So, this is what I was stuck with if I wanted anything any time soon. Kaylee's swing was sitting in my room in a corner collecting dust. When the swing arrived, Brian was able to carry it in by himself, which basically told me "I can put this together by myself."

That statement was true, but at the very beginning of the process, I was ready to take a baseball bat to it. When I went to put the two top bars together, this is what I saw:

How the heck are they supposed to fit together when the manufacturer left the metal punch outs inside?!?!? After being mad the rest of the day, searching for another swing, I gave up and got the Dremel out.


Take that you jerk! Now... please last us 10 years because I never want to build another one of these again.

PS: Would anyone like to come mow? :)

Kale Chips

I have just finished my first ever dehydrating project. I started with something I've actually never had. A while back I did a Groupon for a local grocery delivery service. It delivered a bunch of locally grown vegetables, which I shared with a good friend. In the bucket was kale. I had no clue what it was. Thankfully, my friend is a vegetarian, so she could tell me all that we got. She even gave us a way to cook it up. Both Brian and I really enjoyed the dish! I've never been a big chip person, but every now and then I get the urge to gorge myself with them. This is why I wanted to try making some veggie chips.

The results:

Why my picture is portrait instead of landscape is beyond me.. stupid Blogger.

Anyway, they aren't bad! It's definitely way different from a potato chip. They are very thin and have a completely different texture, but overall, it was 9 hours well spent (waiting... I didn't have to do anything to them during the process).

Here's the recipe if you want to try! http://thehealthyeatingsite.com/salted-kale-chips/

We Made It!

We went two weeks without a major grocery shop. Now, our fridge is pretty bare and it's screaming to be cleaned. There's still things in the pantry, but it's thinned out quite a bit. I'm pretty proud of us! I did get some veggies, fruit and milk along the way, but that was it.

Our grocery list consists of a lot of cheese. Mexican cheese, colby jack, parmesan, cheddar, mozarella, Velveeta (I know it's not really cheese....), which I'm almost embarrassed about... but we love cheese.. what can I say? And I like to give Kaylee cheese as snacks every now and then.

I made my list based on what I have left in my pantry. It should last us another 2 weeks. Our menu will be a bit boring this time around.... and carb heavy! Chicken and rice, King Ranch Casserole, Enchiladas, tostadas, nachos, tuna fish, grilled cheese sandwiches, egg sandwiches, alfredo or pesto pasta, pizza...

I'll get my food dehydrator Wednesday night! I'm so excited about this. I really want to try and make yogurt, but Kaylee has a ton right now, so I need to wait. Instead, I have decided my first experiment will be kale and sweet potato chips.

Now I'm hungry.....

She's Taking Over

I didn't want my living room covered in toys.
It is.

I didn't want her to have more clothes than me.
She does.

And now, my backyard is slowly becoming a toddler's haven. We have a kiddie pool. A slide, which can be put in the kiddie pool, or just slide into the grass. A water table. A wagon and a multitude of little outdoor toys. And as of next week, a swing set. The poor dogs are being kicked out. In fact, we built a dog run so they would stay out of her way and wouldn't run tracks in the new grass.

I found a 2 swing swingset for $89 at Walmart. It's little, which is great for our backyard. But, it's meant for bigger kids, meaning it'll grow with her for a while. Since we have no trees with good thick branches, her toddler swing has been sitting for months waiting for me to figure it out. I had asked Brian to help me build a swing, but us building things together ends up us arguing on the best way to go about things. Then I asked my dad, but he's been swamped at work. I'm tired of waiting... so I bit the bullet.

I figured the more we have to do at home, the less we'll go out and spend money. I can have friends come over and we can throw the kids outside. It'll be great :)

Toddler Room

We are going to give Kaylee's room a makeover. Something a little more functional. Something a little more "her." Right now, she has her crib, my armoire, two nightstands, an endtable and a chaise lounge crammed in there. It's the safari theme, which in my opinion is pretty neutral. I wanted to see how her personality would play out. She's very playful and sweet and just overall a happy kid. So, here's my plan:

Wall Art, but I may not write out the meanings.

Wall Decals

Here's where I plan to "borrow" an idea Adrianne had. I thought it was so cute! Not sure if I'll do a birdhouse or a birdcage... I think it's going to be a last detail and depend on what I find.

Bed (eventually...) This is at Furniture in the Raw... 

Love this place! Here's hoping the price isn't too bad. 

I'm not sure on the stain yet... probably a lighter one to keep her room bright.

 

 As for bedding, I'm thinking of keeping things simple... just a plain white bedspread... the walls will be busy enough that the bed can stay simple.

Here is where I'm scared I'll fail. Her room gets HOT. So, I need some good window coverings to block out the heat and light for naps. I also need a lamp. And a small table with chairs (for crafts, etc.). And I want them to be solid wood. I really don't want to buy new furniture for her until she's in high school, or maybe when she moves out... It's not cruel to have a teen in a twin bed, right?

I want to build her closet out with shelves so it'll work as a dresser and storage. Her walls are beige and we don't intend to change that since we're hoping to move within the next 3 years.

I am thinking of buying an artificial branch and wrap a strand of Christmas lights around it as a nightlight... thoughts?

Another thought was to take some cherry blossom flowers and attach them to the wall with the tree and branch... this is where I'm wondering if it'll be too much.