Category Archives: Lifestyle

Honoring Milestones

My firstborn started kindergarten this week! When that big yellow schoolbus turned the corner, she was literally jumping with joy (really – I have the Flip video to prove it!). She climbed aboard, posed for a quick picture, and then was off. OFF! A big piece of my heart rounded the curve ahead and simply drove away! It took all of 2 minutes from the time we arrived at the bus stop. I barely got the pictures I wanted! And I was emotional enough that I was rendered speechless. 

We’d had a celebration for her that morning – a homemade card, the special pancake breakfast she requested, a thousand family pictures as we sent her off. We had a little parade to the bus stop – the five of us plus my parents – complete with neighbors waving and wishing her good luck as they watered their lawns or walked their dogs. My 3 year old was devastated that he couldn’t ride the bus once it got there, so my parents took him to the park as a consolation prize, leaving my husband and I home alone for a bit with the newborn and our thoughts. I cried. Then I laughed. Then I cried some more. We talked about the day we brought her home from the hospital, and what it was like on her first day of preschool, and how we’d likely feel at her high school graduation, or on her wedding day. We hugged each other…we looked at pictures…we laughed a little more and cried a little more.

I’m not actually SAD that she has started kindergarten – in fact, I’m thrilled for her! I loved school and hope that she’ll have every bit as good of an experience as I had and then some. I’m not even sad for me! It’s exciting to have new adventures to look forward to. Each phase of her life so far has been so fun and I’m confident this one will be no different.
 
So why all the emotion? Because it was a milestone. And because we paused, and dedicated time to honoring it. We’re good at this with kids. Birthdays are a BIG DEAL. Losing a tooth. Starting school. Riding a bike. We cheer and celebrate and hug and high five. There are presents! And cake! And cards! A special meal, a new outfit, whatever the rituals are, THERE ARE RITUALS.


We could all learn a thing or two about properly honoring milestones if we think about how we do it with children. Because sadly, somewhere along life’s journey, we seem to stop honoring milestones. We say things like “We don’t have to go out to dinner on our anniversary this year – we have something else going on.” Or “Don’t buy me a birthday gift, we just got the new washer and dryer.” Or “It’s just a promotion for heaven’s sake – don’t make such a big deal out if it.” We let the milestones slip by until life is just one big blur of soccer games and chicken dinners and trips to Target.  


Life. Is supposed to be punctuated. By milestones.


And when they occur, it’s so important to pause, collect ourselves, and honor them. Buy the gift. Make the cake. Have the special dinner. Raise a glass. And most importantly, hug, cry, or laugh with the ones you love. Because these are the moments you’ll remember. These are your milestones along life’s journey. Stop at them and rest a while. And then get back on the road.

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Road Food…Decadently Healthful Style

As you’ve read, we took a family road trip last week. In addition to all of the carseats and clothes and beach toys and books and crayons and Leapsters and the stroller and pack and play, I also crammed a cooler and a bag of food into our overloaded SUV. Of course I did. Why? Because it’s the best way I know to ensure that we are able to eat healthfully while on the road (and because if our 3 year old isn’t “fed and watered” every 2 hours he turns into a little monster – a cute monster, but you get my point!).

Since I often get questions about how to eat healthfully while on the road, I thought I’d share what we took with us this time, plus a few things I wish we’d taken.

For many of us, road trips are viewed as a chance to indulge in a host of “forbidden food” favorites, in fact, there’s an entire website devoted to Roadfood! However, for many people, travel is a rather frequent occurrence, and it’s all too easy during those trips to un-do all the good you’ve done at home! I used to think of travel as a chance to indulge, but I’ve learned how much better I feel if I stick to my basic healthful eating approach even when I’m on the road. Even my husband now agrees (as long as he can squeeze in the periodic fried food fix during the trip!).

Packing for healthy eating on the go involves just a little advance planning but can really be a lifesaver when you’re faced with the airport food court or the aisles of a convenience store along the highway. You can make some good choices in those places, too, but having some tried-and-true options in your back pocket significantly eases the anxiety of mealtime or snacktime.


For our trip, I tried to choose foods that could be eaten in the car or the hotel room without making a total mess. I made choices that gave us a good mix of sweet and salty, crunchy and creamy, carbohydrate and protein, fruit and vegetable. I made sure we had FIBER rich foods with us (because, you know, I’m a big proponent of fiber as discussed here). I tried to balance fresh foods with nonperishable foods and to focus on things we couldn’t easily find on the road.

Since we had access to a cooler (and to several refrigerators throughout the trip) I could have a bit more fresh food than some other trips might allow  – that was a nice luxury!

These foods were largely for breakfast and snacks – we had lunch and dinner in restaurants or with friends or family every day – so don’t think for a minute that this was ALL we ate! 

So here’s what we took with us:
A loaf of high-fiber whole wheat bread
High fiber cereals (Fiber One Original and Fiber One Shredded Wheat) 
A container of cut-up carrots, celery, cucumbers and radishes
Apples and Nectarines
A half gallon of organic skim milk
Roasted almonds 
Dried Tart Cherries
Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies
Back to Nature Graham Sticks
Kashi TLC Granola Bars
Gnu Bars
Clif Z Bars
Water!

What I wish I’d added:
Hummus
Almond Butter
Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Cottage cheese or Greek Yogurt in single serve containers 

Net, in general, my packing served us really well. But…I was light on protein-rich foods and really wished I’d had them with us at several points during the trip! The “I wish I’d added” list above would have provided the protein I felt like we were missing – live and learn! Next time, they’ll make the cut! 

As for the next time you travel, try packing a few of your favorite healthful foods and see how much better you feel by the end of your trip!

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Living In the Moment

At the beach! (And yes, he’s eating bread…)
Well hello again! I’ve been traveling for most of the last week – 18 hours of total cartime with my husband and our (now) three children (still can’t believe that!). And what an adventure it was.  I have a few thoughts to share about a realization I had during our travels – one that has inspired me to strive to live more “in the moment” and that I hope will inspire you to do the same. Before you tune out (“yeah, yeah, live in the moment, I hear this all the time”) I may not be using that phrase in exactly the way you’re thinking, so read on…

First, a bit of background…
The main reason for this particular trip was to attend a memorial service for my cousin Patrick, who died this year at 42 after enduring a nearly lifelong illness. His mother, Judy, who had been his constant caretaker for his entire life, ensured that the service was a celebration of his life rather than a mourning of his death. The service culminated with the release of 101 baby blue balloons on a breathtakingly sunny hilltop as the song “I’ll Fly Away” by Jars of Clay played into the open air. Standing there holding my infant daughter and looking down upon our 3-year-old and 5-year-old, I cried tears of gratitude for the overwhelming blessings in my life, and tears of compassion for Judy’s loss of her own son. I silently resolved to do a better job of cherishing these days with young children, knowing that as challenging as they may sometimes be, I’ll undoubtedly recall even the most difficult days with fondness as the kids grow up.
After the service, we traveled to northern Ohio where we visited with my husband’s grandmother (and his aunt and cousins) and then spent two days tucked away at a Dirty-Dancing-style family-friendly resort on the shore of Lake Erie. Our 5 year old REALLY wanted to go to the beach this summer and this was our best opportunity – hey – she’s only 5 – a lake beach is still a beach to her! The kids had a blast participating in all of the family activities offered and, yes, they got to play on the beach. Next year maybe they’ll even see an ocean…
As we traveled from destination to destination, and the children napped in their carseats, my husband and I had the rare opportunity for long, uninterrupted conversations. What a pleasure! During one of them, I made the observation that vacations are so different now than they used to be when it was just the two of us. Back then, we had the WHOLE TRIP to ourselves. We could indulge any whim, accommodate any detour, wake, sleep and eat whenever we chose. Now, of course, as any of you with children know, it’s not like that at all! We live by their schedule, indulge their whims, accommodate their moods and needs. And while it’s wonderful in its own way, it seems there should still be a bit of time for us too! And that’s when it struck me that this, too, might actually be a lesson about living in the moment.

See, while we may not have an entire trip to relax and unwind, moments still open up in which to do so. Moments that are just for us…that fit into the spaces in between stretches of being a mom or a dad. 
Moments like these:
  • An uninterrupted conversation while the kids nap in carseats
  • A nonfat decaf Starbucks latte from the lobby coffee bar savored while the kids are in a coloring contest
  • A run on the beach while the family is still asleep 
  • A Fast Company magazine read in the room while the 3 year old naps and the infant nurses and your husband has the 5 year old on the “beach” 
  • A hot shower before dinner with the door locked (and your spouse watching the kids in the next room)   
  • A glass of wine (or dish of ice cream) eaten on the deck off the hotel room when it’s finally quiet
  • A PTI podcast and Diet root beer in the car as you drive while 3 kids AND your wife nap (that one’s for you, honey)

None of these moments may last very long, but they may be even sweeter because of it. Kind of like this phase of life with very young children.


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