my 3 favorite places to be selfish

Thank you to all my friends & followers who weighed in online & off in response to my recent Non-Perfect-Mommy confessions. Sounds like there will be an equal number of kids who grow up without the scrapbook bordered memories. I'm glad to know my kids won't be alone and that we are all doing our part to keep the universe in balance :)

As a follow up to that post, I thought I'd pull back the curtain a little more on just where exactly I most prefer to indulge in self... you know, the places I escape to when I'm focused on me & not focusing on my family. Maybe a good mommy blogger wouldn't admit that these places exist. But let's all repeat: Regan is not a good mommy blogger, she's just mommy. 

My favorite selfish spaces:

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Top 5 Reasons I Would Not Be A Good Mommy Blogger

As I mentioned last week, I've allowed myself some room to share thoughts on the blog beyond just my little food world. For those of you who've stuck around and not unsubscribed (thank you), I thought I at least owed a little more explination about where the blog will NOT be going, as well. Parenting is a topic that's constantly on my mind... it's my most all consuming & important & terribly frustrating rewarding job. But a good mommy blogger, I am not. And here's why:

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Life Lived in the Car Line

People prepare you for a lot of things about parenthood - the sleepless nights, difficulties potty training boys (boy is that the truth) and inevitable struggles to help your child transition to some level of independence in even the smallest of tasks.

But where was the memo on how insane the whole car pick up line process is?

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Product Review: Snack Taxi ... (aka Mom's new helper)

Allow me to introduce you to  Snack Taxi. 

 

Basically, they make reusable snack & sandwich bags. Simple concept, lots of benefits.  

I contacted the Snack Taxi company and requested that they send me a couple to review after seeing them mentioned on another blog. That blogger was using them for her own snacks… workout, quick lunch, etc.

Being the mother of two, I was more interested in what they could do for that ever present task of packing lunch for school every day. I've toyed around with a lot of different options for lunches for my 4 year old. We've done the plastic container and zip-top plastic bag thing since he first started preschool. From a purely non-environmental standpoint, each option has it's pros & cons, of course.  

Zip top bags: easy for little ones to open (pro) - don't protect soft items like sandwiches (con) 

Plastic containers: not easy for little ones to open (con) - protect soft items like sandwiches (pro)

...can you see the dilemma? 

Snack Taxi, I believe, first introduced their product as a means to reduce the use of plastic bags, certainly an environmentally and economically sound concept. And if that's your #1 motivating factor for lunchware choices, stop reading and jump right on over to their site.

But I tend to be (perhaps to my own discredit?) a little more of a "put out the fire that's burning right now" kinda gal. And the burning question for me as a mom has been how to solve the container vs. bag issue. (You can see where I'm going with this, right?) 

These bags do just that. They have a velcro closure - a natural for little hands developing fine motor skills, but are stiff enough to have a protective effect on softer items that would ordinarily get "squished" in a lunch box. Plus, they're pretty groovy looking. I don't have the pack with guitars on it, but I feel certain my 4 year old would dig that! (I mean really... Buzz Lightyear may grow old, but guitars? I think not!)  

The options for cleaning are easy… simply wipe out at the end of the day or toss in the washer. No additional trash, no running out of plastic bags & needing to head to the market for more… all options I consider problem-solvers around my house. 

The one recommendation I have is to purchase two sets for each child (You can order online or visit their site to find a retail location, but they're not universally available at retail yet, FYI). That way, you always have one clean on hand (in case you forgot to unpack backpacks the night before and are running late the next morning… or does that just happen around my house?) If you try them, please be sure to drop back by and let me know what you think. 

Question: If you had a stash of Snack Taxi in your pantry, what would be the first thing YOU packed in them?

Artfully eating well, 

~Regan

Update on Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 9:03AM by The Professional Palate - Regan Jones RD

Note: I did not receive any compensation for this review. 

It all adds up

As a working mom to two boys (one who is nearly 4 and the other, just turning 5 months), I can hardly find time to exercise these days. And I'm not just talking find a good time, that's convenient, when it's not too hot, when there aren't a lot of people at the gym, when my favorite sports bra is clean... I'm talking, absolutely can't find a spare moment. Can I get an amen from my fellow moms?

That's why I'm really beginning to embrace this idea of "micro fitness." I was first introduced to it by the work that I'm doing with Cabot Creamery Cooperative on their Get Up and Move Initiative. They call it "random acts of fitness"... and that's exactly what it is. Random bursts of activity throughout the day that add up to a tangible amount of physical activity.

But the idea isn't just something they conjured up to help us time-starved, fitness seekers. It's based on the sound principal that every little bit you do can help. If you don't believe it, check out this article. In essence, it encourages us to accept that it is a challenge to get in a long "workout" and instead, embrace the small opportunities we do have to be fit. And really, isn't that what being "active" is all about... being active all day, everyday? Not just the 30 minutes that you swing by the gym?

Sure, it may not be the kind of training that gets you ready for the Iron man. But last time I checked, they don't stop the Iron man for me to make chocolate milk, burp a baby, check email or pick up dry cleaning... a day full of micro fitness does.

~Regan