Finally getting back on track with my 31 Things class. I did well keeping up the prompts for a couple of weeks and then ran into life. Didn't have time to sit and write. The class is technically over, but I have access to the class room forever. I am now going back and writing the stories for those prompts I skipped over and putting the layouts together.
Journaling:
Eating, to me, is something you do with people. I don’t care much for eating, unless I have someone to eat with.
Growing up my mom made a big deal about eating as a family. The five, then six of us would crowd around a small round table for dinner.
When visiting my paternal grandmother, the visits usually centered around mealtime. She makes the most amazing meals of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, Jell-O fruit salad, and her signature cinnamon rolls. Sometimes she would make an amazing roast beef or pork chops. The cousins and aunts and uncles would all come together with 2 or 3 tables stretched out across the room.
In school, lunch was a social hour, you sat among friends sharing stories and swapping food.
When I headed off to college, I found a group of friends to eat with at the dining hall. The remaining two years I spent in my sorority house with a constant stream of girls to eat and socialize with.
Once I was on my own, I found that I wasn’t eating very well. I hated cooking, and cooking for one seemed a waste. Tom started to stop over after school to dine with me.
When I was pregnant, food was not my friend. I had to watch what I ate, when I ate and how much I ate. The smell of coffee or chocolate made me nauseous. Early in the pregnancy I ate a lot of crackers and the smell of lemons eased my symptoms so I drank a lot of lemon water.
This past school year, Madeline and I would wait for Aaron to be out of school to eat lunch. We usually eat about noon.
Madeline opts for a hot dog or ham, cheese, carrot strings, and chips. Aaron’s main staple is peanut butter and grape jelly, occasionally a hot dog, carrot sticks, and chips. My lunch is usually the same as Aaron’s (no hot dogs!) with a bit more carrots. Occasionally we will opt for leftovers.
For dinner we tend to cycle through the same meals every week or so. The kids have their favorites. Aaron’s are tortellini, pizza, pork steaks and spaghetti. Madeline likes to eat spaghetti and chicken and rice. Tom’s favorite is chicken with angel hair pasta and applesauce pork. My favorite meal is one that I don’t have to cook.
I love eating out. I love not having to cook, clean, or plan the meal. I like being able to eat whatever I want to eat. Not worried about other people’s likes/dislikes. We don’t really eat fast food when we go out, though. We will hit Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, Penn Station, and Lion’s Choice when we need to get a quick meal.
I am typically a picky eater. I don’t like most vegetables, sauces, chocolate, plus a wide variety of other foods. I will say that I eat a greater variety of foods now than I did growing up.
I got more conscious of what I was eating because of my kids. I want my kids to eat healthy. I make an effort to have a veggie and fruit for each meal. It is important that my kids eat balanced meals and are capable of making healthy choices.
We all get our treats, though. Tom and I tend to have cookies and milk once the kids are off to bed. The kids have snack time and get treats after eating a good dinner. They got quite a stash of Easter candy (Hershey Kisses, M&Ms, chocolate eggs, etc.) that is nearly gone. We let them pick a couple pieces out, or they will have a couple cookies.
I have a real sweet tooth. With the exception of chocolate, I love all sweets. I love candy, cookies, ice cream, and cake. I love them but I have come to realize I can’t eat them like I used to. I physically start to feel bad if I eat them at the wrong time of day or without balancing it with other foods. Hope it isn’t a sign of worse things to come
NOTE: I haven't sent this layout to be printed yet. If you find any typos, please let me know. I have read some of these so many times I don't see them any more!
