As I mentioned in previous posts, me and my little crew are traveling out west.  I have often joked that we are living the life of a little gypsy family.  I think I have packed and unpacked my van more times then I can count.  We have stayed with cousins, with grandparents and also had time at a few resorts.

Our little life is a bit crazy and unstable but we are making some incredible memories.  One thing that I have found to be difficult is keeping the kids eating healthy.  They are completely off any type of schedule and I don’t have my own fridge and kitchen to fill with the healthy foods they love.

We have eaten out alot but I think I have found some tricks to keeping fruits and veggies in their little bodies.  It is a struggle every day to keep on top of a healthy balanced diet while traveling.  I have definitely not been completely successful, but I have found a few things that have helped….

- Eat lunch at Subway – kids can have a healthy sandwich, a bag of apples and milk for a pretty reasonable price.

- Peanut butter and jelly are pretty transportable – I can throw a loaf of bread and some peanut butter and jelly in the trunk and have an instant sandwich anytime they get hungry.

- Bananas are portable and always a welcome snack for the kids.

- Snack size bowls of fruit and plastic spoons to eat on the go are always handy and they don’t have to be refrigerated.

Don’t get me wrong, we have still had our share of Wendy’s, but I have tried to keep them as healthy as possible while traveling.

What are some tips and tricks you have found to traveling with kids and keeping them eating healthy?

Being the mother a girl tween has proven to be more complicated than I’d ever had imagined.  Sometimes I think the issues are the same and then I’m reminded how quickly our children are growing up and I think it was faster than I ever grew up.  I feel old thinking about the differences between my generation and my child’s. 

This past week my daughter again asked me if she were fat.  It reminded me of the week before when I was volunteering in her class and another girl came up to me and said she was too fat.  (she actually was,  in my opinion,  too thin)  I was shocked….9 and 10 year old girls worried about their body images!   

When I asked why she felt that way and why she asked such a question, her response was just as startling.  The girls all talk about their weight and how to stay skinny.  I asked if any of the boys had teased her or said anything and she said not to her.  (Did she mean perhaps to others?!) 

There are so many great books and articles about raising a girl with a positive self image.  Many of the suggestions indicate that we shouldn’t say anything about our own weight within earshot of our tween girls/boys.  We should focus on the character rather than the outside image.  Live by example.  Make sure you are modeling healthy eating habits and exercise routines.  Whether we want to carry the burden or not, our daughters will follow their mother’s example. 

Although I’m a mother of a tween girl, I also have a growing boy who will one day enter this stage as well.  Boys are not exempt from issues with their body image.  I know my little brother had issues with eating that started with a wrestling coach needing him to weigh under normal guidelines to “take the advantage” because of his height.  Without knowing it, he instigated an eating disorder for my brother.  We must be careful of our children’s influences and look for signs of possible issues such as picking at food, a change in eating habits, vocalizing more displeasure with how they look, becoming “look” obsessed or more focused on outside “perfection” than on building positive character traits. 

Look for the positive!  Heaven only knows we are all affected by media imaging (which is all reconfigured, which our tweens don’t understand), we are affected by comments from parents, siblings, peers, etc.  With all the potential negative influences on our children’s self esteem, it is important to build our children up.  Encourage through example.  Build character which will in turn build confidence and self-esteem.    The following articles offer great suggestions, ideas and more insight on this subject. 

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3749179

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-10-12-body-image_N.htm ,

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/youd-be-so-pretty-if/200906/tween-girls-and-their-bodies-what-can-moms-do

Have you had to field any questions about body image with your tween?  If so, how did you handle it?  Suggestions?  Thoughts?

Hi!  I’m Jessica Lowe, a blogger over on CuddleBugs and I’m just popping over for a guest blog post on TweenBeat!  I’ll be visiting you occasionally.

Recently our family has decided that in order to get rid of our hideous law school loans, we MUST start living on a budget.  Nationally syndicated personal finance host Dave Ramsey helped shape our budget of choice and if you didn’t know, he’s very strict.  We’ve come to realize that when you live on a budget, you tend to get way more creative with your free time/family time.   I can honestly say that I think it’s drawn us all closer together and I am loving it.  I never thought I’d say that about being on a budget, but I do, I LOVE it. 

One of our favorite cost-cutters that we seem to incorporate into each week’s planned menu, is individual homemade pizzas!!  My kids are seriously LOVING this.  I’ve never been one of those moms who are always calling the kids into the kitchen to help make this or that.  To be completely honest with you, I get seriously stressed when kids are cracking eggs in my cookies with shells falling in it or stirring flour with a mixer as it flies everywhere.  As much as they love it, I try to avoid having my kids help with cooking or baking.  How horrible is that?  I know, I know, I’m the meanest mom. 

With the individual pizzas my anxiety goes OUT the window and I am able to enjoy the time I spend with them.  Not only that, but they are super proud of themselves for creating something they can actually eat!  I usually go ahead and make the dough and then divide it into enough balls for each member of the family.  For the younger kids, I roll their dough flat, but the older kids enjoy doing this part as well.  To make things easier and less of a mess, I prepare separate bowls of all the toppings: sauce, cheese, pepperoni, sausage, peppers, onions, mushroom, etc.  Then, in assembly line fashion, the kids throw anything and everything they want on heir pizzas to individualize them.    My oldest got super fancy this last time and folded cheese into his crust.  Genius!!  They even love to watch them bake in the oven as their cheese sizzles. 

Here is the recipe I use for the dough from Pioneer Woman. Try it any night soon and let us know how your family likes it.

Recipe:

1 tsp of active dry yeast

1 1/2 C warm water

4 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1/3 C extra virgin olive oil and extra for drizzling

Combine the water and yeast.  Let sit.  Mix the olive oil, flour and salt together.  Stir the yeast mixture and add it to the flour mixture. Form a ball with dough and drizzle olive oil in a clean bowl.  Allow dough to sit in the olive oil and rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours.  Divide dough as needed.  Shape dough and flatten with fingers.  Add toppings.  Bake at 500 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Makes two extra large pizzas or 5-6 individual size pizzas. 

As we wrap up our conversations discussing tween nutrition this month, it might be a great time to look at OHealthy’s article “Teaching Your Kids to Choose Good Foods.” Here’s an excerpt:

According to Joel Steinberg, M.D., professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and supervisor of a weight-guidance clinic at the school, it’s up to parents to ensure that today’s children don’t turn into tomorrow’s artery-clogged, diabetic, obese adults.

And parents can start as soon as infants are ready for solid food, such as beans, peas and carrots, in baby-food form.

“When you move to table foods, offer those same foods — and don’t doctor them up with ketchup, butter, salt or cheese,” he says.

All is not lost if a preschooler or grade-schooler has already had a taste of chicken nuggets and won’t eat a baked chicken breast as a result. Dr. Steinberg advises parents to place healthy foods on children’s plates during mealtimes anyway.

“Don’t force them to eat the food,” he adds. “Even if they don’t eat it right away, they’re curious and will eventually try it.”

Also resist the temptation to prepare separate meals for children.

“Everyone eats the same, or they don’t eat,” says Dr. Steinberg. “In other words, if your 6-year-old doesn’t eat his vegetables, he goes without.  When he gets hungry enough he gets another chance to eat his vegetables.”

Do as I do

You should also look at your own diet if you want your children to be healthy eaters. Kids follow their parents’ lead. It’s not fair, for example, to tell them they need to eat vegetables while you chow down on a pizza. If you eat a well-balanced diet, your kids also are likely to eat well.

Encouraging healthy eating means more than serving healthy foods — it means lifestyle changes, as well. Dr. Steinberg recommends that all meals, including snacks, be eaten at the table with the television off.

The television — and computer — should be kept off at other times during the day as well, in order to encourage a less sedentary lifestyle.

“It’s amazing,” says Dr. Steinberg. “People walk their dogs every day, but they don’t walk with their children every day.”

So next time Fido is leashed up, take the children, too.

Dr. Steinberg acknowledges that adults have little influence over children’s eating habits once the youngsters reach middle school.

“But if you bring them up in a home where they eat the right food, their diets tend to be easier to maintain and they tend to make the right choices,” he says.

Visit OHealthy to read the entire article.

How do you inspire your tween to choose the right food?

Adding colorful fruit to your tweens' menu is one way to get them to get the healthy balance they need.

This month we’re focusing on how to encourage and inspire your tweens to eat a more healthy diet. But the question begs to be answered: What does healthy eating look like for tweens?

OHealthy’s article on adolescent nutrition offers some clues.

Eating healthy is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and is something that should be taught at a young age. The following are some general guidelines for helping your adolescent eat healthy. It is important to discuss your adolescent’s diet with his/her physician prior to making any dietary changes or placing your adolescent on a diet. Discuss the following healthy eating recommendations with your adolescent to ensure he/she is following a healthy eating plan:

• Eat three meals a day, with healthy snacks.
• Increase fiber in the diet and decrease the use of salt.
• Drink water. Try to avoid drinks and juices that are high in sugar.
• For growing children and adolescents, it is generally recommended to watch total fat consumption in the diet, rather than counting calories.
• Eat balanced meals.
• When cooking for your adolescent, try to bake or broil instead of fry.
• Make sure your adolescent watches (and decreases, if necessary) his/her sugar intake.
• Eat fruit or vegetables for a snack.
• For children over 5 years of age, use low-fat dairy products.
• Decrease the use of butter and heavy gravies.
• Eat more chicken and fish.

For more tips, visit OHealthy’s article on “Nutrition: Adolescent” for valuable tips on the food pyramid and more.

What’s your greatest challenge in helping your tween eat a healthy, balanced diet? Share in the comments below.