Finding Peace in the Middle of Winter

I grew up in a little map dot of a place called Bryceville. It’s a tiny place, really, and if you blink while driving through, you just might miss it.

It’s the kind of place where life revolves around church, the small country store, or somebody’s kitchen table. Its where, as a kid, you knew better than to misbehave when your parents weren’t around because your Mama would know about it before you could get home. That or an adult you’d known your entire life would correct you the same as your own parents would.

It’s a place where "yes ma’am" and "no sir" are not only a way to show respect, but a way to tell if you're a local or “you ain’t from ‘round here.” Hearing the phrase, “How’s yer Mama ‘n them?” is quite common and if you don’t ask, folks might wonder where you left your manners.

If you’re lucky enough to be from Bryceville, then you’re lucky enough. And you may grow up and move somewhere else, but you never actually leave. As they say, you can take the girl out of Bryceville but you can’t take the Bryceville out of the girl. To me, Bryceville is home and it always will be. I’ve known many of the families literally my entire life and am probably distantly related to half of them by marriage or some such. More to the point, our families have known each other for generations past.

Bryceville is the kind of place that everyone knows everyone else. It’s a place that thrives on a sense of family and a sense of community. So when we lose one of our own, we all feel the loss as acutely as if they were family because, in a sense, they were family. Today I learned of the loss of a dear, sweet man, James Fouraker. He was truly one of the kindest, most gentle people I’ve ever known. My heart aches for his family. My heart is saddened that the community-family that is Bryceville has lost another of our own entirely too soon.

My sister, Marcee, posted this earlier and I think it says it all:

“I guess in a way we are selfish because we don't want people we love to go, when in truth, we should be happy for them. I mean what could be better? I have an aunt in the end stage of cancer right now and it's hard. But in a way, I will be so glad for her fight to be over and for her to get home. Cause that is surely no way to live. The Fourakers have had blow after blow the last couple of years. I know they are surely some strong stock to weather all this winter.”

James was a young man in his prime; enjoying life with his lovely wife and watching his grandchildren grow up. Maybe the Lord just needed James there more than He needed him to be here. Sending love and light to the Fouraker family. I hope they find some peace in the middle of their winter.

Hungry Kids, Wasted Food- Thank you, Mama Obama

Insert all due sarcasm in that title, please.

Frankly, I've had enough.

My children come home from school every day ravenous. I don’t simply mean “they want an after-school snack”, I mean they’re so hungry, their blood sugar levels have dropped to the point that they're mean and irritable. This has been going on since the beginning of school. Last school year (and in previous school years) they loved school lunch. Not this year. It’s “awful”, “nasty”, “gross”, and “disgusting” to list just a few of the infelicitous terms they’ve used to describe the food.

My boys couldn’t be more opposite if I’d tried to make them that way. One will eat anything, the other doesn’t like but a handful of foods. So when my oldest (the picky kid) came home complaining about the school food, I admit I didn’t really take him very seriously. He’ll complain if the mac & cheese isn’t creamy enough or the chicken nuggets aren’t white meat; but when my kid who will eat just about anything came home complaining that the food at school was yucky, I paid closer attention. He’d come home on a daily basis pleading with me to send him lunch from home because he didn’t want to face another day of cafeteria food.

After questioning them a bit, I also discovered that they’re being “forced” to purchase food they won’t eat. Apparently, they are required to purchase an entrée as well as a side.

To be clear, they’re NOT forced to eat it, just to purchase it.

For example, if there is a side they want but the entrée isn’t something they’ll eat, they have no choice but to purchase both. So you know what they do with those entrees and sides they’re required to purchase? They throw them in the trash untouched.

No, really. How wasteful is that?

The theory “if they’re hungry enough, they’ll eat it” is a bunch of crap. Whoever came up with that doesn’t have kids or doesn’t live in America. My kids will NOT eat something they don’t like; they’ll simply refuse to eat.

(For the record- I am referring to my children only. I’m not talking abt kids in third-world countries where food is scarce. That is another topic altogether and one for a different blog. Maybe one day when I am feeling more humanitarian and less compelled by politicians trying to parent my children, I will write a blog about food shortages in foreign countries. However, that day is not today.)

Let me give you an example:
My youngest son is one of those kids who loves a good salad. I don’t mean a Ranch-drenched mess, either. He loves fresh tomatoes, raw carrots, and broccoli. One day, the “entrée” was a salad with ham on it. One of the sides available that day was a side salad. He wanted a salad but doesn’t like ham so he asked if he could purchase two side salads instead of having to purchase the entrée salad. He was told no, so he didn’t eat lunch that day. That makes absolutely NO sense to me. Seems to me that if he’s willing to eat two salads, why not let him?

Additionally, what if we were Jewish and he couldn't eat ham? We're not, but that isn't the point. Would they basically punish him based on his religion? Isn't that tantamount to discrimination? In this area, we have very few Jewish families so I admit I may be stretching this one a tad. However, to those few Jewish families there are here, it isn't a stretch at all; it's blatant discrimination.

Upon further research, requiring children to purchase food they’re not going to eat isn’t something that is limited to my local school district; this is nationwide, folks. It’s required at the primary and elementary levels, not so much at the middle and high school levels. Although, the older kids still have foods they’re required to purchase, even if they have no intention of eating it.

I have a secret… I’m not a perfect mom. THERE, I said it- my dirty little secret is out. While my children are always fed, I don’t always plan out our meals. I’m guilty of picking up the phone and ordering pizza here and there. We pull through Chick-Fil-A too. And I am guilty of counting ketchup as a veggie on occasion. And you know what? There are days I let them have just chocolate milk for breakfast, but dammit, that is MY decision to make. It isn’t for the government to decide. I am their mother.

To take it a step further- they might be children but they have rights too. They have a right to say, “I do not like this food and I will not eat it.” As their mother, I am behind them a hundred bazillion percent. But you know what? As their mother, I am out in front of them as well, shielding them as much as I can.

Strictly from a monetary standpoint- it’s my money that they’re using to purchase their lunches. To be required to purchase food that they’re not going to eat is ludicrous in my opinion. Not only is it a waste of money, it’s a waste of food, and resources.

Yeah, I could brown-bag their lunches, and I often do. The point I am trying to make is that I should not have to.

Recently, I spoke to a local school board member who told me that according to the new guidelines that have been mandated by the federal government, they have no choice but to use vendors who use wheat flour instead of white flour. I frequently hear folks say, “Well, wheat flour is healthier for you than white flour.” But if kids won’t eat it, what is the point of purchasing it? Not only do you end up with a huge amount of wasted food, you allow children to be hungry all day long.

That can’t be good for education. Can it?

They’ve completely removed foods like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from schools because there are very few vendors who supply a wheat bread version. That was my children’s fall-back. When there was absolutely NOTHING else they wanted on the menu, they’d resort to the ol' PB&J standby. Now that option is gone.

I also found out from this school board member is that this program was introduced by Michelle Obama and that it's been extremely unpopular nationwide. All you have to do is Google “Obama school food” or any incarnation thereof, to find a multitude of websites in which kids and adults alike are pushing back against this plan. According to many school districts, food waste has gone up over 20%. That's TWENTY percent OVER what it used to be and that’s huge, folks.

Instead of giving our kids more and better choices, they’ve limited them even further. They’ve made our children little automatons going through the line getting their daily dose of Soylent Green.

In my research, I found the following from another parent:

"To quote our beloved President, this school lunch to-do is indeed a 'teachable moment.' America should pay heed to what happens when a benevolent government worms its way into private choice and uses the excuse that it's for the good of the citizenry. The truth is that what is currently taking place in school cafeterias across America is an omen of a future where the government that is currently regulating Tater Tots will one day be rationing health care."

Indeed.


*Excerpt courtesy of: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/09/michelle_obamas_share-the-starvation_school_lunch_program.html#ixzz2MdRuHsCl

References:
http://pjmedia.com/blog/wasted-food-hungry-kids-michelle-obamas-bill-in-action/
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/250732.php
http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/22/nations-children-push-back-against-michelle-obama-backed-school-lunch-regs/
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/09/michelle_obamas_share-the-starvation_school_lunch_program.html