Saving Grace

It has been awhile.  How do you fall behind after only two post!? I will tell you, after making the decision to go organic I had to wait until I used up all the groceries I had just spent $250 on.  That took two weeks, then I remembered that my parents would be in town for one week.  That meant lots of sight seeing and eating out and grilling out with  margaritas and beer.  So I went out and bought more groceries that are not organic and am tasked with eating all of the new groceries.  That also means, I have to wait to get paid again to buy more groceries.  Holy moly, this is getting crazy. I dont get paid until the 15th and am really going to have to stretch the budget. I am already getting frustrated and we havent even started yet! 

Cheating

I Cheated!  I know this is only day two, but how can I do a full blown experiment if I dont document what happens when we eat out.  I took the kids to the mall to play today and naturally we had to eat at Chick fil A, my favorite fast food place.  We all had chicken nuggets and french fries.  First we played in the kids area for about thirty minutes and around 11:00 the kids are starving so we head over to Chick fil A and fill our bellies with yummy, greasy goodness and chocolate milk.  Afterwards we go back to the play area for about an hour.  No sooner did we walk in the door then Madison has a complete meltdown because she is hungry again.  No big deal I have some chicken left over and both kids sit down to eat the rest of their lunch.  I have a few errands to run so back to the car for a costco run.  That went great.  The kids did wonderful, they both listened, didnt argue, and were relatively quiet.  An hour later, back to the house and yet another meltdown from Madison over a piece of gum.  This time crying and throwing herself of the floor.  I wont even mention the attitude demanding I do what she says. As for Grayson, he has already fallen asleep in a chair in the living room.  Ugh, I cant prove it was the eating out, but I know this happens more often then when I cook at home.  Let's hope for a better day tomorrow!

Day 1

Well, it is day one and wouldn't you know my husband is out of town and it is a rainy day today.  We did ok.  Blueberry pancakes for breakfast, leftover chicken fried steak with mac n cheese for lunch and all natural cheese ravioli and alfredo sauce for dinner with roasted chicken.  Nothing organic yet and there were no major breakdowns.  I have to admit rainy days are movie days and the kids love movie days.  We just got netflix and stream it through our DVR so the amount of kid movies is wild.  We had peanut butter crackers and cheez its for snack today, morning and afternoon.  Also there was no nap for the day.  That usually means the kids fall asleep fast. Which is good for mom. 

I can classify today as a pretty good day!

The Organic Experiment

So, this is my first experience in blogging.  Please bare with me!  I am a mom of two beautiful kids.  Madison 4 and growing attitude out of every part of her body possible and Grayson 3 a very spirited child to say the least.  Lately, ok not lately, all the time I feel overwhelmed with the amount of no's that come out of my mouth on a daily basis.  My children are taking over my every ounce of sanity and I need a solution.  I have tried everything and so far nothing has worked. 

This is my organic experiment.  I have read a few things about how processed foods affect a child’s behavior and I am willing to put it to the test.  Also, after watching a documentary on where our food comes from and how harmful most of it can be on our bodies I am taking a stand in my household for a new attitude and a new healthy lifestyle.  Because I know that it will be a bit of an adjustment for my entire family I thought I might share in our venture. 

Here is some background:  I cook three meals a day for five days a week and by the end of the week I am exhausted and our family ends up eating out all weekend long.  I can see a difference in my kids by Sunday morning.  They seem hyped up and overly active.  They don’t listen and for lack of better words, act crazy.  It drives me and my husband crazy and we usually end up giving them time outs or making them sit in their rooms for periods of time to calm down.  This usually ends up in an even worse attitude by the end of the day and on Monday I have to start all over.  Also, I am on a pretty strict budget, $400 every two weeks, so I always make a menu for two weeks, make my shopping list and hit the grocery store. This budget includes toiletries and eating out.  I try to find a bargain when I can and I am bad about duplicating the same meals every week.  Like pizza on Friday night and spaghetti on Mondays. 

For the next few weeks I will be documenting how my kids behave on our regular diet, mainly because I just bought groceries and I cannot afford to waste all that food.  After that, organic as far as my budget will go.  That means no eating out and no processed foods in the house.  Hence The Organic Adjustment.  I love to eat out and am addicted to processed foods so I know this part will be really hard for me.  I cannot wait to see the results, if any?