We The Consumer.

http://consumerist.com/
Although this is not really blog-worthy, it is a very interesting site that might be worth your time to peruse.  Lots to say about products we wholeheartedly give our dollars to. 

NCLB...better known as "why my kids never have snow routes"

I am going to repost a link from a great blog Fed Up With School Lunch that I follow.  Mrs. Q has a small article about No Child Left Behind.  In it you will find a few informative links to new laws that are being passed and what this all means for our kids.  NCLB failed.  No doubt about it.  I have an anxiety-prone 8 year old to prove it.  School is just one big test.  No time for creative learning, engaging the students, or excitement about achievement.  It is a welcome breath of fresh air to know that we may be on the tail-end of this nonsense.  Higher educational standards for our children-YES.  Gaining more statistics from standardized tests-NO.  Standards for the sake of standards are a waste of these precious minds.  The children are our future people.  Whitney was right!
http://fedupwithlunch.com/2012/02/what-did-nclb-really-mean-education/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FedUpWithLunchTheSchoolLunchProject+%28Fed+Up+With+Lunch%3A+The+School+Lunch+Project%29
enJOY.

food science with kids

in case you were wondering what i might be doing this afternoon.  here is a sample of a crazy program that i am teaching for 3rd and 4th graders in an afterschool setting.  Food Science.  fun time. 



HOW TO MAKE SLIME

CUP 1:          1 TABLESPOON OF GLUE

                   1 TABLE SPOON OF WATER

                   1 DROP OF FOOD COLOR

                   MIX WELL

CUP 2:        1 TEASPOON OF BORAX POWDER

                   1 TABLESPOON OF WATER

                   MIX WELL

POUR CUP 2 INTO CUP 1 AND GENTLY STIR.  YOU WILL SEE A CHEMICAL REACTION OCCUR.  YOU JUST MADE A POLYMER. 

WHAT IS A POLYMER?    A SUBSTANCE THAT POSSESSES QUALITIES OF A LIQUID AND A SOLID .  SOME OTHER EXAMPLES ARE GUM, RUBBER BANDS AND JELLO!

HOW TO MAKE GRAPE SODA

·       POUR ANY JUICE INTO A CUP ABOUT 3/4 FULL

·       DON’T OVERFILL YOUR CUP

·       ADD 1/4 TEASPOON OF BAKING SODA

·       WATCH IT FIZZ

·       ENJOY YOUR NONSUGARY SODA

The fizz will happen because juice contains citric acid.  There is a chemical reaction between baking soda and citric acid.  You can experiment with different types of juice. 

Do you think orange juice will fizz more than apple juice? 

The sugar that is in this soda occurs naturally from the fruit.  There is no added sugar like you have in a regular soda.  now you really can have soda for breakfast!

Just a day in the life...I really do have the greatest job.  after that, i plan to enJOY my weekend.  hbu??

snap ed.101 or "let me pick my jaw up off the floor"

as you may or may not know. i work in a county extension office for a major university.  my job is to work with low-income families teaching them nutrition education.  my position is funded in part through a grant from usda/snap-ed...better know as the food stamp program.  i had this brilliant brain fart of an idea that instead of "pantry challenging" my family, that we would actually try to prove that a family can eat healthy on a food stamp allotment each month.  thereby proving to many, many of my clients that--it can be done.  well, after a few clicks of the mouse on the usda website, and my eyes are literally popping from my skull.  the monthly allotment for a family of 5 (mine) is approximately $793.  well, shit my knickers.  i cannot do this experiment.  in fact, the only way possible that i could do it, is if i actually received the @#*^#-ing food stamps.  we have 2 working adults in the home and we do not spend that much on groceries each month.  maybe when we are being extremely decadent, or it is a holiday, or we are having a party. but for pete's sake.  i am depressed.  no wonder we are in the shit bucket as a country...what's the incentive to work?  more research to come.  until then, trying to find a way to enJOY my peanut butter and jelly sandwich i brought for lunch.

top unhealthiest foods. check the list people...

in my quest for REAL FOOD, i decided to look for some of the worst. our problem in america (relating only to food-health, because believe me, our problems in america are way too complex for me to tackle on my little blog) is that we have equated the need to fill our cars with gas, with the unequivocal need to fill our bodies with crap. so each time we stop to put $4/gallon gas in our vehicle, we put $10 worth of high fat, high sugar, high caffeine (or all 3) into our bodies. it's pavlovian people. stop the cycle. this concludes todays lecture. are you with me?
The 30 Worst Foods In America! (Did Your Favorite Food Make The List?) Hip-Hop Wired

USDA Unveils Historic Improvements to Meals Served in America’s Schools

if only....

USDA Unveils Historic Improvements to Meals Served in America’s Schools

Carrot, Tuna, and Avocado Salad

hmmmm, guess i will need to stop by the store to pick up some carrots.
Carrot, Tuna, and Avocado Salad

Eata whatcha gotta

or in other words, quit shopping so much.  i'll admit it.  i have a food addiction.  it's not what you think.  i don't hoard doughnuts or secretly hit all of the fast food drive thru windows each day.  no, my problem is that i really really like good food.  and by good food, i am talking about the vibrant produce, fresh cheeses, interesting whole grains and new and different spices. 
i love to search the internet for recipes and the challenge of preparing something is exciting to me.  but, my problem is that i am known to spend most of my paycheck at the grocery store.  not a good thing.  while healthy eating can be a budget nightmare, i am convinced that it can be done on the cheap.  in fact, that is what i spend my time "in career" telling folks each and every day.  it is time for a personal challenge.  so...
i found a few blogs that give very specific guidelines about "pantry eating".  http://goodcheapeats.com/2011/12/join-me-for-a-pantry-challenge/
http://www.gettingfreedom.net/category/pantry-challenge
the basic idea is that you figure out what staples you need each week and then use what is in your pantry, freezer, and cupboards.  most americans keep such a large amount of food on hand that we never use.  it eventually molds, collects dust, or expires and we pitch it.  hundreds of dollars of food waste each year. 
i will post my progress.  look for this challenge to begin in february.  till then, i plan to enJOY.