Repulsed

Did anyone else watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution last night? I did!

Before i go into my thoughts on the show and my opinion i want to say something.

I am from West Virginia. I live in Charleston which is about an hour more or less from Huntington. I was born and raised in this beautiful state. I have talked here before about how i love my state. I think we are highly undervalued as a state in general and i think the overall opinion of our state as a whole is completely distorted.

Often when mentioned in casual conversation in other states we are refered to as hillbillies, rednecks, illiterate. We are not thought to be smart or reputable people. We are talked down to and often shown or dipicted as white trash. A lot of people out west do not even realize we are a state unto ourselves.

This in and of itself is hurtful. We have several popular and formidable colleges. We have produced many intelligent people including actors, actresses, athletes, lawyers, doctors, and politicians. Yes we are proud people and yes we are "country". Most of us were raised to live off the land or use our natural resources to our aide. My borther hunts as do most of my male counsins. I have my own opinions on guns but that is another topic. I eat deer meat, squirel and rabbit (although the later 2 are not high on my list). I have swam in creeks and slept under the stars.

Yes we have a very high illiteracy rate, yes we have a high obesity rate, yes our state has a high teen pregnancy rate, yes we are at the bottom of the poverty level. All these thigns are true. But with truth comes knowledge and even if most of us are not college educated we are high in life lessons. We are willing to learn and willing to do what we must to survive.

I said all of that so i could say this:

I am repulsed, offended, and highly upset at the way some of these people recieved and treated Jamie Oliver. He came here to help us with a problem that doesnt just effect us but the whole US and we treated him unkind. I humbly appologize for the way a few seem to have represent our state. It seems that is the way it always is. I appreciate ont he other hand how others opened him with open arms and allowed him to come into their lives and share his wealth of knowledge. And although he may never read this, i want to say thank you to Jamie himself for waging this war on obesity. Our and our childrens lives depend on what this one man can teach us.

Now on to the show and Jamie's whole purpose of the Food Revolution.

I think this man has opened the eyes of what i hope will be America. I know i cried as i watched what they were feeding our kids. As a mother to young children i was sick. Phabian will begin kindergarten in a few months and i know now that i will be packing his lunches.

Pizza for breakfast, followed by chicken nuggets for lunch. Nothing but processed food and nothing fresh but white bread rolls and a few fruits. I am just as gulity as the next mom of doing the drive thru thing what is probably to often. On the other hand i also cook a lot of meals from scratch. We grill a lot, we bake a lot, and our stove is in constant use. I try to buy health snacks such as fresh fruit and veggies as much as possible but often i find myself going for the convient stuff just as often.

It scares me that i myself am taking year off of my childrens lives by the simple things that i feed them. As parent we often vow that we would never do anything to harm our kids but we never think about what we are putting into there bodies as harming them.

I plan to follow along on this journey Jamie Oliver has started. I signed the petition for better food in our children's schools and i encourage you to go to the website, read, and sign as well. Make them rethink what they are feeding out kids and their guidelines for what health food is.

I hope to start cooking better meals and opting for more fresh and less processed. It is a journey but i do not want to harm my kids anymore with the trash i feed them. I want me and my children and my husband to be healthy and live long lives. And if that means spending a little more money on food and less on recreation than so be it we will find the money somewhere.

I hope yo all are doing well and i promise my next post will have lots more cute cuddle kids and a lot less raving mad lunatic hehe.

Doc Appointments

So we had doctor appointments today. All three got to see the doctor and have a good chat.

Phabian is up to date on his shots and should not have to have anymore til he is atleast 12. He is 43 ins tall and 41 lbs. His eye sight and hearing are both great. He got to show off by writing his name and identifying all of his colors. He is really proud of himself and had no problems. Dr. wrote us a prescription for both og the boys for there allergies and there exzema. She is 10 fold better than our last peditrician.

MJ is doing great although he will have to go back for his 4 year shots in about a month or so. He is 33 lbs now and 36 ins tall. He also got to write his name and tell her his name and age as well as his colors. He is such a ham. He was so apprehensive about the new doctor. He kept asking if she was going ot give him a shot lol. He finally warmed up to her when he realized she wasnt going to hurt him.

Sione' is 4 months old now. It amazes me every day how much he has changed in just 4 months. He weights 17lbs and is 25 ins long. He is able to pull up on your fingers and jump around in a bouncy. He is so strong and so sweet. He was not happy about his shots but now he is sleeping it all off. He goes back in 2 months.

So i am blessed to have 3 healthy happy growing boys. They are all smart as can be and happy. And that makes me a happy Mama!

Im So Behind

I am so behind in all my blogging.

Sometime this week i will be getting Phabian's 5 year post up. I still am having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that my first born baby is 5 and will be starting kindergarten soon. But with 5 it seems a lot of attitude has come. The rebellious, i can do what i want to do attutude that drives me nuts.

Also coming up this week i will be posting Sione's 4 month post. He is so chunky and so sweet. I can barley resist his cute little face. I just cant believe he is 4 months old aready. Time is flying by and i just wanna press pause.

All the kids have a doctor appointment tomorrow. That should be fun. Since hubby has to work i ask a friend to come with me to help me out. It would be interesting trying to get all three kids in the car and ready to got in a timely manner.

So to recap...Phabian is 5, Sione' is 4 months and MJ will be 4 next month...ahhhhhhhhhhh!

My Boys

I love my boys. There is nothing in this world i would not do for them. There is nothing in this world they could do to make me not love them. These are things i never understood when my parents use to say them to me. But i get it now. Having kids has changed me, changed my heart forever.

My boys are my heart, my soul, my life. I would walk to the end of the earth and back with no water or food to make sure they are protected. I doubt there is a good parent in the world who would say other wise of their children.

I held MJ on my lap the other night. He laid his head on my shoulder with his little legs wrapped around me. I cried into his hair. Tears of worry, tears of joy, tears of loss. I know my days of protecting them are numbered. The day will come when they are out of my nest and no longer want me to hold them as i do now.

I cried most because i see this change already. Too soon it has come. Phabian sometimes says "ew" and wipes my kisses from his cheeks. He doesn't always like me to hold him for long periods of time. MJ manipulates, sometimes, my love in order to get what he wants. He will hold me and tell me he loves me and in the next breathe ask for what he really wants.

I know these children of mine will always love me. I know that one day they will understand everything i do for them just as i now understand everything my parents did for me. I know there will always be space in my arms and on my lap for them. Still yet part of me aches.

As Sione' gets older my time as a mother of young children will slowly come to an end. He will be the last (or atleast we say he will be but only God really knows). With the last will come many last milestones. May bittersweet moments.

After i tuck my kids into bed and kiss them goodnight, when i am in bed myself being held by a man who loves me more than any man ever has, i pray that God help me protect my kids. My prayers are often the same. Protect them when i cannot, hold them safe in your arms when my arms are weak, help them see right and wrong when i falter and dont show them the right path, and let them know the same love that i have expierence in my life. And i know god hears me.

I love my boys. More than anything in the world. They are my heart, my soul, my life.