Friday, April 23, 2010

Corn syrup!

Okay, I have heard before that corn syrup is bad for you. Well, especially high fructose corn syrup. And I read this great article about it, which proved very informative and very frightening.

Here I am, subbing at AV High School today and, with just a cursory glance at my bag o' pregnancy-sustaining treats, I have found FIVE things that contain high frutcose corn syrup: ginger ale, yogurt, trail mix, granola bar and jam on my pb&j.

The article states that fructose contributes to the following things:

• Insulin resistance and obesity
• Elevated blood pressure
• Elevated triglycerides and elevated LDL
• Depletion of vitamins and minerals
• Cardiovascular disease, liver disease, cancer, arthritis and even gout

None of those are helpful to me everyday, but especially now that I'm pregnant. I need MORE vitamins and minerals. I want LOW blood pressure. I do not want gestational or any other kind of diabetes.

Now, apparently high fructose corn syrup is not the only bad guy out there. Agave syrup, which I bought and used in tea as a substitute for honey and sugar, contains
a chemical that is especially bad for pregnant women, as it can cause a miscarriage. It's also usually so refined that there is nothing good in it. Obviously all those pink and blue packets are nasty too.

Basically, this is what I've gleaned from the info I've read this morning:

Good: stevia herb, organic cane sugar, organic raw honey (not heated), real maple syrup, molasses, palm sugar

Bad: refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, agave syrup

I am trying to read a lot more on this so I'm not basing my decision on two articles, but at the same time, this already troubles me. I have always been wary of following any particular way of eating because I've been afraid of trying to be too trendy. I mean, if we cut everything out of our diet that people say is bad, we may not even to get to drink water. So I don't want to get uppity about the way I choose to live my life, but it sounds like this is important enough to take notice of.

What do you guys think? Total fad or justifiable concern? Have you found great evidence on the contrary?

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Sooooooo worth ten minutes

I can't wait to cook with Jack. Okay, yes, I can wait a little while. But I'm excited for this stage. Although I don't think John will let him get away with telling him, "Shut up, old man." But you never know...child actors these days say much, much worse.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Jack at (nearly) 23 months

Dear Jack,

You are growing up so fast! I can't even believe how much you're learning, even when I do nothing more than let you play around the house and occasionally be brainwashed by cartoons. You are hard to mislead, that's for sure: if I try to hide something from you, you're sure to find it. You are a firm believer that my possessions should be carried with me at all times. If I leave my phone on the couch, you will bring it to me within seconds, saying, "Hold? Hold?" You'll also bring me both remotes and any glass of water I leave behind, even if only to get a snack or swap the laundry. You have learned to put all your shape puzzle pieces in the right places all by yourself, and I love to watch you concentrate on it and place the pieces so quickly. You will ask for food and then grab my hand, trying to pull me up off the couch. When that doesn't work, you'll try to push the laptop closed.

Yesterday I followed a pregnancy yoga video and you thought it was a great game. You would mimic my poses right under me, laughing and pressing your forhead into mine. For each standing pose, you would try to run between my legs, which did not work so well since you're taller than my legs are long, so I had to just forget the concept of balance. Not quite the peaceful experience I'd hoped for, but I should have known.

You absolutely and completely love me...you are a cuddlebug and must be touching me in some capacity in order to fall asleep. Your favorite way to fall alseep on me is to pull my shirt up and rest your head on my belly, which will be adorable when my stomach is the size of a hot air balloon.

Your hair is long, blonde, curly and wispy. You've only had one haircut and you're in dire need of another, but I love your curls so. After a bath, the back of your head is filled with a myriad of little ringlets and I fall in love with you all over again.

Jack, I love you! You make me so happy, keep me on my toes and teach me constantly about how to be a better mom. I'm sorry for the times I lose my temper or get frustrated with you. You don't really understand yet and I know that. I just want to be able to communicate fully with you, but I really am so grateful to cherish this time where your broken English is cute and permissible, your playtime is fully uninhibited and your smile lights up your face when you see me.

Words you often say: "Dee-doo" (thank you), "Mama!" (the exclamation point is very important here), "Mama-Da-ee" (your new name for Daddy...weird) or "Daa--ee" (Daddy), "huuuuuu-gny" (hungry), "nack" (snack), "wahn-wah" (sandwich), "nana" (banana), "nigh nigh" (night night--bedtime), "bat" (bath), "tee" (brush teeth), "nyo-ra-njjjje" (orange), "ki" (Caillou cartoon), "mnow" (milk), "crakrrr" (cracker), "tits" (cake...seriously), "shitties" (Goldfish crackers...supposed to be "fishies"), "beet-ah" (binky...pacifier), "tooooooo" (two...you have to have two crackers, two slices, two pieces), "may-oes" (tomatoes), "min-ya" (Mickey Mouse), "wah-saw" (raisins), "nuu-nuus" (noodles), "ow-sigh" (outside), "ing-sigh" (inside), "mooooo" (moon) and "watccccccchhhh" (wants to watch tv).

When you're angry, your first inclination is to throw something. This drives me absolutely nuts, because I don't know where you learned this from, but binkies, toys and food will sail across the room, accompanied by a growl of protest. I have not found an effective punishment for this yet.

You are impervious to spankings. You might cry, but it's more a cry of anger than anything else. More often than not you just grunt in my direction and do whatever it was one more time.

You love to eat cheese, bananas, cookies, graham crackers, Goldfish crackers, pb&j sandwiches, tomatoes and fruit popsicles. You will occasionally eat avacados, strawberries, oranges, apples, chicken, beans and tortillas. You love to drink any kind of juice (just like me) and milk. You also love soda and, in a brief but unfortunate not-taking-everything-with-us-when-we-leave-the-couch episode, beer.

You love to be chased, love to chase back, love to throw sand at poor Brownie (grrrr), love to play outside. You're inquisitive, hard-headed, extremely resilient and you open my eyes in a whole new way to the world around me.

I love you, I love you, I love you! You make my day complete, with your squishy face and your warm little hands. Even when Daddy and I are out on a "date," we think about you and talk about you constantly. Daddy loves you immesurably and he can't hide his excitement when he walks in the door and you run into his arms. You make us so proud and you're not even two yet!

I love you, little love, goober, punkin pie, monster mash. I love every minute of this journey, even if it whizzes by at such an incredible speed.

Love,
Mama!