Proper Parenting

Yesterday's visit to the LifeTime locker room developed into a "healthy living" discussion between several of us. I offered Vitamin E as a way to moisturize the pregnant belly of one woman. Another woman chimed in that cocoa butter was best and you'd better buy it from the health food store because it would be chemical free. It morphed into the dangers of cosmetics and the benefits of jojoba oil, olive oil, and coconut oil.

It further morphed into what we feed our children. Avoiding high fructose corn syrup, plastic bottles, canned goods. Eating "whole" foods.

But just when I start to feel smug that I'm doing things "right" I realize I missed something completely. Damn!

For weeks I have been trying to feed my family "whole" foods. That means nothing processed. Frozen vegetables. No rice a roni. No pop tarts.

Then I spot the store-bought cinnamon rolls on the counter top. One left, of course. And the tub of store-bought cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator because there's never enough frosting on store-bought cinnamon rolls. You have to add more.

And last week I made spaghetti sauce with a jar of store-bought sauce and a can of crushed tomatoes. I can't begin to imagine what's lurking in the store-bought sauce! Chemicals. Ingredients impossible to pronounce. This week I'm attempting the sauce again, but with two cans of crushed tomatoes and my own spices. I bet I get some complaints.

I made tuna casserole...and used canned cream of mushroom soup. Seriously, I have no idea how to make cream of mushroom soup and don't think I want to add it to me cooking repertoire. I mean, it already comes in a can. And Campbells has entire cook books devoted to its use!

Sometimes it gets so confusing. I won't microwave leftovers in plastic containers because of the terrible chemicals that leach into the food. But I will eat a frozen meal that comes in and is microwaved in a plastic container. I'll even eat a Lean Pocket that gets cooked inside a cancer-envelope. I haven't actually heard them called that, but I am waiting for the scientific report saying it's true.

I was so pleased with myself when I got rid of the bottled water. Then I had to get rid of the plastic refillable water bottles because of the BPAs. I replaced them with metal--except only stainless steel is good; aluminum is bad. I have some BPA-free plastic. But I just read a news article on how canned goods contain BPAs also.

Frankly, I'm surprised kids today don't have three heads, dual sex organs, and are drooling uncontrollably. I know as the mom, I'm starting to drool incontrollably because I can't keep up with the do's and don'ts of proper parenting!