Orange macaroni

I’ve probably tried them all. From Weight Watchers to NutriSystem, from old school “Wisconsin Diet” to new-fangled “South Beach Diet”. All with incredibly limited success. I’ve tried to “just accept the way I am” – bigger and better for Jesus (hahaha) – again with limited success. I hate being fat. It is just that simple. Also, I simply don’t seem to have the intrinsic capabilities to get thin. I guess I really live and love the joke that there’s a skinny girl inside of me just screaming to be let out, and I keep her quiet with chocolate…or something like that, I think.

The most important thing is, however, I try to eat right and feed my family the right foods. We have definitely seen both ends of the spectrum on this subject, too. We’re on the uphill side, though. The downhill side began insidiously about 22 years ago…

I truly love the Willow Tree collection by Demdaco. They have come to hold a very special meaning in my life. And like other collections, they are some “meaningful” portrayals: mother and child, father and child, mother and father, new mother, and so on. Again, meaningful portrayals of life situations. Where are the TRUE portrayals, though. I have never seen a Willow Tree or a Precious Moments figurine of a mother and her three children all clinging to her skirt as she ushers them through the grocery store. Where’s the cute little depiction of a mother with two in the stroller, another holding her hand, and there’s obviously only weeks to go before there’s an addition to the family. Where are those pretty representations?!? Huh?!?

A larger family is still a most beautiful thing. Don’t ever get me wrong. I wouldn’t trade my four sons for anything in this world. If God wouldn’t have intervened, I would have had many more. I love large families. I feel it is God’s way: He opens the womb and he closes it. But with two kids everything is balanced: One for mama. One for daddy. Everyone is taken care of and everyone has a “buddy”. Then there’s the third child. Suddenly – you as parents are outnumbered. Who will manage the third one? Or if you’re alone, what mother has three arms? Do you see the dilemma?

Our little “back to nature” family was ambling along though life just fine. We had a garden – grew a lot of our own vegetables. I baked our own bread twice a week, always making a couple of extra loaves to share with other families. We ate organically, as much as we could – there wasn’t an organic section in Howard’s grocery store, I guarantee!!! I didn’t let artificial colors or preservatives come into my house. Not for my babies!

Then Adam went to Kindergarten. Did I know that the other children had write bread for sandwiches? It was prettier than my bread. The other kids had Ding Dongs and Twinkies. He had an apple, or some fruit leather, or a good banana nut muffin with extra wheat germ and sprouted wheat. Not even close… And then Halloween came. His first school party. He was ecstatic -- he was the bubbliest little kid. He came out of the school, little candy bag in his hand, and oh I wish I could paint a better picture with mere words. His eyes sparkled with excitement. He couldn’t wait to share his days events. Guess what he had at school that day? GUM! It was so-o-o-o good! Why hadn’t he ever had any before…? Oh, things were quickly spiraling out my control.

And by then,we had the third child. My hands were more than full, and as I said before, we were outnumbered. Our little family was growing not only in size, but also in age. We were moving out of our little space of absolute control in the home into “extra-curricular activities”. There were Sunday School parties, we joined Cub Scouts, we had neighborhood friends and “sleepovers”. There were birthday parties at Putt Putt. Need I go on…

Plus. we were busy. If our kids were going to be involved, well, as parents, so were we. We joined PTA. We joined Scouts. We taught Sunday School. We organized parties. We helped other mothers with their activities. Again, need I really go on…

Soon, as my children’s worlds expanded, they brought home grand stories of even grander adventures in the food world: Did I know that Grandma’s macaroni and cheese was ORANGE!!! Why was ours just plain. Did I know that Marla got her spaghetti sauce out of a JAR!!! It is good, too. It doesn’t have green things in it like yours. Did you know that you could get biscuits out of a CAN and make doughnuts with them? And then there was Cokes, and chips, and cheese puffs, and real life.

Soon there were four little boys in the family. Life is really real, too. Basically, we started looking for ways to cook/eat easier, faster, “make everybody happier”, and also CHEAPER.

We strayed for a long time in the world of not always eating right, but there were areas where we never slacked. We’ve never allowed a lot of preservatives or artificial colorings. I’ve never bought or made white bread. I’ve never cooked a lot of sugary desserts.

I have said all of this to say this: Last Monday, Oct 1, was my number 3 son’s birthday: his 22nd for the second time (but that’s another story). We are all doing everything we can to eat right. We’re sitting around the table and I tell the orange macaroni and cheese story – and he asks for macaroni and cheese like I used to make. Did you know that you can buy boxed whole wheat macaroni with white cheese with no additives? Well, I didn’t – but there it was in the natural food section at the store. I bought some, looking for the easy way out to Matt’s request. Big Mistake. Here I am, still 22 years later looking for the fast way to healthy eating for a family that is too busy.

The fast way doesn’t exist. Neither does the cheap way. If you want healthy, it will cost you, and you will have to take the time to do it right. It is worth it in the long run.

The same with family, except the fast way truly exists. They grow up only too fast. So it is imperative that you do what it takes to do it right. It will definitely take time. It will definitely “cost” you. But you only have one chance to try to do it right. It IS worth it.