What do our kids eat?

Crap.

They eat a lot of crap.

You can't deny that processed foods and limitless amounts of ranch dressing and sweets are bad.  There is just no argument there.  However, our kids (aside from Cason) are ruined.  They love that stuff.  I mean, so do I!

So how do we address that?!  Well, with time...lots of time.  We can't switch what they eat overnight and we don't ever plan to completely say that all of that stuff is off limits.  We just want them to have better habits and that starts at home.  We were taking tiny baby steps before...and now the steps are just sort of baby steps...a little bit bigger baby steps than what we were taking.

So I made fried fish the other night and Tate loved it.  It was paleo and yummy and so with that...no more fish sticks!  Baby steps. 

I threw away all of our candy in the cupboard because c'mon...why on earth does a child need to eat candy regularly...period.  They will get some more on Halloween, and they will eat some of it and I will be fine with that...and then it will go in the garbage shortly after.  Baby steps.

The kids like fresh fruit...and we have it in the house.  So why would I open a can of fruit with dinner every night?!  I won't.  They will eat watermelon and grapes and apples and bananas, not pears in heavy syrup.   They love mandarin oranges and I will still feed them to the boys for now every now and again even though they aren't good for them in that syrup.  Baby steps.

The boys love sandwiches with lunch meat...I will buy the Hormel lunch meat with no preservatives or artificial ingredients instead of the cheapest stuff I can find.  Baby steps.

So these are the changes so far and each week or month we plan to replace some of the crap they eat with a healthier alternative.  It will probably take years to change these horrible habits.  The good thing is that at least ONE of our kids will eat ANYTHING and we are even being better about what we feed him.  There is just no reason for Cason to develop a taste for unhealthy things.  Healthy food is delicious!!!  So we are being more aware of what goes in his mouth as well.  No, we won't never let him have special things like cake on his birthday or treats now and again, but we are going to be extra aware of what he eats so not to ruin his eating habits like we have ruined Wesley and Tate's.  It's our fault they eat the way they do...period.  We need to fix it.

We know that the kids will go to sleepovers and eat pizza and Hostess snacks and candy and that we'll go out to eat and they will want crap.  We are realistic in knowing that these things are things they will eat, but we hope to change their tastes for things.  Hopefully by working on them for the 95% of the time that they are at home, they will start to prefer the things that are better to put into their bodies.  It's going to be a process...it's still a huge process for Sean and I every day!  We are praying we can take the time and effort and do the work it requires to change ALL of our eating habits for the better.