Friday, May 8, 2009

TGIF

I probably will not be posting as much during Little League season as my boys have games Mon-Thurs and again on Saturday. Since they alternate days and my husband is coaching 2 teams, we are really living on the go right now. I kind of wonder sometimes if it is worth all the insanity and portable dinners, but then Ben pitched 3 strike outs in a row in one inning and Alex got his first 3 hits all in one game and we can't help but celebrate.

The down sides of Little League: concession stand full of red candy, just about every kid on the team has a brightly color sport drink, and my kids sit back and watch all the other kids have their food coloring fiesta for 2 1/2 hours every night. I have stocked up on safe gum, candy, treats, and other drinks, but sometimes it gets to be a pain. At least I think we have finally seen the last of the effects of that dixie cup of Crystal Light the other night.

I'm not sure how I would survive if my son were that irritable, whiny, demanding and over-reactive on a regular basis. It makes me all the more thankful I've been able to see his REAL personality without the food dyes for the past 2 years. The contrast is so "Jekkyl and Hyde" it is hard to describe. Imagine watching your calm, loving, affectionate, smart, considerate, polite, responsible boy turn into a sobbing, cranky mess over little things like, "I can't find a ruler to do my math homework." So, here's hoping for a better dye free weekend.

Happy Mother's day to all the moms who follow.

5 comments:

Kelly said...

I'm dreading summer a little bit because of abundance of Red 40 treats that will surely be at every cookout or party. It's so hard to tell a 3 year old "no you can't have that popsicle or ice cream even though everyone else has one". I try to bring substitutes of anything I think might be served (soda, lollipops, etc), but I haven't found a way around the cold treat problem.

food dye diaries said...

Popsicle brand actually makes "dye free" popsicles. You just have to watch because theirs are not all dye free.

K said...

Thanks - we have some popsicle dora ones that are dye free at home. I just haven't found a way to bring them to people's houses without offending anyone. Most everything else can be left in the car or in a cooler and quietly substituted when the kids are offered something with dye in it. I'm afraid that a cooler won't be cold enough for frozen treats --- maybe I need to look around and get a better one?
Good luck at Little League!

food dye diaries said...

Another mom brought a cooler with dry ice and kept Ice cream sandwiches cold for a whole hot baseball game last year. Not sure how practical that is, but maybe worth a try.

Mom4Change said...

You are doing the right thing K. Don't worry about offending people. It is a dietary choice. To me it is just like being a vegetarian. A vegetarian wouldn't eat meat that was offered. Spread the word - so many people will benefit. There are so many people out their who have no clue about artificial dyes and many are shocked to find out that their lives could have been so much better if they had known sooner.