Monthly Archives: June 2015

“Guess what? Soda is Awesome!”

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That’s what my six-year-old son said to me the other day. Recently we visited family and all the cousins got to drink some soda. Soda was instantly cool. But I think a big part of his reaction is also because soda is not something we drink in my home.

I’ve really tried not to have “forbidden” food in my house. Contrary to what you might think, I do buy junk foods like chips (potato, corn, etc), chocolate, candy, marshmallows, lollipops, cookies, chocolate-covered gluten free pretzels, etc. They aren’t eaten all in one day, but the kids eat them every so often.

I have junk food in my home because my mom restricted my access to chips and candy as a kid. So when I grew up, I ate Snickers bars, M&Ms, Reese’s pieces and I went out to eat fast food with my friends. I loved eating the occasional Twinkie, which was completely not allowed as a kid. All of those foods were pretty much off-limits until I moved out of the house.

I have a real problem resisting chocolate these days. I think it’s because I reward myself with it and I go overboard with it. But chocolate was something I didn’t have very much as a child. I want the forbidden fruit.

I didn’t want my son to have that same obsession with junk food as an adult. That means that he does eat candy and chips every so often in my house. Admittedly, I feel bad that he is gluten free.

My mistake was neglecting to consider junk foods that I don’t like. When I was about his age, I tried soda and thought, “This is terrible.” The fizziness was overwhelming to my mouth. I didn’t enjoy the experience so I never felt like I was missing out when friends drank it.

I forgot about letting him sample soda. Oops! I guess I’m going to have to let him have soda more frequently (than never) so that he learns it’s not a big deal. I don’t need him fantasizing about soda and then having problems overdoing as an adult.

What do you think of my approach? Do you restrict your children’s access to certain foods? Are there forbidden items?

My Updated Social Media Details

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My littlest on his way to the playground with his big red ball My instagram is @sarahburnswu

I don’t blog as much as I used to, but I’m still active on social media. Above is a picture I took with Instagram. Follow me @sarahburnswu.

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I’ve also finally updated my Pinterest account. I’m @sarahburnswu over there as well.

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Of course I’m on Twitter, which I enjoy quite a bit @sarahburnswu.

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The Facebook page for Fed Up With Lunch has evolved quite a bit. It’s now a space to find interesting and funny stuff related to food from all over the web. I really have fun with it. I think you would really enjoy what I share. (Pretty straightforward link: https://www.facebook.com/fedupwithlunch)

Thanks everyone! Let me know your details so I can follow you, too!

Bye-Bye to a Really Rough May

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Ug. Life. It kinda through me for a loop in May. I’ll start from the beginning. The first week of May we found out our dog Fenway has cancer. That was a big blow because it turns out he has two tumors (one on each leg).

Things got worse. My aunt passed away unexpectedly. I’d been texting her about the dog’s cancer (she was an animal lover and worked at a humane society for awhile) and then the next day she was gone. Processing her passing has been tough.

Then I got sick. A stomach bug got me. Then I had a cold that lingered for two weeks.

So I’m happy it’s June!

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We’re working on figuring out what to do about the dog’s treatment. It’s frustrating because they can’t stage the cancer until the tumors are out, but if we knew what stage cancer it was we could make a better decision about what to do. I mean, if he has stage four cancer, then we’d probably not go forward with expensive surgery. We’ve been quoted at different places ranging from $1,300 to $4,000 (we don’t have extra cash at the moment). Fenway is only six years old, but he is a big dog. He weighs between 80-90 lbs! He’s also a super happy guy — there’s no change in him at all.

My good friend Andrew Wilder at Eating Rules also is struggling with doggy cancer, too! This world is too cruel. At least we can support each other through this.

I’d appreciate any advice you have for me regarding doggy cancer. So my big exciting food humor endeavor has been put on hold. 🙁