Pears from Concentrate, Sugar, Dried Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Modified Corn Starch, Fructose, Grape Juice from Concentrate. Contains 2% or less of Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Malodextrin, Cottonseed Oil, Citric Acid, Carrageenan, Glycerin, Monoglycerides, Sodium Citrate, Malic Acide, Potassium Citrate, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Agar-Agar, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Xanthan Gum, Color (red 40, blue 1, yellow 5).

Uggg. We usually buy Fruitabu. The ingredients:

Apple puree concentrate, natural lemon juice concentrate, natural apple flavor.

And you know what? My kid likes — no, loves — the Fruitabu. So what’s the need for all that other garbage? I’ll tell you: it’s cheaper, so you can turn a better profit. It’s also sweeter so you can hook the kid in and get them wanting more.

That’s why I was not only happy but surprised when — while browsing at Target — I saw a “natural-ized” version of the traditional Fruit Rollups: Simply Fruit Rollups. Could it be because the company is being sued in a class action lawsuit that alleges General Mills made “misleading health claims?” Who knows. But I am so impressed with the new version of the product that I actually bought it! I want to do a side-by-side taste test between Fruitabus and the new General Mills Simply Fruit Roll-Ups. Here’s the ingredients, taken directly from the packaging:

Apple Juice Concentrate, Dried Apples, Blackberry Puree, Strawberry Puree, Canola Oil. Contains 2% or less of: Fruit Pectin, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Black Carrot Juice Concentrate and Blueberry Juice Concentrate Added for Color, Natural Flavor, Citric Acid, and Sodium Sulfite Added to Protect Color.

Yes, I could do without the preservatives and the oil, but not bad compared to the original version. Definitely a big improvement!

This post is how I am participating this week in Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays — an awesome campaign to get people eating real food again. What do you think of the packaged snacks that are out there? What do you give your kids?

Hey, I know you work at night. Working full-time at home WITH kids means you have to do a little creative scheduling. However, your lack of planning shouldn’t mean your kids suffer.

For example, when you don’t get out of bed until 8:30 and you’ve got to get Big Girl to camp by 9, well…it’s no wonder she’s always late. Yes, I know she takes a LONG time to eat. And yes, I know she has been giving you a lot of garbage and backtalk lately because she doesn’t like what you’re offering. (Taking a quick pause to mourn the untimely and depressing loss of Kashi Mighty Bites — anyone know of a store that stockpiled them?) However, it’s important to find a solution to this problem before you’re standing there freaking out about the fact that she is going to be late.

Let’s review this morning, shall we? Okay, it started relatively benignly. You were so excited to show Big Girl the cereal you purchased the night before at Trader Joe’s — Yogurt & Flakes Cereal. It looked so yummy in the aisle. Four types of dried berries. Little yogurt drops. What’s not to like? So you show Big Girl, pour it in a bowl and get upset when she isn’t a fan. (Okay, let’s not sugar-coat it. She hates it.) You’re hammered for time, so you ask her to eat it anyway. Let’s stop right here: Does anyone force you to eat cereal you don’t like? No, I don’t think so. But I digress as always. She tells you she wants something else, asking for oatmeal. She didn’t eat it the last time, so you say no. The clock is ticking. You’re eight minutes away from being late. So you make a deal with her: Eat five bites of the “yucky” cereal and a banana and she’s good to go. She does it, gagging and fake crying the entire time. And then you head off to take her to camp.

Let’s review now. Did anyone win that little exercise in futility? Not you, who got aggravated and really hurt when Big Girl told you that you were — yes, I will repeat it — the poopy-est mommy ever. Not Big Girl, who went to camp with a semi-empty belly. And certainly not Little Girl, who only got a banana, 10-ounces of milk and some raisins for breakfast because you were too busy dealing with all the drama.

Okay, so what are we going to do to fix it? What’s that? You want to picket Kashi for getting rid of your kid’s favorite cereal? Sue them for loss of productivity since, without Mighty Bites, you’re missing some work time? Nah, not going to work. How about this: You know Big Girl loves cream of wheat, eggs and toast, pancakes. Why not try getting up 15 minutes earlier to cook one of the above? Here’s another thought: Ask Big Girl what she wants to eat the night before, and prepare it before you go to bed. It only takes a few minutes to heat something up. Pancakes freeze nicely. You could make a big pot of cream of wheat on Monday and ladle it all week.

You might also expand your definition of breakfast. You can make some really yummy breads and bars that provide plenty of nutrients and energy, and they are quick and easy. (Once you make them.) Smoothies are good, too. As are breakfast sandwiches like sunflower butter on toast or scrambled eggs on a roll.

I just re-read what I’ve written so far. It sounds a little harsh. I hope you don’t mind the dose of honesty! Still, try not to get depressed or feel too much like a breakfast failure. Just try and follow these rules, okay?

1. Give the kids have choices.
2. Leave enough time for them to eat. They have little mouths and stomachs, after all!
3. Don’t take it personally. Even the poopy comments should probably be overlooked.
4. Don’t stress if they don’t eat. Big Girl is a big girl. If she is hungry, she will tell you. Little Girl, well, she’ll be okay, too if she misses a meal here and there.

Hope tomorrow is a better day for you all!

Love, –KB

This post is how I am participating this week in Real Food Wednesdays and Fight Back Fridays — two awesome campaigns to get people eating real food again. Would love to hear any tips you might have for breakfast foods. I can really use the help.

The environmental action group today filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for, “failing to issue a final rule regulating the chemicals triclosan and triclocarban, which are commonly found in antibacterial soaps.”

I’ve written about the topic many times before, but I’ll catch you up again. Triclosan or triclocarbon is the active ingredient in many antibacterial soaps. (You can also find it in a ton of other consumer products such as toothpaste, clothing, toys and furniture, among other items.) Scientists have linked the stuff to a number of different problems. Animal studies show triclosan is a hormone disruptor, changing the way our bodies work. From the NRDC’s press release: “…hormonal interference has the potential to cause long-term health problems including poor sperm quality and infertility, and damage to the developing brain leading to poor learning and memory. Several studies suggest that triclosan and triclocarban also may contribute to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria.” There’s more in a wonderful NRDC fact sheet. Take a look.

Earlier this year the FDA agreed, saying triclosan studies to date raise “valid concern” about the chemical. At the time, the FDA promised a ruling on the chemical “this spring.” Ummm…the spring has sprung, folks. It’s summer, with fall fast approaching. Which is why the NRDC has filed this lawsuit. It wants the FDA to act now to protect us and our kids. In fact, the NRDC wants to ban the use of triclosan completely.

The sad thing is, triclosan is no more effective at preventing illness and killing germs than plain old soap and water. (Yup, the FDA agrees on that point, too. Check out the What Consumers Should Know section.) So what’s the take-away? Don’t buy anything with triclosan. If you’re worried about your handwashing skills, buy Purell or another alcohol-based hand sanitizer. And keep your fingers crossed that a lawsuit gets the FDA to make the ruling it should have made several months ago.

Do you look out for triclosan when shopping? Are you worried about its effects? (And hey, did you know BPA can be found at high levels on cash register receipts??? So says the Environmental Working Group…)

From Facebook: “Co-Creators, Leane Vandeman (@leevandeman) and Ciaran Blumenfeld (@momfluential) are working with a major Los Angeles-based production company to develop this unscripted series.” Hmmm. And wow. Pretty exciting. I’ve seen the competition. They are, as Nigel on So You Think You Can Dance says, “without question,” pretty fierce. And yet here I am at the 11th hour posting my own submission.

Why should I be one of the castmembers? I think it’s pretty simple: I have very strong opinions and I’m not afraid to share them. And yet I’m also very likable, I think, once you get to know me. People seem to like me — unless they’re all faking. Plus, I have been told I am a great listener with a heart of gold. I’ve also had lots of dramatic stuff happen to me. (I’ve got stories, people! Child of a widowed mother, sad childhood, engagement to an abusive idiot I broke up with, finding the man of my dreams online before there was the Web or AOL or even CompuServe, battling to stay together through our issues.) No, I don’t have a poof like Snooki or a propensity to get arrested like Lindsay Lohan, but just Saturday I yelled at a teenager for throwing a cigarette butt out her car window, and I have the ability to create a poof ala Snooki. (Lots of hair!) And there’s the whole come from nothing to make something of myself.

I’m also well-educated, have ridiculously adorable kids, a husband with a non-life threatening health issue (we’re going to go for operation number five in October), and lots of really interesting friends. And yes, I’ve been on TV before. A bunch of times, actually. For example, earlier this month on News 12. I work full time. I blog. I balance it all. I’ve been happily married for a long time. And I am staunchly committed to being green. And I’ve got lots of failings. I am, as I have mentioned many times before, a work-in-progress.

I started this blog as a mirror for myself. A way to figure out what works and what doesn’t. It was also a place to give myself permission to fail and make mistakes. I am incredibly hard on myself. Always have been. So while I don’t have a book deal and I haven’t been quoted in a New York Times article — hey, I’ve written a bunch of them, though — I think I connect on many levels with my readers. Even companies coughpeopleandcompaniesIamoutragedaboutcough read and post to my blog. Sometimes they are mad. I know I could do the same on TV. My final thoughts? You could do a lot worse, @leevandeman and @momfluential! So I hope you’ll at least give me a look as your girl-next-door, perfectionist greenie.

I knew going into the day it was going to be tough. I was hoping Little Girl would nap going to or coming from the birthday — a good 30 minute drive from our house. But it wasn’t to be. She was too excited on the way there. She kept talking about how she was going to sing Happy Birthday to her friend. She was too excited on the way home, too. She knew she was going to see our friends’ daughter, who she loves like a sister.

So we get to their house and Little Girl is a lunatic. She’s climbing and sliding and tossing puzzles. She’s playing chase around the house with her little friend. She’s not listening. And then she slid off the couch yet again when I had already told her several times to stop. Thunk! Right into my head. I was so angry. I picked her up and put her on a time out. I wasn’t really angry at her. (Well, maybe a little.) I was mostly mad at myself.

I should have skipped the dinner. I should have stayed home with the baby and let her go to sleep. Or I should have, when I got a birthday invitation for 3 p.m. — right in the middle of our usual 2 until 5 p.m. naptime — declined with an explanation and thanks. Or I should have begged off of the boat earlier in the day and put her in for a noon nap. I could have done several smart things. But instead I went with the stupid option: Do everything and the heck with the nap. I had to have it all. I had to push it. And the result was a toddler and a mommy who were both just DONE.

After the head bonking accident, I chased Little Girl around for a few more minutes until I realized that I was just not having fun. She was into everything. She was clumsy and falling into things. It was time to leave. So I picked up Little Girl and left my husband and Big Girl there. My friend graciously offered to drive both of them home. She was asleep in her carseat by the time we rounded their corner. She transferred beautifully into the crib — she was THAT tired. She woke up briefly as I changed her into her jammies, but went right back to sleep. I think that’s where I am headed, too…

How do you handle packed weekends? What would you have done with so many invitations in one day? Any suggestions?

As a child my answer would have been that a friend is someone you can run around with. For example, everyone is Little Girl’s friend. If you’re willing to look at her shoes and listen to her tell you that they are the same as her friend’s, then you’re her friend. It doesn’t take much. Big Girl’s definition is someone who will play pretend with her. Are you willing to make the front half of my house a hotel, complete with a front desk and a concierge stand? Okay, you’re her friend now. I was the same way as a child. The kids on my block — including my sister — who would have tasting parties under the trees and play Stop the Pigeon (a game we created after watching reruns of Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines) all fell into the friend category. They were all the people who would play on the swings and get dirty with me.

In my teens the definition of a friend changed, though. A friend was someone who wouldn’t poke fun at me. Someone who I could write notes to and sit with at lunch. A friend was someone I could talk about boys with and discuss who we might want to kiss. It was someone who was willing to talk about all those taboo topics that you wonder about and agonize over. But because of my background — the whole losing a parent at six — I never took friendship much further. I watched the girls around me doing things like having sleepovers, hugging each other, going away. Nah, it wasn’t for me. Surface friends only, please.

Once I hit my 20s, the definition changed again. I got some therapy. Okay, I got a LOT of therapy. I wasn’t as afraid to get hurt. Still, back then you were my friend if you were willing to go clubbing with me. You liked to dance and hang out? We could become great friends. (And I was an awesome friend, IMHO, because I’m not really a drinker so I was a built-in designated driver.) I also liked going shopping with friends. Going to the city. Going to TGIFridays in between classes. Meeting guys. Hearing about what you might do with a guy. Being there when the guy things blew up. The surface thing was still there, though. Don’t ask me too many questions. Don’t look too closely at who I really was. I was sure you wouldn’t like what you saw. And then I hit my mid-20s.

I got even more therapy. Already married, I met a great group of girls and started hanging out with them. We started sharing things. Our shortcomings. Our fears. Our mistakes. I started giving kisses on the cheek. I started baring my soul. I got hurt sometimes. I made a lot of mistakes. It was all so new to me. I over-committed myself. A lot. I wanted to make everyone happy and make sure everyone still liked me. I got asked to be a bridesmaid. Twice. The friendships became couple friendships. Many of those amazing people are still in my life.

Then I hit my 30s and had kids. Well, Big Girl. Friendship changed again. Yes, I wanted someone to listen and to be there for me and someone I could be there for, but kid compatibility became even more important. Work connections took on more importance, too. Writers who were living the same life — pitching stories, working until all hours, agonizing when their story queries went unanswered. Again, my world expanded. My life changed. (My one regret during this time: the loss of a friend who introduced me to many of the people I met in my 20s.)

And that’s sort of where I am today. It’s a funny time. I want to belong and be liked, but have far less time to revel in the easiness that comes from sitting with a good friend. Don’t get me wrong! I have plenty of friend time. About 15 emails have gone back and forth this morning as we — three of my favorite mommy friends — try to pick a night to go out for Greek food and conversation. But I am far less patient when it comes to new people.

I’m writing about friendship because I am thinking about something that happened this week. Can’t really write that much about it other than to say there’s a whole lot of high school garbage going on right now. Cliques and cattiness. Silly behavior that I just don’t have time for. Bottom line: I don’t have the time or inclination to deal with drama.

I wonder if this is the start of my next friendship chapter: The drama-free years. I’ll keep you informed…

We hold a member meeting once a month. This past spring someone stood up and questioned why we were using Styrofoam given the fact that it is so SO terrible for the environment. I will quote from yesterday’s Daily Green story, The 6 Least Green Types of Packaging: “…polystyrene foam is the worst of the packaging offenders. It’s made of non-renewable petroleum and once manufactured, it’s not biodegradable. As soon as polystyrene is contaminated by food (like crumbs or grease from your french fries) it is no longer recyclable, and very few recycling facilities accept it even when it’s clean. Polystyrene is also hazardous to human health. It contains the neurotoxins styrene and benzene, which are widely accepted to be carcinogens. These toxins can leach into food that’s acidic, warm, alcoholic or oily and into the environment after exposure to rain and other weather.”

The question sparked much debate. There were people who were passionately for the change from Styrofoam to paper. There were people against it, too. After some discussion, the club’s board promised to take the issue up with the catering vendor. They did and were told that switching from Styrofoam to paper would cost more. A lot more. Still, we, the environmentally-conscious of the club, won on the cup issue. It was an easy swap, and it didn’t even end up costing the members a dime. (I guess the markup on soda is pretty high, so the vendor ate the difference.)

We didn’t fare as well when it came to the Styrofoam clamshell food boxes. The consensus from the board was that people didn’t like having their french fries and chicken nuggets “blowing in the wind.” They wanted to eat hot food, and also be able to bring it on their boats without worrying about spillage. They also didn’t want to pay the $.25 or $.50 it was going to cost to switch to a paper to compostable alternative. Harumph. And blech.

I was so angry, and was going to fight the decision at the next meeting. However, at the time I was asked by my husband to please let the issue drop. He loves and supports me and my causes — and puts up with my composting, my insane recycling and my commitment to buying local and organic — but he didn’t want me to get a bad reputation at the club. He didn’t want his wife to become known as the rabble-rouser. (Which is sort of a joke since everyone knows who I am and what I do since I wear my heart and issues on my sleeve.) So I dropped it.

Now, however, as more research comes out about the environmental and human dangers of Styrofoam, and the more I see those Styrofoam clamshells getting thrown away, the angrier I get. Just the process exasperates me. Someone orders a food item. It gets poured into the container and sits in it for maybe ten minutes max. And then that big, white Styrofoam container gets tossed into the garbage forever. Yes, FOREVER. No chance of recycling. No chance of reusing. No chance of biodegrading. How is that right?

As The Daily Green points out there are plenty of cities like Portland, San Francisco and Freeport, Maine that have banned the nasty stuff, and plenty more like Chicago and Edmonds, Wash. have it on their to-do lists. Why shouldn’t we, as a beach community do the same? So despite my promise to my husband to keep my mouth shut, I just can’t do it anymore. I’m going to my next member meeting with printed materials to hand out and a single question: Isn’t our environment worth a quarter? I think it is, especially since there are plenty of great renewable and compostable alternatives out there. If and when I can help get the change made, I’m going to move onto my local politicians and ask them the same questions. To me, it’s pretty clear: Long Island should be taking a page from cities like Portland and San Francisco and banning Styrofoam here, too.

Does your town have a plastic or Styrofoam ban in place? Are they considering one? How do you feel about the subject? BTW: NaturalAsPossibleMom.com has a Facebook page. Come check it out!

Yes, she will sleep in her crib like a champ. (Aside from that one jumping out and breaking her clavical bone issue!) I put her in, give her Blankie and she’s out. Day or night. She’s fairly okay with pack and plays as long as she’s tired. However, she’s not the type of kid to nap outside of a crib or crib-like device. And she’s not one to delay gratification. There’s a party at 4? You can bet she’s going to have trouble falling asleep.

That’s what happened yesterday. We were invited to a block party. We made the mistake of telling her. Yes, she stayed in her crib, but we don’t think she slept. Today we had plans to go to a friend’s pool. We stopped at my in-law’s first for brunch. Around 1:30 we headed out to my friend’s taking a 30 minute drive. Little Girl, Blankie in hand, fell asleep about 15 minutes into the drive. Knowing she wouldn’t transfer, and that she desperately needed the nap, Big Girl and my husband snuck out of the car.

And now here I sit listening to Little Girl breathing, windows up, air conditioning on. Writing this post. I never thought I’d see the day. Big Girl always bent to our plans. Today, my plans went out the window because Little Girl’s plans included an unscheduled nap. I’m sure I’ll get into the pool soon. Right?

I was sitting there waiting at a light. My mind was wandering to Big Girl’s room. She’s still without curtains almost a year after our renovation. I have been feeling guilty about this, especially since — a few months ago — I came across her journal open to a passage that mentioned her paper shades. “Oh well, it’s been almost a year and I STILL have no curtains in my room.” But as always, I digress.

So I’m sitting there in traffic thinking about how bad I felt that my husband and my father-in-law haven’t been able to build the cornices in there yet and thoughts of my mother — specifically how she must have felt all those years — whacked me in the face like a brick. Just then I realized how much it must have killed her inside when she looked around and saw what we didn’t have. What she surely wanted to provide. How it must have eaten her alive.

How could I have missed it? Why didn’t I realize what was going on? Why didn’t I pity my mom instead of just pitying myself? They say having kids makes you appreciate your own parents. It’s true. But sometimes it takes a few years — and some missing curtains — for it to happen.

Kellogg’s said the packages were recalled because it identified a substance in the package liner that can “produce an uncharacteristic waxy-like off-taste and smell.” They were caused, the company said, because of elevated levels of a common substance that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in packaging. The Environmental Working Group identified the substance as methylnaphthalene, a petroleum-based product.

From an EWG press release: “This compound, methylnaphthalene (methyl-NAP-tha-lene), has been the subject of major, on-going government and oil industry testing and information-gathering initiatives to identify potential safety issues and fill basic data gaps, according to an Environmental Working Group (EWG) analysis of the scientific literature. Kellogg’s has not publicly identified the chemical but provided the information to EWG in response to our inquiries.”

The EWG did a little research on methylnaphthalene and didn’t find much info, but what it did find is troublesome. For example, four years ago the FDA asked for “toxicology information” about the substance. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry said it wasn’t easy to get exposure to it unless you lived near a hazardous waste site. Wow.

So we don’t really know very much about a substance that is commonly detected, according to the EWG’s press release, “cigarette smoke, diesel and gasoline engine exhaust, wood smoke, tar and asphalt.” We do know, however — according to the same EWG research — that “methylnaphthalene causes lung damage when exposure occurs via inhalation, ingestion and skin contact. Mice given feed containing 0.075 percent or 0.15 percent of 1- or 2-methylnaphthalene for 81 weeks had lung damage known as ‘pulmonary alveolar proteinosis,’ marked by abnormal lipids, proteins and fluid in the lung.” And to date no one — no agency or organization — has set safe limits for the chemical. And yet there it is in cereal marketing to and made for children.

I don’t know about you, but that completely and totally ticks me off. Completely and totally. The EWG is calling for the FDA to do its job and actually “investigate and regulate all chemicals that make their way from cardboard boxes, plastic bags, metal cans and coated papers into our breakfasts and our bodies.” I say that’s a good place to start.

Does this recall affect what you’ve been buying for breakfast? Do you worry that the FDA isn’t taking our best interests to heart? What can we do to make our food safer? How can we best work with companies like Kellogg’s and other food manufacturers to ensure they are thinking about our safety? I’d like some answers.

This post is my participation in Real Food Wednesdays and Fight Back Fridays — two awesome campaigns to get people eating real food again. Would love to hear any tips you might have to help keep kids focused on eating. What super-yummy, high calorie foods can you suggest? I’d like to know.