Why Moms NEED NuVal
Meet today’s Guest Blogger, Wendy!
Wendy is a wife and stay-at-home mom to two children: a boy (age 4) and a girl (age 1). She resides in Vancouver, British Columbia where she writes the blog Give Love, Create Happiness. Wendy’s blog focuses on how to spread love and joy to her children and to others. In her own words, Wendy tells me:
I truly believe NuVal is an amazing tool to help Mom’s/parents make good choices, and can motivate them to make good choices. It is also an easy way to teach children to make good food choices. So thank you for being a part of that and spreading that much needed help to all of us!
And now, heeeeeeeere’s Wendy!
You have arrived at the grocery store. You fumble through your bag for that quarter you need for the shopping cart, and the crumbs (what are those crumbs?) end up under your nails. One by one you take the kids out of the car and place them into the shopping cart. The first 2.2 minutes go off without a hitch, and then it begins…
You are so excited about making healthy choices for your little ones. It makes you feel proud as a parent when you feed your children good foods, and that little bit of self gratification is just what you need to make it through the day. After all, you haven’t slept once through the night in how long has it been? 1 year at least!
Starting at the fruits you pick up some apples (96), bananas (91), tomatoes (96), melon (93), avocado (89), shallots (96) and yam (96), for those delicious cinnamon yam bites you make that your toddler just loves and go nice on your salad too! You make your way through the aisles trying to avoid as many as possible, when you start to notice something slimy and sticky oozing under your boots, but you are too distracted to completely notice because your littlest one is trying to climb out of the cart.
You glance down at your list, and it only says cereal. With one hand on your daughter’s leg you peruse the shelf wondering which cereal should you buy? Bob’s Red Mill Old Country Style Muesli (87) or his Organic Regular Rolled Oats (57)? Honey bee Cheerios (27) (as your son has now named them), or Post Raisin Bran (26)? Thank goodness for NuVal you think to yourself, so you can make the best choice and move on quick!
What is that mess you’re still stepping in? Back to your list, what else do you need? You’re trying to stay with it and not spend all your green. It is too late, you can’t read it. One big scribbled-out mess. In TRYING to avoid the candy/treat pitfall and keep your kids happy, you’ve given them the pen and the list is half gone. Did she eat it or rip it? You think to yourself. Whatever it’s GONE!
You know you need finger foods, and what’s better than beans? The Eden organic red kidney beans, pinto beans (100), or chickpeas? You take one of each. Don’t forget about those Birds Eye Frozen Sweet Peas (96) they’re a quick finger food too!
Then all of a sudden it hits you like a ton of red bricks! That ooze you’ve been sliding in all along. Your son has opened the dish soap so quietly and discreetly, turned it upside down and ever so slightly squeezed it down the aisles one by one.
You’re EXHAUSTED, and trying to decide do I laugh or do I cry? Is it wrong to just leave him outside? Can I pretend it didn’t happen? No, you have to get help. What if that cute little old couple slips and it’s your fault? Now in the middle of all your fury you’re side- tracked and headed to customer service for a cleanup in aisle 4, 5 …6? Hey, you might want to check them all!
Next back to the cheese, your kids love cheese, and really who doesn’t? Should you get Lisanatti Fresh Mozzarella (76), or the Cheese Head String Cheese (21)?
Darn, you forgot the bread! Back 16 aisles you trek, when your kid yells at the top of his lungs “Mom look! It’s Tiger Woods!” You blush and bury your head. It’s their father’s fault you say to yourself. Who lets their kids watch that garbage; it couldn’t possibly be your fault?!
Your shoulder is killing. That bag is too heavy! Diapers, bottles, snacks, extra cloths and that’s only the top. But you know you don’t dare leave the bag in the cart. Who knows what will be missing and where your expensive lipstick stashed.
Wonder Bread 100% Whole Wheat (34) or should you choose Wonder Kids Bread (38)? Thank goodness for NuVal your decisions are made! You are ready to leave; now you just have to pay.
When your kids are back in the car and the shopping cart unloaded, you take a deep breath and think to yourself, I made it! Just 6 hours and 22 minutes till bed, not that you’re counting. Inside you’re happy with your informed NuVal nutrition score choices. No time to read all the labels, NuVal saved you again.
On the way home you dream up NuVal the Nutrition Super Hero. Wouldn’t that be great to teach your kids to make smart choices? You’ll work on it someday, a day in the far future. Who are you kidding; at this point they couldn’t pay you to take the kids with you again. Till next week, when there’s no way around it…
*Note – Story based on true events. None that I am admitting to!
Posted by: Melissa 3 comments
Posted in: Guest Bloggers
on Mar 15th, 2010 at 8:37 am
You mom’s are superhero’s! Using the NuVal system as a teaching tool is a brilliant idea.
on Mar 15th, 2010 at 8:53 am
Nuval is such a helpful grocery shopping tool!
on Mar 15th, 2010 at 9:22 am
A quarter for a shopping cart?? Here in Michigan they are free. Great story – obviously NuVal makes grocery shopping with children that much easier!