Hey check me out! I'm blogging!

Hi, welcome to my new blog.  I've never blogged before and I really don't think of myself as a writer, but here I am.  I thought a blog would be the best way to share my nutrition guidelines research journey with other Princeton City Schools parents in general and the Springdale room mothers in particular.  Because we have been given standards that are pretty specific in the nutrition requirements but not specific at all with particular foods that meet the guidelines, it's been a bit difficult to figure out what's allowed and what's not.  What I say here is not endorsed by the school district.  I actually don't even know who to address my questions to.  Hopefully I'll figure that out soon...

Well, this month I have been researching (aka "googling") the new nutrition standards.  I can't believe how little there is on the internet.  It seems the new Princeton guidelines are a result of Senate Bill 210 known by it's proponents as "Healthy Choices for Healthy Children" and by it's detractors as the "Obesity Bill."  Some items in the new law/bill are physical activity requirements during the school day (30 minutes in most cases, but there are exceptions), BMI screenings of some grade levels of children (unless a parent gets a waiver) with individual results going to parents and aggregate results going to the state, and the last and main component is the new nutritional standards and rules for a la carte beverage sales.  This bill was signed into law on June 18th 2010 and all state public schools (and any school in the National School Lunch Program) must be in compliance by July 2011.  Yeah, last month.  But, the beginning of the school year is the first most parents heard about it.  Springdale sent home the info on the first day of school.  So, now, we all scramble to figure it out.  But, I did think there would be a lot already out there, you know, people all over the state complaining, people hurrahing, people coming up with creative snacks for kids within the guidelines that would be so perfect for the fall party or your kids' birthdays...  But, really there's not so much.  So, here I go.  Love it or hate it or don't really care, we need to follow the new rules.  And why not?  Who doesn't want their kid to eat healthier?

Feel free to post comments.  Especially if you have more details or fun ideas.  Just remember, that me and everyone else who posts is a real person with real emotions and please treat everyone with respect.  We all have our own (sometimes passionately held) political opinions, but we all want what's best even if we may disagree on what that might be.  Be cool and follow the golden rule.