I've never been one to hide nutritional nuggets in my kids' food to improve their dietary intake ...until now.

Our nine year old daughter is very small for her size and is often asked if she is in kindergarten or first grade. Now, I'm no giant, but it's clear she is quite small and her height is a very sensitive subject with her. We have visited an endocrinologist, been through growth hormone testing and tried drinking milkshakes with every meal. So far, we've discovered that she does not have a growth hormone deficiency and that she really doesn't like milkshakes as much as I do. And, although we let her eat whenever and whatever she wants, as prescribed by her doctor, my husband and I decided to limit the sweet intake and try to get her to eat better. After six years, I think we're finally getting somewhere and it didn't take me hiding fruits and vegetables in her food.

I'm a firm believer in children knowing what they eat, what it's called and what it looks like. But now, I've broken my rule and have been hiding tofu in many of our family meals unbeknownst to my entire family. I've made tofu/fruit smoothies, added it to fried rice, sprinkled it in pasta sauce and any other way I can disguise it. The funny thing is, my family has been raving about my cooking lately! So why should I continue to keep this a secret? Why shouldn't I? My daughter is getting some needed lean proteins which I hope will benefit her medically, and my family is also eating healthier. Isn't that what a mom is supposed to do?

We will continue to monitor our daughter's growth and we'll see if the tofu makes a difference. Will I disguise other foods? Probably not because she has a pretty good intake of fruits and vegetables already.

Back-to-School Letters

My kids start school on Wednesday; a day we all look forward to after the first blissful week of summer vacation is over. It's not that we don't like being around each other, we all just love structure in our day even if it includes scheduled lazy time. It's just our personalities and we function better with a routine.

Now that the day is fast approaching and we've done the school shopping, the kids know who their teachers are going to be, we've decided what breakfast will be on the first day there's still one thing I like to do at the beginning of each school year...write a letter.

Because we moved so much when our children were young, it seemed as if they were in a new school every year so I began the tradition of writing a letter to their teacher on the first day of school. Now I know most of the teachers probably didn't even read the letter because they thought I was a pushy parent or they wanted to make their own assessment of my child, and I was okay with either reason. Since I had been a teacher for many years, I made certain that the letter was not pushy or caused the teacher to think that I had an agenda. However, the most interesting thing about the letter was that writing the words allowed me to get a clearer look at each of my children and their year-to-year accomplishments. It also turned out to be a wonderful way to see how each of my children grew each year and how our lives changed with new additions to the family, moves, and every day life.

Teachers do not expect, and may not even want, a letter from you on the first day of school. But, if done correctly, you will find the simple act of writing a letter to be one of the most rewarding acts of parenting.

My letter included paragraphs on the following information:

1. Welcome back to teacher
2. Information about where your child fits in the family and their personality
3. General information about your child's academic abilities (be honest, but don't go overboard)
4. Hobbies or activities that your child enjoys
5. Information about my husband and me (jobs, how we could help in or out of the classroom, our belief that the teacher is in charge and our expectations for our children's behavior in the classroom)
6. Wishes for a successful year and contact information