AROUND THE CORNER

With a high of 39 degrees Celsius today, the sun was bright and hot as we set out for the back-to-school haircuts. It had been a while since the children saw Lauren. She has known all three since Sage was young enough for me to wheel him into her salon in the baby stroller. At one point, she commented on how much Sage has grown but that she wanted the sweet boy to return instead of the grumpy one which sat before her.

Cinnamon was first in line for a haircut, followed by her sister and then her brother. The girls wished to keep growing their hair so they did not have much cut off. By contrast, Sage requested his hair to be super short, almost bald, in the back with only slightly longer on top. Once again, he said he wanted to look like my boyfriend for reasons unbeknownst to me.

Afterwards, we drove to the nearby Whole Foods for milk, eggs, bread, salmon (for tomorrow's dinner), and roast beef brisket before we stopped by Trader Joes for more pistachios which we had for dessert after tonight's dinner. The children ate the roast beef brisket strips which they asked me to buy for them at Whole Foods. Other than fish, which I do consider to be meat, this was the first time since over a year that I had bought that kind of meat for them.

With school around the corner, healthy lunches will need to be planned. I am glad that I am able to cook nourishing food for my children though they do not always like everything I prepare. Having grown up eating foods prepared at home, as opposed to having their prepared meals come from a box in the pantry or freezer, the three have developed certain tastes. In large part, as was the case in my upbringing, this has to do with their European background and being exposed to a different way of eating.

Seeing how my children are with me only every other week, I cannot guide their food choices at their other home. I can only hope that what they learn at my place stays with them as they make their own choices wherever they go. This school year will be a challenging one in many ways but my desire is for minimal stress and confrontation as we all adjust to a new way of life to the best of our abilities.