Lovely readers, I have such a funny story for you today. It is all about a mommy fail at daycare, and it happened to yours truly.
Darah comes home with notes at the end of the day every time she goes to her Parent’s Day Out program. They tell me about how her day went, and there’s room for the teacher to leave me any special notes. One day in November, I didn’t look over the note while we were still in the school because I was in a hurry. I pulled it out of her diaper bag when we got home, though, and read the following: “Darah often begs for other children’s bananas. If you like, you could send one with her from time to time. She seems to REALLY enjoy eating!”
Let’s break that down for a second.
First, “often begs” was said. Not, “sometimes asks for” or “seems to want.” OFTEN. BEGS. Can’t you just picture my little Oliver Twist with her hands outstretched and that pitiful look on her face??
Second, I love the super polite way that her teachers said, “Hey, lady. Give the child some dang bananas!” I swear I buy them for her. But I try to only go to the grocery store once every 2 weeks. This is a very effective way to save some money, but it is a very ineffective way to make sure our home is fully stocked with fresh fruits and veggies, especially bananas.
You better believe that child had a banana the next time she went to class. And she’s had one almost every time since then.
I was recently approached by Chiquita to see if I would like to become a Chiquita Mom, and help them spread the word about the tremendous value that bananas have in terms of vitamins, minerals and of course, great taste (unless you are my sister-in-law, who cannot stand even the smell of bananas…oh well, more for the rest of us!).
So I checked out their site, because I wanted to know more about what a Chiquita mom is, in their view. “She’s a mother who wants to spend as much time with her family as possible, so having a variety of healthy, easy meal and snack solutions makes her job easier. She is busy and needs a healthy energy boost throughout the day because coffee and energy drinks just won’t do.” Check and check! Let’s rock and roll, Chiquita!
I wanted to tell you a bit more about why bananas are awesome, just in case they aren’t a fruit you are normally buying for your children and yourself. First, bananas are full of three kinds of natural sugar: glucose, fructose and sucrose as well as a significant amount of fiber, making them an ideal source of energy to give you that wake-up call in the morning and pick me up int he afternoon. I remember my doctor telling me that bananas were the absolute perfect food to eat when you hit that 2-3pm slump at work. I switched out my Dr. Pepper for a banana and found that I got better results! 🙂
Second, bananas have more digestible complex carbohydrates than any other fruit, which are essential for energy because your body burns carbohydrate energy more easily than from protein or fat calories. If your kid is like mine, and bounces off the walls (have I mentioned that Darah has turned up her energy level 1,000% in the past week???) then you need to give him or her a banana!
Finally, why Chiquita bananas? Well, Chiquita bananas are of the top quality sold. So you can shop with confidence, first and foremost. Second, Chiquita is a company that really values educating and supporting moms and dads out there who are trying to do the best for their kids, including giving them food that is healthy and tasty. I love when a company is actively trying to bring awareness to its customers! Yay, Chiquita!
Win it!: 5lucky Stuff Parents Need readers are going to get a fabulous Chiquita Mom kit that contains the following:
- Chiquita Mom’s Flip Book(contains really helpful info!)
- Chiquita Banana Recipe Cards
- Chiquita Moms Grocery Tote Bag
- Chiquita Moms Freezer Bags
- A coupon for FREE Chiquita Bananas
The contest will run until January 23rd at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.
Mandatory entry: Tell me one thing you learned from the Chiquita Moms website. It’s a cool resource!
Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: “Like” Chiquita Banana on Facebook and tell them Stuff Parents Need sent you over!
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on GFC (find it on the right side of my page..sign up is easy!)
Disclosure: I received the same kit that is being given away for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
