We are officially on day 7 of our Whole30 challenge. Seven. It really feels like it’s been 6 months, not only 7 measley days. Am I tired of it? Yes. But not for reasons you might think. I actually don’t have a lot of complaints about the food – the food is good – it’s not super filling, but it’s good. My frustration is more from my kids and the constant complaining. My older two kids are doing just fine – they are just eating a lot more than they used to – seems like every time I turn around they want another snack, but one of the problems with the snacks is that they are getting tired of only eating fruit and veggies for every snack and every meal. I don’t blame them, I’m a little bit tired of it too – I was thinking that a huge chocolate brownie and some ice cream sounded so yummy.
Yesterday was a big test for my kids – we had a birthday party to attend that included a bunch of games,
fun, pizza, cake and ice cream. Thankfully we were at a place that had a lot distraction and we were able to keep the kids occupied while pizza was served, but the smells were mouth-watering. It was very hard to focus for all of us. As lunch time started to creep closer, all of us were getting so hungry and we all were ready to give in for a big slice of pizza! Thankfully we made a quick exit and headed home before they cut the cake, but not before all 3 kids had a meltdown. The whole car ride home they were ANGRY, I 
think they mostly were super hungry – I was too. My youngest whined so much on the car ride home that he eventually feel asleep. We did make it home for our lunch of left-overs and ton of veggies which was not nearly as exciting as pizza, but we survived.
I’d say overall my kids have done really well on this so far. Both of my older kids have the process down and have passed up many special treats and snacks from school and church that they normally would have had. They have no problem telling anyone that our family is not having sugar (cuz that seems to be the only thing they remember) for 30 days. Which I’m super proud of them for! My husband has done great as well – he missed out on two special meals at work where the boss man was treating everyone to a special breakfast and lunch that didn’t really have anything he could eat. I’ve not been faced with a social food challenge yet. My youngest son has no idea what is completely going on to be able to stand up for himself and make food decisions wisely.
Something I have noticed is just how much of an importance we put on fast, convenient, quick, yummy 
food – there is junk food everywhere – it’s offered at every social gathering we attend. It’s no wonder we all have such a hard time slaying the sugar dragon. I mean my kids go to public school and they are offered candy treats a lot in class when they do something good, and every time a child has a birthday, there is usually some sort of special treat like cupcakes, suckers, or cookies that they pass out. When we go to church my kids are offered a “snack” which is usually fruit snacks, and when my youngest goes to Community Bible Study and Awana he is given a snack in his class that applies to what they are learning (could be little snack crackers or even cupcakes). Every time we go to the bank they love getting lollipops, and when we go grocery shopping they love to get a free cookie. It’s crazy how sugar is everywhere – I mean, why can’t they hand out free strawberries at the grocery store instead of free cookies? Really, it’s no wonder my kids love sugar! But I’m just as much at fault in the reason my kids love sugar! My goodness, I’m their mom – I can control a lot of what they eat and I don’t have to give them a cookie every time we go to the grocery store, now do I?
The past 7 days have been hard, challenging, and rewarding all at the same time! The week was rough just trying to get used to prepping and preparing the food, finding enough time to cook every meal at home (we used to eat out a couple nights a week out of convenience), and deal with all the unexpected health issues with my oldest son. Can you believe that my family of 5 ate 4lbs of bananas this week? 4lbs! My fridge was totally full of fruits and veggies that
I didn’t think we could fit it all! All the shelves and drawers that used to be full of yogurts and cheese and breads and milk are now replaced with 5 different types of lettuce!
We also had a lot of extra kids running around our house after school and even had a sleep over with good friends on Friday night. I was pleasantly surprised how well our sleepover went even though it didn’t include any “fun” sleepover food like we usually do. We like to have pizza, soda, and a special dessert, then during the movie we like to have popcorn and chocolate milk. We didn’t do any of that! We stuck to our Whole30 eating plan and our little friends didn’t seem to notice one bit. Phew! I just wanted the kids to all have a great time and they all did – minus any “fun” food! In fact, they all were a lot calmer than usual and I secretly wonder if that is because none of them had sugar in their bodies?
I’m praying for lots of extra strength and patience from the Lord this week…boy do I need it, and maybe some ear plugs to drown out the constant whining…will you pray with me this week? Have you ever done a Whole30 challenge? How did your first week go?
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