Sandwich Generation Survival Tips at Simply Sandwich

Bloggy Identity Crisis Over Here!

By Paula, on November 8th, 2012

The other day Hubby mentioned to me that he spent some time that morning reading my blog. After picking myself up from the floor that he even found it, I was interested to hear what he thought about the old Sandwich spot.

I was a little shocked about his first observation and after thinking about it for a while; I wondered if his perspective was correct.

Hubby explained that although our lives were constantly surrounded by the “Sandwich Generation” concept, he wondered if many people out in the blogosphere actually knew what the term meant.

That lead to a discussion that maybe the blog title “Simply Sandwich” may be too vague and folks may not visit because they think it is a recipe site. Yikes! I had not thought of that. Convinced that he did not understand my bloggy peeps, I continued on my merry way.

Within the week of our discussion, I encountered several comments referring to my sandwich making ability or lunchtime options.

Aaaaak! It is true! Folks are confused about my blog. So, I took a little poll on my Facebook Fan Page and guess what I found out? My question was:

“Hey friends, I need your help! Would you please fill out this quick poll? Have you ever heard of the term “Sandwich Generation”?” The answers were:

Yes I have! = 59%

Nope = 38%

Possibly, don’t really remember. = 3%

*Gasp*

A major identity frenzy began and I even considered changing my blog name. Here are a few new blog name possibilities:

I Do Not Make Sandwiches.com
Sorry My Blog Name is Confusing.com
I Am Sandwiched In Between my Kids and Parents Still.com
Where Do I Fit In.com
Blogger Identity Crisis.com

Instead of re-creating the wheel I think it is time for me to do some internal soul searching about my blog niche, my writing and if I should continue with this endeavor.

Although I do love the connections that my little corner of the blogosphere created, I am not quite sure about keeping my spot around and think a break is in order to digest my thoughts a bit.

I want to thank all of my readers for your support and bloggy love over the past two years. It means the world to me! This is not goodbye, I still plan to visit your blogs because frankly, they really inspire me!

I wish you all a wonderful a blessed holiday season!

xoxo Paula

Photo credit: avlxyz

The Dangers of Gobbling

By Paula, on October 29th, 2012

It is Mama Monday again – the day when I get to nag encourage you to take better care of yourself so that you can take better care of the folks you love. This weekly post highlights diet, fitness or break time activities that you can begin on the first day of each week.

Today, my focus is a little bit different because I would like to share the benefits of slowing down your mealtime. Our busy schedules seem to run so tightly that sitting down and enjoying a food fare seems impossible. We often plow through a meal and do not even really taste the food we take the time to prepare.

There are many dangers to a speedy eating process session such as:

Operation digestion. Our bodies are amazing machines and food digestion actually begins in our mouths. Saliva is the first part of the digestion process and when we wolf down our food, we skip right over the beginning phase of digestion. In addition, the motion of chewing signals the stomach to begin producing digestion enzymes.
Tummy ache. Eating food at a fast rate causes extra air to be consumed and the result is extra gas, indigestion and general stomach discomfort.
Fill it up. You can increase the feeling of fullness by taking the time to eat slowly. When you gobble your food quickly, your body does not recognize the food that enters the stomach so, padding a few minutes between bites will help the food travel to the tummy and you will feel satisfied sooner.
Weight management. Research shows that it takes about twenty minutes for your brain to receive a tummy signal that you are full. When you become aware of the fullness factor, you will eat less food.

Knowing that a slower paced eating period has healthful advantages is one thing but actually establishing this habit is another. Here are a few tips to help you reduce your eating pace:

Carve out 20-30 minutes for each meal this week.
Stop multitasking during mealtime. Do not eat while driving, watching television or reading.
Try to chew your food five times before swallowing.
Savor each bite and appreciate the taste of your food.
Sit down at a table for your feast.
Create a pleasing eating environment with lighting, table decorations and conversation.
After a few bites, put down your utensils to slow down your swallowing.
Drink plenty of water during meals.

I hope this week you will focus on a more enjoyable and SLOW eating session!

xoxo Paula

What tricks do you use to keep the pace of eating down?

My Lunch Box Survival Scheme

By Paula, on October 26th, 2012

I know I have already told you that I was completely unprepared when I first became a Sandwich Mama. It took me a little while to develop simple systems and get into the swing of my new journey.

One thing I decided to do early on was to delegate lunchbox duty to my kiddos and let them assemble their own lunches for school. This gave me a little extra time in the morning to move my day along, otherwise known as, fix my face and hair so I did not scare the other parents at the drop off lane.

The first thing I did was to designate areas in the cupboards and refrigerator for lunch items. My favorite technique for this job was to “get on my knees”. This was not to beg for mercy, but to see the shelves and the fridge from their point of view!

I then prepared the lunch items such as bags of carrots, pretzels, trail mix and grapes. I stocked up on sandwich ingredients, individual fruit cups, granola bars, applesauce, fruit juice, water and milk and put them on the lower shelves. I also made sure that the lunch boxes and bags had a defined “home” so they could grab their containers.

The grand finale in my scheme was to design a lunch box planner to guide the kids on making their own lunches. I created a table with lunch items, placed it in a plastic page protector and taped it to the inside of the pantry. Check out the sample below:

Main Course(Select 1)	Turkey or Ham on wheat roll, bread or tortilla	Tuna Sandwich on wheat bread	Peanut Butter and Jelly on wheat bread	Cheese stick, Turkey slices, Sunflower seeds	Pasta salad (Ask Mom first)
Veggies(Select 1 or 2)	Carrots	Sliced Red Pepper	V-8 juice	Mini Tomatoes or Cucumber slices	Broccoli Florets
Fruit(Select 1)	Banana	Orange	Apple	Grapes	Cup of Pears or Applesauce
Snack(Select 1)	Chips or Pretzels	Trail Mix or Almonds and Yogurt Raisins	Mini Rice Cakes or Package Crackers	Sunflower Seeds	Cheerios
Dessert(Select 1)	Krispie treat or cookie	Graham Crackers	Carmel Rice Cakes	Pudding Cup	Cereal Bars or Fruit Snacks
Drink(Select 1)	Fruit Juice	Milk	Water

You can create a planner like this one and simply fill in your own lunch ideas in each of the appropriate rows. Just make sure you have most of the ingredients on hand in order to assemble the lunches.

I hope this makes your mornings a little smoother and gives you a little extra time to fix your face and hair!

Are you the lunchmaker in your home or do your kids assemble their midday meal?

Photo credit: Rubbermaid Products