(un)leash the hounds!

since he started walking over christmas, sam's ridiculous powers of locomotion have really been chugging along (ooh sorry couldn't resist).  he's happiest when walking, and really strains against the stroller and car-seat.  he doesn't mind sitting in a cart, as long as we're walking quickly.  if i pause to look at labels, he's frustrated.

but on his feet, he's such a happy little walker.  last week i took him to the mall in the morning, when it was pretty empty.  he had a blast walking the entire length of the mall twice.  because there weren't too many people, he pretty much wandered free-range (i herded him away from stores and shaky old people).  he was blissful, and slept like a stone at night.

this week, march break, i knew the mall would be crowded, so today i popped online to find a harness-leashy thing for sam.

the sheer blast of internet fury made my hair stand on end.

apparently, using harnesses or leashes is inhumane.  instead of letting our kids get exercise, we should (and i quote), "contain them in a stroller, a cart, or at least their parents' arms."  parents who use harnesses are "herding their children like mindless cattle" and/or "refusing to teach them self-control."  

really, all i wanted was a means of letting the little guy spend some energy without getting so far away from me that he could be grabbed by smarmy mall-creeps.  his ability to walk far exceeds his capacity for exercising self-control, and i don't think it's cruel to let him do what he loves while i keep him safe.

oh internet.
you're turning me into a rantaholic.

somebody get me a leash ;).

monday morning rant

i just read this article and have to rant.

because it's so stupid.

it's titled "18 foods that pack a secret sugar high".  and while i'm not a health nut, i thought it might be interesting to see what secret sugar might be lurking in my food.  also, the subtitle was "oatmeal?!" - which was a little intriguing.

then i started to read.

would you believe that SODA contains more sugar than WATER?! 
and that those little flavoured oatmeal packets contain more sugar than plain oats?!   and that JAM has sugar in it?!

gosh, the secret places they put sugar these days.  (i don't think my head is big enough to contain this eyeroll.)

get this: SWEETENED iced tea contains more sugar than tea.  and when you make a smoothie with sherbet it contains sugar ... *_*

i think Captain Obvious swooped in on the writer and helped in the creation of this article.

okay, i shouldn't rant about everything.  i was legitimately surprised to learn that ketchup is ~ 1/3 sugar, and most granola contains 30% of your recommended daily intake, and kashi golean crunch is packing a wallop of sugar.
but for the most part, i thought this article was ridiculous.

tomorrow, perhaps they'll post an article that says exercise is good for you.  or drinking water.  or breathing.

you know, just in case we didn't know.