Both my boys are playing soccer this season. I have to say that I LOVE having my boys in a sport for several reasons. First of all it gives us incentive to get a head start on the day on Saturday mornings. We’re up bright and early, dressed, and out of the house before 9am. Secondly, we’re in the sun. I’m a big believer that we need to be outdoors as much as possible for the vitamin D, the fresh air, and to earth (its my hippie side and I’ll save that for a different day!). Lastly, it keeps my kids active and having fun. I truly hope that they will carry with them a healthy active lifestyle long after I’ve raised them.

Needless to say, soccer is great. But this season we have a new guest in our soccer field every saturday…the super fun snow cone truck.

Its a great idea. After the kids get all sweaty and tired from their game, they are rewarded with a cold snow cone. Genius! But of course the catch is…the actual snow cone. That syrupy sugary mess that is considered a treat. One of the moms actually told me that her son ate the snow cone and was later literally bouncing off the walls. So of course, parents encounter the never ending predicament.

On the one hand you think:

• I want to reward my child for playing well and he would kill for that snow cone
• kids should be kids and eat treats once in a while.
• This is not something they eat every day.
• My kid is watching all the other kids get snow cones
• I don’t want to be too crazy about eating healthy

On the other hand you know:

• The snow cone is full of sugar and high fructose corn syrup
• The snow cone will probably spoil my child’s appetite for lunch
• These kinds of foods are completely addictive

So what do you do? Do you let the child have it for the sake of the experience, or do you put your foot down and just say no???

The first week, being caught off guard, we caved and bought the snow cone. But by the following Saturday, my husband (being the out of the box thinker that he is) opted for a clever third option. He figured he wanted to have all the positive aspects of the truck…the experience, the reward for playing well, the happy kid…without the negatives – the ingredients. So he thought, I’ll simply buy the ice and pour gatorade on it so my kid gets a healthier alternative… essentially the best of both worlds.

As luck would have it, the snow cone truck also sold Powerade so my husband bought the fruit punch powerade and poured it on the plain ice cone.

The whole thing resulted in happy kids and happy parents.

Well, I have to confess that the whole plan backfired on us when we realized that Powerade also has High Fructose Corn Syrup!!!!! Regardless, I still felt that the idea was worth sharing.

Maybe one day we will have a fun snow cone truck with healthier alternatives…like real fruit pops or some option that is fresh, tasty, colorful and good for you.

But until then you have the choice: be strict, be carefree, or be creative!

Whichever choice you opt for…as long as you choose with love…I’m sure you’ll be just fine!