Eveyone has challenges in life. For my daughter it is eating. For me, it is cooking! So here are some tested tips that WORK for both of us!

1) Create a weekly eating menu. Mondays is spaghetti, tuesdays is burgers, and so on and so forth. The plates are made and served at the table. This takes all the thinking and guesswork out of it, and hopefully the frantic ‘help its 5 PM what shall I make for dinner!’  So I will look at her weekly schedule and Tuesday says Burgers and take them out of the freezer or start cooking, without having to wonder.. Naturally I shop accordingly with this menu in mind. I know you agree this helps. Then, hand in hand with this TIP -  if your child isnt interested in your lunch/dinner, there is ONE alternative that they can choose.. Yogurt. Cereal.  The alternative has to be something that does not require preparation.

2) Each night on their plate will be a veggie.. cooked or raw. Like cucumbers, avocado, peppers, lettuce, brocolli, etc.. It is a worthwhile investment even if you think they will NEVER eat them. This creates an expectation for them to include vegetables in their life, that it is part of a complete meal, and one time, when you are not looking, they may try them, and start eating them. My son eats almost all of them now! I know my Mom says that she didnt give them us since we never ate them, and it took me years to start eating these most basic of foods. I am trying to not repeat this problem. It is not easy. Often times I dont have them available in the house and I am too lazy.. but its part of my plan so it’s a start.

3) Mealtime needs to include YOU. Here are some extra fun ways to make mealtimes enjoyable:

a) We buy plates that are shaped like animal faces. We put food in each ear, and the main dish in the middle. Sometimes they fight over the plates, but in the long run, it is worth it.. since they are definitely more interested in eating. 

b) Stick a magnetic whiteboard on your refridgerator and draw a picture of the plates including the food on the plates. Each bite that is eaten allows either you or the child to erase the food on the plate, until the entire contents of the plate are erased. This definitely encourages extra bites.

c) My stick figures leave much to be desired, yet when I offer to draw a picture of practically anything they are so excited! The deal is that for each bite, I will draw a little more.. I try to have the picture ALMOST finished when they hit their usual limit, so just a few extra bites will have the complete illustration!

What works for you?

I know it’s Wordless Wednesday, but can you really say NOTHING about this picture??  :)

I cant decide if I should talk today about

*How awesome it is to get to watch videos while working.

*How awesome Healthology is for recognizing the limitations of the typical human and providing us with information in short entertaining snippets that allow the info to sink in.

or

*How great Antioxidants are for you.

Hmm.. where did that come from? Well I just watched the latest video installment in our Healthology Media Library and this one minute video is all about Antioxidants and how easy they are to get, and how great they are for you. You will learn what they are, where you find them, and I guarantee you will be surprised, as I was, to discover where you will find the MOST antioxidants. You may subscribe to being healthier if it’s that easy!

Check it out

oh PS - it is NOT Ben & Jerry’s. That was wishful thinking.

So…my Husband went out of town.

Dont tell anyone, but I am excited about having the place to myself. I think about just having some ME time. No extra dirty dishes, dirty underwear, and frankly no ‘how are you today’ conversations that sometimes I could do without.

I know many of you are nodding your heads in agreement. If you are one of those women at the park who cant sleep well at night if your husband isnt home, just click off this page right now.

Meanwhile….

I am nursing the baby, get up to get the kids off to school, working/watching baby during the day, taking care of the kids when they come home, policing all day when they fight, do lunch, park, dinner, storytime, 2 kids to bed, then me and the baby hang out with my older son when he comes home, we talk, feed both, bathe baby, have some obligatory phone calls thrown in there, clean up after everyone, do a load of laundry, wonder if my 4 year old who has forgotten he is potty trained, and my daughter who complains of burning urine need doctors, put the baby to sleep, that lasts 20 minutes and he decides he is up to PLAY. It is now 11:30 PM. I am nodding off in front of the computer, before realizing my baby puts everything in sight in his mouth and must be watched. I get up to grab something to eat, since I dont usually fall asleep with food in my mouth, watch/ignore him until he tires out, get him to bed, sit back down to finish up my today HAVE-TO’s, only to nod off again, crawl into bed, and wake up to hear the baby crying and start the day all over again.

Taking care of kids/life from sun up to sundown, there is no time to enjoy his absence. Yet he will get to fly back overseas and ‘rest off’ his jet lag with a delicious afternoon nap, while I continue with the same above mentioned schedule. 

I swear my whole life is jet lag.