Signs
Yesterday during my little solo trip to the grocery store, I noticed that the asparagus was looking especially good - nice tiny, thin sticks that would steam up crisp-tender. Joe doesn't like eating asparagus because of the next-day smell thing, but I kind of like it, and I figured it would be okay paired up with Joe's favorite of steak and baked potatoes, and I even whipped up a little Hollandaise sauce to serve with it.
Julie pulled the "I don't want any" trick, followed by my standard "Okay, you don't have to eat it, I'm just going to put a couple on your plate." So she ignored it and ate her grilled salmon (Joe gets just steak, the rest of us get half salmon half steak). Then, 2/3 of the way through the meal, she was suddenly dipping her asparagus in her sauce and eating it without comment.
We do our best not to make a big deal about whether or not the kids eat their veggies - we just keep putting them on the plates, and eating them ourselves. I hate it when we're out somewhere in public or with family and someone makes a big deal about what our kids are eating - yes, they have pretty refined palates compared to most small children, but they don't know it, and they don't need to know it.
It's not easy dealing with the what-feels-like-rejection every time when they refuse the veggies, but last night was the pay-off. Julie sat there and ate four servings of asparagus and then I finally just put the serving plate in front of her and she kept eating till I finally stopped her after a few more servings' worth. I'm sure next time I serve it she'll turn up her nose, and I will have to put on the game face and go with the flow.
Today was our first park play-date of the season! The weather was warm - upper 40s or maybe low 50s, and even though there is still snow on the ground we took the opportunity to get out and play after five months stuck mostly in the house.
Sophie kept losing her boots - they're a little big on her, and Julie's are a little tight. We'll have to shop for a couple new pairs in the next few days.
The swings are ever-popular, and the big girls are *almost* big enough to do it on their own.
And then came the real fun...
So often I'm yelling at the girls to "stay out of the water" "Don't splash in the puddles!" Well, today all bets were off. I told them to go ahead and get a little muddy.
And they did! Both of the little ones ended up getting a little wetter than anyone planned or desired, but it was fine - a distracting snack on the way home, and naptime was solid this afternoon.
Tonight bedtime was quick and fairly painless too. We've continued to have restless nights all week, though. Tonight before bed I had a little talk with Sophie and told her I'd really appreciate it if she could stay in her own bed tonight. I said "If you wake up in the night tonight, it's okay to just grab Sheepy and roll over and go back to sleep. Mama's really tired and could use a good night's sleep." I'm going to keep the expectations low, but this tactic has worked in the past, so I'm hoping maybe tonight I'll get some sleep.
But first I'm going to work on the snowflake scarf for a while. I'm up to seven motifs, and I'm not sure how much farther I should take it.
At least ten, I'm thinking, maybe more. I have plenty of yarn. hmmmm.
Julie pulled the "I don't want any" trick, followed by my standard "Okay, you don't have to eat it, I'm just going to put a couple on your plate." So she ignored it and ate her grilled salmon (Joe gets just steak, the rest of us get half salmon half steak). Then, 2/3 of the way through the meal, she was suddenly dipping her asparagus in her sauce and eating it without comment.
We do our best not to make a big deal about whether or not the kids eat their veggies - we just keep putting them on the plates, and eating them ourselves. I hate it when we're out somewhere in public or with family and someone makes a big deal about what our kids are eating - yes, they have pretty refined palates compared to most small children, but they don't know it, and they don't need to know it.
It's not easy dealing with the what-feels-like-rejection every time when they refuse the veggies, but last night was the pay-off. Julie sat there and ate four servings of asparagus and then I finally just put the serving plate in front of her and she kept eating till I finally stopped her after a few more servings' worth. I'm sure next time I serve it she'll turn up her nose, and I will have to put on the game face and go with the flow.
Today was our first park play-date of the season! The weather was warm - upper 40s or maybe low 50s, and even though there is still snow on the ground we took the opportunity to get out and play after five months stuck mostly in the house.
Sophie kept losing her boots - they're a little big on her, and Julie's are a little tight. We'll have to shop for a couple new pairs in the next few days.
The swings are ever-popular, and the big girls are *almost* big enough to do it on their own.
And then came the real fun...
So often I'm yelling at the girls to "stay out of the water" "Don't splash in the puddles!" Well, today all bets were off. I told them to go ahead and get a little muddy.
And they did! Both of the little ones ended up getting a little wetter than anyone planned or desired, but it was fine - a distracting snack on the way home, and naptime was solid this afternoon.
Tonight bedtime was quick and fairly painless too. We've continued to have restless nights all week, though. Tonight before bed I had a little talk with Sophie and told her I'd really appreciate it if she could stay in her own bed tonight. I said "If you wake up in the night tonight, it's okay to just grab Sheepy and roll over and go back to sleep. Mama's really tired and could use a good night's sleep." I'm going to keep the expectations low, but this tactic has worked in the past, so I'm hoping maybe tonight I'll get some sleep.
But first I'm going to work on the snowflake scarf for a while. I'm up to seven motifs, and I'm not sure how much farther I should take it.
At least ten, I'm thinking, maybe more. I have plenty of yarn. hmmmm.
posted by Shelly Kang at 9:59 PM
2 Comments:
Spring is coming! yay. Now I want some asparagus too. But no sauce, I like mine just with a little butter. Just a little. You know, like half a stick...
Yea! You're exposing your girls to veggies in the exact way I wish my parents would have exposed me to them. Instead, I got canned (instead of fresh), overcooked (instead of steamed), mushy (instead of crispy) veggies that I was forced to eat. I literally got ill from eating those "veggies."
As an adult, I need to fight my knee-jerk response of "Ick!" every time I'm faced with a vegetable. I have learned that I like my veggies fresh, crisp, and flavorful. In fact, when I first had steamed green beans, I called my mother and said "I just ate green beans. You know those green limp things you fed me all those years ago? Those were NOT green beans!" Now I can't get enough of them :)
Huzzah to you! I'm so glad to hear your technique is working, too. Celebrate your victories (quietly, of course) and keep us posted :)
Post a Comment
<< Home