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Brooklyn had never been to a carnival, it was the cutest thing to watch her and Sierra be SO excited about it all.
Showing newest 8 of 21 posts from March 2009. Show older posts
Showing newest 8 of 21 posts from March 2009. Show older posts
Monday, March 30, 2009
Carnival
I won't blog my "usual" way until later this week, but here's one picture from a carnival we went to Friday.
Brooklyn had never been to a carnival, it was the cutest thing to watch her and Sierra be SO excited about it all.
Brooklyn had never been to a carnival, it was the cutest thing to watch her and Sierra be SO excited about it all.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Grandma Comes to Visit
My mom got here yesterday morning.
Can you tell that Brooklyn and Sierra picked out the balloons?
Can you tell that Brooklyn and Sierra picked out the balloons?
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Perfect Weather!
I was planning on staying in all day today just doing some school stuff with the kids and cleaning up a bit but the weather was so perfect that I just had to take the kids to the park.
There were a lot of dandelions growing in the grass. The girls made a ton of wishes which was really cute.
I got this frisbee at the dollar store. Brooklyn and Sierra had the BEST time playing!
Payson attacked the only "toy" in sight. My purse. Here he is munching away on my wallet.
Both my girls feel the need to twirl around when playing in the grass.
After the wallet lost it's appeal, Payson headed for my sunglasses.
We play hide and seek.
We played frisbee some more.
And we just kinda hung out.
I really needed a new pair of crap jeans. Jeans just to wear around the house. So I went to Ross.
When we got home I sat Sierra in the same place as Brooklyn was yesterday and tried to get a good picture of her.
When I was at Ross earlier in the day I saw these Lincoln Logs. I freaking loved Lincoln Logs when I was little- this set of 200 pcs was less than ten bucks!
The girls loved them so much they played with them ALL afternoon and even after dinner.
There were a lot of dandelions growing in the grass. The girls made a ton of wishes which was really cute.
I got this frisbee at the dollar store. Brooklyn and Sierra had the BEST time playing!
Payson attacked the only "toy" in sight. My purse. Here he is munching away on my wallet.
Both my girls feel the need to twirl around when playing in the grass.
After the wallet lost it's appeal, Payson headed for my sunglasses.
We play hide and seek.
We played frisbee some more.
And we just kinda hung out.
I really needed a new pair of crap jeans. Jeans just to wear around the house. So I went to Ross.
When we got home I sat Sierra in the same place as Brooklyn was yesterday and tried to get a good picture of her.
When I was at Ross earlier in the day I saw these Lincoln Logs. I freaking loved Lincoln Logs when I was little- this set of 200 pcs was less than ten bucks!
The girls loved them so much they played with them ALL afternoon and even after dinner.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
How To Go Crazy in 2 Hours
Sierra peed her pants today. She was doing so well, it was her longest no-peed-pants streak yet. About a week and a half with no accidents, but today was the day the streak ended.
I can't imagine it being any more difficult to potty train a child than it is to potty train Miss Sierra. She is a stubborn, stubborn little girl when she wants to be.
For long time readers of my blog, do you remember when it was just Brooklyn and Sierra and they'd always insist on taking a picture by the front door before we went anywhere?
For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, these next two pictures are from 2007..
Brooklyn LOVED taking a picture at the door on our way out. That habit kinda died off when Payson was born.
Well, I decided for old times sake (2007, old times?) we'd do that today.
I brought my big old camera along with me on errands for the millionth time and decided I was going to take a picture even if it was a boring shot of Payson in his stroller. I will use my camera dang it!
Payson was more interested in a bird that flew overhead.
Then he noticed a dirt smudge on the car. Is dirt really more interesting than mommy? :(
Aha! Mommy making monkey sounds in the parking lot is more interesting than the dirt smudge! And I don't recall the dirt smudge getting that cute little smirk...
The girls waiting for psycho mom to put brother in the car so that we can get out of the parking lot already.
Brooklyn was pouting because she got a toy bucket taken away in the store after she wouldn't stop taking items off the shelves and begging me for them.
Next, at WalMart, Payson thought 3 hours was much too long to go in between meals. Maybe thought isn't the right word. Payson screamed and hollered about how he knows 3 hours is much too long to go in between meals.
All was calmed with a maple teething biscuit.
Arriving home I picked the kid that was in the best mood and went out in the front yard for some pictures before dinner.
Brooklyn saw a bird in the sky just like Payson did earlier. What is up with these birds stealing my kids attention away?!
It was actually an airplane making cool lines in the sky. It just sounded better if it had been another bird, right?
What do you think this face means?
I love this next one.
Her interpertation of a "cool dude" face.
Not sure I like the post processing I did on this one...
She makes life interesting.
I can't imagine it being any more difficult to potty train a child than it is to potty train Miss Sierra. She is a stubborn, stubborn little girl when she wants to be.
For long time readers of my blog, do you remember when it was just Brooklyn and Sierra and they'd always insist on taking a picture by the front door before we went anywhere?
For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, these next two pictures are from 2007..
Brooklyn LOVED taking a picture at the door on our way out. That habit kinda died off when Payson was born.
Well, I decided for old times sake (2007, old times?) we'd do that today.
I brought my big old camera along with me on errands for the millionth time and decided I was going to take a picture even if it was a boring shot of Payson in his stroller. I will use my camera dang it!
Payson was more interested in a bird that flew overhead.
Then he noticed a dirt smudge on the car. Is dirt really more interesting than mommy? :(
Aha! Mommy making monkey sounds in the parking lot is more interesting than the dirt smudge! And I don't recall the dirt smudge getting that cute little smirk...
The girls waiting for psycho mom to put brother in the car so that we can get out of the parking lot already.
Brooklyn was pouting because she got a toy bucket taken away in the store after she wouldn't stop taking items off the shelves and begging me for them.
Next, at WalMart, Payson thought 3 hours was much too long to go in between meals. Maybe thought isn't the right word. Payson screamed and hollered about how he knows 3 hours is much too long to go in between meals.
All was calmed with a maple teething biscuit.
Arriving home I picked the kid that was in the best mood and went out in the front yard for some pictures before dinner.
Brooklyn saw a bird in the sky just like Payson did earlier. What is up with these birds stealing my kids attention away?!
It was actually an airplane making cool lines in the sky. It just sounded better if it had been another bird, right?
What do you think this face means?
I love this next one.
Her interpertation of a "cool dude" face.
Not sure I like the post processing I did on this one...
She makes life interesting.
How to Feed a Picky Eater
I've gotten quite a few questions about this subject so I finally sat down to put together this post! I'm not a food expert. I'm just a mom with a picky eater. My thoughts are just that- my thoughts. They happen to be very effective with my daughter, but I don't know that they'll work for everyone.
And with that disclamer out of the way-
How to Feed a Picky Eater
8 Tips for getting your child to try new things
1. Treat your child like you would like to be treated.
There should be communication in all things with parenting. This goes for mealtimes, too. Children will learn to follow your guidance a lot better if you communicate to them why it is we need to do these things. Mealtime in our home is all about nutrition. We talk a LOT about what food does to our bodies. We talk about how different foods nourish different parts.
When we eat treats Brooklyn will ask if they’re healthy or what they do to our bodies and I tell her, “Treats aren’t that good for you, but sometimes it’s fun to eat something just because it’s yummy. Our bodies are healthy because we eat healthy things all the time. That means we can eat treats, too!”
2. Offer a variety at each meal and snack.
If there is a food your child doesn’t like chances are they’re going to turn up their nose even more if it’s all you offer them. When it’s presented like that it’s a solid way to tell your child, “This is a battle. This is all you will get and until you eat this there will be nothing else.” Without saying a word you are actually telling your child this food is to be hated.
Giving your child three or four items each time they sit down is sending them a message that eating is an explorative activity. There are often two new items at mealtimes in my house. I like introducing them to more than one new thing at once because I think it puts less pressure on them to like any one thing. My main tip with picky eaters is to make mealtimes as casual and nonchalant as possible. When there are no expectations they will feel more freedom to taste foods as they want to.
3. Encourage tasting each item.
Brooklyn dislikes a heck of a lot of foods. Sometimes she dislikes things just because of the way they look (this actually happens often). I encourage her to at least taste it before she passes judgement. I even tell her, “If you don’t like it you can spit it out.” This is pretty big in our house. Knowing she can spit it out if it tastes bad is huge for her. (Obviously she is standing by the garbage when she does this. I don’t like them spitting onto their plates. That has happened, though.)
4. Underplay mealtime. Put as little emphasis on new food experiences as possible.
I’m really good at this, I have to say. I approach mealtime in a very matter of fact way. It is not a battle ground. It is a time to get nourished. End of story. If you don’t like the nourishment offered, don’t eat it, I will not fight you on this at all. If Brooklyn is making a big deal about disliking something I tell her, “Brooklyn, you don’t have to like chicken, if you’re done eating you can go play.”
5. Don’t reheat the same food over and over to get your child to eat it.
I think this is a good way to assure your child will hate that food. I do reheat food, don’t get me wrong. If Brooklyn refuses something without even tasting it then I serve it at the next meal with the rest of the meal. I don’t only serve that food. I make a separate meal like I would any other day and add the food she’d refused earlier to the plate. I encourage her to taste it *see point 3* and if she doesn’t like it, it goes to Sierra (my garbage disposal who likes every food on the planet. Lol)
6. Compare new food to something your child already likes.
This one is a recent development that’s working well. Just this week, in fact, it was put into play by Allan. We were having pot roast for dinner. Presenting beef of any sort to Brooklyn is equivalent to presenting her with a piece of poo for dinner. Very recently she’s started liking bacon. Allan told Brooklyn, “Beef is like bacon*, Brooklyn. I think you’ll really like it.”
Now in the past Brooklyn would utterly refuse to even poke at the beef with her fork, let alone taste it, but with bacon in mind and a new view on her beef (hmm, maybe it won’t be as bad as I’m thinking), she tried it! For the first time she tasted beef. And, she ended up eating several bites of it.
*I realize bacon and beef are very different. It doesn’t have to be a really close comparison. Just reminding your child that something they’d previously thought was horrid is actually something they now love can open them up to new possibilities.
7. Be relatable. Acknowledge that there are foods you dislike.
I will let Brooklyn know if something isn’t the best food out there. If a piece of bread is starting to go stale I’ll tell her, “This sandwich I’m eating isn’t very good. The bread’s getting hard, but I’m going to finish it because I don’t want to waste it.” There are a couple foods I simply don’t like. If something’s not my favorite I’ll acknowledge that as well. Knowing parents have preferences just like them, helps the child see that mealtime isn’t a battle ground. I think that’s really important.
8. Pick your Battles.
This goes for a whole heckuva lot of things in parenting. It goes for food, as well. Does your child need to love salad? Will his/her life be ruined if they prefer ham over chicken? Will their health be seriously impacted by not liking green beans? The answer is, no. Find the healthy things your kids like and serve them often. Serve them with new foods that you think will benefit their growing bodies. When you make this a pleasant experience they will start to view it as a pleasant experience. Tasting new foods should be fun. Really!
And that is my view on feeding picky eaters! I’ve had 5 years to think about this and things are constantly changing and evolving with my approach with Brooklyn. The last few months, however, have been so much better. I plan the week’s meals and know that Brooklyn is getting everything she needs on the food pyramid every single day. I think only those of us with picky eaters understand how powerful a feeling that is!
Click Here for my "What they Eat" post
Click Here for my "What We eat Wednesday" Post
And with that disclamer out of the way-
How to Feed a Picky Eater
8 Tips for getting your child to try new things
1. Treat your child like you would like to be treated.
There should be communication in all things with parenting. This goes for mealtimes, too. Children will learn to follow your guidance a lot better if you communicate to them why it is we need to do these things. Mealtime in our home is all about nutrition. We talk a LOT about what food does to our bodies. We talk about how different foods nourish different parts.
When we eat treats Brooklyn will ask if they’re healthy or what they do to our bodies and I tell her, “Treats aren’t that good for you, but sometimes it’s fun to eat something just because it’s yummy. Our bodies are healthy because we eat healthy things all the time. That means we can eat treats, too!”
2. Offer a variety at each meal and snack.
If there is a food your child doesn’t like chances are they’re going to turn up their nose even more if it’s all you offer them. When it’s presented like that it’s a solid way to tell your child, “This is a battle. This is all you will get and until you eat this there will be nothing else.” Without saying a word you are actually telling your child this food is to be hated.
Giving your child three or four items each time they sit down is sending them a message that eating is an explorative activity. There are often two new items at mealtimes in my house. I like introducing them to more than one new thing at once because I think it puts less pressure on them to like any one thing. My main tip with picky eaters is to make mealtimes as casual and nonchalant as possible. When there are no expectations they will feel more freedom to taste foods as they want to.
3. Encourage tasting each item.
Brooklyn dislikes a heck of a lot of foods. Sometimes she dislikes things just because of the way they look (this actually happens often). I encourage her to at least taste it before she passes judgement. I even tell her, “If you don’t like it you can spit it out.” This is pretty big in our house. Knowing she can spit it out if it tastes bad is huge for her. (Obviously she is standing by the garbage when she does this. I don’t like them spitting onto their plates. That has happened, though.)
4. Underplay mealtime. Put as little emphasis on new food experiences as possible.
I’m really good at this, I have to say. I approach mealtime in a very matter of fact way. It is not a battle ground. It is a time to get nourished. End of story. If you don’t like the nourishment offered, don’t eat it, I will not fight you on this at all. If Brooklyn is making a big deal about disliking something I tell her, “Brooklyn, you don’t have to like chicken, if you’re done eating you can go play.”
5. Don’t reheat the same food over and over to get your child to eat it.
I think this is a good way to assure your child will hate that food. I do reheat food, don’t get me wrong. If Brooklyn refuses something without even tasting it then I serve it at the next meal with the rest of the meal. I don’t only serve that food. I make a separate meal like I would any other day and add the food she’d refused earlier to the plate. I encourage her to taste it *see point 3* and if she doesn’t like it, it goes to Sierra (my garbage disposal who likes every food on the planet. Lol)
6. Compare new food to something your child already likes.
This one is a recent development that’s working well. Just this week, in fact, it was put into play by Allan. We were having pot roast for dinner. Presenting beef of any sort to Brooklyn is equivalent to presenting her with a piece of poo for dinner. Very recently she’s started liking bacon. Allan told Brooklyn, “Beef is like bacon*, Brooklyn. I think you’ll really like it.”
Now in the past Brooklyn would utterly refuse to even poke at the beef with her fork, let alone taste it, but with bacon in mind and a new view on her beef (hmm, maybe it won’t be as bad as I’m thinking), she tried it! For the first time she tasted beef. And, she ended up eating several bites of it.
*I realize bacon and beef are very different. It doesn’t have to be a really close comparison. Just reminding your child that something they’d previously thought was horrid is actually something they now love can open them up to new possibilities.
7. Be relatable. Acknowledge that there are foods you dislike.
I will let Brooklyn know if something isn’t the best food out there. If a piece of bread is starting to go stale I’ll tell her, “This sandwich I’m eating isn’t very good. The bread’s getting hard, but I’m going to finish it because I don’t want to waste it.” There are a couple foods I simply don’t like. If something’s not my favorite I’ll acknowledge that as well. Knowing parents have preferences just like them, helps the child see that mealtime isn’t a battle ground. I think that’s really important.
8. Pick your Battles.
This goes for a whole heckuva lot of things in parenting. It goes for food, as well. Does your child need to love salad? Will his/her life be ruined if they prefer ham over chicken? Will their health be seriously impacted by not liking green beans? The answer is, no. Find the healthy things your kids like and serve them often. Serve them with new foods that you think will benefit their growing bodies. When you make this a pleasant experience they will start to view it as a pleasant experience. Tasting new foods should be fun. Really!
And that is my view on feeding picky eaters! I’ve had 5 years to think about this and things are constantly changing and evolving with my approach with Brooklyn. The last few months, however, have been so much better. I plan the week’s meals and know that Brooklyn is getting everything she needs on the food pyramid every single day. I think only those of us with picky eaters understand how powerful a feeling that is!
Click Here for my "What they Eat" post
Click Here for my "What We eat Wednesday" Post
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Laundry tub
I really love having a sink in the laundry room. It's so much better on my back than the regular bathtub. I love sticking Payson in here for a quick rinse after mealtimes. He loves it, too.
There've been a couple food related questions that I'll answer in a post soon. Payson is eating solids now, I do have some tricks for picky eaters... that's all to come when I get some time.
There've been a couple food related questions that I'll answer in a post soon. Payson is eating solids now, I do have some tricks for picky eaters... that's all to come when I get some time.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Quick Post
We had a pretty good Saturday- at least so far. Went to the park and the library. Cleaned a bit.
I have more pictures from when we were out but for now I only have time to share one.
I have more pictures from when we were out but for now I only have time to share one.
Friday, March 20, 2009
His favorite place
I thought I'd post about Payson's favorite place in the house. The kitchen.
He crawls into the kitchen any chance he gets in hopes of finding a crumb or two dropped by the girls while they eat.
He loves it when I crawl under the table with him. He'll start babbling away happily and give me this head tilt like a puppy does along with a sly smile. Such a mama's boy.
He also likes to do laps around the kitchen island while pushing a chair. Would you believe he's actually pretty good at turning the darn thing to get where he wants to go? He also stood on his own for a few seconds a couple times today.
He's at a disadvantage when it comes to walking. He has these massive thighs to lift with each step. That's got to be hard.
He's actually pretty sick this week and not in the best mood.
And his mood noticably sours when Brooklyn is near.
He crawls into the kitchen any chance he gets in hopes of finding a crumb or two dropped by the girls while they eat.
He loves it when I crawl under the table with him. He'll start babbling away happily and give me this head tilt like a puppy does along with a sly smile. Such a mama's boy.
He also likes to do laps around the kitchen island while pushing a chair. Would you believe he's actually pretty good at turning the darn thing to get where he wants to go? He also stood on his own for a few seconds a couple times today.
He's at a disadvantage when it comes to walking. He has these massive thighs to lift with each step. That's got to be hard.
He's actually pretty sick this week and not in the best mood.
And his mood noticably sours when Brooklyn is near.
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