As I was busily typing away yesterday morning, my son appeared at my arm and announced, entirely out of the blue:

“Mom.  I want a pet lizard.”

Huh? Yeah, okay…

WAHHH???  COME AGAIN?

“Yeah, I think a lizard would be a good pet for me,” he informed me.

Now, let me pause and set the scene.  I am not a pet person.  My husband is not a pet person.  When I was a little girl, I had gerbils.  And when we were a young married couple without kids, we had a cat.  He made me so ill that we had to give him away.  It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, so I can only imagine the state I’ll be in when I send my kids off to college.  But I digress.

Since then I’ve happily joined the ranks of the pet-free.  I like having no fur to clean up.  I like having no litter box to scoop.  I like having no poop or puke to clean up aside from that which my generous children decide to share.  I like having nobody to find care for when I leave on vacation.  I like having no vet bills.  I like having no pets.

But the kids.

They would very much like pets.  They would like a dog, but they know THAT ain’t happening.  They would settle for gerbils, but I’m not even interested in gerbils.  I had them growing up.  Been there, done that.

We’ve done the hermit crab thing.  That didn’t go so well.

I could be persuaded to consider a fish.  But a lizard?  That’s a pet that was never on my radar.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about welcoming a reptile into our family, but I’m a sucker enough that my son easily talked me into a trip to the pet store to “check into it.”  After perusing the various and sundry cold-blooded creatures for sale, my son decided that the leopard spotted gecko was JUST the thing he was looking for.

I admit, compared to the other scaly creatures, he WAS rather cute.

I am happy to say that I did NOT come home with a lizard and a glass-walled home for him.

(Did you know that aquariums with the appropriate lamp and other reptile-friendly paraphernalia cost upwards of $150??)

(And did you also know that geckos eat LIVE CRICKETS?)

But we are “checking into it.”

I’ve done a bit of research, which basically means googling “gecko pets” and reading the first hit.  It seems that a gecko is a fairly good pet.  If you’re in the market for a pet.  Which I am not sure that I am.

A leopard gecko makes an excellent pet. They are small, have minimal care requirements, and can be left alone for severals days {SCORE!}. They are quiet, don’t smell {that’s positive, at least}, and don’t need attention. Leopard geckos are inexpensive and easily available from pet stores and breeders {but have you priced their habitats?} They do not require a large amount of space. They have a wide variety of color and pattern variations. Leopard geckos are the perfect lizard pet. [source]

The part about the crickets throws me a bit, I have to admit.

Crickets are a good source of food and nutrition in your leopard gecko’s diet. You can feed the crickets commercial cricket food and liquid or just use a piece of potato and some oats.

Now hold on just a minute.  I have to feed the gecko AND the crickets?  This is getting a wee bit out of hand.  Although my son SWEARS he will do EVERYTHING.  Yeah, riiiiiiiiiight.

It goes on…

Crickets are very resourceful and are sometimes difficult for the gecko to catch. If this is the case, you may have to remove the rear jumping legs of the cricket.

Did that just say REMOVE THE REAR JUMPING LEGS ?????

HOLD EVERYTHING.

I appeal to you, dear readers.  Have you ever had a lizard pet?  Would you recommend it?  What am I getting myself into?  Is a 10-year-old going to be able to care for it?  Because I can tell you right here and now.  I am NOT touching that thing.  OR its crickets.

My son has been told if he wants a gecko, he has to save up for it.  Admittedly, that was BEFORE I read the bit about the crickets.  That buys me some time, right?

Thoughts?  Advice?  Admonitions?  Valium?

Thanks, I knew I could count on you.

* * *

In other exciting news, and this has absolutely NOTHING to do with geckos or crickets.  (Or valium.)  We had some sort of tornado/straight wind thing come through our neighborhood last week and take out my precious crepe myrtle.  Yeah, that one.

So sad.

We’ve planted a crepe myrtle in each house that we’ve owned, and this one was my pride and joy.

It was always a willing subject for my amateur photography experiments.

And it also enabled me to sit on my front porch and read a book and hide from people walking by if I didn’t feel like being sociable.

We had a burial last night, and I said a few words.

But as my daughter so wisely reminded me as I mourned its loss, “Mom, things don’t matter.  Only people.”

And it is so.

* * *

Finally, I will leave you with this.  Tomorrow night I get to go to a BlogHerStyle event at the LOFT in Paoli, PA.  My good friend girlymama has organized an event for Philly mom bloggers to get an exclusive sneak peek of the LOFT’s fall line as well as style advice for the upcoming BlogHer conference.

Which means, Fashion Friday will now be Fashion Saturday: BlogHer Style.  Stay tuned!

The good news is, we made it to Maine uneventfully. The bad news is, I left the power cord to my laptop at home. The even worse news is, a replacement power cord is $80, thank you Steve Jobs and your proprietary-ness.

SO. I am hijacking my husband’s laptop to post these links that I gathered earlier in the week and to tell you that unless I decide to cough up that $80, my blog posting for the next two weeks will be spotty at best. Try to contain your disappointment.

In other news, I have already accomplished part of my list of goals for these two weeks in Maine — namely reading and napping. I haven’t yet had any lobster, although I hope to remedy that situation today. Nor have I bothered to unearth the camera and capture the perfection that is the lake at sunset. I did, however, run 2.5 miles in my Vibrams on the gravelly camp road with the view of the lake shimmering in the early morning sun through the pine trees. DIVINE.

Now, for a few good links:

3 a.m. — Motherhood is not for Wimps.  This post makes my heart hurt.  In a good way.  :-)

The Way of Barefoot Running — Bareftoot Ted’s Adventures.  Barefoot Ted is featured in Born To Run as the renegade barefoot runner in his Vibram FiveFingers.

85% of Kids’ Drinks, Snacks Could Contain High Levels of Lead — Inhabitots.  Hat tip to Stephanie.  Yet another reason not to buy juice boxes, as if the sugar and empty calories wasn’t enough.

You knew I’d slip my dietary agenda in there somewhere, didn’t you.

I know that we’re way behind most of you, but today is officially our first day of summer vacation, and I’ll tell you what.

Summer vacation is kicking my trash.

Besides the hour I had this morning before the house woke up, this is the first time all day I’ve actually sat down at the computer.  It’s 1:20 in the P.M.

Now, I realize some of you maybe sitting there saying, “Yeah?  And?”

But for me, that might be a world record — for a weekday, at least.

Today I’ve written a blog post, run/walked 3 miles, made and cleaned up breakfast, printed out summer chore charts for the kids (thank you, Organizing Junkie!), gone grocery shopping (2 stores with 3 kids, at that), put away said groceries, made bread, made and cleaned up lunch, proctored a math test, read a story to my girls, and now here I am, ready to tackle my design queue.

The plan is for the kids to occupy themselves for two hours (hey, I’m a Pollyanna, what can I say?) while I work, and then we will go to the pool.  And if I’m really on the ball, I’ll have our dinner ready to throw on the grill before we leave so I have no dinner prep when I get back.

Not only have I accomplished all that, but I’ve been the model parent, if I do say so myself.  I’ve dealt with discipline issues with grace, accepted help in my baking without climbing the walls, managed to get the kids cheerfully helping out around the house, and spoken kindly to my little charges even when I wanted to pull my hair out.

It’s days like these that I feel like Wonder Woman, and I start to get all sorts of grandiose ideas of all the fabulous things I could do with my kids, but I’m not falling for it.

No, ma’am.

I learned my lesson last summer.  It all started out so beautifully, but I know how it goes.  All of this togetherness and productivity is a novelty for the first week, but by week two I’ll be ready to send them all back to school, and by week three they will be more than ready to part ways for seven hours a day.

Plus?  This is tiring.  I’m ready for a nap.

But I have miles to go before I sleep…

FDA Says Heartburn Meds Can Increase Your Fracture Risk — Mercola.com.  NICE.  And my doctor told me there was no risk being on Nexium for the rest of my life.  I am so glad I got myself off Nexium, and you can too.

The Hidden Truth About Statins — The Healthy Skeptic.

50 Power Twitter Tips — Chris Brogan.  This is spot on.

Oh those technology obsessed neglectful parents… — PhD. in Parenting.  I love this article.  I think she nails it.

F.D.A. Concerned About Substance in Food Packaging — The New York Times.

In a shift of position, the Food and Drug Administration is expressing concerns about possible health risks from bisphenol-A, or BPA, a widely used component of plastic bottles and food packaging that it declared safe in 2008.

The agency said Friday that it had “some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children,” and would join other federal health agencies in studying the chemical in both animals and humans.

ls suggested a number of things people could do to limit their exposure to BPA, like throwing away scratched or worn bottles or cups made with BPA (it can leak from the scratches), not putting very hot liquids into cups or bottles with BPA and checking the labels on containers to make sure they are microwave safe. The drug agency also recommended that mothers breastfeed their infants for at least 12 months; liquid formula contains traces of BPA.

Why We Won’t be Signing up for the Library’s Summer Reading Program — Steady Mom (newly redesigned by DCR Design, I might add!)

Time Unknown — Blackbelt Oma.  This post tore a little bitty hole in my heart.

Alternatively titled: What’s Mom Gonna Do NOW?

Nevermind me, I’m just having a little bit of fun with Picnik.

So anyway.  I am now officially the mother of a 5th grader and a 2nd grader.

Fortunately my youngest is an October birthday so I get another year before I have a kindergartner again, and that’s just fine with me.  I’m milking the last one for all she’s worth.

I shot these photos while the kids were waiting for the bus this morning.

Of course, Little Sis was tagging along.

This afternoon I was waiting to meet them when they got home, but they both hopped off the bus before I had a chance to turn my camera on.  I’m bummed; I was in the perfect position to get a shot of them with the bus in the background.  This is the best I got.

If I’d snapped just a few seconds later, I would have caught him flying down the street, the streamers from that ridiculous hat he was wearing waving in the breeze.  I guess some of life’s moments are better off enjoyed without a camera in your line of vision.

So now what?

Well, for one thing, I hired a babysitter for tomorrow so I can go out and get some things done.  Next week my son has golf camp, and in two weeks we go to Maine, so I think we will be alright till then.  Afterward, there will be 7 weeks before school resumes, so I’ll need to come up with some sort of plan.  I refuse to say schedule; I don’t do schedules.  And I think summertime should be relaxed and fun.  But the kids are going to need SOME sort of structure or they’re all going to go stir crazy and I’ll be a loony tune.

The first thing I’m going to do is re-write our checklists (yes, I have one too!!)  Then I’m going to try to come up with some activities for us to do that don’t involve the swimming pool (although I’m sure we will be spending a lot of time there anyway.)  And I think we’re going to require some daily reading and math just to keep their skills up to snuff.  I’ll be the most popular mom on the block, you know it.

Those of you who are at home, what do you do in the summertime to keep the kids from tearing the house apart and taking you down with it?

The good news is, our baseball season is officially over. The bad news is, they lost their game last night — the one that started on Sunday and lasted a total of five hours when all was said and done. It was a close game; it could have been anyone’s win right up until the last ball was pitched. The best thing I can say about the situation is that we lost to the kind of team you don’t mind losing to. They were good sports, and they played a good game. And our boys also played a good game. Their  time was up, that’s all.

Still, it’s pretty demoralizing to go the entire season undefeated and then lose two in a row at the beginning of the playoffs.  I guess being the team to beat isn’t necessarily an advantage.  But then, I think I’m probably taking it harder than my son.  He’s already moved on.

I have to admit, I’m glad that our week won’t be tied up at the ball field, and I’m also glad to be done with the stress of each game.  They’re too young for that kind of pressure.  Either they’re too young for it, or I’m too old, but one way or the other, I’m glad it’s over – for this year at least.

Last night as I drove home in the dusk with fireflies blinking over the newly planted cornfields and cool night air blowing through our open windows, it occurred to me that perhaps kids were better off before adults started interfering in their games. It just seems awfully stressful.

We keep it pretty low-key around here.  We try not to let the kids’ activities rule our lives, and yet when we make a commitment to a team, we do our best to honor that commitment.  I know that as my son gets older, there will be hard decisions to make — Sunday games, All Stars, traveling teams, there are all sorts of ways to keep the kids on the road and the family disconnected.  I don’t want to deprive my kids of great opportunities for growth, but neither do I want our family to be slave to their sports schedules.

How do you walk this fine line?  Do you let your kids do anything they want to do and feel it’s your duty as a parent to get them there on time?  Do you limit the number of activities they can do?  Do you discourage them from activities that take a larger time commitment?  I’d love to know.

On Memorial Day, we decided to go to the swimming pool. I knew it would be mobbed, but it was going to be 90 degrees, and we had nothing better to do.  So we went.

I informed my family that we should get there at 11am, the exact time the pool opens, because I expected a major crowd and I wanted to get a seat.  Not that I spend much of the time we are the pool sitting, but it’s nice, at least, to have a place to set my stylish black straw beach bag and my cooler filled with fresh fruit and water (because I am a killjoy and do not allow my kids to buy snacks at the pool.)

We got there at 11:15, and there was hardly a parking space to be found in the lot, but we managed to find a spot in the far corner.  We walked briskly to the entrance and signed in only to find that there was not a single chair available in the entire swim club.  Of course there were plenty of unoccupied chairs, but they were all sporting a colorful beach towel or a pair of flip flops as people had marked their territory upon arrival.

Later we found out that there had been a line out the door that was 200 yards long when the pool opened at 11.  I guess a lot of people had the same idea I did, but actually managed to carry out their well laid plans.

So we finally laid out a couple of towels on an empty plot of grass and set our bags and flip flops beside them and made do.  It’s not like we planned on spending much time laying around anyway; we had three kids to watch.

As I said, the pool was mobbed.  But as I stood in the shallow end, within arm’s reach of my 4-year-old, and looked out over the sea of people, I noticed that at least half of the people occupying the pool were adults.  And these adults were not swimming.  In fact, most were not playing with their kids.  They were standing around while their kids swam and played around them, and the lifeguards desperately peered through the din trying to keep an watchful eye on everyone.

My husband and I stood at our post in the shallow end of the pool, trying to keep all three of our kids within view, and chatted.  We began reminiscing about days gone by, when we spent the days of our youth at our respective swim clubs.  We recalled that our parents did not stand around in the pool, within arms reach of their offspring, waiting for them to flounder helplessly and get sucked under water at any given moment.

Rather, our parents spent their time lounging around the perimeter of the pool, reading a book or chatting with friends while we frolicked and played in the water.  They would look up occasionally to make sure we weren’t lying at the bottom of the pool, but they pretty much just stayed out of the way and let the lifeguards do their job.

And it occurred to me, as I looked around and witnessed the sea of parents standing guard in knee-deep water, that this is just another extension of this helicopter parenting culture in which we live.  And yes, I was standing there as well, even though my kids are pretty reliable in the water and even my youngest is getting old enough for me to not be hovering over her.  But last year I was actually reprimanded by the life guards at our pool for NOT being in the water with my then 3-and-a-half-year-old.  (I was sitting on the side of the pool, in a chair about 3 yards away, with her in plain view.  It was not crowded, and she is not a dare devil or prone to wander.  And I WAS watching her.)

It seems to me, if the parents would just GET OUT OF THE WAY and go sit down and have a Snickers bar and chill, there would be a lot more room for the kids to play in the water, and it would be a lot easier for the lifeguards to actually see the kids that they are trying to protect.

I was watching the lifeguards, and I want to give them credit.  They were not filing their nails or staring off into space.  They were being vigilant, and there were plenty of them.  There was one even walking through the water.  And with good reason, last year a 10-year-old almost drown at a nearby YMCA pool, and he wasn’t even in the deep end.  I realize that awful things can happen in the water, and I’m not trying to be cavalier about it, but at what point do we hover so closely around our kids that they don’t even have a chance to be kids?

The other comical/pathetic thing I witnessed, also filed neatly in the helicopter parenting category, was the scene by the slide.  I’m not talking about the big slide on the deep end of the pool; I’m talking about the little portable slide they have set up in the shallow end of the pool where the toddlers and preschoolers hang out.

Once again, the parents huddle around the slide as their kids line up, climb up, slide down, wash, rinse, repeat.  It’s not enough to stand close enough to jump in if a child is in danger.  No, the parents feel the need to coach the kids every step of the way.  Make sure they get in the proper place in line.  Make sure they climb up without butting in front of someone else.  Make sure they sit down and slide without taking too much time.  Make sure they don’t let their head go under water for a fraction of a second.  OH NO!  That would be horrifying.

My daughter is 4, and she is perfectly capable of climbing up and sliding down unassisted.  (Yes, I realize that there is an age at which it is appropriate and necessary to parent them down the slide, but 75% of the kids on the slide were well past that age.)  I stood back and just let her enjoy it for a time, but I started to feel that pressure from all the helicopter parents around us.  Every time she happened to jump in front of a few kids in line (innocently enough, and the others were hardly aware of it) I was tempted to stand back and let things run their course, but I felt the need to step in and make sure I pulled her around to the back because with all of those parents standing around, you better believe everyone was expecting it.  And heaven forbid a child should try to go down the slide on his belly or give the kid in front of him a friendly nudge when he sat there a few seconds too long before sliding down.

Finally I pulled my daughter away from the slide and moved her over to another part of the pool where it wasn’t QUITE so crowded and I didn’t have to deal with the stress of the slide.  There were no altercations of any kind, don’t get me wrong, but the self-imposed pressure just wasn’t worth it.

You know, when you think about it, it’s truly a wonder we all grew up to be considerate, responsible adults, what with our parents sitting in their lounge chairs, reading their tabloids while we ran willy-nilly around the swim club.

Did everyone have a nice Mother’s Day?   We’re not big into the “Hallmark holidays,” but I had one request — a day off from the kitchen.  And sure nuff, I barely lifted a finger yesterday.  My kids convinced my husband to bring me breakfast in bed, so I lay in bed and read The Omnivore’s Dilemma* while my husband brewed coffee and poured me a bowl of granola (my request; it’s my favorite, and besides, I thought a warm breakfast might be pushing my luck).  It was a nice, leisurely start to the day.

After church we went to one of our favorite local restaurants where, surprisingly, there was an open table, Mother’s Day and all.  I had requested a dining experience that did NOT include a buffet.  Buffet + 3 kids = not a relaxing Mother’s Day.  (Yes, I realize that I said I had one request, and now I’m up to 3.  It’s a woman’s prerogative…)  It was great, and I even splurged on dessert – Bourbon Pecan Pie a la mode.  YUM.

Then I came home and napped all afternoon, so I can pretty much say that Mother’s Day doesn’t get much better than that.  How about you?  Did you get to relax and rejuvenate?

* * *

*Also over the weekend, I set up an Amazon store with a bunch of my favorite things.  It’s categorized for ease of use, and I think it will be much nicer than the widget I had on my sidebar of recommended items.   I’ll be adding to it regularly.   There’s a link up there on my nav bar.

Disclosure: I have an affiliate relationship with Amazon, so anytime you make a purchase from my store, or from an Amazon link on my blog, I earn a very small commission which goes back into the costs of running this blog.  I appreciate your support!

* * *

So now it’s Monday, and I’m faced with an empty breadbox and a menu plan to make and a grocery list to make and a grocery shopping extravaganza to accomplish and 152 errands to run to get ready to go out of town for the weekend.  It’s gonna be a light week on the menu planning front because I’ll be trying to get the house in order.  But without further ado, here you go:

MONDAY: lasagna, salad
(I actually made this on Saturday, so it’s all ready to pop in the oven!)

TUESDAY: buffalo chicken dip with tortilla chips and raw veggies
(what can I say, it’s baseball game night and I need something easy and fast)

WEDNESDAY: spaghetti and meatballs
(sauce is leftover from lasagna, meatballs are the ready-made from Trader Joes)

THURSDAY: pot roast, potatoes, carrots

FRIDAY: I’m officially on vaca! WOOT!!!

This post is linked up with 5 Minutes For Mom’s Mother’s Day carnival as well as Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie and Mindful Menus at Chive Talkin’.

My mom and I have always been close, but since I got married at the ripe old age of 23, we have never lived in the same state.  In 1995, I left Virginia to follow my husband to the frozen tundra of Pennsylvania, and my mom have lived six hours apart ever since.

I like it here, but I do not like being far away from my mom.  I envy those with moms living down the street or the next town over, with moms who can come over and watch the kids at the drop of a hat, or meet for lunch, or go for an early morning walk together.  I can’t even imagine what that would be like.

I am fortunate, though, to have my mom within a half-day’s drive.  I may not be able to meet her for lunch or drop the kids off for a few hours, but she’s able to drive up for the weekend.  When I had each of my children, she took time off from work and came up and stayed with us for a couple of weeks to help out with the house and the kids while I got back on my feet.  We join her and my dad for a week or two in Maine every summer, and we drive down and visit them at my childhood home in Virginia once or twice a year.  Even though she’s far away, she’s accessible.  If I need her, she can be here in six hours.

I cannot imagine living so far apart that we would go years without seeing one another or not having the funds to make the trip.  I can’t imagine her missing out on the birth of one of my children or a baptism or a milestone birthday.  Even though it’s a haul, she can be here when it matters.  But I know not everyone can say that.

How about you?  Is your mom nearby?  Do you get to see her often?  Or has it been too long since you’ve seen your mom?  Is there a special event you would like her to attend, but she can’t for distance or financial reasons?

If so, this post is for you!

Proctor & Gamble wants to reunite moms and their children for milestone family moments they otherwise might have missed with their “Thank You Mom Reunions” contest. Each month for 10 months, they will bring together 15 moms with their children who are unable to do so on their own.

How To Win:

1. Log onto ThankYouMom.com and enter to win a travel voucher to help cover the cost of a special reunion with your mom or mom figure in their life.

2. Submit a 100 word essay describing why you’d like to be united with your mom.

3. Spread the word to friends and family to vote for your entry because the ones with the most votes win.

4. 15 winners will be chosen every month through November.

5. Winners will also receive a portable digital video camera to capture their reunion and are encouraged to share the video on ThankY​ouMom.com.

To help promote the Thank You Mom Reunions contest, here’s the latest from BlissTV:

This post is sponsored by P&G.

ELIGIBILITY: This promotion is open only to residents of the 49 United States (excluding Maine) and the District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry. Employees of Procter & Gamble, its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion and internet agencies and their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of each are not eligible. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void in Maine and where prohibited by law.

Potty training aside, food could well be the most stressful parenting issue we face during the first 10 years of life, at least it seems to be a common complaint I hear around me. I regularly receive comments on this blog from people saying that they can’t believe my kids eat the stuff I make, so I figured it would make a good topic for a post.

When my oldest was a baby, I read a myriad of parenting manuals because I am slightly obsessive believe in being prepared.  One of the books I read is John Rosemond’s Parent Power, which I’ve recently reread, as you probably know if you’re a regular around these here parts.  His common sense approach to dealing with kids and food impressed me back then, and it’s the model I have followed for the past 10 years.  I can’t make any promises, but it’s worked well for us as getting our kids to eat has never become a battle.

Before I discovered Michael Pollan and Nina Planck last summer, we ate pretty well.  We ate a lot of junk too, but we’ve always appreciated good food.  I like to cook, so that helps.  I’m also not one cater to my kids when it comes to food.  I decided early on that I refused to be one of those parents.  I know we all say that about a lot of things, and I have broken my fair share of promises that I made to myself before I had kids, but this is one that I actually kept.

When we had kids, I didn’t change how I cooked.  I kept making meals that my husband and I enjoyed, and I fed the kids the exact same thing. Rarely would I make something separate for them.  As my mother loves to say, “I’m not a short order cook.”  I let them choose their breakfast and lunch, within reason, but when it comes to dinner, they eat what we eat.

I wanted my kids to develop a taste for real food at a young age, so I made it a point to feed them foods that aren’t typical kid fare. Sure, we ate chicken nuggets and the fluorescent macaroni and cheese that comes in the famous blue box, but we also ate plenty of wholesome homemade food too.  I think it helps when you don’t set a precedent that there is “kid food” and “adult food,” and then expect them to suddenly develop a taste for “adult food” at a certain age.

Our kids are required to taste everything on the table, but they do not have to finish anything they don’t like. I refuse to battle over food.  It’s saved me a lot of stress over the years.  If they don’t like what we are eating, and they say they are hungry, they may have a piece of fruit, but there is no making of sandwiches or separate dinners.

If my kids complain about being hungry, I tell them nonchalantly that breakfast will be served at 7:30 in the morning.  Sometimes I cover the dinner and put it in the fridge and offer it to them if they complain about being hungry later.  I’ve heard of parents setting it out for breakfast the next day if it wasn’t finished, but I think that’s a bit extreme.  I guess it depends on how much of an issue food has become.

If the only options you have in the house are good options, it cuts down on a lot of food battles because they can pretty much eat anything they want and you can feel good about it. We keep a ton of fruit around.  This is something I have to do intentionally.  I never used to have much fruit in the house.  Now I make sure that we are always stocked up on bananas and apples and whatever is fresh and in season, and then I try to have them washed and ready for after-school snacks and after-dinner treats.  My kids love berries, so during the summer months I buy as much as I can afford.

I also try to keep raw carrots on hand, and when I can afford it, red peppers, because my kids like them and they are so good for them.  I like to set them out before dinner when the kids are hungry and asking for snacks.  I find that they are most likely to eat them at that time.  I don’t give them any other choices, so if they’re truly hungry, they will eat them.  And that way, if they don’t end up eating the veggies I serve with dinner, they are still getting some.

They like frozen peas (cooked, of course) so I try to keep those in the freezer.  I’m not a big fan of them, personally, but since I know they are always well-received, I often make a bowl of them for the dinner table in addition to whatever fresh veggie or salad I’m serving.  The kids must try the other veggie, but I know they will probably eat a serving of peas even if they don’t like my other offerings.

So.  By way of summary, and for those of you who prefer scannable content to my incessant rambling, I give you:

Top Ten Tips for Getting Kids to Eat Nutritious Foods

1. Lead by example. I have been intentionally trying new nutrient-dense foods, especially veggies that are in season.  I’m very vocal about how much I’m enjoying them and how surprised I am when I like them.  We talk a lot about the benefits of eating nutritious foods.  The kids really pick up on this, and my 4-year-old, in particular, is excited to try new things if she sees me enjoying them.

(As an aside, my youngest is my best eater of the three.  Even the bigger kids roll their eyes and say, “Yeah, we know, R, you like everything.”  It could be a coincidence, but I think she’s the better eater because her taste buds never quite got acclimated to processed foods as the other kids’ did, and she’s been exposed to a wider variety of nutritious foods at a younger age.  I guess we’ll never know for sure, but it sure can’t hurt.)

2. Make it yummy. My husband is always raving about my food, to the point that my 10-year-old son makes fun of him now and says, “Dad, you say that EVERY night.”  To which my husband always replies, “You just don’t realize how good you have it.”  If you cook nutritious foods in a tasty way, it will be easier to convince your kids (and your husbands, lol) to eat them.

For example, I’ve always served my vegetables with salt and lots of butter.  I just did it because they tasted better, but now I know that our bodies actually need fat in order to absorb the nutrients in many vegetables. I also do my best to cook vegetables the way they taste best.  I roast asparagus and brussels sprouts, steam broccoli and fresh green beans, blanche and saute broccoli rabe and swiss chard, etc.  If you’re careful not to overcook them and to buy the freshest produce you can find, they will taste so much better than the soggy canned varieties we grew up on.

3. Try, try, and try again. Don’t assume that just because they don’t like something the first time you serve it that they never will.  Especially if you are making a switch to more whole foods, you may have to make something several times before they acquire a taste for it.  And also, you’ll work out the kinks and learn the best way to prepare the food to appeal to your family if you try it a few times.

4. Be patient. Again, change is hard, and it usually takes time.  Rome wasn’t built in a day, good things come to those who wait, and all that jazz.  Give it time.  Your persistence will pay off.

5. Get rid of the crap. If you really and truly want your children to develop a taste for wholesome, nutritious foods that will nourish their growing bodies, you may have to get rid of the competition.  What kid is going to eat oatmeal when Fruit L00ps are an option?  Okay, maybe some would, but mine wouldn’t!  Plus, it’s been proven that high fructose corn syrup and refined sugars trick your body into thinking you are still hungry and make you want more.  They are actually addictive.  If the only choices in your cabinet are good ones, you eliminate half the battle right there.  They WILL get used to it.  I promise.

6. Allow them to not eat. Really, I never understood the food battles I’ve watched some people engage in — hours at the table, coaxing, nagging, persuading, negotiating.  Put the food down in front of them, give them adequate time to consume it, and then let them get down and go play.  If they’re hungry later, there’s always fruit, and the next meal will be whenever it’s scheduled.

Let them listen to their bodies and learn to eat intuitively.  Perhaps they really aren’t hungry.  Or of course they may not like what is offered.  No problem.  There will be another meal in a few hours.  Nuff said.  Free yourself from the battle of the foods.  It’s so not worth it.

7. Don’t get hung up on variety. Yes, a variety of foods is good, but if they like a few nutritious things, make sure you keep your house stocked with them.  My kids take the same thing for lunch every single day – PBJ.  Occasionally I’ll buy lunch meat or tuna, but otherwise, it’s PBJ, an apple, a carrot, and then a filler such as a homemade granola bar or perhaps a baggie of Annie’s cheddar bunnies or a banana.  And water.  I eat granola for breakfast 5 days a week.  Even our dinners often feel like a rotation of the same five meals.  My point is, if you find something they like, and they’ll eat it, and it’s good for them, go with it.  Keep trying new things, but have the dependable items as backup.

8. Be creative. Okay, I know this seems to contradict #7, but if you feel like you’re in a rut, try some new things, or try old things different ways.  Surf the web and find some new ideas with ingredients you know they like.  Make it fun. If you have older kids, include them on the hunt for new recipes and let them help cook.  That should really be a point of its own, but I just can’t have 11 points in a top 10 list, now can I?

9. Give their favorite foods a healthy makeover. My kids love sweet & sour chicken for Chinese takeout, but I shudder to think about the quality of that meat or the oil it’s cooked in.  So one night I set out to make a healthier version, and it passed with flying colors the first time.  Now, mind you, that was beginner’s luck.  Often you have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince, so if you don’t like the first recipe you try, try another.  Experiment a few times till you get it right.  But it makes the transition easier if you can make some imitation recipes of their favorite foods.

10. Don’t be too hard on yourself, and try not to compare yourself to others. We don’t all have the same time and resources to dedicate to feeding our families, so do the best you can, but don’t stress. 

Let’s not let food become another source of mommy guilt, and let’s certainly not let it become the next big issue in the mommy wars.

I’d love to hear your best tips.  How have you managed to get your kids eating healthier foods?  Let’s pool our ideas and help each other out.