May 2010 Archives

If the saying "you are what you eat" applied to my son, he would be a giant Cheerio. I have tried everything from trying to "hide" pureed vegetables in our meals to taking a bite of his food and proclaiming how delicious it is. "What? You don't like broccoli? Mmm! This is sooo good! You better eat this up before I do."

I'm not saying a bowl of Cheerios is the only thing he'll eat, but it's what he asks for when he doesn't like what I'm serving. That happens a lot. When Kellan was a one-year-old, he'd eat everything from goat cheese pizza to pad thai. Shortly after his second birthday, that changed. (That's him at what used to be our favorite Mexican place - now it's my favorite Mexican place.)

My delusions of turning him into an epicure are over, but I still try. A couple of nights ago, I served miso soup. "Is that toe food?" he asked while inspecting the little white squares in his bowl. Well, if you put it that way of course tofu sounds terrible. He made me take out the "toe food" but did eat the soup and a bowl of rice. Hooray, he didn't ask for a bowl of Cheerios!

So with small victories I'll stay optimistic. I limit snacks and I get him involved in making the meal when it's appropriate. You win some, you lose many. However, I won't beg, threaten, or promise dessert in exchange for a few bites. It never works. My husband and I try to set a good example by making lots of meals at home. We also hope traveling with him will help increase his curiosity of different foods.

I know I'm not alone in my struggle. Please share any strategies you have for getting your kids to eat!

Kellan's yoga poses put me to shame. His preschool class does yoga - they even have cute little mats - and the kids love it. I think he's more attached to my yoga mat than I am. Too bad I can't get into a regular exercise routine. We do take walks or go to the park everyday, but it's not quite the same as getting in a real workout.

It's a conundrum for many moms (and dads too). You want to make time for exercise, but any free time you have is spent getting things done, either for work or for your household. I will even confess to doing "internet research" and realizing an hour has passed by. That's not a great feeling.

So how does a busy parent take the time to take care of herself? I always have the best intentions. Some nights I put my workout clothes in the bathroom so I have no excuse, but that doesn't guarantee success the next morning. I will sometimes wear my yoga outfit and get nowhere near a mat, or wear my running shoes to run errands but not get in an actual run.

Does anyone feel as frustrated as I do? Any tips out there from parents who manage to squeeze in a workout?

I am a girly girl at heart. While I keep my daily grooming routine simple, I do make sure to put on a bit of makeup to make sure I don't scare away the kids at the park. Alright, I'm exaggerating a bit here, but I do feel better when I make the effort.

It seems eco-friendly cosmetics and skincare products are more in demand. Retailers like Sephora and Beauty.com, offer dozens of natural and organic products. From compostable packaging to preservative-free face powder, the choices are almost overwhelming. Most cosmetics companies are usually not the most Earth-conscious, nor are they forthright about exactly how they are eco-friendly. So I've been digging deeper, not only to do my part for the planet, but to protect my health as well. Six months before my wedding, I developed a painful case of dermatitis. My doctor and I were never able to pinpoint the cause. Ever since then, I have been very careful about the products I use and the products I buy for my family.

I was shopping at the grocery store last week when a line of lipsticks called Primitive caught my eye. Granted, my favorite Portland market isn't like the typical chain store, but the quality of natural cosmetics did surprise me. So did this lipstick, which had a picture of Jane Goodall. She is a personal hero of mine. The Jane Goodall Institute recognized Primitive for its environmentally conscious products, the first cosmetics company to get its seal of approval.

The product itself is great. I get really dry, flakey lips - yes, ewww - so I stick to lip balm or gloss. This lipstick has made me a convert. I also love the names of the colors, like Tahiti, Mali, and Corsica. Is it possible to be transported to a more glamorous place by a lipstick? Only in your head, but it can help create a transformation toward better health for you and the Earth.

Why? That is a question my son asks a lot these days. He cannot get enough of that word. While I knew this phase was normal, I had no idea how hilarious the line of questioning can be and how stumped I get when trying to answer him. Here is one recent conversation.

Kellan: Mama, is it raining?
Me: Mmm, hmm.
Kellan: Why?
Me: The clouds are heavy with rain so it all has to fall.
Kellan: Why?
Me: Well, it rains a lot during spring.
Kellan: Why?
Me: Um... uh... Ooh, is that the ice cream truck?

Okay, I didn't say that last part, but there are definitely times when I have to change the subject because the whys keep coming. I've also noticed that Kellan doesn't even need the right answer.  He just likes asking questions. I keep telling myself that I need to write some of them down. My favorites so far are do slugs wear coats and do birds cry real tears.

It has me thinking about how children see the world.  It has to be a magical place if it's possible for a slug to wear a coat. Your name doesn't have to be Alice to visit this Wonderland.

I am a pretty decent cook, if I can toot my own horn here, but baking has been an elusive skill. It requires some precision, whether it's measuring ingredients or putting them together in a specific order, and that's not my strong suit.
 
When baking cupcakes recently, I accidentally switched the mixer from the off position directly to high speed on one big jerk. It sent a huge cloud of flour flying toward me. Another time, I made a pie crust from scratch and ended up dropping half of it on the floor when transferring it out of the pan. Did I mention I'm not a good at this baking thing?

Despite these and other disasters, Kellan and I have been baking at least once a week. He loves standing on a chair, mixing his own bowl of flour and water. It gets tricky when he wants to crack an egg or shake out an entire container of cinnamon, but I'll happily clean up his mess if it keeps him happy. Clearly, I'm not that tidy myself. The best part of  our persistence is that we've had a few successes! This week's banana bread was actually good!

My mom took a cake decorating class when I was in first grade. That was awesome! My brother and I would hover over her creations like two little vultures when she'd bring them home. She would also make us the coolest birthday cakes on the block. So even though I may not be able to bake like my mom, I'm trying my best to create some good memories for my son, even if it means getting flour thrown in my face.

Do you look back at flying during your childless days with nostalgia? I do! I miss settling into my seat with my headphones, something fun to read, and an occasional cocktail. Now flying requires precision planning and an extra dose of patience. 

My son has been flying since he was four months old. We've mainly had good flights, but we've also had a couple bad ones. But with every trip we seem to get a little better at it. We took a recent spring break trip to the Caribbean and we averted any real disasters. Here are a few things we did to help us get through long flights.

I like the color green. I like to eat greens. But when it comes to growing plants, green or otherwise, I am a disaster. I don't even keep fool-proof plants like indoor ferns or jade plants because at one point, I have killed them all. 

What makes my ineptitude more pronounced is that I'm married to someone who has mad skills in the garden. So this spring, I'm determined to turn things around and I'm taking baby steps to earn my green thumb. 

The first step was getting succulents and cacti. Once you get them established in a pot or container, they don't need much attention. If you can squirt a spray bottle once a week, you can take care of a cactus. And spraying the plants couldn't be more fun for a toddler. We picked one of the sunniest spots in our house, which happens to be our bathroom, and our little plants make me happy when I see them. Now my son is obsessed with cacti.

The next little step for me was a container garden. Having that small, confined space made it less daunting than designating a swath of yard to grow things. So we planted two varieties in soil and compost in a cedar planter. I can't wait for them to start maturing. Hopefully sunshine and water will do their work, and I will have fresh salads right from my own garden in a couple of months.

The book that got me to try growing things again is Garden Anywhere by Alys Fowler. It's broken down in a way that makes gardening less intimidating for novices. The pictures are inspirational and Alys looks like the cool, DIY friend everyone wants to have. With a few successes, I hope to be hooked and ready to take on more gardening challenges.