Every day is an adventure with my three year old Lucian. He is smart and curious about his world so I just never know what might pop out of his mouth.

One of our challenges has been getting him to poop consistently on the potty. Sometimes he does but many times he won’t tell us he needs to go.  He’s fully capable, he just doesn’t want to. Yesterday I caught him with that look while we were both in the dining room and I immediately asked him if he was pooping. With a sheepish grin he replied, “Yep.” Great, another round of poopy pants to clean up. Here the subsequent conversation.

Lucian: Oh, look. It is a little poop. Just a little one though mommy. Not a big mess, just a little poop.

Me: Did a poop fall out of your pants?!

Lucian: Yes, but just a really little one. It came out my leg mommy. Just a tiny poop.

His legs are open wide as he avoids squishing the poop still in his pants

I look and see that it is very tiny and looks solid so I decide to have him clean it up. We’ve been having him help with his messes so it isn’t so easy for him.

Me: Well, here is a napkin. You can clean it up but don’t squeeze it. Wait. No, don’t put it on the TABLE, Lucian ! Argh.

I reach over to clean it up.

Me: (laughing a big belly laugh) Ha! Lucian, that isn’t a poop. It is just a raisin!

Lucian: NO! It IS a poop mommy. It came out of my butt.

Me: No, honey it is a just a left over raisin from snack time.

Lucian: Nope, it is a poop.

I could have ate it to prove it but I thought that might be a bit much.

Less the an hour later I’m sitting at the dining room table with Lucian and Joe (my husband) who just got off work. I see on my laptop that I will be receiving a Dyson for review (SWEET!) and of course I have to show him all the cool features.

Lucian hears about the new vacuum and asks:

Does it suck up poop?

Ah, these are the days. I’m certain I won’t be using it to clean up poop but I’m thinking it will be fabulous for those dropped raisins!

You may have already drooled over this bars I made during my Wilton UltraGold review. I received so many comments and requests for it that I’ve decided to make this recipe its own post. It is certainly worthy of it! This brownie topped with a cream cheese filling and cherry topping is absolutely scrumptious!

Brownie Layer

1 box fudge brownie mix (1 lb 2.3 oz size)

2/3 cup oil

1/4 cup water

2 eggs

Filling

2 pkgs (8oz) cream cheese, softened

1 container (1 lb) vanilla ready-to spread frosting

1 t. almond extract

Topping

1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling, chilled

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 13×9 inch baking pan with shortening.

In large bowl combine brownie ingredients and stir until well blended. Pour into pan.

Bake 24 to 26 minutes or until toothpick inserted two inches from the edge comes out almost clean. Cool completely. (Approx. 30 minutes)

Beat filling ingredients in large bowl until smooth and spread over cooled brownies. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set.

Spoon chilled cherry filling over top and cut into squares.

You can find this Cherry Topped Brownie Dessert recipe and more at Pillsbury.com.

A couple of weeks ago I caught Warren river dancing with Sesame Street and I just can’t resist sharing. This kid cracks me up daily.  Enjoy!

As every mother will say, I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. Every day you never cease to amaze me with your energy, words, curiosity, understanding but most of all your sweetness. I love you for all that you are and all that I know you will one day be. You will always be my baby, my angel, my most wonderful surprise.

Happy Birthday my sweet little boy.

Traveling with kids is never easy but over the past few years I’ve learned some tips that make for a better travel.

Top 10 Tips for Vacations with Young Children

1. Have some small (can be inexpensive) toys that they have never seen before. Don’t give them out right away. Save this for when your child is stir crazy and about to loose it.

2. Pack educational toys that work their brain. I highly recommend It’s a Match from Discovery Toys. Great travel toy for preschoolers.

3. Have activity toys to keep them busy. Some options include a magna doodle, coloring books, lacing, smaller puzzles. Be sure to bring a flat surface if necessary.

4. Bring small snacks which are healthy but that kids love such as mini boxes of raisins. My kids love the box itself and it takes them so much longer to finish them. Other favorites are graham sticks, fruit bars, fruit strips and goldfish crackers. Engage them goldfish in imaginative play.

5. Save the juice box for total meltdowns. Nothing makes my kids happier than a juice box because they don’t get them very often. When they go into meltdown mode I hand them a juice box and all is right with the world. I put the juice box in a small cup to keep my youngest from squeezing juice everywhere.

6.  Engage your children in stories, conversation and song. Have a fun CD in the car and sing along. Don’t let yourself get distracted and enjoy the view and quality time with your children.

7. Visit family friendly restaurants. Nothing stresses me out more than taking my kids to fancy restaurants where others might be disturbed by them and kid friendly food may not be available. It is also cheaper.

8. Come up with fun activities to do as an entire family.  If your children are older be sure to let them really have a voice in what to do so they enjoy themselves and aren’t tempted to turn to the usual distractions.

9. Unplug. If you simply must bring electronic devices make a rule that they can only be used during certain times of the day such as at night and stick to it. You are on vacation and missing out on quality time and great experiences if you are attached to a laptop, cell phone, portable dvd player or a DS.

10. Be sure that your children are getting enough sleep. If they have troubles sleeping at night, make time for good nap during the day. Notice when your kids are getting tired and go back to the hotel. Nothing is worse than vacationing with a child who has lost the normal daily routine and is tired to boot.

To learn about this campaign and to share your own travel tips, visit this discussion page on TwitterMoms.

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Visiting a public bathroom has never been my idea of fun. Now that I usually have two young kids in tow when I do visit the restroom, I have come to realize one thing.  Clueless men and women without children are designing many of the public restrooms I frequent.  This must be true as no mother in their right mind would equip bathrooms would certain features if they had young kids.

Top 10 Reasons A Public Bathroom is Not Kid Friendly

1. Stall doors with an actual door handle and an easy unlock feature. Turn the handle once and the door is instantly opened.

Try going to the bathroom with a 3 year old and an almost two year old. Invariably one of them (usually the youngest) will want to pull on the door handle which in turns opens the door. This is not good when I’m in midstream with my pants still down and a woman waiting on the other side. This just happened to me last week.

2. Stalls with very short partitions.

Do not give my kids any extra incentive to sneak a peek under the stall or even worse, try to escape while I’m indisposed and can’t chase after them.

3. Loud and overly sensitive automatic flushing systems

Don’t get me wrong. Anything that keeps my kids from touching that horrendous handle on the old style toilets is great. I like to flush those with my foot and it is comical to watch my oldest try to mimic this action. But there is no reason that the automatic flush needs to be freakishly loud or go off when they are still using the toilet and scare the bejesus out of them.

4. Sinks which are too high for a child to reach the water. (I don’t even mean the faucet handle, I mean the stream of water itself.)

5. Soap which is in an awkward position and hard to dispense.

6. No step stool for kids to stand on.

Because of number 4, 5 and 6 I am invariably lifting one of my kids up with one hand while trying to push the button for soap with the thumb of my free cupped hand and catch it just so I can give some to my kiddo. I then have to hold my kid over the sink while he slowly washes then takes forever to rinse his hands. Never fails that they he wants to touch the bubbles that have formed at the base of the sink and I’m stuck rinsing them yet again. While I’m busy with my oldest it is a prime opportunity for youngest to get into trouble.

7. Hand dryers are the only available option.

While I realize that this is meant to be earth friendly, try getting two squirmy kids to wait long enough under a dryer to actually dry their hands. (Not that I can blame them, these drive me nuts too.) Hand dryers are also scary for some kids. My three year old honestly asks to dry his hands on my pants. Hmm…I wonder where he got that idea from? Paper towels are quick and easy and I get to leave the bathroom with dry pants.

8. Hand dryers which are too high.

Even though my youngest enjoys having his hands under the dryer, unless I pick him up he is getting a full blown blast of hot air into his face. If it is automatic and only turns on when his hands are underneath it is constantly turning on and off as he isn’t consistently holding his hands in the proper spot.

9. Diaper changing station out in the open.

I love it when these are located within a stall. While you may have to wait until that stall becomes free, you get to change you child with a little privacy. Most other bathroom guests I would assume do not really enjoy looking at your child’s poop smeared butt. As a mom who is occasionally stuck doing this I hate the feeling of all eyes on me as I change my son’s diaper.

10. Swinging doors.

Seriously what are some people thinking? That is just a recipe for disaster with a young kid who is attracted like a magnet to a door that swings open. Either it knocks back into him or he gets whacked as someone is coming into the restroom.  While I appreciate not having to touch a door handle and the nasty germs it collects,  it definitely isn’t kid friendly.

Who passes and fails this test for me locally?

FAILS MISERABLY: McDonald’s

Ironically it is my local McDonald’s that was the inspiration for this post. While the bathrooms are very new and you would assume kid friendly, I am driven insane every time I’m forced to use them. My McDonald’s violates more than half of the complaints listed above.

PASSES AS THE MOST KID FRIENDLY BATHROOM I’VE ENCOUNTERED: Barnes & Noble.

They have a small step stool available along with paper towels easily in reach next to the sink. There is even a diaper changing station and diaper genie located in their handicap accessible stall. It is the only bathroom I’ve been in that included a step stool and now I find every bathroom that doesn’t have it lacking. Since we attend a weekly story time and use the bathroom with each visit, I certainly appreciate these small conveniences.

Now it is your chance to spill. Anything in particular drive you nuts when you visit a public restroom with kids?

Old homes have a ton of character. Our home was build in the early 1930’s and has character up the wazoo. From the breakfast nook and alcove to the arched doorways and built in shelving, our house definitely has charm. It also has some very strange features. A great example is the random white porcelain sink residing in our guest bedroom.  While guests can wash their hands in the comfort of their bedroom upstairs, there is no toilet, no shower or bath, no bathroom to speak of at all on the second floor. No, there is just a random sink, completely and totally out of place on the far wall.

Another oddity is the, shall I dare say, creative light fixture above our stove. Are you wondering if your eyes are deceiving you? Isn’t that a bathroom fixture? I would say so but apparently the previous occupants thought it would work beautifully above the stove in the kitchen. The kitchen that is completely lacking cupboard space and no has ventilation whatsoever. And of course it is totally dwarfed on a large wall behind the stove.

A real beauty isn’t it? The only good thing about this thing is the light actually works. So while I do get some light above my stove while cooking, I do have to put up with the strange looks I get when guests visit for the first time.

My husband and I decided once we purchased the home this was one of the first things we wanted to fix. Kitchen hoods really aren’t all that expensive, especially if are good at shopping deals and comparing shopping prices like I am. The obstacle has been how to actually accomplish the whole ventilation aspect.  Why can’t we just slap one up there and call it good? At this point to heck with it actually ventilating anything. I just want something with a light that looks like it belongs in a kitchen and the aesthetics that a beautiful kitchen hood provides. Geez.

Since I’ve been in this house almost seven years I am thinking it will be a while before a kitchen hood is installed. Until then, I’m just a mama with kitchen hood dreams. Sigh…

This is a sponsored post. The opinions and stories shared are 100% my own.

I had originally submitted this to the Food for 5 blog, created by Cat from 3 Kids and Us last fall.  I thought with it being football playoff season it was fitting to publish it specifically for my readers.

My mom deserves all the credit for this recipe that has been a family favorite since I was little. Enjoy!

Marinated Baked Chicken Wings

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• uncooked chicken wings (approximately 16 regular)

Mix all ingredients together & marinate overnight. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes turning once halfway through cooking time.

Tips:

• You can use the juice from a can of pineapple instead of actual pineapple juice.
• I marinate them in a gallon sized freezer bag and periodically move the wings around.
• You can use frozen chicken wings if desired or double the recipe but you may have to adjust the cooking time.
• I recommend basting them in the juices when you turn them over.

Nothing says winter cooking like a steaming bowl of soup. With the current frigid temperatures here in Minnesota nothing works better to warm you up while filling your tummy than this wonderful Italian Soup. It combines two of my favorite things, tomato soup and sausage and is fairly quick and very easy to make.  This recipe was originally discovered by my mom from a Pillsbury cookbook many years ago but I was unable to locate it on the Pillsbury website. It has been a favorite in my family and I’m certain it will be a favorite in yours as well!

Italian Soup

1 lb. Italian Sausage (hot or mild)

1/2 c. chopped green pepper

1/2 c. chopped onion

28 oz. diced tomatoes

(2) 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

2 c. water

1 T. instant chicken bouillon/cubes

1/2 t. garlic powder

3/4 c. macaroni or small pasta shells

shredded cheese for topping (we like cheddar)

Directions: Brown sausage, green pepper and onion. Drain. Stir in all other ingredients except macaroni. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in macaroni. Cover and simmer an additional 12 minutes or until pasta is tender.

Serves 4-6.

Tastes great served with cornbread, garlic bread or breadsticks! Works great for leftovers and can easily be made into a double batch.  Hope you love it as much as we do!

1. Visit our local festival of lights. It is truly an amazing display and I’m hoping this year will be a little warmer so the kids can handle it! The past couple of years have been brutally cold during December.

2. Decorate our tree together. We like to do this the week after Thanksgiving. I’m excited that both our boys can participate this year!

3. Bake and decorate cookies together. Yummy. This is such a fun activity with great rewards at the end! (We get to eat the cookies of course!)

4. Pick out Christmas presents with each child for Daddy and for their brother. This is a special, quality time and I look forward to seeing what they pick out!

5. See Santa. Amazingly my kids are not afraid so we enjoy this!

What do you like to do with your kids? Visit Twittermoms and enter a win the contest too!

My husband and I had been looking for a couch for about a year and weren’t finding what we were looking for in terms of style, comfort and affordability. Finally a couple of months ago I discovered a very affordable and comfortable microfiber couch from HOM Furniture. My husband hadn’t had a chance to see the couch so when the subject came up again this past Saturday, we decided to go take a look with the kids.

As we were walking in the store, signs were plastered all over with Ice Age 3 characters that read “FREE ICE AGE 3 GIFT PACK with ANY $499 purchase!”

And while we weren’t necessarily ready to commit, I pushed the issue. If we are going to buy this $600 couch anyway, why not buy it when we can get the Ice Age 3 gift package with a $92 value?? Since it is on sale as well it seemed like the perfect time to buy.

So we took the plunge and purchased the couch. At the end of the transaction I asked about the Ice Age 3 promotion items and was told this purchase was not eligible because it was listed as a “Colossal Buy”. Which of course means nothing to me. I would have assumed perhaps clearance items or gift cards weren’t included. But given that every sign in the store said ANY purchase, I assume that means ANY purchase. Any does mean any right? Any does not mean only some $499 purchases. It does not imply your $499 may be eligible. It implies that if you make a $499 purchase, no matter what, you get the Ice Age 3 promotion items.

But I must be mistaken. Maybe I am not clear on the definition of any since that is exactly how it was advertised in their store signage.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of any:  unmeasured or unlimited in amount, number, or extent

Hmm…that sounds like I should have walked out of Hom Furniture with an Ice Age 3 gift, does it not?

Now, to their credit, I did find in their ad in the teeniest, tiniest print that Colossal Buys were not included in the promotion. But that exclusion isn’t what is really irking me here. What really started to piss me off as I left Hom Furniture is that all the signage says ANY and there is no verbage indicating exclusions. While there was an asterisk with “see store for details” or “see store associate for details” they left out anything that would tell a consumer that not every (which is implied by the word any) $499 purchase or more was eligible.

To not be deceptive to the consumer, the word any should not be used. They should have simply stated that with a $499 purchase you can get a Ice Age 3 promotion package and included the following, “*Some exclusions apply. See store associate for details.” That’s it. That is all that I would expect from a company that is upfront and honest in their advertising. It indicates that if I am to make a purchase perhaps influenced by this free gift, I should probably double check to be certain I qualify. But leaving out the this disclaimer and using the word “any” in their verbage is clearly deceptive marketing practices. One that made me angrier and angrier after I left the store. At this point it isn’t about the free gift I thought I was getting and now am not. It is the principal of false advertising.

My couch is currently on order and I am seriously contemplating not continuing with the purchase. Which is actually sad since it took so long to find what we wanted. At the same time, I loathe companies using shady marketing tactics and cringe even thinking about giving my business to these types of companies.

I can’t be alone in being sick and tired of being treated in this manner. Lure me in with a special or deal and then take it away. HOM Furniture, you should be ashamed of these practices!

Update: HOM Furniture did reach out to me on 11/16 offering their regrets about my experience and offering me the Ice Age 3 Gift Pack.

Anyone who has been reading my blog knows I talk about all the cute and silly things my 3 year old Lucian says. But what I can’t convey is how blasted adorable he looks and sounds  when he says those things. So I just couldn’t resist capturing my son’s excitement to a particular episode of the show Kipper and sharing it with you.

Hope you smile and get a chuckle of this like I do. Enjoy!

For my son Lucian’s third birthday we had planned on doing something special. For his first two birthdays we just had a small  party with family only at our house. This year I was fortunate to win a birthday party at our local aquarium during a local winter carnival. That took all the guesswork out of what to do with the party.

Having a party at another venue besides your own house definitely has its advantages. Some of them include:

• Built in entertainment!  This is especially good for the smaller children who aren’t ready to play games. Our aquarium had a scavenger hunt but we passed on doing it given the ages of most of the guests. It really wasn’t necessary anyway. There was no chance at boredom.

• You don’t have to clean your house! Need I say more?
• Plenty of space! No worrying about seating for everyone or how you’ll pack everyone in.

• Most will do the decorating for you. That was fabulous not to have to worry about decorating the room.
• No issues with parking. At our house there is no off-street parking and we have a long but skinny driveway.  This always makes logistics tough.
• They usually provide party gifts for guests and for the birthday child. Lucian got a shirt and all the other children got boats.

• Clean up is a lot simpler. You don’t have to worry about your house getting destroyed, with toys all over!

• Guests were free to further explore the aquarium after the event was over.
• The kids could actually learn something at the party if you chose a zoo, aquarium, children’s museum, etc. Other places might have  other benefits, like exercise!

Of course there are a few cons that go along with having a birthday party someplace other than a private residence. Some observations of mine:

• Expense of the party itself. While many aspects are easier and it can be more convenient, there is the added cost involved.
• Limited choices with food. Some places may require you have them cater. Ours had a kitchen area but with only a sink and refrigerator. Unless we wanted to do all cold foods or use a crock pot we had to have something delivered. Pizza seemed the logical choice but it isn’t Lucian’s favorite and was a bit expensive. Not such a big deal for us since the party  was paid for but it could be a deal breaker for some.

• Potential costs for guests. Our aquarium party included 2 adults and 10 children paid. All other adults had to pay to get into the aquarium. It was a discounted rate but still $8. This can be awkward to invite adults to your party and then ask them to pay so either you fork over the money yourself, limit it to children only or ask adults cover this if they wish to attend.
• You still have to bring a lot of stuff to the party. Instead of having everything conveniently at your house, now you must remember everything you might need and haul it there.
• Guests can get lost/distracted/loose track of time and finding everyone when you are ready to get the festivities going can be difficult. I highly recommend stating a time for everyone to be back ahead of time so they are free to explore as other guests arrive.
• Time limitations. We had the room for a half hour before the party and the party could only last for two hours. Not a lot of time for exploring, playing games, eating, opening presents, having cake, etc. We felt pretty rushed towards the end and went a little over on time for cleanup but this didn’t seem to be an issue.

Overall, we were very pleased with the experience. Since Lucian’s birthday is in the summertime, next year I’d like to utilize our large yard instead. But I’m certainly going to keep this is mind for the future. It was still less stressful than having a party at our house and I think all our guests enjoyed themselves. It was nice to have something for the adults to do and I really appreciated the extra space for everyone!

Have you ever had a party outside your home? How was the experience?  Feel free to share!

In part one and two of this series I shared some of Lucian’s rather funny and sometimes not so funny eating habits and some general tips to help create good eating habits. For the final installment I will share some eating tips we’ve learned along with the way.

How do we get our kids to eat vegetables?
We don’t really. I wish I could say that my boys eat veggies all the time and love ‘em but the truth is we have to work every day to try and get them into their diet. Here is what works for us:

• V8 and Juicy Juice Harvest Surprise. We don’t give our kids more than one serving of juice a day (and sometimes not even that) but we try to make those count by giving them Juicy Juice Harvest Surprise which also has a serving of vegetables. Lucian is also a huge fan of tomato soup so my hubby let him try V8 and he LOVES it. He asks for it by name, B8. He usually has a serving every other day.
• We hide vegetables by sneaking them into dishes where they aren’t as noticeable.
• Lead by example. We try to eat vegetables with our meals and encourage them but don’t force it. (This only sometimes works.) We try to keep dinner time fun.
• When Lucian asks for more of anything at dinner, bread for example, we will ask him to eat another bite of veggies first. We don’t bribe with treats but it works for just something else we are serving at dinner. I love that he is finally at the age where we can negotiate.
• Serve baby food. Sounds crazy but even past the age of two we gave veggies in baby food form to Lucian. He likes them so much more and some vegetables that I rarely serve, like squash, gets into his diet. It might seem strange but why not? It is like applesauce to him and get another serving of vegetables! A great one is Gerber Organic Apples and Sweet Potatoes.

How do we get Lucian to try new foods?
Lucian has become a huge fan of Dr. Seuss and can often be heard quoting lines from Green Eggs and Ham. So a couple of weeks ago we made major progress by using this story. By encourage him to try foods we know he should like but he wouldn’t even try, I tried using the book. “You don’t like them so you say. Try them and you may. Try them and you may I say.” Lucian took to that right away and tried them and replied, “I do, I like them. I like them Sam-I-am!” It was awesome. He’s been gobbling up mashed potatoes ever since and is more open to trying new foods,especially when we quote the lines. Thank you Dr, Seuss!

What do you serve as a snack?
My boys love fruit. I haven’t yet found a fruit that they don’t really like which really works to my advantage. I serve a lot of cut up grapes, apples, mandarin oranges, canned fruit, raisins applesauce, etc. We love the organic fruit strips by Archer Farms (a Target brand). They come in a package of 10 for around $3 and there are lots of great flavors. I actually have to limit their fruit intake because their poor butts can’t take a lot.We also serve a lot of yogurt, cheese, granola bars, crackers, etc. We really do limit sugar intake.

We give daily vitamins as well to help make up for any deficiencies. We know we aren’t perfect and that our boys could eat even healthier but I do think they are healthier than the average kid and we try our best to have a balance of good nutritious food and a splurge now and then.

What tips have you discovered work for your child? Please feel free to share!

Last week I posted about Lucian’s sometimes strange eating habits. I read up on toddler eating habits and found a great article at Kids Health with these wonderful tips. To read in more detail click here.

Meal time with a two year old can be quite trying and even entertaining. Lucian has had many quirks with eating that developed around the time he turned two. His younger brother is better but I’m sure that his days of eating whatever I serve him will be over as soon as he decides to exert his own will over what goes into his tummy. Perhaps he will go through any number of these stages that Lucian has gone or is currently going through.

Mommy’s Essential Guide to Meal Time by Lucian (age 2):

1. I will only eat one food. This only food is not what you want me to eat and probably not what you planned on serving. I will decide what this food is at the drop of a hat. You need to be a mind reader on what that food I want to eat is. If you guess wrong I will be very upset and demand that this favorite food be served. If you do not bend to my will I will protest very loudly to get my point across which may include tears. If you do happen to guess right on this one food I may decide to change my mind at any time.
2. I am not hungry. I decide when I want to eat. I do not want to eat at meal times. Instead I would like to eat more at snack time and skip meals altogether. I hope this does not cause any problems with your schedule because I live within my own schedule. This schedule is subject to change without notice.
3. I have decided that sweets are the best foods ever. Why can we not eat candy for dinner? I like candy. Can’t I have M&Ms? I got those once, remember? I had four M&Ms a month ago and I haven’t forgotten. I would like some more. I really like the green ones. Just because I don’t see candy in front of me I know we must have some in the house somewhere. If I can’t have candy, how about some cake, Mommy?
4. You made me what you thought was something I liked. Today I have decided that I don’t like it. I may have liked it last week or even yesterday but today, not so much. I won’t eat it despite your attempt to try and make something you think I already like. Nice try, Mommy but I don’t like that today. Try again tomorrow.
5. Mommy, I want you to place that certain food you are trying to serve, right there! (pointing) This is a very specific spot mommy and it won’t be as good on the other side of my plate. I have decided that “right there” is the best place for that to be. Please don’t even consider putting it “over there” because that is NOT where it goes. Thank you, Mommy.
6. Mommy, I have decided that my hand works better than my plate. I will simply gesture for you to put said food into my hand so I can skip the plate altogether. Mommy, can you please put that peanut butter in my hand? What? No, because it is greasy? I don’t mind Mommy. I’ll lick it off. Then I will use the back of my shirt to wipe my hands. It goes right there. (gesturing with cupped hand)
7. I really like to eat certain foods in different ways than they were intended. Can I have a scoop of butter? (It goes on my plate right there.) I will scoop up my ketchup and eat it like it is any other food on my plate. I love ketchup. It is like tomato soup. I would also like a whole bowl of parmesan cheese, please. I can’t get enough. A little sprinkle on my pasta doesn’t do it for me, Mommy. I need more. I need BIG parmesan. Mmmm…parmesan.
8. I need to stuff everything into my mouth at once. I will not listen to reason as to why it is important to take bites. I like to stuff it and make a really big wad in my mouth. The harder it is for me to chew, the better. I don’t mind if this makes me start to gag and I have to spit it out or if it takes me 5 minutes to finally swallow. I like having a big gob of bun in my mouth, Mommy. That is just how I like to eat. You can try to cut it up but I don’t mind filling my mouth with multiple pieces at once.

Does this sound like your child? I can’t be completely alone. Please share your own child’s guide to meal time. I’d love to hear your funny food stories.

Next week I will post some tips to make meal time a little smoother and to encourage healthy eating.