My oldest had a birthday. Part of his gift was going to a baseball game, which has become his birthday tradition. He loves going, even though he still hasn’t learned all the lingo or who even all the players are. Something about going to a game is exciting. I can relate.

I thought it was sweet because he wanted to take his brother G.

Another thing was he finally {after asking everyday for months} received a Lego Pirates of the Carribean Black Pearl Ship.

He put it together in less than 1.5 hours flat. It was ah-mazing to witness.

Oh and…

He is now 9.

Nine

9

Nine

Yeah no matter how I write it he is getting older.  And while Mike & I are loving seeing him grow into a handsome, bright, loving young man.

DID I mention he IS already 9?! That means we are half-way to 18!

Hold me.

This week Baby Girl attempted to let go of the furniture she has been holding on to while cruising around and take a step. She tried to walk. All on her own. However, as is often the case with trying to walk, she has not yet succeeded.

No, instead she bumped her cheek. When it happened I picked her up, hugged her, wiped her tears and comforted her. Once she was ready I then helped her try again.

As I did this all the kids were worried. They rushed over and wanted to make sure she never fall again. They asked “Can’t we make it so she doesn’t fall ever again?” They wanted to protect her, to care for her, and part of that is desire is wanting to make her world one with as little discomfort as possible.

While, I would love as a parent to have the ability to know she or they would never fall I could not tell them that it wouldn’t happen ever again. Because the reality is we all have falls in life. We get bumps both real and metaphorical. But we have to get back up, accept help up when we need it, then try again and be ready to work toward our goals.

Baby Girl will walk all on her own. She will grow big & strong like her brothers & sister, she will also face other challenges in life like they will. There will be bumps, big and small, in the journey of life. And when they happen we will all be there for each other, comforting, guiding, helping back up & cheering each other on until steps we take become ones we have worn through.

We have been working on our garden. A new garden bed has been built and this weekend we spent some time getting our veggies planted. The kids helped dig in the dirt, plant the starter plants and the seeds. They will also help weed and harvest once the food grows, which I am sure will consist of them pulling a weed and picking a cucumber but hey it is a start. As for myself, I cannot wait for fresh produce!

Do you garden?

The kids have been very interested in learning more about nature and the animal kingdom. One of the shows we watched recently that perked their interest had a section in it about bears.  Bear cubs to be more precise where the target of the episode.  How bear cubs survive, the dangers they face and how the momma bear is a fierce protector of her cubs.

While watching Mamacita looks at Mr. G and says “Aww…look at the babies they are so cute.”

He looked back at her.  His face became serious and with a somber tone he said:

“Yes, they are cute. They are adorable killing machines.”

She looked surprised by his response and asked him: “Are you sure?”

“I am sure. They would eat you if you made them angry. Like I said: adorable killing machines.”

To which we all tried not to laugh.

Because really he wasn’t joking.

He meant it. Every word.  Adorable killing machines.

I hear my oldest coming around the corner.

“Oww, Oww!!”

I look up & see him hobbling. He stops and rubs his foot.

“What happened? Are you Ok?”

I assume his answer will be something all the lines of: “I was just running after my brother to take something from him & right before I tackled him I got hurt. It is all G’s fault for not letting me tackle him!” because really many injuries seem to be self-inflicted but it is easier to blame our brothers, sisters, or the way the planets are aligned. And follow-up answer on whether he is OK would be along the lines of: “No, I’m not Ok. I AM DYING!!!”

Instead he looks at me, dead in the eyes, with a level of seriousness far to advanced for a boy his age and says

“I have a stubborn toe. You know how these stubborn toes feel, hurts like the dickens!”

First, I don’t even know how to respond to him using the phrase “hurts like the dickens” where did he get that from?

Second, “stubborn toe” Huston I think we have a communication problem.

“Um, stubborn toe? I’m not sure what that means.”

“You know, I was walking and bumped it. Now I got a stubborn toe!”

Ahh…he stubbed his toe.

“You mean you stubbed your toe.”

“Yah, that’s what I said. I got a stubborn toe.”

Then he stops. Eyes getting bigger, hand raises to tap his forehead and says:

“Oh man! I mean stubbed. I stubbed my toe. Except my toe is refusing to not hurt. So that is pretty stubborn. It really is a stubborn toe!”

Followed by his howls of laughter and yes a knee slap. He was so amused he slapped his own.

And the puns begin.

Anyone else love pizza?  Anyone?  Come on you know you are out there.  Well we love it here and have it more often than I will publicly admit.  But it suffices to say we eat a lot of pizza.  In an effort to change it up we sometimes have pizza for breakfast.  We also have been known to have breakfast for dinner.  So why not have breakfast pizza for any time of the day?

What You Need:

Pizza Dough {if you do not make it you can buy it}

Shredded Cheese {1 cup}

Scrambled Eggs {6–8 eggs}

Toppings of your choice examples {really the possibilities are endless}: Ham, Bacon, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Peppers, Cheese etc…

Amounts may vary depending on how you top your pizza.

Bake at 425 degrees until cheese is melted {about 10 minutes}.

How You Put It Together:

Really I just have a few tips: bake your pizza crust for about 5 minutes before you add the toppings the eggs can make the dough soggy, scramble the eggs with a bit of milk to make them fluffy, you want to use already cooked meats and if you want veggies to be soft you will want to do so prior to baking the pizza because it will not bake long enough to soften your veggies {minus maybe mushrooms which soften relatively quickly}.
Serve with a fresh fruit salad…mmm..fruit salad…

I received an interesting question from a reader, Lisa, she asked:

You feature a lot of food your family eats on your blog some I want to try but I don’t think my kids would like it. How do you get kids to eat these things? How do get them to love their food? How do get them to eat healthy?

I am am sure I do not know all the answers and I must confess we don’t eat perfectly healthy all the time. I have had my struggles like every other parent to encourage a love of food and a love of good food. But I can offer what has worked for us in real life, the hands on experience as a large family with a lot of different personalities and tastes.

So here it goes…

My 8 Tips For Encouraging Kids To Love Food!!

1. Try, try and try again!

It has not always been easy to get our kids to love food. Or to even try different foods. Especially for children who might have sensory issues. It has instead taken a lot of patience. A lot. Starting slowly, asking for them to try a bite. If they don’t like it at least they tried it. And then try again another day. Some estimates state that you may have to offer food over 30 times before kids will willingly eat it. This means come to the table with a lot of patience, respect of their efforts to try and willingness on our parts as parents to try, try and try again!

2. Acknowledge different food personalities.

However, in your quest to try, try and try again. Remember we also have different food personalities. One is more adventurous than the others, another likes {no loves} routine and comfort, and another child is way too busy exploring the world to focus on eating. Do not berate a child to get him or her to eat something that might be different or outside their comfort zone. Keep it simple in how you offer it, make sure they try it and encourage them when they do!

3. Have them help pick out meal ideas.

We will often include the kids in making meal plans. We ask them what their favorite dishes are and show them magazines, shows, blogs, websites, and cookbooks that offer different food options than they are use to. This gives them the chance to see a variety of food choices and to perk their interest. You might be surprised what they are interested in. I know my kids surprise me sometimes.

4. Put them to work!

No, seriously. I mean it. Put them to work. Have them help along side you in the kitchen. Have them read recipes with you, stir in flour, roll out dough, peel apples and so on. If you have the time, plant a garden. I have found when my kids are active in the process of food prep they can see their food come alive and it is great for us to share that time together. We get to share stories, laughs and create memories during those times. Yes, it can be a little hard for those of us who love to control our kitchens BUT the pay off is having kids who will try new dishes and foods more willingly because they made it!

5. Destination Food

Sometimes new foods or foods that are not normally part of your family’s regular meal rotation, like Mujadara, can be added in with a connection to making the meals “destination meals.” What I mean by this is, use the time to explore the country or culture the dish or unique food comes from. You can learn about the customs, read books, watch a documentary on it, celebrate a particular feast day that is popular in another part of the world and even set the table to match the theme. Also, take advantage of any cultural festivals in your area, this is a great time to learn and try new things! We live in a global world why not explore all of it!

6. Model Behavior

If you never eat your vegetables and grab only what is always the most convenient of items then how do you expect your kids to want to do anything different? They are learning by what not only what you tell them but also by what you do. Our example teaches our kids so much & it is something I have learned first hand. If I want my kid to try new things then I have to step out of MY comfort zone too. So eat those fruits, veggies and try a new dish. Who knows, you might also be surprised by how much you like it! I know I have.

7. 80/20

I know this might be controversial. It might rock the health boat. But remember at the beginning of this when I said we don’t eat healthy all the time. We don’t really ban foods per se. Instead we strive for the 80/20 rule in our home and we strive to teach about what is good food and where it comes from. We eat healthy 80% of the time and the other 20% of the time if someone wants a cookie or we eat something that is less than desirable we do not stress about it. We find that the 80/20 rule allows us to have a good balance while we educate our kids and ourselves about food. You might that your balance is different for a variety of reasons, that’s OK. Being aware about the food you eat and what it does for your body is really what is the key here.

8. Turn off outside distractions

Turn the T.V. off, put the phone down, put away the toys and focus on being together. We try to find fun ways to get them to focus on their plates. And most of all family time at meals is sacred space for us to focus on sharing our day together. We try to right now to eat one meal together daily. It does not always happen, but we make it happen as many times during our week as we can. We know that as the kids get older more activities will enter our lives, but we want to make family meals a chance to reconnect and share our lives. It also helps the child who is easily distracted to stay focused at regular meal times. If you have a busier schedule, maybe select one meal that is YOUR meal. Set that as your sacred family space.

So, those are my 8 tips. The 8 that have learned “on the ground” of motherhood. I hope they help spark some new ways of approaching food for you and your family!

And how about you, what are your tips? Do you involve the kids in a garden, in making dinner, or have a fun way to encourage them to try something new? Please share!

Baby Girl has learned at a young age to share.  Apparently, she even thinks her Daddy would love to suck on her fist as much as she does, which of course was totally true {OK, maybe not totally}.

I don’t think I have ever shared this photograph of all my kids.  Getting all 5 in a photo as I have found would be from this moment on a mighty challenge. Forget having them all look in the same direction.

The photograph was taken at the hospital after Baby Girl was born. The older kids were in awe of her.  They had to check her out head to toe.

I cannot believe it has been almost 9 months!

{here another favorite of her after her birth, it is of Baby Girl & her proud Daddy}

She has been under the weather.  Not feeling herself.  We have been having nurse-ins and snuggle fests. She nurses down, she snuggles in.

Close

Soft

Sweet

Heaven

The door opens

I close my eyes. I know what is next. I know they think they are sneaking up on Momma.

It is our morning ritual.

I hear the pitter-patter of little feet {which if I am honest sounded more like the running of the bulls} up the stairs and into the room.  Giggles. I wait for them to pile in.

I hear something different…

“Shhhh…I will take it”

Take what? I think

I wait a minute.

I open one eye.  Only to see my other children smiling down at me with Chester cat grins.  iPhone in hand {darn I thought I put that up}. Looking at their handiwork.

Everyone piles onto the bed. Under the covers.

Close

Soft

Sweet

I look around at my handiwork

Heaven on Earth

I snuggle in