tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2808830305872285145.post8570547263438321091..comments2023-11-29T00:50:04.094-08:00Comments on Mine to Command: Do as I say; not as I do... jAllenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06282963869813954232noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2808830305872285145.post-27825161821136224692016-04-14T14:41:42.349-07:002016-04-14T14:41:42.349-07:00We did BLW, but coupled it with purees. I liked t...We did BLW, but coupled it with purees. I liked the approach of letting B have things to gnaw on (BLW), but also exposing her to more flavors and foods via purees. <br /><br />We don't really watch much TV and I worry a lot more about phone usage. I try to not use my phone between when I come home from work and when I put B down. I'm not perfect about it, but I try... I just don't want to her think that it is normal to have a phone attached to you at all times. I'm SURE I'm fighting a losing battle...<br /><br />Whatever you do on both fronts, Kate will be great!<br /><br />Also, we did the Whole30 a few months ago and I loved it and felt SO good. It was a doosie for my milk supply, though.A Few Good Eggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13654170259337486983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2808830305872285145.post-12352657221413415022016-04-12T12:47:02.282-07:002016-04-12T12:47:02.282-07:00Ughhhh. So there with you. We did BLW with tons of...Ughhhh. So there with you. We did BLW with tons of success. He's a fantastic eater right now, AND my husband and I are eating a little better, so it's been a win/win. But at his daycare, when they turn one, they move from the food brought from home to a menu prepared at the school for breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack. Goodbye organic fruits and fresh veggies and hello prepared and processed EVERYTHING. It so breaks my heart.<br /><br />As for the TV thing, I was REALLY trying to hold out until two, but oh my gosh, the crying. When he had to do breathing treatments, kid shows on my phone were the ONLY thing that would help him calm down and sit still enough without me having to pin him down or restrain him. And brushing teeth. OH. MY. GOSH. I would bribe him with ANYTHING to get him to hold still long enough for me to brush all of his teeth. It's not like he's watching hours of TV, it might amount to 10-15 minutes a week, but I still feel guilty. Especially since he is absolutely obsessed with my phone (and has been for months). It shows me that he constantly sees Sam and I on our phones. So guilty.Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11657607481465480125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2808830305872285145.post-63416483386368552282016-04-12T10:23:45.419-07:002016-04-12T10:23:45.419-07:00If Facetiming was an issue then frankly Izzy would...If Facetiming was an issue then frankly Izzy wouldn't have known what her father looked like because of all of his work travel for 9 months! It's a great way to stay in touch with grandparents and the traveling spouse.<br /><br />As a working mom, I think that it is easier to keep the tv off until she goes to bed. She did start watching some Sesame Street before the age of two but it was basically two 30-min episodes a week. My ped wasn't worried about that amount of tv. Now she watches maybe two hours of tv/movies a week? Nothing during the work week...generally it is right after she gets up or right before she goes to bed on the weekends.<br /><br />My husband and I do our best to not be on our phones around her- unless we are looking up directions, responding to a quick text message, etc. We generally save our Facebooking until her nap or after she goes to bed.<br /><br />Meal prep is hard. I don't really like to cook so my husband does most of the cooking. We will generally go out to eat as a family once during the work week and once on the weekend (usually breakfast or lunch). My husband will make a big meal on Sunday night and we will eat it for dinner the next few nights. We generally give it to Izzy unless it is something too spicy. From around a year or so to when she turned 2 we did give her a separate dinner for the most part. I found that frozen veggies heated up in the microwave and always including a cut up fruit was key. Then we would make a little pasta, or rice and beans, scrambled eggs, etc. for the main dish. We did (and still do) buy meatballs in a bag which would be processed food, but they are very simple to stick in the microwave and I try to get the ones that don't have too many ingredients in them (or buy them fresh at the grocery store). I am really happy with Izzy's eating habits as she will scarf down peas, corn, broccoli, edamame, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, radishes, yellow and green beans, cherry tomatoes, etc. like it is her job. Having a garden I think helped last year and I can't wait for the garden this summer (although she may eat most of the veggies leaving little for me and CP). <br /><br />Don't freak out about too much about all of these things. Everything in moderation. Non Sequitur Chicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07268138421234170972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2808830305872285145.post-69253563844673832852016-04-12T07:35:48.010-07:002016-04-12T07:35:48.010-07:00I don't think face timing counts and I persona...I don't think face timing counts and I personally think tv is okay as long as it's on the educational side. I've found that kids that aren't allowed to watch tv will just sit and soak it up when it is on and kids that are tend to play as they glance up to watch once in awhile. pdot95https://www.blogger.com/profile/16619677395023718800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2808830305872285145.post-21374676812945051252016-04-11T18:41:45.369-07:002016-04-11T18:41:45.369-07:00Oh, such a timely post! All of these things are al...Oh, such a timely post! All of these things are also going on with me right now.<br /><br />To the food items...<br /><br />I believe I did mention to you that we did a combo of purees and BLW. I was so proud of myself. I skipped the rice cereal ("It's nothing but refined sugar!"). I fed her nothing but organic vegetables. It was all so good, so pure. And then she went to daycare (aka, my sister's house) where suddenly she was scarfing chocolate chip waffles and fistfuls of M&Ms. And all my efforts were wasted. Because let's face it - any normal person confronted with chocolate and organic pureed beets is gonna go for the chocolate. Forget purity.<br /><br />Here's the thing... back in the day I prided myself on her palate. She ate everything and anything. Pad thai? Yes please! Brussels sprouts? But of course! But now... now. Toddlerhood somehow makes them interested in nothing but chicken nuggets and mac 'n cheese. These aren't even things I serve (like, ever) but somehow she figured out they exist. I lovingly serve her my paleo meals and she refuses them. All of them. Basically this is a long-winded way of saying that you're screwed no matter what you do, so don't be too hard on yourself. Even if you get her to adhere to a healthy, well-rounded diet now, once she gets to 2 it's all out the window.<br /><br />Or maybe she'll stick to it, in which case I'll need your advice so maybe I can use it on Liam.<br /><br />To the TV thing - <br /><br />I just wrote a post about screen time today, weird! About TV specifically though, I did not have television growing up. I did miss out on a lot of pop culture references but eh, I was ok. I did get to see it while I was over friends houses and I sort of knew what people were talking about. With the rise of Hulu and Roku and all that I think cable is an antiquated concept anyway. We don't have it, and every day I hear about another person cancelling.<br /><br />I hear you on the iPhones, I'm pretty bad with it. And no, I don't think FaceTiming counts. Your pediatrician sounds hardcore.Deedahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02386061097583007160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2808830305872285145.post-43887435497067523002016-04-11T17:38:15.011-07:002016-04-11T17:38:15.011-07:00I just went back to work this week and this strugg...I just went back to work this week and this struggle is real for me now too. When I was still on leave it was relatively easy to start meal prep when Q was napping, or I could at least just let him play in the kitchen drawers while I cooked. Now we have to commute home, one of us (me) does meal prep while the other walks the dog, and I've discovered this week that Q comes home from daycare HANGRY and does not want to wait for dinner. Finger foods and snacks did not cut it, either. Somehow he knows that's not his real dinner. I'm going to have to go through my slow cooker cookbooks and start doing meal prep the night before, or do a ton of it on the weekend which sucks as it'll cut into family time. But I feel like it might be the only way we can manage for now! Don't even ask me where I'm going to fit working out into all of this.Aramishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12275274008426941898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2808830305872285145.post-58055630335641397592016-04-11T08:13:32.031-07:002016-04-11T08:13:32.031-07:00Oh man, meal planning is so hard! I keep meaning t...Oh man, meal planning is so hard! I keep meaning to research more slow cooker recipes, as I feel like throwing a bunch of healthy ingredients in the pot and turning it on won't take too much time and effort and if it results in a tasty meal, that would be great! <br /><br />We try to limit our phone use as much as possible, but obviously stay within reason. TV too, I let her watch a bit of sesame street here and there but she loses interest quite quickly. Balance is the ultimate goal I guess...Gypsy Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13026496787029080243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2808830305872285145.post-81069685056692133432016-04-11T06:45:00.562-07:002016-04-11T06:45:00.562-07:00Sorry for the crazy long comment--it's just th...Sorry for the crazy long comment--it's just that, as usual, your post basically reflects what I'm already thinking about. :)Maddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11241624766671173453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2808830305872285145.post-87113015992737851682016-04-11T06:44:24.213-07:002016-04-11T06:44:24.213-07:00Ugh--we have the same thoughts and behaviors. Rig...Ugh--we have the same thoughts and behaviors. Right now, it's so easy, mostly purees and bites of our food for A that are appropriate. We've been trying to eat out less, but it mostly means grazing, no serious sit down meals. <br /><br />The thought of trying to make a balanced meal that we all like--protein, carb, vegetable--seems so overwhelming at the end of the day, particularly since we're out of the habit. I have discovered something that seems to work--Indian food (or course). Simmered curries with vegetables or proteins that can be mashed and the heat can be amped up or down depending on the eater. And it's a self-contained meal! At some point we're going to have to get disciplined and sit down for family meals, but I feel like we still have time. Maybe I'll look to our daycare menus for inspiration.<br /><br />I think one thing that you do so well is incorporating healthy lifestyle habits into your life. We are determined to get out of the house more--spend more time as a family taking walks in the morning, play in the backyard, lead a more active lifestyle. And hopefully food won't be the focus. There was an interesting article in the Washington Post about how healthy kids eat until 12 months of age and then the junk food habit starts. It's crazy that french fries are a toddlers major source of vegetables: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/04/06/americans-junk-food-habits-start-in-the-toddler-years-potato-chips-fries-among-top-vegetables/<br /><br />The TV is something else we struggle with. We have our TV on all the time. Usually it's turned to CNN and honestly, Ayan stopped paying attention to it. However, the few times cartoons have been on, he's mesmerized. So no cartoons for Ayan; we have some close family friends whose kids watch endless amounts of TV and they use TV as a reward/punishment. Maybe we're being naive, but I hope we never get to that point. <br /><br />Similar to you, I grew up on Sesame Street, 3-2-1 Contact, Nature shows, the News Hour--basically PBS and I love it now it retrospect. I am interested in politics, I'm interested in nature, and I like learning. And like you, I don't want my kid to be the one who has no idea about pop culture, it's an important connector. <br /><br />One thing I am trying to stay away from is branded toys/clothes/etc. So no disney toys, no teenage turtle pjs, none of that. We'll see how long that lasts.<br /><br />The iphone and remote controls are the biggest draws in our house--I swear that will be the motivation Ayan uses to finally move forward and not backward. But he's also very interested in cars, and balls, and rattles, and tags, and crinkly books--pretty much anything we put in front of him.<br /><br />I feel like it's hard to do everything right--no screen time, healthy balanced family meals, exercise, educational toys only, 8 uninterrupted hours of sleep; I feel like if we're above average we're doing OK.<br />Maddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11241624766671173453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2808830305872285145.post-84696990231222381482016-04-11T02:40:33.354-07:002016-04-11T02:40:33.354-07:00Both my husband and I like to cook (he's bette...Both my husband and I like to cook (he's better at it than I; I have more time), but we often get FUFFY weeks (I love that term). We got into the habit of making enormous quantities of soup whenever we made soup -- to the point where one Saturday's worth of soup making will get us six containers of roughly three servings a piece into the freezer. If you do this often enough, you have enough variety in the freezer that you can simply pull something out at random. Luckily for us, soup is one of Gwen's favorite things to eat, so it works for all of us!<br /><br />Also, all bets go out the window if one parent is gone. I was at a conference last week, during which time Joel and Gwen had take-out pizza twice. As much as I hope to instill in her good eating habits, I'm also happy to teach her that there are appropriate times to say "screw it, we're ordering pizza" when there are too many other things to take care of.<br /><br />[[Edited: Hmmm, your LJ sign-in isn't working properly. this is aryanhwy.livejournal.com]]Sara L. Uckelmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14716054827293611237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2808830305872285145.post-60273469270581290552016-04-10T21:58:31.468-07:002016-04-10T21:58:31.468-07:00You'll figure out what works for you. We do Fa...You'll figure out what works for you. We do FaceTime with grandparents and I can't imagine how that's bad. We don't watch any kid shows or movies but we do watch hockey or curling with AJ in the room. I agree about setting a good example for children but not sure if reinventing ones whole life is realistic. torthĂșilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738803052167620020noreply@blogger.com