Where's the "no kids" section?

I overheard some women talking today about their weekend the other day. Okay, I'll admit I was basically ear hustling, but in my defense I was reading my magazine until I heard one of them say that people should leave their kids at home when they go out.  According to them, parents with children should either find a baby-sitter or stay at home. Really?  So what if I don't have the funds to both go out and pay for somebody to watch my kids or I only trust a handful of people to watch my kids and they happen to busy the night I want to do something? Is that my only choice? As parents, we already sacrifice darn near everything but do I now have to tell my kids, "Oh no, baby I can't take you to the so called family restaurant tonight because it's socially unacceptable"?

Now, I will admit there have been times when I wish I would have kept my child at home. As you know, even the most well behaved child can cut up if pushed beyond their comfort zone. My children behaving badly kept me out of church, the movies and Cracker Barrel (long story) for a long time. To me, its just about accessing your children. If you know that your child is going to act a fool if they don't get a nap in first (i.e. the Cracker Barrel incident), then make sure they get one. When I take my kids out to dinner on a Saturday night, it's always during what I call "family hour" which to me is between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., maybe even 7 o'clock if we got a late start on the day.

I can understand that when you go out to eat, sometimes you don't want to be bothered. When my husband and I get the opportunity to go out to dinner alone, the last thing we want is our meal interrupted by somebody else's child. I do know a few people who ask the hostess to seat them away from kids and that seems to work for them in way that makes everybody happy.

Since they have taken the smoking section out of Michigan restaurants, maybe they should start asking "kids or no kids?" Do you think this would be fair or should those wanting a "kid free" zone just deal with it?

How do you feed picky eaters?

I'm going to tell you all a secret that I don't want you to tell my husband. . .  If you let this secret out, it could literally change the flow of our relationship. . .I mean this is so big that I'm scared to admit it myself. But, here goes. . . (deep breath). I like to cook. Now I know that this may shock some of you who have known me for a while, but I actually like to be in my kitchen. Baking is my favorite because I'm a sweets fanatic and a "set it and forget it" type of girl. What I don't like is cooking for picky eaters, hence the fact that my husband does most of the cooking. I believe in wholesome, balanced meals but it's hard to feed kids vegetables who will almost scream at the sight of anything green on their plates.

Being the only foodie in the house is hard.  I thought that I could convert my daughter, but the daddy's girl seems to be following in her dad and brother's footsteps. I love to experiment and try new things, but they seem to be satisfied with the rotation of chicken-turkey- pork chops- more chicken. But, the one thing that I've realized with the kids is that presentation is everything. I can't just slap some peanut butter and jelly on some bread and expect them to eat it. I have to cut off the edges and cut it into triangles before they will even consider taking a bite. My husband gave them one without the crust cut or cut in half and they looked down at the plate then at each other, then back down at the plate. It was hilarious.

So here are just a few tips that have helped me deal with my picky eaters.
- We love making sliders, so we tell the kids that they are Krabby Patties. All those hours of Sponge Bob have to come in handy at some point.
- Cans of Chef Boyardee are convenient and have a full serving of vegetables. Plus, they like the different shapes so I have no complaints.

- Kids love to dip. Whether it's ketchup, barbecue sauce or syrup, kids like to dip food. It can get kind of messy, but that's what handy wipes are for.

- Lead by example. I always cook veggies with our meals and place them on both mine and the kids plates in hopes that if they see me eating them, they will eat them too.

- Like I said, presentation is everything and sometimes you just have to make it fun. I made some Mickey Mouse pancakes for my kids for a little change of pace. The coney island restaurant don't have nothing on me.



Sorry, I couldn't rotate the pic.

How do you deal with picky eaters?

I also found some cute kids recipes on the Betty Crocker website. I might try a few and post the results. But for now good luck and Happy Parenting.    

Snaggletooth days are ahead

So my son has a loose front tooth that he's been messing with the last couple of days. He pushes it forward with his tongue but lets out a fake whine whenever I try to touch it. I'm just going to let it come out on it's own and save him from the horror I went thru as a child. I remember my parents suggesting tying one end of a piece of string to my tooth and the other end to a doorknob and shutting the door. I think I blocked the memory on if I actually let them do it or not. I remember a tooth coming out while I was eating. And I remember a tooth falling out as soon as somebody touched it.

But, the thing that I will always remember (mostly because I have the pics for proof) is those school days snaggletooth pictures. My snaggletooth pics are buried somewhere at my mom's house, but my husbands are on constant display in his mom's dining room. If I wasn't afraid of retaliation I would post it, but know that missing front teeth, a greasy face and what looks like a leisure suit equals laughing until you cry.

Here's another thing I need to know. How much do teeth go for these days? When I was growing up the tooth fairy left one dollar, but I've heard as much as $5 or $10. I think with the way the economy is, the tooth fairy is going to have to determine price according to weight or something. What is the tooth fairy leaving your kids these days?