Peaks and Valleys, Month 4

In a very similar fashion to other months, some things are going well and some things aren't.

As far as my dinner resolutions-- feed the kids more vegetables and make food from my garden (and don't panic if I have nothing planned), things are going great.  I have been really surprised that my kids have eaten the vegetables I've given them as well as they have.  There have been a few complaints, but overall, they have done really well!  Sometimes, to the point of asking for beets or tomatoes or whatever it is (why am I so shocked?).   And I have felt healthier, too (could be imagining it, but I think I've lost more baby weight this month than any month yet).  Making simple dishes of my own creation has been a good exercise-- I realized I can do more than I thought I could!  I guess I should have given my kids and myself more credit.

Also, I noticed that convenience is a big factor, for good foods and bad.  When my husband cut up some  cucumber and set it out, kids were walking by and grabbing a piece and snacking away (again, why was I so shocked?).  But the same has been true for unhealthy foods that are within easy reach (our freezer is on the bottom part of our fridge), as you'll see below.

There have been some tough days.  Regulating snacks, especially sweet ones, has been a challenge (and we don't have that many, mainly ice cream and popsicles).  When I am occupied with something, some of my kids will get snacks for themselves that are meant to be treats saved for after dinner.  Remembering that it is human nature to like sugar and fat has helped me to understand without judgment, but also remembering that I'm doing this out of love, to give them good habits for life, I've been trying to stave off a little frustration trying to maintain this rule.  Especially yesterday, when I found a little graveyard of OtterPop appendages littered in a cubby where kids were sneaking to eat them.  The quandary-- regulating treats without shaming kids or making the treats that much more desirable because they are off limits.  I don't think what I'm doing is extreme-- one moderate treat saved for the end of the day, but maybe I need to rethink how I am communicating these goals and how I'm reinforcing them.

I'm considering doing something more extreme to help foster appreciation for the rule, like removing all excessivevly sugary foods from the house.  What would you do?

Yesterday I hit a wall as I have with all other resolutions at one point or another.  And I realized that it was a busy day (from Month 1, I learned "don't panic on busy days"), that I was tired (undermines my resolve), and that some of my resolutions that are posing the problems are newer resolutions within this month's goals (I always tend to hit a wall early on in the month).  I hope that by sticking to my resolutions, they'll get easier.  I hope. 

Because I'm doing this for the kids, out of love for them.  To help them start life with good habits that will help them later.

How do you approach "treats" at your house?