Some people talk till the cows come home.

Just finished lunch. Firstborn is playing with pillows and blankets, making a house for his baby tiger. Secondborn is sitting on the floor watching Baby Einstein and occasionally falling back, hitting his head on the floor, and saying "ouch" but mostly just watching the hippo puppet drink all the water.
Actually, not all of us finished eating lunch. Salad and stew was less that enthusiastically accepted for the lunch menu today. I allowed (aka, bribed) Firstborn to eat a much desired crouton after he took a bite of salad. After chewing for a minute or so, he ran to the garbage and spit out the bite of salad then devoured his crouton.
I pictured that going differently.
However, the setup is working well with the stew. One bite stew, one crouton. As I sit here typing I take a break and spoon feed a four year old stew. I have a feeling this isn't going to teach healthy eating habits. What do I do?
Let me describe yesterdays lunch. Firstborn absolutely refused to eat any of the healthy options offered him. Then about 30-40 minutes later he is asking for this, that, and just about anything in the pantry. Umm, no. "You have food on the table, eat that then you can have other options." It was back and forth until finally he sat on my lap and, more or less willingly, choked down lunch. Then he was able to choose more desirable options from the pantry.
Funny, though, he actually chose canned apricots.
I absolutely disagree with offering other food in place of lunch or dinner when they don't like it. This is not a restaurant. However, when they won't eat but want snacks later? How did my mom do it? We all ate what she made and didn't say two words about it. She prepared healthy food. Did she ever. I remember one kick from a book titled something about "lowering your fat thermostat." Beans, beans, beans, is what I remember most.
And brown rice.
I actually really like brown rice. Figured out the best way to cook it is in the oven.
I've made a stronger commitment to increase our fruit and vegetable intake as well as our whole grain consumption. The hubby is taking to it rather well. He likes his salad with cheese, bacon bits, and croutons. Fine. He's getting the vegetables. But that doesn't work with the First or Second born. Salad is salad, bacon bits or not.
I was actually planning on posting about the advantages of Mr. Wilson's job. That's his name. Just ask Firstborn.
1. He gets to come home for lunch. I look forward to this. It breaks up my day and the boys love looking out the window watching for him to walk home midday. We eat together as a family twice a day. And you know what they say about eating as a family. Kids turn out better (or something like that). And I need all the help I can get. Some days, I don't feel like a very good mom.
2. He is home by 4:30 (except for several weeks before Christmas when he is coaching). I can handle anything till 4:30. But after that, I have great help with the boys.
3. He spends every night at home. Not the one week on-one week off schedule that many have around here. I feel for those families. That would be tough.
4. He is right down the street. I don't need this very often, but occasionally the proximity is nice. During basketball season when he was coaching, the boys and I would go over and the boys would run wild in the halls. This is great when the temperature drops outside.
5. He teaches science, so I can ask him all kinds of questions like "why is some dirt red?" He loves those questions.
Just ask him.
That's about it for now. Next I come up with some advantages of my job. But it my take me a while.