Snow in Arkansas

It snowed many inches here in Arkansas. That's a rarity. It stuck around for a few days so we made a snow man! He's name is Stan.

But like all snow man do, "in the sun he melted, melted, melted. In the sun he melted small, small, small." Thanks for staying with us Stan! It was fun!

The Doctor Asked, "How does he eat?"

I answered, "Like a 2 year old."

And it's true! The other night we had BBQ pulled pork. Would he touch it? Nooooooooo.

This morning Daddy was getting some chips out to take for lunch. Brady wanted chips. I said "No chips for breakfast. We can have some at lunch."

We bought Daddy some more chips at the store. Daddy likes chips and they were on sale. Brady asked to have some chips. Again, I reminded him he could have some with his lunch. He talked and talked about those chips. Held onto the bag the whole ride home.

I got lunch prepared and sat him down at the table. We said our prayer and proceeded to eat. Brady asked "Where the chips?" Oh, I had forgotten all about them!! I retrieved them from the cupboard and placed some in a bowl to serve them from. See, I worry that if I put the whole bag out he'll consume the whole thing and nothing else. If a smaller amount is on the table, I can tell him they are all gone for that meal. It's more difficult for a toddler to grasp the concept of the food being "all gone" when he clearly see there are more in the bag.

We resume our meal with chips on the table. He digs into them, after he had dug into the peaches and picked out the olives from the pasta salad on the side. I'm thinking, "Hmm, maybe he really doesn't like BBQ pork. I thought he did. Oh well. He'll eat what he wants." Lo, and behold, he picks up his "sam-a-lich", assesses it, then takes a bite! And then another! He's only had 3 chips. I was sure he would fill himself up on those.

He ended up eating ALL of his one-slice-of-bread sandwich (except for the hunk that got flung to the floor), some of his pasta, all the peaches and a good portion of chips. Oh, and he drank some milk.

He had a decent meal! And he did it ALL BY HIMSELF. No prodding or pleading from me to have him take one bite of his green beans, or to PLEASE try your meat, or "you may have more chips if you eat more noodles." It is proof that when left to choose how much of what is provided to eat, a child WILL regulate his dietary needs ON HIS OWN. Amazing.

You want even more proof? When offered some left over birthday cake and ice cream, he said "No." What kid says no to cake and ice cream? I guess one that is satisfied in the belly and mentally knows that there will be cake and ice cream offered again in due time.

If you're having ANY angst over feeding your kids I very much suggest you read Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter. Fore go the "One Bite" rule. Let your kids be in charge of what off the table they'd like to eat, and how much. These amazing little creatures know what they are doing because they have been created to know so. Let them have the satisfaction and sense of pride in feeding themselves. They will succeed, if YOU allow them.

All the sudden life exploded!! I've found myself with NO TIME to get on the computer to balance the checkbook, much less blog. I have some things I really want to share. So, stay tuned. After the storm passes, I hope to get some things caught up on.

Car Seats

Oh, there are so many to choose from!
Brady needs a new seat. The one we have is "expired." I questioned: "Do I get one that will stay with him until he doesn't need on anymore? Or do I get one that he will grow out of, but I will be able to pass it on to the next child(ren) and plan on purchasing a booster seat down the road?" I think I've decided with the latter.
The thing is, I'm not sure where to start. Consumer Reports would be great, but I'm cheap and don't want to pay for that info. I would like one with cup holders, I think. And my friend has one that had little lights on the side so the child could see what he/she was doing at night. Those were pretty neat.
Price really isn't an issue. It's tax refund time and we'll have what we need to invest in something good. If it weren't for the blessed refund, it would be a different story. That doesn't mean that I'm going to buy the most expensive one, just because I can though. I still need to make every dollor go as far as possible.
One other factor is that we have cars, small cars. A vehicle upgrade isn't in the plan at this time. I don't expect to have a lot of extra room after squeezing in two seats. It would be nice to have something that doesn't dwarf my back seat.
Do you experienced parents have any input for me? I sure would love it! Thanks!

The verdict is in....

Really?

Okay, so we got 10 inches of snow out here. That's the most this area has seen in DECADES! It's beautiful! We were watching it snow, and snow, and snow. Felt like home. I love the white blankets that cover the land everywhere. I love the brightness that blinds me when I walk outside. I love the sound of the slush under my tires. I miss it.

However, school has been out for 3 days and tomorrow will make 4! I understand the day the storm is going on. Bad driving conditions. The day after, okay. The road crews aren't as well equipped out here. Carl and I saw the saddest excuse for a snow plow! They use sand instead of salt. This isn't common weather, why should they invest tax-payer money into equipment they'll hardly ever use?

So you have Saturday and Sunday to let the snow start to melt and the plows to reach more areas. No school Monday...alright, things are still a little yucky out there....I guess. But Tuesday too?!? Are you kidding me?!?

Ahh, I know there's some factor that I haven't been made aware of yet to qualify 4 days out of school. I just don't understand why people are so afraid of snow. Drive slower, a little more cautiously and you should be fine. I think it took like 2 feet of snow for us to get this many days off back home.