Category: JSL
Kids At Play
Today is the first day of school. This means that summer is over (unofficially, at least). My kids once again need to worry about getting ready in the morning, homework, and other "fun" school-related chores. Before the sun set on summer fun for the last time, though, we had one more fun moment. We went to Aunt S’s house by the lake. There, they enjoyed many fun activities with their cousins and other members of B’s family.
Mountain Climbing
Ok, this is just a steep hill and not a mountain. Still, the boys had a blast climbing the mountain and running down it. I, meanwhile, liked climbing it for the view it afforded me.
Boat Trip
What good is a house on the lake without a boat? Though NHL opted out in favor of the pool (more on that later), JSL and I went out with Nana, Papa, Cousin A and Uncle M. The trip began in an eventful manner with the engine dying. We were just far enough from the dock to see it slowly drift away with no way to get back. We did have a good view, though.
Luckily, Cousin A found a loose fuel injector line, fixed it, and we were good to go. JSL loved driving the boat and watching Cousin A water skiing.
The boat ride ended with a bang. Or rather a splash. JSL was standing at the front with Papa when a big wave hit the boat soaking both of them. (Sadly, my camera was pointed elsewhere at that moment, so I didn’t capture it.) JSL was first upset by the sudden face full of water but he quickly decided that it was funny instead.
Pool Time Fun
As mentioned before, NHL opted to go in the pool. As I understand it, he and Cousin S did some diving into the water. The next day, JSL, NHL, B, and I went to the pool together. B didn’t have her swimsuit, so the boys and I went into the water together. JSL was apprehensive, especially once he felt the cold water, but he soon got in the pool spirit and was laughing along with NHL and me.
Sand and Surf
Our last visit was to the beach right near the pool. There, NHL and JSL broke out some sand toys and had fun digging in the sand. We also walked all the way out to the buoys that mark the end of the "safe to walk/swim" area. Having grown up on Long Island, the beach brings back some great memories for me. I still find it very relaxing to just sit chest-deep in the water and let the waves rock me back and forth. I showed this to NHL and he agreed that it felt nice and calming.
Of course, calm isn’t as much fun and getting down and dirty in the sand.
Yes, school might be starting now. Their freedom to do whatever they want will be curtailed as things they WANT to do take a backseat to things they HAVE to do. Still, it’s nice that they had one last summer weekend milked for every ounce of fun it contained.
Fussy
JSL has always been a fussy eater. While NHL would eat a broccoli and mushroom pizza or try some new vegetable (so long as assurances were made that it wasn’t spicy), JSL won’t touch anything. If you ask him, he’ll ask “Have I tried it before?” His criteria for trying a food seems to be that he must have previously eaten it and liked it. Of course, you can imagine how this has expanded his culinary horizons. And by “expanded”, I really mean “narrowed.” Recently, however, “narrowed” has turned into “contracted.”
At my birthday dinner, he fought with us over what he was going to eat. The kids’ menu was packed with good choices like grilled chicken and mini burgers. He doesn’t eat these, though. Luckily, there was grilled cheese. He always likes grilled cheese and he was fine with eating that. What he wasn’t fine with, however, was the sides it came with. Cheesy mashed potatoes got his thumbs down even after we explained that he loves pierogies and that’s exactly what is inside of them. He didn’t care. It was something different and therefore not allowed anywhere near his plate (much less his mouth). Fine, though, because you can switch sides. We didn’t even try to press the vegetables, that battle isn’t for a restaurant where others are trying to enjoy their meals. But fruit should have been good enough. He likes apples and grapes… except that he decided that he didn’t like or want them.
Finally, we settled on getting him macaroni and cheese instead of the grilled cheese. This didn’t come with any sides. Problem solved, right? Wrong! When the dish came, he declared it “too sticky”, refused to eat, and complained that he wanted something else. (No, we weren’t about to order *another* meal for him. That simply wasn’t an option.) I’ve run into this problem with him before. Give him boxed macaroni and cheese and he’ll eat two big bowls. Make him macaroni and cheese from scratch, using real cheese and not powder, and he turns his nose up at it.
I’m getting to the end of my rope. Planning out meals seems to always end with “and what will JSL eat?” Our usual house rule is that he can eat what’s being served or he can have a plain peanut butter sandwich, but it gets tiring to know that dinner plans will include a fight over this EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. Last night, he told me that I had to give him more options (after I gave him the choice of mac and cheese, grilled cheese, or a peanut butter sandwich). I told him that I’d gladly give him more options if he would try some new foods so I’d have more options to give him.
Sadly, that seems to have gone over his head. It’s like he magically expects me to make new food appear that he will eat. I’m running out of ideas (not to mention patience).
Have you ever had a child who was a fussy eater? If so, how did you handle it?
Wordless Wednesday: Park Playtime
The Tale of The Finger-Friendly Ladybug
Over the weekend, I took NHL and JSL to the park. As I pushed them in the swing, I looked down on my and and saw a tiny creature longing on my knuckle. Yes, a ladybug was using me as a rest stop during a long trip in the air.
I didn’t have my DSLR with me (when will I learn not to leave it at home?), so I tried to get some photos of it with my Droid. While pushing my boys. But not while using the hand that the ladybug was lounging on. Somehow, I made this work.
Eventually, though, my boys got interested in what I had on my hand. NHL wanted nothing to do with it, stereotyping it as a "bug." I explained how ladybugs were "good bugs" and ate the bad bugs that would otherwise destroy plants.
JSL, meanwhile, wanted the ladybug on his hand. We carefully moved his finger nearby. After it tried running from his approaching finger, it finally went on his nail. He was so happy (and this let me take an even better photo of it).
Sadly, the ladybug soon fell off of his finger as he walked across the park. It recovered quickly and flew away, leaving JSL sad and missing his little friend. Thankfully, we’ll always have a photo of his park encounter to remember the tiny visitor by. (Yes, I might just have to print out a photo of that last photo for JSL. He’s taken to loving putting together photo books to remember occasions.)
How would your kids react if a ladybug landed on your hand?