Picky Eaters - What's your take?

This morning, in my sleep deprived state, I was checking out my twitter feed, and came across an article about picky eaters written by Joyce Slaton. It made me think. I have 1 picky eater, and 1 not so picky eater. As I read the article and reflected on the information provided, I'm torn. I would love to think that the reason my 2 year old daughter is a picky eater is because of genetics (I was also a picky eater), or that it's a passing phase, or some other health reason, but I have to say, I actually think it is my fault that she has become a picky eater.

Here's my thoughts. My son was a little picky when he was younger. Basically he did not like red meat. He would rather have chicken instead of beef, but he would eat everything else if beef was served, like in tacos. He'd eat the tortilla cheese, tomato, and sometimes lettuce. I just kept offering him beef as I made it, and eventually he found that he liked it. We didn't go out to eat much when he was younger, so he never really tasted soda, french fries, or anything like that. As he got older, we started eating fast food a lot more... Enter kid #2.

Now my daughter on the other hand, she loves noodles, tomatoes, and fruit. If I serve anything else, she refuses to eat it. BUT she will scarf down all the junk she can find, and having a 7 year old in school,and having to have stuff for lunches and after school snacks for the poor "starving" child, means we have a lot of junk in the house. (And yes, I actually am working on making his snacks and lunches healthier, that just takes time and energy, and being a single mom, I don't have much of either.) Because it is so much easier to just go grab McDonalds, Sonic, or whatever, than spending 30 minutes + cooking, we have eaten fast food a lot. A lot more than I would like to admit. Where my son had never tasted soda, let alone drank caffinated soda, my daughter knows exactly what Dr. Pepper tastes like, and will often steal my soda from me. When my son had no idea what hot pockets were, my daughter now routinely asks for them.... You get the picture. My home is not the same home that it was when my son was younger, and unfortunately I really feel that my daughter is suffering from it.

So with all that being said, Is it my fault that she is turing into a picky eater or is it genetics? I'll let you decide. And trust me, I don't think anyone could say anything that I don't already know, or feel badly about.

What to do when they just won't potty train!

I'm sure there are many out there that are facing the potty training challenge, well let me just say, I am most definitely right there with ya! My 2 year old, has enjoyed sitting on her potty for quite some time, probably almost a year. We have had a few successful bathroom trips, but mostly, she is just refusing to actually do her business on the toilet. instead, she will tell me right after she's gone, that she's "poopy", or she will just take off her diaper. When she starts the sequence of shedding her diaper, it's almost impossible to keep one on her after that, no matter how long after she's gone. So what to do? Beats me! I'm highly stuck! She is now getting to an age where she is actually understanding what I'm telling her, so maybe we are actually close. It's just incidents like the one that just happened, where she's refusing to keep a diaper on her butt, and she chooses to do her business on the floor instead, that gets me frustrated! Do I try the potty training boot camp? Or do I just wait until she actually recognizes the signals before going? Like I said, we've got the AFTER "I go potty" down perfectly, just not the before.

Any and all suggestions are highly welcomed.

Update on Sleep Issues

Just when I was at the brink of despair, a miracle happened. My 2-year-old daughter actually slept all night in her bed! I was completely and utterly amazed when I woke up a few days ago, and lo and behold, I was completely alone! It so surprised me, that I immediately got up and went to check on my kids, since it was a very rare occurrence for this to happen. I first went to check on my son, he was sound asleep in his bed, covers tucked under his chin. Then I went to check on my daughter, and I almost flipped a wig. I kid you not. I looked in her room, and with her bed against the wall that the door is on, I did not see her in her bed. I took 2 steps into the room, and sighed a sigh of relief, there she was, fast asleep on her bed, next to the wall. Her covers were laying beside her, she was sleeping on her stomach in the "stink bug" position. It was in this moment, that I realized, yes, this too shall pass. So for anyone else who is dealing with that horrible, irritating, mind-numbing sleep deprivation that comes from having small children, just remember, "this too shall pass", because it will. I am proof of it.

I thought it was suppose to get better!!!

Ever since I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, I have been chatting on the MSN message boards, specifically, the pregnancy board. There I have heard (read) all about various sleep issues. Newborns that were confused, toddlers that have reverted, and very sleepy momma's asking for help (myself included) to figure out what to do.

Now, don't get me wrong, my daughter hasn't always had sleep issues. She was a WONDERFUL sleeper for about the first 16 months of her life. I'd put her in her bed, she'd cuddle under her blanket, and be asleep within minutes. And then we moved. The house we were renting was next door to some inconsiderate people that felt it was ok for dogs to bark all night, so guess what? They did. Unfortunately my daughter's bedroom was right next to the dogs, so for whatever reason at 11pm EVERY NIGHT last december, those dang dogs started barking waking her up.

Now I am a parent that values sleep...immensely. My personal philosophy has always been, put baby to bed in their bed and if baby wakes up, bring baby to my bed, since said baby sleeps better in my bed. This was not a problem in anyway, because my daughter very seldom woke up during the night. But thanks to those !@#@#%#^$$#%@#$@ dogs she got into a habit of waking up each night, at the same time each night. Now I can't blame her for waking up, it wasn't her fault, but it still has made things very tough on momma.

Well, bring on my first bright idea. Yes, that's right, transition to the toddler bed, because, maybe she just needs more space. *sigh* no such luck. That has actually made everything a lot worse. So now, each night, it's a fight to get her to stay in her bed. She will cry for hours (if I don't give in) because she wants to sleep with me. If I do happen to get her to actually go to sleep in her own bed, she will wake up and join me in my bed, which has been taking years off my life, being awaken from a dead sleep by a small body climbing over my face. Not fun. So right now, it's 3:40 am, and I'm still awake working on this blog, and she has awaken, and refuses to go back to sleep, even though she is completely exhausted. She wants to sleep next to mom, and will not take "No" for an answer. I really thought it was suppose to get better as they got older. Maybe my son just spoiled me rotten by being a good sleeper, or maybe I did something right with him, that I've missed doing with her. Maybe she just spoiled me rotten by being a great sleeper until the dogs messed things up. I have no idea, but one thing I do know, I really want...no make that NEED for her to get back to her good sleeping schedule.