It’s not easy being mean

Poppy is crying right now, because she’s hungry but she doesn’t want gnocchi. She’s uncomfortable, but she isn’t starving. I know that, but it doesn’t make it any easier to see her so upset when I know a peanut butter sandwich would “fix” the problem.

I was surprised that she was so vehemently opposed to trying the gnocchi, because she helped me make it. So she knew there wasn’t anything terrible in it. Like green peas.

Speaking of which …

Poppy did give last night’s samosas a try. The first bite she took was all green peas. It was also the last bite she took. The important thing to me, though, is that she actually tried it. I was proud of her.

An end to the catering. I hope.

Menu Plan Monday logoYou know those parents who make their kids their own, separate meals for dinner? That was one of the many, many things Rockford and I swore we’d never do once we had kids.

(You know what’s coming, right?)

We’ve developed the habit of making Poppy a peanut butter sandwich or pancake or something else we know she’ll eat for dinner. It makes things easier in that moment, but I know we aren’t doing her any favors by catering to her like that.

So this week I’m trying to make things that I think she’ll enjoy if she’ll try them. And if she won’t eat what’s on her plate? She won’t have dinner. Wish me luck. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long week.

Monday: Samosas and rice. I haven’t tried samosas before. This recipe uses mashed potatoes, which Poppy loves. It also includes green peas, though. We shall see. If nothing else, I know Pi will eat rice.

Tuesday: Ricotta gnocchi. This is also a new recipe for us, but it’s mostly cheese. And cheese is always popular around here. I think we ought to be OK on this one.

Wednesday: Sweet and sour chicken and rice. Again, rice is on Poppy’s will-eat list. So she won’t be going entirely hungry if she doesn’t try the chicken.

Thursday: Bean quesadillas. Poppy loves cheese quesadillas. I’m going to puree the beans and put a very thin layer in her dinner.

Friday: Spaghetti. This is a “usually” dish. She hasn’t had it with sauce before, though.

Get it together with Pear Budget

SimpleMom says she’s found the secret to solving my family’s budgeting problems. It’s an online budgeting service called Pear Budget. Pear Budget was originally one couple’s budget spreadsheet. They posted it online, where it was downloaded a gagillion times. Now they’ve made it into an online business.

I was one of the gagillion people who downloaded their spreadsheet. It was a very nicely designed spreadsheet, but it wasn’t the secret to solving our problems. Because it doesn’t fill out itself, and it doesn’t pop out of your wallet at Target and say, “Hey! That cute little onesie isn’t in your budget this month!”

But maybe you’re more disciplined than I am. If you are, you ought to check out Pear Budget. And guess what? SimpleMom is giving away a lifetime membership. Woo-hoo!