Oh Boy!

I always knew that one day, I would have 2 ravenous teenage boys threatening to devour everything in my kitchen. However, I did not realise that IT WOULD START THIS EARLY.

Ethan must be going through a growth spurt or something, because he has started eating a LOT more. He certainly doesn’t have any weight issues; both he and Tyler are as skinny as their Daddy (a.k.a. as skinny as a rake). They are both extremely active to boot. But Ethan’s appetite has definitely increased over the last couple of months.

He EASILY eats more than me now. He eats more than me at breakfast and lunch, and the same amount as me at dinner. Not to mention the fact that he also has morning and afternoon tea, while I don’t.

There is a positive side to all this. As a result of his growth spurt and increased appetite, he has started enjoying foods that he would have previously turned his nose up at (blue cheese, chicken & spinach risotto, anyone?). Ever since he was a baby, he has always been quite a fussy eater. Nowadays, I can give him anything for dinner and he will literally inhale it. And ask for more. May this be an encouragement to those of you with younger fussy eaters — it will NOT last forever.

And then, he just BURNS IT ALL OFF. So not fair.

While I am pleased that he is no longer so fussy, I am a little worried about my future grocery bills! These days, a meal cooked for 4 really does serve only 4! Six months ago, any “serves 4″ recipe would cook enough to feed the 4 of us for dinner, leaving lunch leftovers for both Rob & I. Not anymore!

I’m not sure what I will do once Tyler gets to this stage. Take out a second mortgage, probably. Tyler is not fussy like Ethan was at his age, but he doesn’t eat the same quantity as his brother. I used to dish them up the same amount. No longer!

I’m trying to give Ethan extra protein, to help fill him up. Thinking up interesting ideas for afternoon tea is already the bane of my existence, but I’m guessing it will get even harder (and more time consuming) as the boys grow. I can see that pretty soon I will be whipping up toasted sandwiches, baked beans or eggs on toast – in place of the fruit, crackers, popcorn & yoghurt I currently serve up.

I remember one of my friends who has 2 younger brothers telling us about the sheer VOLUME of food her brothers used to eat after school. A loaf of bread, half a box of weetbix, a litre of milk, and half a tub of ice cream. And all before 4pm. Oh, and they were (and still are) as skinny as rakes.

What on EARTH am I getting myself in for?

Any tips from more experienced mothers with older boys? What age did your son(s) go through this? How did you cope? You know, I knew this would happen one day … but I’m not sure I am (financially)(mentally)(physically) ready for it!

Ethan’s Favourites

And here are Ethan’s Favourites. Today. 26 July 2009. Age 7.

Foods: chocolate, lollies, chips, cookies, sandwiches, bananas
Dinners: homemade hamburgers, pancakes, lamb chops, sausages
Drink: Sprite Zero, blackcurrent juice, L&P
Movies: Madagascar 2, Ice Age 3, Bolt, Kung Fu Panda
TV Shows: SpongeBob SquarePants, America’s Funniest Home Videos
Books: Captain Underpants, Dr Seuss
Games: Hangman, Scrabble, Duck Duck Goose, Hide & Seek
Toys: Lego, soft toys
Activities: drawing, soccer, bike riding, cricket
Colours: red, green, orange, lime
Friends: Devon, Toby, Jimmy, Harry, Cian, James M

Again, no surprises here.

Tyler’s Favourites

When the boys were younger, I listed 20 things about each of them. I then scrapbooked the lists.

That was almost 4 years ago, so I thought it was about time I did it again. Only this time, I decided to interview the boys and document the answers in their own words.

So here are Tyler’s Favourites. Today. 22 July 2009. Age 4 (nearly 5).

Foods: chocolate, lollies, bananas, kiwifruit, raw carrot, broccoli, ice cream
Dinners: meatballs, scrambled eggs and bacon
Drink: juice
Movies: Shrek, The Iron Giant, The Bee Movie
TV Shows: Transformers:Animated, SpongeBob SquarePants, America’s Funniest Home Videos
Book: Batman
Games: Memory, Hide and Seek, Guess Who?
Toys: Iron Man, Action Man, Transformers, Lego
Activities: bike riding, soccer
Colours: yellow, orange, green
Friends: Keenan, Logan, Ollie, Zane

I promise to share the layout when I get around to scrapbooking it.

** EDITED TO ADD **

No, I wasn’t surprised by any of his answers. They are spot-on. In fact, I would have put very similar answers if I had done it myself, without asking him!

Love vs Romance

I regularly read The Word For Today, a daily devotional produced by Rhema.

I’m NOT one of those people who skips to the end of a good novel, to find out how it ends. I’ll admit that it’s tempting sometimes, but I don’t like to ruin the story. However, when it comes to reading The Word For Today, I tend to jump ahead and read a week’s worth of entries in one go. I then re-read them on the appropriate days, reinforcing the message in my mind.

Tomorrow’s entry is entitled “Debunking Marriage Myths“. It has some good stuff in it. The same kind of stuff that’s been percolating in my own mind lately. Because the piece fit so well with where my thoughts have been, I thought I would include it in this post (you know, the post I’ve been writing in my head over the past few days).

The myth of “viral love” insists that love is caught, much like a virus.
“Some enchancted evening” when you happen to be in the right place at the right time, it will zap you. You’ll “catch the bug” and enter a lifetime of unending bliss!
The trouble is, when we’re worn out taking care of children, two jobs and a mortgage, the “virus” subsides. In the whirlwind of dishes, nappies and daily routines, something has to give.
So romance vacates centre stage and reality takes over. When it does, we confuse romance for true love and mistakenly think it has moved out and that we need to follow it.
The truth is, love does not die because romance bows to reality. If two people who once “fell” in love are willing to “stand” together in love through the challenges and opportunities of family life, romance can grow again, stronger and more resilient than ever.
Love based solely on romance doesn’t work when “for better” meets “for worse”.
Romance based on a decision to love “till death do us part” is the only love that’s dependable, consistent and trustworthy.
Romance BRINGS us together, this kind of love KEEPS us together!

Romance is a bit like a drug (not that I’ve ever taken drugs) (Just clarifying). In those early stages of a relationship, it’s like being on a constant high (I’m guessing). When that high wears off, a lot of people think the love is gone. No, the love is not gone; the illusion is gone.

For me, romance is characterised by feeling excited, anxious, thrilled, nervous. Conversely, love is characterised by feeling safe, peaceful, secure, comfortable. Romance depends on moods, circumstances, expectations. It depends on everything except commitment. Love, on the other hand, depends on nothing but commitment.

Marjorie Holmes says, “Romance is flying; Love is a safe landing.”

I love that.

I’ve been married to my husband for 10 years. While my heart still skips a beat when he walks into the room, those soft, fluttery feelings are not what they once were. The butterflies have settled; in their place is a warm feeling of contentment. That’s love.

This is not to say that romance has vanished from my marriage – it definitely hasn’t! Romance and love can (and should) co-exist. But a relationship cannot be built on romance. When the bloom of romance fades, a relationship can only continue if there is love.

On my wedding day, I made a vow to my husband. I promised to love him through good AND bad, happy AND sad. I made a commitment to him that requires action on my part, and is not dependent on my feelings or moods.

I love the words of this song by Stevie Wonder:

From The Bottom Of My Heart

Me and my heart
Took a vow from the start
And a vow to my heart I can’t break

Seasons may come
And seasons may go
But know through every time and space
My love will always stay
Forever and always

From the bottom of my heart
I love you
I can say these words to you without delay
If you’re wondering just how long
I’ll love you
Try forever that’s how long
I’ll feel this way

Yes forever is how long
My love will stay
Forever is a long long time
But so what?

Making a list …

… of the things I am happy about today:

1. Ethan getting Player Of The Day at soccer, again.
I watched Tyler’s game today (and yelled, “Tyler, watch the BALL!” about a million times … dude was more interested in chatting with his team mates today. Oh and helping them up and cuddling them whenever one of them fell down). Anyway, because I watched Tyler’s game, I didn’t see Ethan play today. But Rob said he was awesome. Made heaps of tackles and defended the goal like a pro. That’s my boy!

2. School holidays.
Ethan loves school and Tyler loves Kindy, but I love having them home! Sure, it makes it a bit harder to get all my work done, but it’s worth a few late nights. I enjoy spending more time with them in the holidays, and doing plenty of fun stuff together.
And I REALLY enjoy not having to get up early, make packed lunches, and rush out the door. Especially when it’s this cold.
Besides, the kids and I have been sleeping in until 8am some days, which equals CHAOS (30 minutes is NOT enough time to get ready).

3. Tyler’s AWESOME behaviour at Cherie & Theo’s wedding yesterday.
I wasn’t too sure how he would cope, especially after a couple of hours of Kindy, and at the end of a long and busy week (not to mention the long drive to get to the church). But he was an absolute angel. I guess the promise of Burger King on the way home was enough incentive for him!
My sister Leah was one of Cherie’s bridesmaids, and Tyler was pretty excited about going and seeing his Aunty all dressed up with her flowers. When he told his teacher that he would be leaving Kindy early to go to a wedding, he said, “My Leah is going to be there”. I think he was trying to say “My Aunty” because he knew Marie wouldn’t know who “Leah” was, but it was just the cutest thing.

4. An afternoon of “ME” time.
Rob and the boys were at a Kids Church “Movies & Munchies” event this afternoon (Rob is our Kids Church leader and helped organise the event). Consequently, I had the entire house to myself for FOUR HOURS. Okay, so I actually get the entire house to myself for 4 hours every weekday. But the difference today? IT WAS NOT A WORK DAY.
I totally made the most of it. Watched a movie, read a magazine, played the piano, surfed the web, did some housework (I couldn’t help myself).

5. Social events on my calendar over the coming month.
Not so many that I feel overwhelmed, as is often the case, but a few really nice SPECIAL things.
- A couple of work social events (a kids’ clothes swap with some of the other Mums in the department, and a big departmental Mid-Winter Christmas Dinner).
- Another Mid-Winter Christmas celebration; this time a special church service and lunch.
- Catching up with friends tomorrow.
- Rob’s 36th birthday (okay, so that’s on 1 August). But I have an AWESOME present planned. He is going to LOVE it.

6. Planning our meals.
I do this sporadically, but when things get crazy-busy (which is pretty much all the time), I sometimes slip. But I’m back on track now, having planned the last 2 weeks of dinners. I’ve got next week’s menu planned out as well.
Not only do we spend WAY less money on groceries when I do this, but I am able to stick to my WW Points much more easily (Bonus? I actually lost 1.2kg last week).

Feeling pretty happy with my lot in life right now. Sure, there are things I could complain about, but I choose to focus on the Good Stuff. Makes me happier!