White Orchid Melody

Happy Halloween!

No big plans for me.  Brian is out of town on business, so I’ll just be watching some movies and handing out candy to trick-or-treaters.  One for you, one for me….just kidding.  I didn’t even get any pumpkins this year.  Up until last year, we always had a halloween party.  Then after the layoffs, our social network disappated all over the country.  But I’ve been thinking about next year, and how different that will be with a baby.  He’ll be old enough that we should be able to have an afternoon party maybe.  Something more family oriented for our friends with kids, which is most of our friends now.  I’ll be able to make cute kid food, like spiders and worms and things!  I just love throwing parties.  I’ve already started thinking about decorating for christmas, even though it will just be us and the inlaws, and I’ll probably be exhausted.  I’m still looking forward to the christmas tree and stockings to stuff and lots of yummy food!  I’ve been trying to brainstorm clever gifts for everyone.  I don’t want to just go out and buy junk that no one really wants or needs.  I’d rather make some junk that no one really wants or needs :)  I saw a cute idea for a brownie mix jar, where all the ingredients were layered in a glass jar, so it made stripes.  Food is always a good gift.  I usually bake cookies for friends and neighbors.  We took some to our neighbor, whose son was one at the time and were surprised that he like the gingerbread.  My gingerbread is spicy, but he was loving it.   He’s two now and still has sophisticated taste buds.  I was eating some extra dark (72%) chocolate and he was wanting some.  I gave him a bit, figured he’d think it was gross because it isn’t sweet.  But he loved it, wanted more!  I was astounded.  I think kids are more open to different foods at that age, when they have no preconceived notions about things.  It’s when they start hanging around other kids that they get the idea that certain foods are gross.  Ignorance is bliss right?  I don’t worry too much about it.  I grew up eating whatever I wanted.  My mom never forced the vegetables on me.  I eventually realized that vegetables weren’t that gross (especially compared to what’s in the meat at the grocery store!) and some even taste good.  Everything works out eventually.  Life is too short to eat food you don’t like.  Brian has a different view on this and thinks kids should eat whatever they are given.  We’ll see how that goes!  This is an interesting book on sneaking the healthy food in on your kids.  It’s by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry Seinfeld’s wife), and her philosophy is to feed the kids things they love and won’t argue about, like mac and cheese, but to sneak in the veggies so it’s more nutritious.  But, I think most of my vegetarian recipes are pretty kid friendly.  And mac and cheese isn’t really that unhealthy, if it’s homemade, not prepackaged junk.  And what if you always put broccoli in the mac and cheese?  Would the kid ever think that it shouldn’t have it in there?  I guess it depends on how often you eat away from home.  I think mostly kids are just creatures of habit and eat what they are given, but what do I know?  Ask me again in a couple years!