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My take on: Arrowroot

Hello! Have you heard of Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea)? I have done some research on what I can use to thicken sauces without necessarily using flour all the time. Whenever I eat flour (especially in bread) I feel so bloated and I am hungry after a…

You really Want this Sweater, don’t you?

Saving, saving and saving some more money! It is important to me to have money in my saving account. It just gives me a great feeling to know when and if something happens, I am on the safe side money wise. I am not talking…

My Picky Eater

I posted on Instagram recently that I need help with my son’s eating habits these days. I have received some help via emails. Apparently nobody wants to use the comment box below the articles. 😀 Here is what I have learned and I want to share one book recommendation.

The book one of my readers mentioned was:

You can order it here. After reading the book I must say I started some changes in our food/feeding department at our house. Here is what we are working with as far as food goes. My son eats:

Fries, Pasta, rice but only plain, grated Gouda cheese, oatmeal cookies, apple sauce, apple juice, bread, popcorn

This is it folks. Did this list freak you out? Is most certainly makes me uncomfortable. He never eats what I cook and he literally pushes the plate away. So you can understand my frustration sometimes when I stand in the kitchen to prepare a healthy lunch and I am the only one eating it. For days…  My plan is for a couple of days now to just not give him anything unless he comes on his own and says he is hungry. No more frequent snacking on popcorn or oatmeal cookies. For some reason, even when he doesn’t snack he is not starving when it is time for lunch or dinner. So weird. In the book Le Billon describes how she and her family (husband and two daughters)  left Canada and moved to France. Canada, well, I would have stayed hahahah but France is not bad either. 😉

Here are the rules:

Well, and does it work with my son? Nope!

I do schedule the meals. We do eat together and he knows that we have breakfast, lunch and dinner. We are not always home but I try to stick to a routine. I even tried to put a table-cloth in front of him when we eat at home to make the meal a sort of ceremony. He plays with the cloth for half an hour. :/

I do not reward, bribe or punish my son with food. Never have! He is still not eating my food though.

Eat your veggies? Well, I do. I give him the same food I have and he pushes the plate away. I don’t focus on him anymore in telling him constantly to eat. I just leave him sitting next to me and watch him from the corner of my eye. He plays with the food; I take it away. Think variety? Believe me, I tried so many veggies, fruit, you name it. Nope, nada! He used to like bananas at some point – unfortunately not anymore. I even tried putting some grated cheese on top of broccoli. Fuhgeddaboudid! Rule # 6: You don’t have to like it, but you do have to taste it? See explanation above. Not happening. I mean I cannot force him, or can I? I simply take his food away without saying too much. It really seems the more I freak out about food, the less he wants to eat. Like he is doing it on purpose, you know.

Slow food is happy food! I do get that one. Whenever he does eat something HE loves (see list above) he takes his time.

So, what do you all think of this? Does anyone out there have any suggestions or at least similar problems with their kids? Do you agree or disagree with the rules? Now that my son only eats a handful of things I have freaked out about cooking lately. I just don’t know what to prepare anymore. I don’t want to waste food. I don’t necessarily cook for myself and eat the same food for three days. I end up eating homemade wraps with salad, tomato, cheese etc (Recipe will follow because it is really good; or I buy Sushi once in a blue moon). I appreciate any input. Please let me know what you think in the comments below. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. 😀

Foot Note: Anna Burkon won’t like this but my son LOVES these:

At least it says “organic” on it, right? 🙂 Anna Burkon shared this article in German recently on her Facebook Page. Okay, to clarify: I give him those only when we are outside and not all the time. I know that these squeeze thingies probably have never seen an apple or fruit! At home I make my fruit smoothies for him that he tolerates occasionally.

Thank you for reading my blog. 

The Book Review: “Radio Congo” by Ben Rawlence

“We leave the mission compound and drive across a packed mud square strewn with schoolchildren in blue uniforms. The walls of the cathedral, which looks as though it was transported whole from Belgium, are decorated with graceful cars of bullet holes and the roof sports…

Guest Writers

Hey all of you out there! I love to hear from you. Do you have a great story or poem to share? I started “Guest Writers” on my blog and would love to publish your work here for everybody to read. Just sent me an…

Have you heard….

….that the bird is the word? No, just kidding. About this book, you guys? I cannot believe I haven’t read this yet. When I did research on a movie at Angelika Theater in New York I saw that “ROOM”  is playing right now. Here is the trailer if you would like to see.

I just want to share this with you. Have you seen the movie already or read the book? Please share your opinion in comments below. Have a great weekend.

Thank you for reading my blog. 

The Book Review: “Chelsea Girls” by Eileen Myles

“My book sat on the coffee table. I felt great. I felt frozen, completely frozen in my life. It would never stop being exactly like this. I was a great poet and I would always be alone. This was my curse. I took a couple…

Are You Real or Fake?

“The things that make me different are the things that make me” – Winnie the Pooh Think about your life for a minute or two. Are you running away from it? Because you most certainly can. You can pretend everything is fine while being stuck…

Five Things

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Happy Friday! I have been thinking a lot this week. Especially about being free and relationships. Was there a time in your life when you felt free? Was there a time when you were entirely yourself? Many are in relationships that make them comfortable. Maybe, maybe not; sometimes more, sometimes less. Do you do something you really love? Let it be work, family, relationship or marriage. Are you pretending you are happy or are you really 100% into what you are doing? I think everyone should be! I have experienced many times that most people hide their true feelings and pretend they are someone they are really not. Sometimes just to please others, sometimes just to shine. Some give their entire attention to others but forget themselves along the way. I think it is important to say what you really want; say what is on your mind without holding back. This does not mean to hurt people; even though sometimes you might feel like your really would love to. You can tell anybody anything in a polite way to bring your point across. And express yourself without worrying so much what the other person might think. Try to have no fear. Many are afraid of people’s reaction but why? Because you cannot predict it, you cannot plan what they are going to do or say. Don’t we all want to plan everything always? Sometimes it is important to let go.

What have we been up to?

Reading: These days I am getting mentally prepared to join my husband in Congo. We have everything done but the visas which “should not” be a big problem. I am currently reading “Radio Congo” by Ben Rawlence. I also finished “City of Thorns” by the same author. If you are into non-fiction and want to read about war stories in Africa, Human Rights Watch and his work, he is your author. He shares a lot about the United Nations on sight so reviews will follow soon. I also review Ingrid Betancourt’s latest novel “The Blue Line” which I love so far. I know her personally so it makes me enjoy reading her work even more. I want to add one more book that had been on my bookshelf for some time and it was so awesome that I finished it already. “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert.  (see Book Review here)

Writing: I obviously love writing and I am very serious about this blog. It is this commitment and enjoyment that makes me write every single day. This makes me happy. This is truly me and what I always wanted to do. I literally live my dream. So I have this idea of writing a book. Two ideas are on my mind. One fiction book and a book for children. The idea of self-publishing on my blog is an option but I am not sure yet. I am waiting for the 10K to start I guess hahah

Watching: I have mentioned that I love Sarah Silverman. She is an amazing comedian. Now things changed and she is playing a woman who suffers from severe depression in her latest movie “I Smile Back”. It is playing in my favorite movie theater Angelika New York now.  I want to see it so badly. Hopefully soon! I love red wine so I re-watched this great documentary “Somm”.  (while drinking a glass or two of course) It is about four wine stewards who prepare to take the most difficult Master Sommelier Exam. Amazing movie/documentary.

Looking forward to: My son finally getting over this cold he has. He is still coughing badly but we are on the road to recovery. I am also looking forward to my husband coming back home next week. Yay! I am so grateful to have him in my life. We will be traveling (as usual), eating great food and simply enjoying time together as a family. It is a good feeling to know that you have found someone you can call your best friend. Someone who you can talk to anytime, tell everything and trust no matter what. Unconditionally. Je t’aime mon amour.

Footnote: We have been Trick or Treating on Halloween. My son’s and my first Halloween really. Here you see him with my best friend Agnes. He did not let go of her hand. These two just have a special bond. I love it!

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Thank you for reading my blog.

The Book Review: “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert

“You want to write a book? Make a song? Direct a movie? Decorate pottery? Learn a dance? Explore a new land? You want to draw a penis on your wall? Do it. Who cares? It’s your birthright as a human being, so do it with…


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