Thursday, December 6, 2012

Jolly old, St. ... err, Denali

Somebody sneaked into our house last night.

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No worries - he was welcome. It was St. Nicholas, after all.

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The Feast of St. Nicholas honors the life and deeds of Bishop Nicholas, who was revered as a gift-giver and protector of children. Growing up in a German-Catholic household in a German-Catholic area, the stories and celebration of St. Nicholas were commonplace. It was never anything extravagant - a few pieces of candy, an ornament and maybe a small gift - but it was something we looked forward to early in the Advent season.

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I know Miles has no idea what is going on but I wanted to begin the tradition now and allow it to grow in the coming years. In his stocking was a book and a pair of holiday jammies to wear on Christmas Eve. (A Facebook friend posted that her kids pick several toys on St. Nick "eve" to donate to charity, which I think is an awesome idea and very much in the spirit of the man.)

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Of course, I was not surprised to find that Miles gave no attention to his gifts. He was far more interested in Denali's KONG.

So much for my traditions.

What does surprise me is how much this child eats. At 17 months, I swear this kid puts away food like a high school football player.

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Take yesterday morning. I made him his standard scrambled egg with broccoli and cheese. He had two graham crackers while I was cooking the egg and a quarter of a banana. A half-hour, 45 minutes later, he was asking for another cracker. I compromised with a fruit and grain bar.

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We had some running around to do, and I am so grateful I had the foresight to stuff a string cheese in my purse. The stick was consumed as we weaved through the aisles at Walmart.

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And if that wasn't enough, he saw me eating an apple in the car and insisted on having it.

Lunches vary for Miles but daycare is very good about giving him well-rounded meals. This week, I know he had meatloaf and rutabaga - one of which ended up on the floor. Want to guess which? Snacks are often fruit and crackers. The fruit sometimes ends up on the floor, sometimes it doesn't. The crackers ... well, they are always eaten.

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Miles eats whatever we have for dinner. Last night, we went to my in-laws and my MIL made tuna casserole and broccoli. Both devoured by Miles.

Happily.

I am sharing Miles' eats as par of Brittany's Munchkin Meals and because I'll be accepting donations to feed my future Olympian. OK. Just kidding on the second part. Be sure to check out the other Munchkin Meals.

7 comments:

  1. I am so jealous of what a good eater Miles is. I hope that he continues this way. My kids? Not so much...

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  2. I grew up with the same tradition. My mother being German and Catholic. Glad to see you are passing the tradition on.

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  3. The other day Leo ate a whole banana, 3 scrambled eggs, and animal crackers. Seriously?!

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  4. I love when parents give their kiddos whatever they eat for dinner. It just makes so much sense to prepare one meal for everyone to share rather than singling them out! A healthy habit, if you can manage it! :)

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  5. My daughter has a hefty appetite, too! I have learned to always have snacks on hand, it's a lifesaver when running errands. Glad to come across your blog! I'm a runner, too. :)

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  6. Your son sounds exactly like mine! He eats so much food! I often wonder if I am over feeding him but I guess if he's not hungry he'll let me know. I always try to have snacks in my purse and car while out running around. Keeps him happy and busy :-) I love that you're starting such a cute tradition with him! He'll appreciate it as he gets older :-)

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  7. love the idea of starting traditions - we are doing that too. you picked great gifts for st nick day ;)

    as for eating, i could only wish for such a hearty eater. what you described as miles' snack, is often willa's whole meal. i've tried to eat things in front of her in hopes that she wants them, but she's never interested. she eats enough, but it always seems like a struggle.

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