Grazers

Grazer is a good word to describe me and my eating habits. I typically eat small snacks and small meals all day long. I am not a fan of a big meal, except at dinner time. So, when I went with a friend this past Wednesday to a MOPS group, I was so excited that the speaker was talking about children's nutrition. She had so many helpful things to suggest and hints to help with what to be feeding our kids and why. One thing I was encouraged by is that it is better to eat 5-6 small meals through-out the day! Yea! We are already grazers!

Now, the really practical part that I loved... a snack tray for my boys. Isn't this cute?
So, this is how it worked for us today. I introduced the snack tray and let the boys know that when the tray is out on the table, they are welcome to sit down and eat anything in the muffin tin. This gives them freedom to eat when they are hungry, lets me decide what good nutritional food they will be getting and keeps me from having to make them something. Now, I know that not every house runs like this, but for us this is a great solution! I also set water bottles out for them to make sure they get enough water each day.

It was fun to see them sitting together after playing outside and having a snack. They also ate a great supper and cleaned their plates. I did not hear them say, "I'm hungry, when is supper?" They also did not ask for any other snacks, they were content with what was in the tray~ even the trail mix, which they typically do not eat!

This very small change reminded me of a few things:

1. Children love new things to capture their attention. My boys look forward to fun new things and they stick with it. I know that tomorrow morning Eli will be asking me where the snack tray is!
2. Children also love boundaries. After very clearly explaining the idea of the muffin tin snacks, they were content and did not ask all day to have a snack or when it was time to eat. They were happy with the pre-chosen snacks.
3. Children love to have small amounts of freedom. They feel special when they get to have a choice and it is important to build this ability in them. They may not like all that is offered, but they can choose to eat the snack they want. And in this case, they even ate something that they are not that fond of, but it was all that was left when they wanted a snack later in the day!

So maybe this will work for you, even if it is one day a week that is special and out of the ordinary routine. Let me know how you used this idea and how your kids responded to it! Have fun with them this week and remember to enjoy the journey of motherhood. If you do not have kids then start keeping a notebook of fun things you come across that you can do when and if God expands your family someday to include children. If not, you can pass them along or use them with children that may be a part of your life.

Happy Grazing! :)