Michelle Thedaker

As I work towards trusting and respecting my children more, I'm noticing
little things about their behavior that I wouldn't have noticed before.
(Ah, awareness!)



This lovely Easter morning, my older son woke up at 6am to see if the Easter
Bunny had paid us a visit. The Bunny brought a massive variety of candies
(and a few toys) and it was all over the place. Drew looked at it all,
thought it was great, opened all the eggs to see what was inside, etc. He
came across an unfamiliar candy and I told him what it was (a Skittle) and
asked if he wanted to try one. He answered, "Mm.maybe after breakfast." and
then wanted to play Game Cube. It's been about an hour since then and he
hasn't had a single bite of anything.



I've tried to give my kids pretty free reign (still working on this) about
food. Candy isn't "bad", it's just candy. When Drew wants to have some of
his goodies today, he will. But he's not like a shark in a feeding frenzy,
eating until he is sick and hoarding it away. He'll eat it when he wants to
eat it, whenever that is.



My sister-in-law is very strict about foods with her kids. Their Easter
Baskets this morning won't have any "junk" in it. Later today we'll do an
egg hunt at my mother-in-law's house with eggs filled with typical candy.
My nephews will probably go crazy, stuffing as much candy in as they can
before their mother gets mad and makes them stop. I wonder how much they
are even enjoying their treats, having the fear of their mom "catching" them
with it hanging over their heads as they sneak extra pieces behind her back.




The difference between the two scenarios? My kids are allowed to eat when
they want to, so food isn't a magical treasure to be gorged on during
special times, with the fear that they won't have it again for many months
(until a birthday party or other holiday comes around). It's just food.
Tasty and enjoyable to eat, but it'll be there in a hour, or a day, or next
month. When they want to eat it, and will really enjoy eating it.



That said, my 2yo isn't up yet, and I'm sure he will want to eat candy until
we need to peel him off the walls. He's in a big "candy mode" right now.
Which I'm struggling with, honestly. I know that totally contradicts what I
just said above, lol. Let go, Shell...let go.. (everyone send me those
vibes please!)





Shell & Da Boys

Drew, 6.5 and Josh, 2.5

Life is like riding a bicycle. You don't fall off unless you stop pedaling.

http://thedaker.blogspot.com/





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Joanne

My daughter Jacqueline still has candy from Valentines Day. LOL When
I gave her an Easter basket this morning, she joked that it would
last her until Halloween.

~ Joanne ~
Mom to Jacqueline (7), Shawna (10) & Cimion (13)
Adopted into our hearts October 30, 2003
http://anunschoolinglife.blogspot.com/
http://foreverparents.com





--- In [email protected], "Michelle Thedaker"
<pamperedthed@...> wrote:
>
> As I work towards trusting and respecting my children more, I'm
noticing
> little things about their behavior that I wouldn't have noticed
before.
> (Ah, awareness!)
>
>
>
> This lovely Easter morning, my older son woke up at 6am to see if
the Easter
> Bunny had paid us a visit. The Bunny brought a massive variety of
candies
> (and a few toys) and it was all over the place. Drew looked at it
all,
> thought it was great, opened all the eggs to see what was inside,
etc. He
> came across an unfamiliar candy and I told him what it was (a
Skittle) and
> asked if he wanted to try one. He answered, "Mm.maybe after
breakfast." and
> then wanted to play Game Cube. It's been about an hour since then
and he
> hasn't had a single bite of anything.
>
>
>
> I've tried to give my kids pretty free reign (still working on
this) about
> food. Candy isn't "bad", it's just candy. When Drew wants to
have some of
> his goodies today, he will. But he's not like a shark in a
feeding frenzy,
> eating until he is sick and hoarding it away. He'll eat it when
he wants to
> eat it, whenever that is.
>
>
>
> My sister-in-law is very strict about foods with her kids. Their
Easter
> Baskets this morning won't have any "junk" in it. Later today
we'll do an
> egg hunt at my mother-in-law's house with eggs filled with typical
candy.
> My nephews will probably go crazy, stuffing as much candy in as
they can
> before their mother gets mad and makes them stop. I wonder how
much they
> are even enjoying their treats, having the fear of their
mom "catching" them
> with it hanging over their heads as they sneak extra pieces behind
her back.
>
>
>
>
> The difference between the two scenarios? My kids are allowed to
eat when
> they want to, so food isn't a magical treasure to be gorged on
during
> special times, with the fear that they won't have it again for
many months
> (until a birthday party or other holiday comes around). It's just
food.
> Tasty and enjoyable to eat, but it'll be there in a hour, or a
day, or next
> month. When they want to eat it, and will really enjoy eating it.
>
>
>
> That said, my 2yo isn't up yet, and I'm sure he will want to eat
candy until
> we need to peel him off the walls. He's in a big "candy mode"
right now.
> Which I'm struggling with, honestly. I know that totally
contradicts what I
> just said above, lol. Let go, Shell...let go.. (everyone send me
those
> vibes please!)
>
>
>
>
>
> Shell & Da Boys
>
> Drew, 6.5 and Josh, 2.5
>
> Life is like riding a bicycle. You don't fall off unless you stop
pedaling.
>
> http://thedaker.blogspot.com/
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Pampered Chef Michelle

On 4/16/06, Michelle Thedaker <pamperedthed@...> wrote:
>
> Drew looked at it all,
> thought it was great, opened all the eggs to see what was inside, etc. He
> came across an unfamiliar candy and I told him what it was (a Skittle) and
> asked if he wanted to try one.


We don't celebrate Easter. We've done "Easter baskets" periodically in the
past and I asked the kids if they were wanting baskets this year. They all
said, "No. It's just all candy and we can get candy anytime. Besides most
Easter candy is cheap and nasty." I guess they have gotten used to the
expensive fair trade chocolate that I buy at our local HFS that has a high
cocoa content. I don't recall seeing any fair trade chocolate bunnies this
year at the HFS.





--
Michelle
Independent Kitchen Consultant #413652
The Pampered Chef
850-474-0817
http://www.pamperedchef.biz/michellelr
Ask me how you can save 60% on some of our most favorite products!


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

aplan4life

On the same line, mine children had boiled eggs and chocolate for
breakfast...but, hey, it's their stomach not mine. (PUKE!!) :-) BWG.

~Sandy Winn

--- In [email protected], "Michelle Thedaker"
<pamperedthed@...> wrote:
>
He answered, "Mm.maybe after breakfast."

Ellen Christian

We put other things in our baskets besides just candy although they do get candy as well. My daughter (13) got earrings, lip gloss, jean jewels and a stuffed bunny. My son (8) got a recorder, car, and a stuffed bunny.
Ellen

Pampered Chef Michelle <pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
They all
said, "No. It's just all candy and we can get candy anytime.


Ellen LaFleche-Christian - Garden Zone 4
Moonlight Creations Jewelry & Gifts http://moonlight-creations-jewelry.com
Receive a recipe every day http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ARecipeADay/




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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Michelle Thedaker

Lol Sandy - I'm awaiting my 2yo awakening. Then the non-conventional
breakfast will begin in earnest over here. :-) This said as I just wolfed
down two pieces of leftover pizza from dinner last night for my morning
meal. <grin>



Shell & Da Boys

Drew, 6.5 and Josh, 2.5

Life is like riding a bicycle. You don't fall off unless you stop pedaling.

http://thedaker.blogspot.com/

_____

From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of aplan4life
Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2006 7:44 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Re: Thoughts about abundance



On the same line, mine children had boiled eggs and chocolate for
breakfast...but, hey, it's their stomach not mine. (PUKE!!) :-) BWG.

~Sandy Winn

--- In [email protected], "Michelle Thedaker"
<pamperedthed@...> wrote:
>
He answered, "Mm.maybe after breakfast."






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Pampered Chef Michelle

On 4/16/06, Ellen Christian <scentednights2002@...> wrote:
>
> We put other things in our baskets besides just candy although they do get
> candy as well. My daughter (13) got earrings, lip gloss, jean jewels and a
> stuffed bunny. My son (8) got a recorder, car, and a stuffed bunny.
> Ellen


I always put other things in their baskets as well, but they associate the
basket with candy. I guess by not having any wants the need for a basket is
sort of moot.





--
Michelle
Independent Kitchen Consultant #413652
The Pampered Chef
850-474-0817
http://www.pamperedchef.biz/michellelr
Ask me how you can save 60% on some of our most favorite products!


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

-----Original Message-----
From: Ellen Christian <scentednights2002@...>

We put other things in our baskets besides just candy although they
do get candy
as well. My daughter (13) got earrings, lip gloss, jean jewels and a
stuffed
bunny. My son (8) got a recorder, car, and a stuffed bunny.
-=-=-=-

Yeah, my boys each got a(NOTHER!) stuffed bunny, a DVD, swim goggles,
and Cameron also got a new set of drumsticks. I got gardening gloves,
some seeds, and a CD. Ben got three cycling books and a DVD.


~Kelly

Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://liveandlearnconference.org

Ellen Christian

I think my kids just associate Easter with fun. I hide little plastic eggs filled with a piece of candy or penny or whatever all over and they hunt for them. I know they really don't believe in the Easter Bunny at this point. They both built fairy houses yesterday in the backyard and my son asked if the fairies would leave him Easter candy in them this morning. I said I didn't know he'd have to check in the morning. So first thing this morning he had to run out & look & of course there was candy in the fairy houses. I had fun just watching them search :)

Ellen

Pampered Chef Michelle <pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
I always put other things in their baskets as well, but they associate the
basket with candy. I guess by not having any wants the need for a basket is
sort of moot.


Ellen LaFleche-Christian - Garden Zone 4
Moonlight Creations Jewelry & Gifts http://moonlight-creations-jewelry.com
Receive a recipe every day http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ARecipeADay/




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trektheory

--- In [email protected], "Pampered Chef Michelle"
<pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:

>
>
> We don't celebrate Easter. We've done "Easter baskets"
periodically in the
> past and I asked the kids if they were wanting baskets this year.
They all
> said, "No. It's just all candy and we can get candy anytime.
Besides most
> Easter candy is cheap and nasty."

I think for my son, it is more about the hunt, rather a treasure
hunt. (FWIW, I avoid Palmer "chocolates" -- think of them as chalk-
lates...) When he was younger (maybe 7ish), he said it was his
favorite holiday because he got to practice division. (We are
secular, so it isn't a religious holiday for us.) He was still in
school at that point. But he still loves the hunt, and asked to have
me hide them in harder places this year.

Linda

camden

We get a family basket, this year it was filled with candy, 5 movies,
sandbox toys, cars, tatoos, models, a whole bunch of "silly" toys & bubbles.

Kids ate a litte candy before breakfast & a little more after. They stopped
when they wanted, although I'm having a hard time restraining myself from
eating another reeses cup ;).

I have 2 kids who will probably eat all theirs today. And the rest of the
kids will just grab a piece & go off and do something else.


Its just candy.

~Carol~

camden

Oh yeah and a POOL !! We were going to buy it anyway but wanted to surprise
the kids with it this morning.

Since its outside I almost forgot !!

~Carol~

----- Original Message -----
From: "camden" <ccoutlaw@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2006 11:10 AM
Subject: Re: [unschoolingbasics] Thoughts about abundance


> We get a family basket, this year it was filled with candy, 5 movies,
> sandbox toys, cars, tatoos, models, a whole bunch of "silly" toys &
> bubbles.
>
> Kids ate a litte candy before breakfast & a little more after. They
> stopped
> when they wanted, although I'm having a hard time restraining myself from
> eating another reeses cup ;).
>
> I have 2 kids who will probably eat all theirs today. And the rest of the
> kids will just grab a piece & go off and do something else.
>
>
> Its just candy.
>
> ~Carol~
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>

Paige

> This lovely Easter morning, my older son woke up at 6am to see if
the Easter
> Bunny had paid us a visit. <<<<

When I got up on Easter morning, I found a great big nasty hairball
coughed up on my kitchen floor. Since *OUR* precious pets would NEVER
do such a henious thing, we decided it had to be the Easter Bunny!
;)
Paige

Melanie Ilsley

-- LOL!!!You folks are making me laugh so hard today, Thanks!!!- Melanie in VtIn
[email protected], "Paige" <paigehughes1972@...> wrote:
>
>
> > This lovely Easter morning, my older son woke up at 6am to see if
> the Easter
> > Bunny had paid us a visit. <<<<
>
> When I got up on Easter morning, I found a great big nasty hairball
> coughed up on my kitchen floor. Since *OUR* precious pets would NEVER
> do such a henious thing, we decided it had to be the Easter Bunny!
> ;)
> Paige
>