ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com/media/feedlogo.gif ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Swiper did it!http://www.parentdish.com/2007/03/19/swiper-did-it/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/03/19/swiper-did-it/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/03/19/swiper-did-it/#commentsFiled under: ,

My older daughter, Archer, has taken an interesting turn in our communication. When she's done something bad - like oh, eating chocolate syrup in her bed. This morning, we noticed some chocolaty evidence. When we asked Archer where it came from, she adamantly refused to talk about it with her Mother.

I took a look at the evidence and immediately realized that it was chocolate syrup. (Somehow I just clue into these things pretty easily) My initial concern: how was she eating chocolate syrup by herself? In the meantime Archer had even blamed Swiper the Fox for doing it. Asking Archer how she'd eaten the chocolate didn't work, so I tried another tact - I asked how Swiper had eaten the Syrup. She calmed down and started telling me just what Swiper had done. Then we established that Swiper had used a spoon - that he'd placed back in the drawer (Yuck!)

My wife's immediate reaction was understandable - Archer was using Swiper the Fox to avoid responsibility for her actions. My darling wife wanted Archer to take responsibility, but she has the unfortunate tendency to act like gasoline tossed on an open fire in situations like this. Trying to avoid a ball of flame, I mollified them both a bit to buy some time and I did a bit of reading up before deciding what to do.

It turns out that using an imaginary friend as a scape goat is pretty normal. It's actually a good sign of a developing conscience. Once I chucked some reading material at my wife about the issue, she was happy with the way I'd handled things. Personally, I'm more concerned with my daughter telling me the truth than anything else. If she has to use Swiper the Fox to keep a calm perspective, then I'm willing to work with it.

One thing I took from my research: If you do go down the imaginary friend path, remember to ensure that the source of theimaginary friend is their imagination. Having your daughter tell the imaginary one that they were bad is a great way to discuss a situation without upsetting her delicate persona.

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]]>Will O'BrienMon, 19 Mar 2007 08:30:00 ESTBanning smoking in cars containing kidshttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/22/banning-smoking-in-cars-containing-kids/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/22/banning-smoking-in-cars-containing-kids/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/22/banning-smoking-in-cars-containing-kids/#commentsFiled under:

Dude, No smoking!Hate seeing anyone smoke around children? I always hated seeing it. When I was about 9 years old, I even offered to steal my best friends mothers cigarettes once. Bangor, Maine (Just don't insult their size, mkay) has recently banned smoking in cars in the presence of anyone under 18 years of age.

Part of me rejoices at hearing this sort of news. My town recently upped its hand against smoking within 20 feet of any publicly accessible building. Previously it only applied to government buildings. Now it'll take effect at the mall. Honestly, I hate that we actually have to have laws against this sort of thing.

At this point, I've just seen way too many people smoking around children to feel any real remorse. If it takes a $50 fine the keep second hand smoke away from kids, I'm all for it. Oh, and my best friend from childhood? Last time I saw her she was working her way through a pack of Camels.

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]]>no smokingNoSmokingsmoking around kidssmoking lawsSmokingAroundKidsSmokingLawsWill O'BrienMon, 22 Jan 2007 09:29:00 ESTCorn causes tantrums?http://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/13/corn-causes-tantrums/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/13/corn-causes-tantrums/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/13/corn-causes-tantrums/#commentsFiled under: ,

Corn syrup is one of the hardest things to avoid. It's used as an inexpensive sweetener in 90 percent of the processed food on grocery store shelves. Virtually every regular soda uses it. A majority of breads even contain it. We've been avoiding it because it's one of the three major allergens. (Wheat(gluten), Corn and Dairy)

Archer's recent allergy test didn't show much in the way of corn problems, but our allergist noted that the test isn't very sensitive. Believe it or not, food allergies - even mild ones can cause behavior problems in children. Today we took a chance and checked to see if corn really was a problem. We let archer have some gluten free cookies that use quite a bit of corn products to replace the wheat.

Tonight she was definitely not acting like herself. She was hungry, but before she even got her food she ran off and slammed the door behind her. It's hard to say that corn is definitively the problem, but when we cut it out of her diet she barely ever behaved like this. It's safe to say that we're going to keep avoiding it for now.

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]]>allergiescorn allergycorn syrupCornAllergyCornSyrupWill O'BrienSat, 13 Jan 2007 08:04:00 ESTAllergy desensitization treatment: the aftermathhttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/11/allergy-desensitization-treatment-the-aftermath/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/11/allergy-desensitization-treatment-the-aftermath/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/11/allergy-desensitization-treatment-the-aftermath/#commentsFiled under: ,

Today Archer (my four and a half year old) had her first desensitization treatment. These are a series of oral treatments given in a series. The idea is to reduce reactions to allergens by slowly increasing the levels.

Sounds like a great plan eh? Except for one little, tiny problem. Last time Archer went to that doctors office, she got her allergy tests. Remember all the little pin pricks from the tiny needles? She sure as hell does. I spent a good half an hour offering all sorts of enticements this morning. Chuck-E-Cheese, a trip to our local playground, ice cream... but she wasn't to be bought off. I had to head off to work and leave it to my wife. Apparently, It took about an hour just to get her to the office.

The first mistake was telling Archer that she was going to the doctor this morning. I think we should have pumped her up for it for about a week before it ever happened. After I left, she tried to hide in her room and lock the door. Then it took a small army of ninjas to get her into the back of the car, where she needed some personal time to recover before allowing my wife to buckle her in. (My wife called me with updates every five minutes or so)

Once they actually got to the office, Archer was about as helpful as a waiter on his first break after a five hour shift. Eventually she took some water in place of the medicine. Later on it took a bit of trickery - she refused the medicine, but tried the water again. A bit of slight of hand and the medicine took its place.

After all that, she didn't even notice the difference. Who bets that a certain four year old who grunted at ever offer I made this morning will be telling me that I have to take her out later.

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]]>allergyallergy treatmentsAllergyTreatmentsdoctors officeDoctorsOfficefourWill O'BrienThu, 11 Jan 2007 18:01:00 ESTCooking for allergieshttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/11/cooking-for-allergies/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/11/cooking-for-allergies/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/11/cooking-for-allergies/#commentsFiled under:

A few years ago, I was in the mood for pumpkin. Being a lifetime fan of the pie, I wanted something else. After a bit of searching, I discovered a wonderful recipe for pumpkin pancakes.

Fast forward to today, we've isolated that my daughter shouldn't eat wheat or dairy - as confirmed by her allergy testing. Suddenly cooking something like pancakes becomes less trivial. Being the adventurous sort, (and having some backup cantaloupe in the fridge) I set out to make an allergy friendly version of our favorite breakfast.

My daughter loves to help me make pancakes, but I didn't want to disappoint her. I distracted her with a morning cartoon movie and pulled up my recipe. I swapped in brown rice flour for the wheat, and grabbed some soy milk. The result was still tasty, if a bit gritty from the brown rice flower. My daughter still loved them.

Now I've managed to tune the recipe a bit. I use a half and half mixture of brown and white rice flour. Toss in a dash of xanthan gum and they come out great. The pancakes cook a bit slower with the new ingredients, but they come out great.

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]]>cookingpumpkinpumpkin pancakesPumpkinPancakesrecipeWill O'BrienThu, 11 Jan 2007 07:02:00 ESTAllergy testinghttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/10/allergy-testing/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/10/allergy-testing/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/10/allergy-testing/#commentsFiled under: ,

After dealing with eczema for a while, we finally set out to get our daughter allergy tested. I missed the real action, but I'll try to recreate it for you from what my wife's eye witness description.

The test isn't pleasant. At the doctors office, they briefly placed a series of strips on my daughters back. Each strip has several tiny needles that have samples of allergens on them. After a while, they look as the skin and check how far the skins reaction spread from the test prick. Sounds awful doesn't it? Archer did pretty good - she didn't really want the last series, but she allowed them to do it. (She got some safe chocolate ice cream that night.)

The results? Now we know for certain that she's allergic to wheat (gluten) and dairy. There wasn't much of a reaction to corn, but the doctor suggested avoiding it anyway due to low test sensitivity.
I've learned something new - food allergies can be a cause of behavioral problems. We've definitely noticed a decrease in tantrums since we've enforced the new diet.

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]]>Will O'BrienWed, 10 Jan 2007 17:31:00 ESTHouse adventures: getting approvedhttp://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/09/house-adventures-getting-approved/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/09/house-adventures-getting-approved/http://www.parentdish.com/2007/01/09/house-adventures-getting-approved/#commentsBuying a house is one of those big steps that becomes inevitable when you've got kids. My wife and I started out in a rental duplex with our first daughter. After a couple of years and a totaled car in the nearby intersection we moved into our current rental house. It was a huge improvement. We got a fenced back yard, an unfinished basement and some decent appliances.

Our second year in the house will pass in a few months, and we're finally ready to get our own house. Today I started working to get an idea of what kind of loan we can get into. The paperwork used to be pretty scary. Years ago I was in on a refinance - we had to provide tons of paperwork to prove ourselves worthy.

So far, things seem different. I filled out the online application with my favorite bank, and visited lendingtree.com just to get a feel for the state of things. Once again my bank showed off - I received an email asking me to call them and managed to get a pre-approval at 9:45 at night. Whoa - that's right. I said 'bank' and 'night' in the same sentence. Seriously, these people are just a pleasure to deal with.

I don't know if things will continue on their smooth path - I hope so. For now, I think the bank will be happy as long as we keep our tax refund in savings for closing.

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]]>Will O'BrienTue, 09 Jan 2007 00:35:00 ESTDealing with pine needleshttp://www.parentdish.com/2006/12/17/dealing-with-pine-needles/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/12/17/dealing-with-pine-needles/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/12/17/dealing-with-pine-needles/#commentsFiled under:

Every year we bring home a christmas tree, I end up with a problem. Pine needles. Cleaning them up has always been a bit of a loosing battle. They clog up the vacuum cleaner, they stick in the carpet and sweeping just doesn't get them up. I invariably end up on my hand and knees picking up little bits of pine. Six months later, I'm still finding them finding them. It's like owning a secret herd of pine needle bearing porcupines

This year I found myself on my knees again, picking bits of tree after hauling our monster pine inside. (Note to self: Don't pick trees under 12 inches of snow) After an hour or so, I decided to do something about it. I've been meaning to pick up a big shop vac for a project, and so I figured that I'd give it a shot. I trekked over to sears and scored a giant shop/canister vacuum on sale for about $70. (Five horsepower motor, 12 gallon canister) After shocking my wife with the sheer size as I slapped the wheels on it, I put it to work. It easily sucked up every pine needle I pointed it at. To top things off, I can even use it for spot cleaning the carpet when I want to use some Rug Doctor solution.

In a way, I'm almost disappointed that it was so easy. If I'd known how well it would work, I would have gladly bought one years ago. If you've been stuck in the foot by a pine needle or two, and you value your sanity - get one.

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]]>christmas tree needlesChristmasTreeNeedlescleaningpine needlesPineNeedlesshop vacShopVacvacuumvacuum clogVacuumClogWill O'BrienSun, 17 Dec 2006 20:02:00 ESTA passage of Dadhoodhttp://www.parentdish.com/2006/12/13/a-true-passage-of-dadhood/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/12/13/a-true-passage-of-dadhood/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/12/13/a-true-passage-of-dadhood/#commentsFiled under:

We're planning to visit some relatives over the holidays. Just like many trips before, I'll be returning with more furniture that when I started. Since we'll be pulling a trailer, I've decided that we'll be taking my Jeep Liberty, since it's actually a very good tow vehicle. (These things are rated to pull 5000lbs, and can actually do it.) I like my Jeep, it's just big enough for my family, and I'm not driving an aircraft carrier around town.

In preparation for my trip, I made one of those purchases that (it would seem) are one of the true marks of being Dad. No, not a mark of fatherhood, I mean a right of passage for Dads. I bought a car top cargo box.

Which one did I buy? I picked up a Yakima Blacktop Pro 12. I like these because they're long and narrow - you'll get better mileage than the big square boxes. I managed to get the store to knock around $60 off once I convinced the sales minion to actually ask a manager about it. It's a huge improvement over my Dad's old box. It hinges open in either direction and clamps to the crossbars I already had. (It looks like it'll clamp to most roof-rack crossbars, excluding those giant things on the Nissan Xterra)

In the past, my rooftop accessories included Yakima racks, bike racks, ski racks, and even kayak racks. Only a parent can appreciate how disturbingly satisfying it is to have finally purchased a cargo box. Before I had two daughters, I would have never been so happy about buying a box for the top of my car. Honestly, I would have preferred to buy a new climbing rope any day of the week. Man, I love being Dad.

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]]>Will O'BrienWed, 13 Dec 2006 17:56:00 ESTStealing candy: changing the diet for allergieshttp://www.parentdish.com/2006/11/14/stealing-candy-changing-the-diet-for-allergies/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/11/14/stealing-candy-changing-the-diet-for-allergies/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/11/14/stealing-candy-changing-the-diet-for-allergies/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

If you remember, we were planning to take Archer (our four year old daughter) to an allergist. The results have been great. I wasn't there for the appointment, but the improvements since have been dramatic. Because the eczema was so bad, the doctor wanted it cleared up before she proceeded with allergy testing. We came home with some Zyrtec to help prevent itching and a different topical blended with eucerin cream.

Her skin cleared up incredibly fast, and we couldn't be happier. Aside from the new meds (which are to control breakouts) we've made some changes to Archer's diet. After Halloween, we cut out Wheat, Corn and Dairy. Fortunately, this change is only until she gets her allergy testing done. This is a challenge, but my pumpkin pancake recipe comes out pretty good if the flour and milk is swapped for rice flour and soy milk.

We've found that group environments are terribly at remembering about her allergy issues - the only way to make sure that others remember is to send along an allergy friendly snack just for Archer. We've had good luck with this at parent co-op pre-school. In the meantime, I've got a pumpkin full of candy to give away at work.

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]]>Will O'BrienTue, 14 Nov 2006 16:53:00 ESTEczema suckshttp://www.parentdish.com/2006/10/22/eczema-sucks/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/10/22/eczema-sucks/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/10/22/eczema-sucks/#commentsFiled under: , ,

My four year old has suffered from eczema for quite some time. What's Eczema? In a nutshell, its an irritation of the skin. In Archer's case, it itches and she ends up scratching it so much that it bleeds. It's pretty friggin horrible. We've dealt with it on and off over time. Lately it's been pretty bad. Our pediatricians prescribed steroid cream and always said it was probably caused by some external source (like our dog).

When my wife took our newborn in for one of her appointments, our midwife saw Archer's skin and suggested that it might actually be a food allergy. To be honest, this is the most plausible explanation we've ever heard. A quick search for 'food allergy eczema' turns up quite a few results.
We've tried eliminating dairy from Archer's diet, but it hasn't seemed to help. We're both pretty frustrated that our pediatrician never suggested that this could be a cause. Now that we have a new suspect, we've got an appointment with an allergy specialist later this week.

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]]>eczemafood allergyFoodAllergypediatricianskin irritationSkinIrritationWill O'BrienSun, 22 Oct 2006 11:49:00 ESTFree at last, free at last...http://www.parentdish.com/2006/09/24/free-at-last-free-at-last/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/09/24/free-at-last-free-at-last/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/09/24/free-at-last-free-at-last/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The title is a bit over the top, but it illustrates my feeling perfectly. This is the first time that new daughter Killian has deemed the baby swing worthy of her attention. She's an attention hog that one. Hates to be put down, happy as a clam when her head is on your chest.

This morning I decided to try sneaking her into the baby swing kindly provided by our neighbor friends down the street. So far she hasn't complained after ten minutes. (She complained a bit while I uploaded the picture, but now she's happy again.)

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]]>baby swingBabySwingWill O'BrienSun, 24 Sep 2006 16:57:00 ESTThe First day of Pre-Schoolhttp://www.parentdish.com/2006/09/11/the-first-day-of-pre-school/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/09/11/the-first-day-of-pre-school/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/09/11/the-first-day-of-pre-school/#commentsFiled under:

This morning I dropped off Archer, my four year old, for her first day of pre-school. The kids play on the playground at first, so they get a chance to have fun before getting started. Archer was clinging to me a bit - she played but she kept coming back to me. Once the kids went inside, I thought I might be free to go. Just as I was about to walk out to my car, one of the parent-helpers for the day came out and asked me to come in for a bit.

Continue reading The First day of Pre-School

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]]>Will O'BrienMon, 11 Sep 2006 18:30:00 ESTStarting up with a parent co-op preschoolhttp://www.parentdish.com/2006/09/08/starting-up-with-a-parent-co-op-preschool/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/09/08/starting-up-with-a-parent-co-op-preschool/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/09/08/starting-up-with-a-parent-co-op-preschool/#commentsFiled under: ,


This fall we decided that My four year old daughter should start going to pre-school. Because I happen to live in the town I grew up in, I checked out the pre-school that I actually went to. The playground equipment has been updated, but it's the same place. The parents help out alot - tonight was our first meeting before school starts up. We actually approved the budget and discussed the various ways that parents help out.

Continue reading Starting up with a parent co-op preschool

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]]>playschoolpreschoolWill O'BrienFri, 08 Sep 2006 09:30:00 ESTSay hello to Killian O'Brienhttp://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/31/say-hello-to-killian-obrien/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/31/say-hello-to-killian-obrien/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/31/say-hello-to-killian-obrien/#commentsFiled under:


The latest addition to my family arrived today at 1:02pm. She weighed in at 8lb 4oz. The birth was great. We (My wife) opted for a natural child birth this time around. It was a great experience. I got to support her through the process and Killian was never swept away from us by a grumpy nurse. Our midwife Didi was awesome. She definitely knows what she's doing. Every time she left the room she gave me some helpful guidance. The birth was really fast! In fact, just a few hours after the birth we were back home. My dog was pretty curious about the new baby. She was excited, but showed enough brains to be careful around the new arrival. We're all pretty whipped, but everyone is doing great. I'll try to write more about the experience later, but for now I've got stuff to do.

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]]>Will O'BrienThu, 31 Aug 2006 20:11:00 ESTMy daughter learned to hide the cookieshttp://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/11/my-daughter-learned-to-hide-the-cookies/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/11/my-daughter-learned-to-hide-the-cookies/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/11/my-daughter-learned-to-hide-the-cookies/#commentsFiled under:

My basement is where I've got my home theater/home office/workshop/espresso bar set up. I've even managed to score the comfy couch for my basement wonderland. Archer, my four year old daughter, was hanging out on the couch snacking on some graham cracker cookies. When she heard my wife coming, she looks at me and says 'I've got to put away my bunnie cookies before Mommy comes."

I was more amused than shocked. Sometimes my wife is a bit uh.. excitable. I don't really want to encourage deceptiveness, but I definitely encourage keeping Mommy happy. I offered Archer a suitable location to put the cookies. I was raised to be honest, but I've learned that sometimes honesty with my wife leaves me with a killer headache later on.

Just to be clear, if I caught my daughter in the cookies she'd probably be in trouble. I'd allowed her to have a few cookies since I was a bit hungry myself. Personally, I'll take trust over cookies any day.

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]]>conspiracycookieskidsWill O'BrienFri, 11 Aug 2006 11:00:00 ESTPreparing for the big dayhttp://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/11/preparing-for-the-big-day/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/11/preparing-for-the-big-day/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/11/preparing-for-the-big-day/#commentsFiled under:

If you've forgotten, my wife has chosen to go with a natural birth center this time around. Tonight she handed me the list o' things we need to have on hand for the birth. It's full of good stuff, but my initial look at it left me thinking of something entirely different.

It reads like a hit man's check list.

Mind you it was the home birth section that caught my eye. I initially saw 'vehicle full of gasoline' as 'a gallon of gasoline'. The flashlight with good batteries and plastic sheet - These all good things for the prospective home birther, but I couldn't help thinking of wondering around in the woods with a flashlight, plastic sheet and gasoline on hand.

In reality, we've obtained almost all of the absorbent products made by modern man today. I'm probably too relaxed about the whole thing, but I'm definitely looking forward to it.

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]]>Will O'BrienFri, 11 Aug 2006 09:30:00 ESTTwo weekshttp://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/08/two-weeks/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/08/two-weeks/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/08/two-weeks/#commentsFiled under:

According to the all-hallowed due date, in just two weeks I get to meet my new daughter. I recently started reflecting on how much I've changed this time around. I'm used to being a dad. I'm used to being woken up by an energetic little girl coming in and thumping on me. The second kid is going to be a whole different ball-game.

I distrinctly remember being worried about hurting my new daughter while trying to change her diaper. Some irritable nurse was waiting to foist her off for god knows what. She took over and I immediately realized just how much of a wuss I was being. Today I fear no diaper, only the results of certain fruits and vegetables. (nuff said)

Anyhow, as "The Bellah"(Think scottish) gets bigger and the due date closes in we've been getting ready. We successfully moved Archer (our four year old) over to her "Big Girl Room" a couple months ago. I left the crib in pieces for a while, but now it's finally back together. We trekked over to Target and stocked up on baby supplies. I went for the safe plan and got some newboard diapers as well as size 1. With the exception of needing some wipes, we're all set for the next wave of babydom.

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]]>Will O'BrienTue, 08 Aug 2006 08:29:00 ESTDaddy, can I have espresso?http://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/07/daddy-can-i-have-espresso/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/07/daddy-can-i-have-espresso/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/07/daddy-can-i-have-espresso/#commentsFiled under: ,

I laughed with glee when my four year old queried 'Daddy, can I have espresso?' while I was home for lunch. My wife was mildly horrified, if amused at the idea. (Mostly because I've been known to give her a taste and it was just before nap time) No, I'm not about to pull shots of espresso for my kid, but I still love it.

My daughter's been helping me make espresso ever since she could perch on a bar stool without falling over. Today, I've got the bench from my sewing machine in front of my espresso bar just for her. She can grind, tamp and pull espresso like a champ while I stand over her smoking my Partagas Perfecto cigar. I love having minions.... Ok, just kidding. But she does like to help me tamp the coffee grounds.

I've got the bench set up on the far side of my espresso bar, well away from the machine to avoid getting anything hot on her. Today she even helped level the grinds before we tamped the grounds in. I give the grounds my usual tamp pressure, then let her have at it. (When it's colder outside, I steam her some hot chocolate milk.)

I've been having fun with coffee ever since I started roasting my own. It's fun and I get to drink and share the rewards. No matter how much I put into the hobby, the drinks my daughter helps make are always the best.

(And no, I don't usually steal the baby spoons for my espresso.)

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]]>Will O'BrienMon, 07 Aug 2006 19:02:00 ESTThe inconsistent picky eaterhttp://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/03/the-inconsistent-picky-eater/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/03/the-inconsistent-picky-eater/http://www.parentdish.com/2006/08/03/the-inconsistent-picky-eater/#commentsFiled under: ,

My three year old daughter Archer is kinda weird sometimes. I'm used to the fact that she doesn't usually mix foods. If she's given apples and cheese to eat, then she'll eat all of one thing at a time. She generally shies away from more complex offerings, but every so often she just freaks me out.

The other night we were enjoying some barbecue sandwiches, and thought she'd like to steal some of our sweet potato fries. Well, she surprised us. First she ate all of our pickle slices (I detest the things) and then.... she ate a bunch of raw onion. What the heck? What three year old girl eats raw onions?

This reminds me of when she was two. I'm a bit of a coffee nut, and she was helping me make espresso. I'd perch her on a bar stool and she'd help me tamp the ground coffee into the filter. When we were done, she kept bugging me about wanting some. I thought to myself "OK, I'll give her a little taste, she'll hate it and quit asking." I'm certainly not about to give a two year old a shot of espresso, but I figured that one drop would do.
Her response still rings in my ears. "Yummy!" She's definitely my daughter.

The lesson is thus: Do not try to understand the inner workings of a toddlers taste buds, or madness shall follow.

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]]>espressoonionWill O'BrienThu, 03 Aug 2006 20:01:00 EST