-- The first offense: On a usual early morning, Sophia begrudgingly goes downstairs by herself after her futile attempts to get mom out of bed. Mom comes down a little later to find Sophia on the couch with a full carton of ice cream and a spoon--- digging in....
--Second offense: It happens again, only this time she's had the lecture that ice cream is not for breakfast and it's not ok to sneak down and eat junk food at any time of day and ESPECIALLY not first thing in the morning and especially especially not on Mommy's couch. So this time the scene is changed only subtly with her shoveling the spoonfuls in faster as I approach all the while saying "sorry mommy, I didn't mean to.... sorry mommy, I didn't mean to".... repeat, repeat.
(I realize I should put the ice cream far far away in the outside freezer to eliminate the temptation and so I do.)
-- Third offense: She goes downstairs ... quite happily by now, in fact I'd venture to say she tip toes past me trying NOT to awake me. I know she's gone, but my sleeping monster side is stronger than my good-mom-who-doesn't-want-daughter-to-stuff-face-with-junk-at-6 am side. She comes back up a few minutes later.... looking pretty good and says "I washed my hands all by myself!" We go down.... no signs of anything fishy, except for maybe a stool that's been dragged into the pantry. Hmm. ............................................ until like 4 hours later I find my peanut butter malt balls in my freezer (where they don't belong) with the lid off, and the chocolate coating nibbled off.... little deformed naked malt balls. That's what she left me. She was at preschool so I couldn't even scold.
-- Fourth offense ( I think. I may have missed a couple- it's out of control). Starts out the same. Only Ross gets out of the shower early enough to realize that she's snuck downstairs while I fell back asleep and he goes down to find her on the couch with one sucker in her left hand, FOUR in her right. All unwrapped. She's eating 5 suckers at once. WHY??? just because she can. Because she's found my weakness. She knows I'm lacking all ambition and drive and parental-decision-making-capabilities and strength in my legs at 6 am (ok, sometimes a lot later Ross, but the hour is really neither here nor there. (I've never really understood that phrase)??) The morning is not my strong suit. And I totally believe what they say about every successful person waking early. I know it's good for you-- "early to bed early to rise".... it's on the list. (The resolutions of course). But I've got a ways to go. I don't take responsibility for personality traits exposed before 7 (sometimes 8 shhhh). I'm not me. I don't think my sleep is more important than my daughter's healthful habits, but I'm not in a state of mind to make that decision in the wee hours.
So I feel like we've hid everything (Oh and I didn't even KNOW we had suckers in our pantry. She's like a hound dog. She sniffed those suckers out from some nasty old Halloween stash in the back corner where nobody goes.) If there's anything incredibly processed, refined, and filled with high fructose corn syrup, she'll seek after those things. ;)
-- Then there was the mini-mint-ice cream sandwiches from Trader Joe's in the freezer that I found a day later with the cookies nibbled off the ice cream.
--- The box of candy canes she had sprawled out on the couch when I came down from my shower and she THOUGHT she was eating them but they were still wrapped. Phew. She seemed a little confused/disappointed at the taste.
-- 7th or 8th offense: Ross and I are both home and awake (she's gettin' cocky) just occupied upstairs when we realize that she's been awfully quiet for a while until we hear "Help! Help! I'm stuck!"... and run down to find her SCALING the pantry shelves and stuck like a little monkey with her arms and legs wrapped around that middle post (picture the center of the V-shaped pantry) toward the TOP of the pantry. Her stool had been pulled in to give her a boost of course. ( I had moved the nap-time-treat bowl to the back of the very top shelf). Ok. That's it. We put a child-lock on the outside of the pantry door (which is very annoying when I have a little bit of oil or flour on my hands and it becomes adult-proof-- but obviously needed.
--And then there's this morning: the latest and oh-how-I-want-to-say "final" offense:
We had some delicious, big, chunky, rich, frosted brownies left over from last night on our counter. I knew it was dangerous, so I hid them in a bag in the corner and camouflaged them with a kitchen towel. Now that I'm putting this all in writing I sound like an idiot. It all sounds so obvious, like I'm leaving honey out for a bear. And sure enough. She comes back up, (that's right... I don't even know now that she ever goes downstairs, so discreet), and she says "I washed my hands and my face all by myself!". So I'm running through all the things it could be while Ross goes down to asess the damage. And there is indeed a LARGE hole where a brownie used to be on the plate. She has eaten honestly a fist-sized, RICH, decadent, frosted brownie for breakfast. And I'm pretty sure that her record breaking obnoxious behavior for the few hours there after (one of which was at church) ... was due to that sugar OVERLOAD.
And that's it. We're done. Drastic measures must be taken. My daughter is ADDICTED to sugar. Remember how ALL she wanted from Santa was a lolli pop. And she got it, and it really is still the only thing she remembers getting. Am I such an emotional eater that I've already made my daughter that emotionally attached to her favorite foods?! I want so badly for her to eat healthy. I thought I tried so hard when she was younger to give her healthy habits. But then as she got a little older there were exceptions here and there. Birthday parties, meeting friends at McDonald's, Sunday baking that feels so good and homey... but always ends in my little helper screaming at me for more more MORE! It's a drug--- I tell you. It brings a little bit of happiness and then a whole bunch of bad aftermath. In her behavior, and my love handles. Oh what's a mama to do? Am I really going to have to cleanse our house from top to bottom of all things treat??
20 comments:
Wow. I still feel sick from that huge brownie I ate at your house, I cannot believe she ate a whole one by herself!!!! And I'm like 4 times her size....that would be like me eating 4 of those at 6am. Although, I'm sure Tanner could do the same. I can't believe she found them. How did she know??? Do you think she just searches and searches?
This post totally cracked me up! I say lay all the sugar around and maybe she'll be so used to it, she won't want it anymore. Yeah right. I keep thinking that to myself and just remember what I have each day and eat it every day. BTW, can I switch love handles with you? I like the kind you have that don't show at all. You're the best!
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Yep, you'll have to do it - remove the sugar and go blah. That's what we had to do. My three year old is currently going through a similar stage where he wants only the sweet stuff. I remember this stage when my oldest was three. You'll find she will enjoy treats like apple slices or celery with peanut butter - both healthy and sweet! And your love handles? Trade ya!
I think she must just be getting you ready for if I ever come to visit... :)
Let her eat it!!!! ha ha ha. This is spoken by a mom who woke up to find the entire dozen oatmeal cookies devoured and no one would fess up... hmm... crumb trail? Sophia is hilarious. Knows just how to drive ya crazy like any girl should!
I have three little sugar addicts too. I decided that the ONLY solution to this problem is to throw every stitch of sugar in the garbage. That way mom doesn't get tempted either. It worked like a charm.
Christin
By the way, love the picture. Luke was telling me that he has found his new love. (: Heee Heee
Christin
Lillie I am not a morning person either, drives Mitch crazy. Have you ever thought of putting a child gate at the top of your stairs? Also we had to put a lock on our pantry that use a key (my kids know how to open child lock handles). I think a sweet treat here and there isn't bad but I do think if you go cold turkey she would only get worse like at a friends house, school and other places. Do you have cupboard above your fridge? If you do that is where I would put it. Then I would make sure she never sees you go up there for the sweets. If she loses it because she can't find it help her look, show her that it is all gone. Then tell her it is s privilege to get sweets. Have her earn that sucker. I also have a friend that makes her kid eats something healthy when they want sweets then and only then if they still want it (sometimes they forget altogether) she will give them a piece of something sweet. They usually don't eat the whole thing because they are full on the healthy thing. Good luck.
Yeah- that's a tough one. We got three tiers of Godiva chocolates and truffles for christmas from a cousin of Joes. I think I ate the whole thing in like a week, all by myself! I am a well educated adult and I find it extremely hard to resist temptation when it is in the house, and I'm in the worst mood when it is not in the house. How must it be for a three year old that only really knows that the stuff tastes SO GOOD?! When my kids ask for sweets early in the day (not including raisins or fruit snacks) I TRY to tell them they can eat it after dinner, if they eat their dinner. Sometimes Joseph is reasonable enough to understand. Millie just flips out and we have to go outside or something to distract her.
Sophia has a long-lost sugar buddy in Las Vegas! Nate is the SAME way. LOVES anything yummy and learned from an early age where things are that he wants.
Here's my philosophy. He needs to eat 3 healthy meals. And a few treats throughout the day in between are JUST fine. My mom was a treat nazi and it backfired on me and my little sis' because that's ALL you want when you can't have it.
Unfortunately, if you rise early with her your problem might be solved. Wes and I grab a blanket and lay on the couch while he runs around and while it's not nearly as comfy as the bed, at least you're laying down. :)
GOOD LUCK. And a little sugar never hurt anyone. :)
Although I would feel bad about Sawyer eating junk in the early morning, nothing is more important than my sleep. Don't let it worry you...if you deprive them of the sugar than I think they almost become more addicted when they are older and can make the decision themselves. Treats are just too good to not have in the house.
All these mothers should be ashamed. Clearly you and they have done something wron...
Sorry, had to wipe the chocolate off my keyboard.
Hilarious post. Sophia is awesome.
I've tried cleansing the house of sugar and I go nuts. I do try to buy LESS sugary treats though. Ammon loves to have a treat, so he will say "Mom can I have an apple and then a chocolate?" It's pretty cute. I was laughing at your story, that's so crazy that Sophia got into those things on her own.
Sophia!! Instead of Sophie-bug, you should call her Sugar-bug.
So Papa Kirk says, "What's the problem?"
I am laughing so hard I can hardling see the screen! Hilarious!!! She is resourceful, tenacious and determined - she is not going to let anything get in her way; she has a sense of right and wrong - since she was apologizing for doing something she knows is wrong.
Leave her a "sweet snack" by her bed that she can find when she gets up in the morning...like graham crackers with light cream cheese and blue berries. She must be the type that is starving in the morning!
Oh maybe she IS my niece. I laughed and laughed and read this aloud to Paul. Really? Climbing up to the top shelf of the pantry and getting stuck? You DO have your hands full. That hilarious cookie monster - love her. I hear you on the early morning incoherance, and don't know what I would do! Tell us how this plays out, since I'm surely going to have sweet toothed offspring too. I know what I'm bringing Soph when I come next - a giant lollipop in the shape of the Washington Memorial or something...
It's the image of her on the couch with five lollipops that had me. And good luck. I am one hundred percent anticipating these same challenges, as on Sunday night she wouldn't eat anything...but was willing to do whatever it took when the brownies came out.
Check out the book 'How to get your child to eat...but not too much' by Ellyn Satter. She has a great perspective on teaching your child healthy eating habits. Her other book 'Child of Mine' has some info on sugar that might help you as well. I was that little girl searching for and sneaking treats from my mother's kitchen. I even remember doing it. When I could find the treats I tried Crisco because it looked like frosting and vanilla since it had to taste as good as it smelled! Good luck Lillie! And thanks for sharing your realities of motherhood. It's refreshing and therapeutic. ;)
Hey, this is Jana, Dave's wife (Ross's BYU Buddy). We love your blog, you take the best pictures and have a fun way of writing. This post was so fun to read. I have a girl who LOVES all things sweet as well. I can't blame her really, they are good. It's hard to teach kids about food without making them emotionally attached, good or bad. I do worry about making my daughter ever think she will get fat ect... So I've just tried to focus on healthy eating. Teaching her what food are good for her body and what foods will make her body "sick"(as in run down immune system, clogged arteries, ect). She really seems to understand that. She now 5, but will ask for a "healthy" snack. We don't, by any means, go without treats. But I just tell her these are the foods that you don't want to eat a lot of because they are bad for us in "large" amounts.
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