I wrote this about a year and a half ago, when I had a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. They are now 6 and 4 and the situation has only gotten worse. :)
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What's up, Doc?
I knew teenage boys would be expensive to feed. What I did not realize, however, is that, where food is concerned, the "teenage" appetite begins about the time they graduate from baby food to the stuff everyone else eats.
Yesterday Zach and I had been out and about while Alex was at school, and we didn't manage to get any lunch before we had to pick Alex up at 1:00. So, after picking him up, we stopped at a local restaurant. I told Alex he could get a drink. When we got to the counter, he ordered a grilled cheese and fries. I asked, "Didn't you eat lunch at school," and he replied "Yes, but that was a long time ago." (They eat at 12:15.)
When our CSA delivery got here, the boys were munching on apples before I even got everything else put away. Between the two of them, they ate 3 apples and 5 or 6 (smallish) carrots. This was just a snack. It was followed by dinner of homemade pizza, salad, and fruit, and then cupcakes for dessert because we were celebrating Alex's "half-birthday."
It didn't stop today. They had grilled cheese for lunch and went through half a loaf of bread. and half a bag of pirate booty. and more strawberries and carrots.
a typical snack
Zach ate about 5 pancakes for breakfast one morning last weekend.
I'm not sure how they manage to stay within the normal weight parameters for their age. They're both tall and "normal" as far as weight goes.
Do all preschool boys eat this way?? Can anyone help me forecast my grocery list/budget for 10 years from now?? Do I need to move to a ranch in the midwest where we raise our own cattle and grow a huge garden so I can keep them fed?!
Oiy.
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megwc
Janice Wood
Christine Geery
Liane Carter
L in the Southeast
Pavanne Veltman
Salon.com
Comments
Then one got a part time job delivering pizza after school and brought home pizzas that were never picked up.
I feel your you..
rated with hugs
Great post.
Linda - mine have it in their genes to get that tall too. My husband's 6'4" and his father was 6'7". Maybe they need to find a nice pizza delivery job, too. Good idea!
hugs - that's exactly what I was afraid of.
rjheart - now you're scaring me, really! More than your mortgage. Ouch.
Bea - thank you! They do look rather sweet and innocent in this picture, don't they? :)
Bellwether - yes, on occasion one will pause for a day or two, but the appetite always comes back with a vengeance.
Janice - oh no! I can't keep orange juice in the house to save my life. I mean, really, who walks into the kitchen with a 32 oz stadium cup and fills it with orange juice? Kuebler boys, that's who.
Lucy - oh, to have girls with peckish appetites. I'll trade you. Just one weekend a month would put a serious cushion in my budget. :) One son loves meat and veggies. The other one, it's more of a struggle (he'll eat select raw fruits and veggies, but doesn't want anything cooked). We do our best with what we've got for the moment.
Joan - thank you. :)
Grace - we struggle with the green for one son. The other one listed spinach on his birthday wish list. Go figure. Just keep trying, it'll come (hopefully). My brother still eats very little in the green department (lettuce is the only one that comes to mind at the moment), but he is in fantastic shape and was a great athlete, all the way through college and even now. Maybe a good multivitamin is all that some of us need!
Thanks again, everyone, for reading and commenting!