B+C+B+C+B+C: He ate asparagus!

Saturday, February 28, 2009

He ate asparagus!

Only those who KNOW Brian will understand how momentous this is.

My husband - as wonderful as he is - has a strong aversion to vegetables. And all nuts. And most fruit. And beans. Jam, peanut butter, milk, bologna, pork chops, cottage cheese, mustard, mayo, cream cheese, granola, raisins, any/all seafood, string cheese.... that's all he could identify off the top of his head (he dictated that list). He’s President of the Picky Eaters. At least he was 3.5 years ago when I married him.
So... we haven't made it a big deal in our marriage. Food is such trivial, temporal thing - it's not worth arguing over. Choose your battles, as my mom says.
But… I do want him to live past age 60 and stay out of hospitals as much as possible.
So I haven’t surrendered! I just "subtly encourage" - which Brian calls "being sneaky." I'm a big fan of Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" and I regularly integrate those tactics into anything I make. But I strongly believe in the higher principle of actually knowing what is going in your mouth and being open minded about it.
I have to use the right tactics. I've learned that I can't ASK Brian to try new things. He'll politely say NO. I've also learned not to bug him in public. So that only leaves room for home experimentation. I must wait for the right moment... when he is very hungry, feeling amiable, and not rushed.
So Brian came home from work one day last week and I had dinner all ready. Steak fillets, seasoned brown rice, and.... grilled asparagus. I just made up the plates, and we sat down. He looked at me and said, "Chelsea, what is this green thing doing on my plate?" I replied casually, "the same thing the brown things are doing."
Eating resumed. I struggled to contain my elation when Brian tentatively bit into into the asparagus…then unflinchingly ate all 6 sticks. I didn’t even say anything as I went to grab the camera. He laughed as I took these photos – which is another big step for him – he typically doesn’t like me to “think I won.”
But… I DID! And so did he. Win-win.
Next on the menu: squash. Wish me luck.

6 comments:

Julie said...: holy moly - I didn't know he didn't like all those things!! although I DID know he didn't like veggies!!! Kudos on the asparagus!!; February 28, 2009 at 7:04 PM
Debbie said...: Here is a funny - grandson Cougar, age 4, was visiting last week. He had fun helping me make cookies - they were pretty "tweaked" with the healthy substitutions. When sampling time came, he willingly bit in and said, "nonny, these cookies taste really strange"! So he took his cookie to his Papa. BTW - these cookies are my favorite - I bake them and can't stay away from them - no sugar, butter, or "bad" stuff of any kind! I use Yakon Syrup - have you heard of Yakon Syrup? Bet you didn't even know you could get syrup from Yaks!; February 28, 2009 at 7:23 PM
Debbie said...: Another BTW - Luck? Ha - no luck to it - just deceit with good intentions!; February 28, 2009 at 7:26 PM
Unknown said...: I almost fell over when you said that Brian didn't like Cream Cheese or Mayo! I couldn't live without either of those!
I love vegetables, but I really love grilled vegetables! Try grilling your squash, even he may like those!; March 1, 2009 at 5:04 PM
Chelsea and Cody said...: I have to argue. Cody is definitely the president...maybe your hubby is the vice pres.; March 1, 2009 at 6:43 PM
Mandy said...: Gosh, I guess I am not as picky of an eater as I thought I was! :) Yay!! Grilled veggies ARE the best!! Congrats on getting your hubby to try new things! :) Andy wishes that he could get me to do that!! I am with Brian on ALL seafood . . . YUCK!! But no peanut butter? Jam? Has he had home made freezer jam? Oh it's so yummy! Wow, I am feeling pretty good that I only have a few things on that list that I don't eat! :); March 6, 2009 at 11:11 PM

Quotes I want to remember

"The Lord knows our bearing capacity, both as to coping and to comprehending, and He will not give us more to bear than we can manage at the moment, though to us it may seem otherwise. Just as no temptations will come to us from which we cannot escape or which we cannot bear, we will not be given more trials than we can sustain."
- Neal A. Maxwell

"It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters. We become enamored with men's theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother's influence."
-Ezra Taft Benson

“Perhaps there has never been a time when we had greater need to pray and to teach our family members to pray. Prayer is a defense against temptation. It is through earnest and heartfelt prayer that we can receive the needed blessings and the support required to make our way in this sometimes difficult and challenging journey we call mortality.”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Live the gospel as conspicuously as you can. Keep the covenants your children know you have made. And bear your testimony! Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own.
-Jeffrey R. Holland

"We hold in our arms the rising generation. They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge as parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith."
-Neil L. Andersen

"Certainly there are times when getting the family together to read the scriptures does not stack up as a spiritual experience worthy of a journal entry. But we must not be deterred. There are special times when the spirit of a son or daughter is just right and the power of these great scriptures goes down into their heart like fire. As we honor our Heavenly Father in our homes, He will honor our efforts."
-Neil L. Andersen

President Hinckley admonished both men and women to be nurturers. He said, ‘How much more beautiful would be the society in which we live if every father . . . and . . . mother regarded [their] children . . . as gifts from the God of heaven . . . and brought them up with true affection in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord.’ ”
-Susan W. Tanner

"Children are like trees. When they are young, their lives can be shaped and directed, usually with ever so little effort. Said the writer of Proverbs, 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it' (22:6). That training finds its roots in the home. There will be little of help from other sources. Do not depend on government to help in this darkening situation. Barbara Bush, wife of former U.S. president George Bush, spoke wisely: 'Your success as a family, our success as society, depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house.' "
-Gordon B. Hinckley

“I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion.”
-Henry B. Eyring

“Reverent behavior is not a natural tendency for most children. It is a quality that is taught by parents and leaders through example and training. But remember, if reverence is rooted in love, so is the teaching of it. Harshness in our training begets resentment, not reverence.”
-Margaret S. Lifferth

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."
- M. Russell Ballard

“As parents, we should remember that our lives may be the book from the family library which the children most treasure. Are our examples worthy of emulation? Do we live in such a way that a son or a daughter may say, ‘I want to follow my dad,’ or ‘I want to be like my mother’?”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Security for our families comes from learning self-control, avoiding the excesses of this world, and being temperate in all things.”
-Kent D. Watson

Saturday, February 28, 2009

He ate asparagus!

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