Why Everything's a Grasshopper?

Welcome to Everything's a Grasshopper!  I'm the mom of two toddlers. - My daughter is 1 1/2 years old and loves food.  She's adventurous and will eat anything you put in front of her.  My 2 1/2 year old son on the other hand is an extremely picky eater.  He has limited himself to eating only a few foods and is very reluctant to have new food on his plate, let alone to touch or eat it.  After an unsuccessful search for an online support system for parents of extremely picky eaters and learning of other moms whose children are also struggling with food, I decided to create a blog of my own.

You may be wondering why this blog is called, "Everything's a Grasshopper."  The name was inspired by an article I read on Marsha Dunn Klein's website entitled, "Everything is a Grasshopper."  This article opened my eyes to what must be going through my son's mind as a new food is presented to him.  In this article she recounts a trip to Mexico where her host family served grasshoppers for dinner.  As you might imagine, she didn't immediately pop one in her mouth and start chewing!  Rather, she explored this new "food" by looking at it, observing her host family eat it, smelling it, poking at it with her finger, and finally taking a small bite.  Our kids also need the freedom to explore new foods without pressure to, "Just take a bite!".  Click here to read her article.

I plan to periodically update the blog with information on books or articles that I've found to be helpful, links to recipes for picky eaters, updates on techniques that have or haven't worked for us, and ideas submitted by other parents of picky eaters.  Note that I'm not a health care professional, just a mom who loves her two kids and wants to help them live happy and healthy lives.  I'm eager to help others by sharing what I've learned and also learn from your experiences as well!

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I just read this article by Cheri Fraker and thought I'd share.  :)
http://www.wellsphere.com/children-s-health-article/how-to-do-food-chaining-therapy-everything-is-a-grasshopper-marsha-dunn-klein/957505