msbelle, I'm sorry about the frustration. Normal or not, I imagine it's more than a little craxy-making.

I have a six year old nephew who will only eat meat. Only. Meat. No cheese, no fruit, no veggies. Not even cheese or potatoes.

I'm waiting to see if he's diagnosed with clogged arteries before he gets to the 7th grade.

Kids and food make me craxy. Owen will ignore what's on his plate to go and steal off of Olivia's highchair tray. It's the SAME FOOD--only cut up into smaller pieces.

It's a struggle getting meat in him right now and since he refuses all veggies, I am not really willing to give up on meat.

So pasta is his really-truly favorite, eh? Man, kids and their weird food things. I still can't get over the fact the nephew likes canned bean, corn and carrot juice. It's freakish!

If you want to sneak extra protein into him, my parents use this weird crumbly vegetable protein stuff in pasta sauces and whatnot.

I just heard a Postal Service song in a UPS commercial. Clever.

msbelle, {{{{{{{{{{{{}}}}}}}}}}

Also, hide some salami in a twinkie. That is my expert advice.

when I nannied, Z would only eat noodles with butter and cheese, bologna, and scrambled eggs. If you tried to use the spinach pasta she would REFUSE to eat it because she said it was a vegetable. True, yet only in the loosest sense of the word.

when I nannied

Hahah. I have stories. So many food stories. One wouldn't eat meat. Another veggies. The third? pasta.

I served them meat lasagne and LIED. Plus bribery. Hey, I could sink to that level, I was paid.

David, I am with you. no way am I cooking another dinner or tossing out good food. Problem with tonight was his dinner was beef, so I can't eat it. He had 2 strips of bacon instead. It's a struggle getting meat in him right now and since he refuses all veggies, I am not really willing to give up on meat.

There are recent studies indicating that left to their own appetites kids will eat what they need. Personally, I vowed a long time ago to never have a fight about dinner. "Here's what I made. If you don't want it there's cereal, toast or a PB&J. That's it." It helps to have an outlet plan, but no double dinners either.

It's also good to remember that they have very limited palates at that age. You get four or five good regular meals in rotation and life's good. I pushed the nutrition by making a lot of fruit smoothies which are both tasty and fun to do huddled over the blender. Kids love blenders.

My nephew LOVES fruit smoothies. Lots of calcium and vitamin C, and he gets to push the button. Everybody wins.

Owen will ignore what's on his plate to go and steal off of Olivia's highchair tray. It's the SAME FOOD--only cut up into smaller pieces.

Yeah, but since Olivia is clearly the favorite, you're obviously giving her the good stuff. Sheesh, mom!

Sorry, msbelle -- you didn't get to warm up with a baby refusing mashed whatever.

Top Chef: Sheesh! That was not at all what I was expecting.

Question to the hivemind: I bought a leather coat from the thrift store with a polyester fake fleece lining. Unfortunately the previous owner was a smoker. I'm assuming washing will get the smoke out of the liner, but what would be the best way to get it out of the leather?