Eating, Video Games and Dancing

What do those three have in common? As some of you know...

Eating... Tyler doesn't like to try new foods... and even has a hard time eating the foods that he likes.

Video Games... Tyler also loves Mario Kart Double Dash on the Gamecube which he refers to as "Daddy's Game". He doesn't play (yet), but he likes to watch others play the game.

Dancing... Tyler also likes to dance, especially to the music that plays between the races.

So in our seemingly never ending quest to get Tyler to eat, I've now tried a new method that combines these three things. I don't know if this is good parenting or not, but it has worked the past few nights so that he has eaten his dinner.

Tyler gets to watch a race, do a little dance and then in order for the next race to start, Tyler needs to eat a bite of his dinner. If he resists eating (usually saying that he wants to dance), I threaten to turn off the game. So far I haven't had to turn off the TV but so far I've only fed him food he likes (corn and rice). He then chews as the next race is played and then the cycle begins again.

Altogether it means that Tyler gets to watch "Daddy's Game", Tyler eats, Daddy gets to play Gamecube in the name of "good parenting" and Tyler gets a little exercise by dancing. Win, win, win, win :)

Running Til it Hurts...

...which it turns out was about 5 minutes the first time I went. I started run/walking a few weeks ago and have been pretty good about going 2-3 times a week for about a half hour. I'm not really pushing myself "to the limit" each time, as it were, but I'm getting better at jog/running for a greater percentage of the time. I'm going for "general fitness" and some weight loss, not a marathon so I figure the most important thing is being consistent.

My cousins started a "Biggest Loser" competition a few months ago that should be wrapping up soon. I thought about participating (Jennifer and my brothers "encouraged me") but it was shortly after starting my new job and I had recently gained 10-15 lbs from the stress about the whole work/money situation at the time (being that I had just got let go from Aradyme) so didn't want to get involved (there was a $30 entrance fee).

Since I've started I've lost about 5 lbs. Hopefully I can keep it up and shed a few more pounds.