48 Hour Cycles.

One of the most helpful suggestions that emerged from my post on the travails of getting young children to eat dinner was this:

“Pay attention to what your children eat over the course of a few days vs. within a single 24-hour period.”

Sure enough, I have been finding that my children do eat their vegetables and fruits and proteins, and do tuck into a large meal, when I expand the lens to a 48-hour or even 72-hour period. Interestingly, the exercise led me to observe that my children tend to do their “best” eating in the first half of the day. My son, who will rarely eat more than a bite or two of chicken at dinner, will handily eat an entire bowl of yogurt with cut fruit and nuts/granola in it and often ask for seconds, in the mornings. Last week, while he was on spring break, we took him out to lunch, and he ordered a plate of pasta and meatballs, which he ate 2/3rds of at the table, and then asked to finish when we returned home, after a brief sojourn at the playground. This insight has led me to contemplate introducing more variety into their diets in the first half of the day. Typically, I find we are more routine at breakfast and lunch, whereas dinners are much more varied. I’m going to explore whether they will tolerate more adventure in the earlier mealtimes of the day, when they are hungry, or whether (as is my hunch) they eat better in the mornings because they know and trust the food we are serving at those mealtimes. Still, I’m modestly optimistic because I am now realizing that my son will eat anything baked in a bread form, and is also always intrigued by “bowls” with customizable toppings, so acai bowls, smoothie bowls, etc, might be a good way to sneak in some veggies and proteins under the guise of a fun breakfast.

Anyhow — I am so grateful for the suggestion to think beyond the 24-hour circadian rhythm, because I feel much better about my children’s nutritional intake, and I find it less mad-making. Instead of wringing my hands while asking: “Why didn’t he eat anything tonight?”, I will muse, “Well, he had a big meal earlier today,” or “Last night, he filled up on fish and broccoli!” and move on with my life. Thank you for this tremendous unlock.

Paradoxically — or possibly not? — my son, who almost always eats around the protein on his dinner plate, decided this week that he “LOVES CHICKEN.” My husband made “Publican Chicken,” a delicious grilled preparation, for the hundredth time, and on that hundredth go-around, without being asked or invited, my son ate all of the chicken on his plate while Mr. Magpie and I exchanged frantic eyes. After, he exclaimed: “I LOVE CHICKEN!” and then asked for a repeat the next several nights at dinner time. We remain flabbergasted by his sudden capriciousness, and we can’t ferret the provenance. (Is it possible that my new, more lax attitude has invited more ambition in his palate?)

Hope springs eternal.

Anyhow, sharing the insight around 48 hour cycles in case it unlocks something for you — whether it pertains to your children’s diets or not. One Magpie wrote in to me along these lines a few weeks ago: “One day, my children may eat terribly and the next, very well. I try to keep that in mind in terms of my productivity, working out, calling my mom. My cycle might be different than the expectation.”

Wow!

I have since been wondering if adjusting the aperture on other matters might yield new insights, or at least afford me the room to give myself more grace. For example, maybe it is better to evaluate how much I exercise, or how much I accomplish on a given project, or how much I read, within two-day increments, or three-day increments, versus the standard 24 hour period to which we all find ourselves beholden.

Have you found adjusting the time measurement increment useful? Please share your thoughts!

Post-Scripts.

+Inspired by a conversation with my friend Mackenzie, I have found this idea of adjusting the timeline for measurement useful in the general matter of “balance” between motherhood and work. Specifically, I now try not to get too down on myself when reflecting on things a day at a time. Rather, I try to look at how I feel over the course of the past month. I felt this powerfully last weekend because Mr. Magpie and I went out three nights last week (unusual for us) and I was grappling with a twinge of guilt for missing so many dinnertimes and bedtimes. But then I reflected and realized we’d spent an entire weekend — just the four of us — altogether at the lake house. And I hadn’t missed a dinner or bedtime a single night in the week and a half prior. And so it really does all balance out. Some weeks are just going to be dense with commitments, and others are going to be ripe for leaning into motherhood. The point is that, across a month, how do I feel I did? Was I away too much, or did I need more of an outlet?

+I am so glad I wrote this post on “taking your own joy seriously,” and, specifically, living by yourself if you have the occasion to do so. I just received a letter from a former intern of mine who shared that I’d published the post just days after she’d made a challenging decision to live on her own, and she felt it was confirmation that she’d made the right choice. All the good vibes to her!

+A poem on parenting that I absolutely love.

Shopping Break.

+I cannot wait to try the candles from Linnea, a brand a few of you Magpies introduced me to. This “crushed mint” one would be such a great spring/summer scent or house guest gift. You can get 10% off with code MAGPIE10.

+These wide leg linen pants are crazy chic. Banana is killing it right now!

+This Cleobella dress is absolutely gorgeous! Love the slightly 70s vibe of the pattern and the dress shape itself reminds me of Borgo de Nor.

+These flat sandals from Zara are dead ringer for YSL’s Tributes. Kind of love the denim fabric!

+Just ordered a new set of melamine plates for outdoor dining from Target — ordered a few sets of these gingham plates, these appetizer plates (perfect for kids!), and these salad plates to mix and match.

+These colorful plastic stemless wine glasses would be another great outdoor dining addition.

+I have this dress in a different pattern (mine is striped) but I might need to order it in this pink daisy print! This has been my most-worn everyday dress this spring. SO comfortable and I love the dramatic sleeves.

+OMG, Cecil & Lou’s new birthday pattern pieces are beyond adorable. Check out this birthday swimsuit for a girl, or this birthday shorts set for a little boy.

+Love these gardening jammies for little ones.

+Thanks to a Magpie reader for sharing these under-$100 dad sandals — a dead ringer for Chanel. I like them in black or bone!

+Happy summer wedding guest dress.

+Alice Walk just restocked their gorgeous reversible cashmere wraps/shawls. A perfect gift and a true wardrobe workhorse. I rarely travel without a wrap/shawl — so helpful to have an extra layer on hand if chilly.

+Cute striped tee for a little.

+THESE HEELS ARE CALLING MY NAME.

+Chic woven baskets for keys, remotes, odds and ends, etc.