What to do with the bottles

I think I’ve finally reached a turning point with my oldest. I don’t mean he seems to be listening more or fighting less with his brother. This is a bit more subtle — the taste buds.

Like many kids I’m sure, Mike used to eat just about everything as long as it was coated in ketchup. It was getting to the point where I had considered starting a massive tomato plantation and manufacturing my own to save on costs and trips to the grocery store. But one day, out of the blue, he declares almost a hate for sodium and starts checking labels, to his horror discovering just how much his beloved red sauce has in it.

No sweat, his little brother would pick up the slack, right? No, he’s followed the golden “monkey do” rule and has sworn it off as well. This is one of those times when stocking up because of a sale now makes me look like a crazy hoarder with a ketchup obsession.

On the plus side, it’s nice to see the boys trying “new” foods — basically those they’ve eaten before minus the ketchup taste — and actually liking them, though I might have to start taking out stock in sweet and sour. Plus, I’ve got a shelf full of ketchup so it looks like it’ll be meatloaf for dinner pretty regularly over the next few weeks.