The 'sweet' side of motherhood

Sugar. Thick, chocolaty caramel goodness. Cookies, cake, candy, pies -- it must be winter again. I can go all summer being a good little girl and eating sugary substances in moderation or not at all -- well, except for ice cream, but that doesn't count. It is a dairy product, not a sweet. But winter weather rolls around and my inner chocoholic comes out screaming for attention. I just crave the sweet, melty goodness, and I can't stop thinking about it until I cave into the craving and dive right in.

I blame my husband. I don't remember being this big of a sweet freak before I met him. But he comes from a family where dessert is a must after lunch, and especially dinner. We would go out to eat and always stop for dessert after our meal. I would always partake, even if I was full. How can I say no to a Blizzard or sundae?

And now it is not just my husband, but my son, as well. I will never forget Cooper's first sampling of chocolate. He was only about 7 months old when his grandpa slipped him a lick of the chocolate icing off his cake. Cooper made the most hilarious face I have ever seen and licked the spoon clean. That was when the chocolate monster came out. Now, like his daddy, he must have dessert after dinner, and no animal cracker will do. I can barely get away with the cinnamon graham crackers. He wants chocolate pudding, cake, cookies -- anything with sugar!

Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but I am too tempted to join in -- and I am the only one in the house who put on an extra 30 pounds last year with a baby and is still trying to lose 15 of them. I am trying so hard to be good, but it is much easier and more fun to be bad! I have gone so far as to ban sweets in the house. That, of course, only lasts a week at the most, because my husband just can't stand it. So my new strategy was no sweets allowed that I would eat. He would get Moon Pies because I don't like marshmallow, but then he would get burned out after a month and switch to something else. I would then find myself sneaking into the kitchen and eating the good stuff, like the M&M's or Oreos. So next I decided he could get what he wanted, but he had to hide it on the shelves in the basement. I was much less likely to go to the trouble for sweets if I had to go all the way downstairs and hunt them down.

This strategy works the best so far, but I am still struggling, and it's getting harder now that the holidays are around the corner. I know I have to be strong, but I just want to join in with the other fun-loving, sweet-eating people in my family who do not have to get rid of their new "spare baby tire." If only a little didn't always turn into a lot! So, to all of you mommies out there who have been where I am, I will take your suggestions!

Kristen Pind, a native of small-town Gower, Mo., came to Southeast Missouri State University with big dreams of being the next Katie Couric or Diane Sawyer. She never thought that at age 25, she'd be married with a baby and living in Cape Girardeau. Keep up with Kristen's adventures as a first-time mom -- one who's still a girl trying to figure out how her own life fits together. Turns out, she's living a dream she never knew she had, and loving every minute of it.