Growing Boy! and ideas to help kids as they grow.

It's happening again, I'm being eaten out of house and home.  This time by my 3 year old.  Every time I turn around he's asking for a snack, or seconds of a meal.  This is highly unusual.  He's usually quite a picky little eater.  There's only one explanation:  growth spurt!  This suspicion was confirmed as he cried out in the night about sore legs (growing pains).  Fortunately Dr. Mom has a few tricks in her sleeve and uses regular aloe lotion as a special "cream" to rub on sore little legs, letting him get back to sleep quickly.
To help kids as they grow there are 3 things you can do as a parent.  First, make sure they get proper rest.  Kids need 10-12 hours of sleep a night.  Second, provide good nutrition with a balanced diet.  I use Canada's Food guide while menu planning for my household.  Third, make sure your child lives an active lifestyle.  Activity can range from neighborhood walks to playing in the park to organized sports.  *During the winter we try the following:  Playing in the snow (building, shoveling, sliding - it's all good).  Clearing a spot for hockey practice.  Even though we have a little yard with no room for a rink, we've made a hockey practice zone to shoot pucks at some plastic bins - they love it.  We run indoor races of all sorts (running, skipping, hopping, "Speed Skating" in socks...).  Finally, we have dance parties in the living room - turn up the music and just go for it!
I have to say with two boys in the house I'm a little scared for the future.  If this is how they eat when going through a growth spurt as little guys, what will my grocery bill be like when they are teenagers!