Meal Time

If you have ever dinned with small children, I am sure you have your handful of stories to go with meal time. This morning Harper said something funny and I realized I never post about what really goes on in this house 3 times a day. First the funny thing Harper said: I left his precious grits a little unattended while cooking them this morning (which he had his heart set on them when he woke up, because he came and asked me if I had time to make them with tears in his eyes because Dad filled his bowl with Cheerios - how could I say no to that!) So the cheese in them burnt a little bit, but when you stirred them up - know one could tell (so I thought). So the cute 3 year old was enjoy his coveted bowl of grits and he looks at Matt and says, "These grits have a lot of chicken in them!" At least he didn't complain that I messed them up! He just assumed the burnt parts were chicken - he is a hoot. Meal times.....the dreaded meal times!! First of all, we don't have enough chairs at our table!! That table was purchased way before there were 5 kids in the picture. So we have 4 chairs - Carly and Chloe have high riser things on the bottom of theirs so they can reach the table, Harper sits on a folding stool I used to use when I taught and Finley is in a high chair. Needless to say that will be the first thing we purchase when we get a new house - that and a KING size bed so snuggle time is actually doable. Back to meal time - There is always something funny or obnoxious taking place at any time. Then there are the incessant bathroom breaks! As soon as they sit down to eat, one is up to use the bathroom and then a line forms or they break and each kid mans their own restroom. Which of course results in every door knob being extremely sticky -gross!! And it never fails, as soon as I sit down, someone needs a refill on milk. Finley loves to squeeze the living day lights out of her fruit, which results in a severely sticky tray, arms that have fruit juice down to her elbows, clothes are wet and then stained, and lets not overlook the hair issue - she loves to mash food in it! So baths are a must because her hair always has something in it! Now, the floor. Remember all those bathroom breaks? Well they don't happen until they have shoved some food into their mouths, so when they stand up, all the food goes to the floor. My floors have an incredible amount of food on them. I have given up and just sweep once a day. Finley does a pretty good job eating all the big chunks off the floor once she is through eating :) (30 second rule is more like a 30 hour rule in our house) I just love the feeling of food sticking to my feet!! Then there is the gaging. My kids know that if you don't have a clean plate, you don't get anything extra - whether it be more food, fruit, or a dessert. Harper is one dedicated eater. He will eat it all! But if he doesn't like it he will shovel it in and gag. So attractive while eating. Now by the time I have all the food on the table, bathroom breaks are finished, the prayer has been said, they are all done and I have to leave my plate of hot dinner to wipe them all up, clean their place mats so that they can clean up after themselves. I feel like the Mom on A Christmas Story who will never get a hot meal!! I shouldn't say never, I will once they are all grown up and gone and then it will be very lonely and I will have really clean floors and that just doesn't sound fun to me at all!!! So I am thankful for my meal times, even though they are a lot of work, it is special time I get to spend with my favorite people!!