Dinner Time Woes

I am lucky enough to have four fantastic eaters.  My Italian friend told me that in her country we would be welcome at any table because my kids eat and enjoy whatever is put in front of them with obvious relish.  So when they haven't eaten regularly for a week, I know something is up.  If you have been keeping up on the blog, you know that we are fighting (and kind of loosing the battle) with various illnesses.  At first I didn't think anything of it; no one likes to eat when they are sick.  However, when they eat three chocolate chip cookies and then tell me they cannot eat any dinner because they don't feel good I raise my eyebrows.  That was last night.....
Today at lunch I gave them exactly what they asked for last night for dinner.  Toast.  I made our boy (the only one who ate the BBQ chicken pizza without complaint) whatever he wanted--macaroni and cheese.  Needless to say fits started all over the dining room.  Fists were thrown in the air and slammed down on legs in "can you see I am mad at you?" style.  Finally, when their toast was eaten and they asked for the macaroni and cheese, they got a "Are you really sure you want that?  I don't want you to feel sick."  After protests of innocence each girl fessed up.  Both were just fine last night and just didn't want dinner and promised to eat whatever was set before them for dinner tonight in exchange for the cherished macaroni and cheese.  They were each given macaroni and cheese--and a cookie.  We shall see if they hold up to their claims of health come dinner time.

Up All Night

I don't know about you, but when I have to get up at 5 AM every morning (that's right, my kids are early risers) I need to go to bed by 10 PM.  No late news for me, and we tivo Craig Ferguson.  So imagine my surprise being woken up at 11:30 PM by my bed shaking like a San Fransico earthquake.  My husband's coughs have no break, poor man, until 1 AM.  At 2 AM my six-year-old comes down stairs, "Mom, my stomach hurts." So we go upstairs to take a look.  The whole upstairs is lit up like a Christmas tree because my four-year-old has thrown up in bed.  Send the six-year-old to bed, clean up the four-year-old and run to the store for emergency gatorade.  Set the four-year-old up and six-year-old comes out with two-year-old in hand.  He is coughing so hard his "tummy hurts."  Send six-year-old back to bed; rock two-year-old and put him back to bed.  Tell six-year-old to eat a couple of crackers because goodness knows that I am too hungry to sleep and tell her to go back to sleep.  Check on the four-year-old, she is sleeping--it is 3:15 AM.  Lay down and hear ten-month-old coughing in her sleep.  Sigh and close my eyes.  3:45 AM six-year-old, "Mom, I threw up."  Clean bathroom, change pajamas, and wait for it to come again.  Start reading (by the way, I have a cold and have lost my voice) a chapter out of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle <amazing book for kids about first-fourth grade>.  Set up a bed on the floor for six-year-old and put her to bed; it is 4:30 AM.  Lay down, close my eyes, alarm goes off at 5 AM.  Get up, take shower, check on everyone.......
Ask Husband to Stay Home and I Take a Nap.

My Superhero

Lately my son has been crazy over superheros in all their characters.  We see Spiderman on backpacks while dropping off the first grader.  We tie on the Superman cape as he goes zooming through the house rescuing the damsels (all three sisters) in distress.  And I have been his favorite "bad guy" to karate chop.
Last night my knight in shinning armor (that's right Daddy made him an oak sword out of scraps from the workshop), came down in his big sister's pink tutu.  "Look Daddy.  Skirt," and laughed his head off.  My husband kept a straight face and asked him what color it is, "Piiiink."
"Do boys or girls wear pink?"
"Girls."
"Go take it off and put it away please, son."
And as bright as can be, "OK."
I couldn't hold back the giggles as my super-manly, pink-skirted boy toddled back upstairs to play tools with his reluctant sisters.

Zoo Times

There isn't much to do on a lazy fall afternoon.  I should be doing my laundry (my kids think the laundry fairy does it, but it is her day off today), but I decided to enjoy the warm sunshine while it lasts.  Yesterday, we went to the zoo with about a million other families to celebrate Columbus Day.  We watched my two-year-old son watch the tiger pace his rocks waiting for his dinner.  We listened to my four-year-old daughter squeal with delight when the giraffe spread his legs so wide to nibble on the grass instead of eating the leaves.  Our ten-month-old was delighted she could stand toe to glass with sting rays as they glided by her.  The queen six-year-old has been searching all season for a peacock (they roam freely) and FINALLY found two females this trip (thank goodness).  Monkeys and bears, zebras and snakes.  PHEW!  I am bushed thinking all about it again.

Should Have Known That

Yesterday I should've had an old Batman/Robin soundtrack playing in the background.  My knee went "Bam!" and "Pop!"
So naturally I needed ice later in the day.  Who would have thought a frozen bag of corn would be my ten-month-old's favorite toy for the day?  She went "Wack" and "Ding" for about half an hour while I waited for the homemade pizza to finish baking.  I wonder if she is teething becasue her favorite thing was to "GRRRR" while biting it to bits.

What would you do if you Ran the World?

I live in the great, corrupted state of Illinois.  There is no money, there is no standard of excellence, and there is no code of conduct that someone hasn't walked all over.  I know that the state is broke (even though our taxes are high and our unemployment higher), and there are many who are without work.  When there is no work, there is no money.  No money means no food for a lot of people across the country.  I am not trying to say that there aren't good things in the world and this state; however, I think I have come up with a solution to at least one problem.
Our food banks need food.  I propose we take a small portion of all government lawns (i.e. libraries, schools, city halls, post offices, etc) and make them into a veggie/fruit garden.  THINK OF IT!  That lawn has to be maintained anyway, right?  Union workers or city gardeners have to have their people working on them whether they are grass or veggies, so let's make them veggies and give them to the food banks.  School kids can learn all about the science of growing food and the satisfaction of being able to serve someone in the community!  (Wouldn't it be awesome if they could eat some of it for their school lunches?)  Food banks get the food needed (maybe the city building workers who need a little extra could work out time in garden for food from garden if need be), the tax payer isn't wasting money on maintaining ALL that grass (just some of it), and the students learn about vital parts of life they can take home and teach their parents. 
Understandably I haven't done the budgets, maybe this would cost more, but I really don't see how it could (especially if we don't use pesticides).  There would be a million hoops to jump through and a ton of people complaining about the beautiful grass being taken away. 
BUT, if I ran the world, this is the thing I would start right away.  What about you?  What would you start if you ran the world?