La La Land: September 2011

Even before I had kids I thought about what life would be like with little ones running around my house. They would be sweet (always), love to play with each other, eat lots of fruits ad veggies (no junk, of coarse, because they wouldn't like it) and, most importantly, we would all sit down together every night for a healthy home-cooked meal.

Ha!!!! I think I had watched too many episodes of the Duggers.
I love my kids. I think they are really cool. They fight, they love junk food and they actually are really sweet (most of the time).

We usually don't get to eat dinner together. I feed the kids around 5:30 and Bill eats when he gets home around 6:30, so when the stars align just right and we have an opportunity to all eat together it's ~~wonderful. We take turns talking to one another and everyone is always very complimentary to the cook.~~

CHAOS!!!!!!!!

Maybe I'm doing something wrong but I have the hardest time getting everyone seated. You can forget having everyone pleasant and eating the same dish.
Last night was one of those rare (thank God) occasions that we were all assembled around the table at 6:30 eating the same meal.

Here is how it played out! Enjoy!

I have been trying out different crock-pot recipes to save some time and some sanity come 4:00.

I started it at 8:30 am in anticipation of it being ready by 6pm and went about my day. I did laundry, played with J and Z and even got in an hour workout. It was a pleasant day.

By 5:00 the little ones (sorry Jasper...I know you're not little) were so tired (no nap) and cranky so went upstairs to busy ourselves until Bill came home.

I was helping Tripp in the classroom when I heard a loud crash. That sound usually does not turn out well around here. I ran into Zoee's room and found her standing next to a broken glass lamp. I think I let out a gasp and I'm sure an inappropriate word or two.

Zoee started screaming and doing her "I know I'm in trouble...but I don't like to be" tantrum. I needed her to be out of the room while I picked up all the tiny little glass pieces so I put her outside (her room...not the house) which infuriated her! When she has a tantrum I put her in the bathroom to work it out. I tell her that I love her but she cannot disrupt our house and when she is calm, she can come out. She is ~~pretty~~ extremely strong-willed so calming down is not a high priority for her.

I cleaned up the glass, disposed of the lamp and vacuumed while she sat screaming in the bathroom.

Bill got home in the middle of it all.

We took the kids downstairs to wash hands and sit down for dinner. I sat down last and as soon as I did Zoee threw her cup of water across the table. She went back to the bathroom to calm down. O.K., we can still have an enjoyable dinner with a screaming 2 year old in the background. Jasper complained about dinner, Tripp could not sit still, and Zoee wailed in the background. I brought her back to the table and convinced Jasper to just try a bite (I bribed him with some candy). He tried it and I waited for him to sing praises of my crock-pot chicken concoction.

Instead...

He vomited the entire contents of his stomach all over the floor and chair, not once, but 3 times. Bill and I just sat there (in denial) while Tripp ran and Zoee screamed and Jasper got up and slipped in his own vomit and fell.

So much for a happy, family dinner. I won't stop trying but I will lower my expectations :)

On to more fun topics...

This is my new invention (O.K I know it's not a new concept but it's new to my kids and they think it's the coolest thing ever and that they are the only ones that get to do this). It's called the Black Widow (because of the color of the sleeping bag...NOT the risk of death).

The pictures are self explanitory. It is sooo much fun. Bill and I have both done it several times. It reminded me of riding down my grandmathers stairs on a baby matress with my sister when I was little.

I couldn't believe how much Zoee loved it. Yes I could!

These are random shots taken at my grandmothers house during our last visit. Tripp found some binoculars that belonged to my grandfather. He had so much fun exploring with them.