I was in the kitchen finishing up dinner when this conversation took place.
String Cheese: What are you making?
Me: Turkey and mashed potatoes.
Deedle and SC: Ew! Gross! Yuck!
Me: What are you talking about?
Deedle: (in a very accusatory tone) You NEVER make Ramen Noodles any more!!!
I had ambivalent feelings towards this comment. I have set a goal to make a sit-down family dinner more often (rather than scrambling through out the day, then when the kids are exhausted, quickly making them some Ramen noodles and having Jason fend for himself while I eat a Balance Bar). So, no recent Ramen memories meant that I had been doing well with my goal! Yet, the disrespect was not something to be happy about. So, we sat down to eat and after the prayer I began a discussion about mealtime etiquette.
1. You may NOT say that anything I make is yucky or gross. That hurts my feelings and is also disrespectful.
2. AFTER a food has been tasted, if you don't like it you may say, "This is not my favorite thing. Is it okay if I don't eat all of it?"
We continued with the discussion, with some good input from the girls and only one comment from Loumy, "I always like it, Mom." Which I am so grateful for, because he does. He was starved for the first 9 months of his life and he continues to make up for lost time. I also pointed out that my rules are good ones because the smoothie I made (my wonderful discovery of how to get my kids to eat fruit and veggies at dinner) was actually very delicious to Deedle, even though she was sure it was going to be disgusting because it had Orange Juice in it. (what???)
As the conversation began to die down, Loumy, who had mostly just been shoveling turkey into his face as quickly as he could, says, "I hab a woowoh."
Me: What did you say?
Loumy: I hab a woowoh.
String Cheese interprets: He says he has a rule.
Chancho: Okay, let's hear your rule.
Loumy (completely serious): No wooking at peopo's bums.
So, it is settled. No complaining about Mom's cooking, try everything, and no looking at people's bums. Pretty good meal etiquette and successful family dinner, if you ask me.
Friday, February 22, 2008
New Dinner Rules
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8 comments:
Oh that got me so giggly! I think my daughter needs to live by those rules and we'd all be just fine. I also have a very, very picky eater, so please know that you are not the only one who is suffering. I think her favorite dinner is mac & cheese, from the box.
I love that boy. He is just all mellow and cool and has some occasional very wise things to share. Also, how on earth did you get that tiny picture of ramen noodles. That's the kind of detail that distinguishes an ordinary blog from an extraordinary blog!
Thanks for the comments, you two gigglomaniacs. I am always so happy to get them. I tell you, just call me and I will explain analytics AND the mystery of stealing , I mean borrowing, images from the web.
Shan, this is the stuff that you are going to love remembering. These simple every day events that are so easily forgotten and yet so worth remembering. Love you, Meg
Chris and I keep laughing about Andre's Woo-woh!
We had such a problem with family dinners that we UNINVITED our kids to join us one night. This contradicts the family dinner concept so Dave and I decided to have a "special cup". The child who tries all his food, stays in his seat, uses an indoor voice, says please and thank-you gets to use the "special cup" the next night. It really works! The competition is fierce and we can have a somewhat normal dinner.
We recently watched some neighbors kids and for lunch I suggested ramen noodles. To my shock and dismay one of the neighbor kids said," what are ramen noodles?" I realized while some of us must have ramen noodles in our house as a major staple like milk, bread, or eggs other moms go above and beyond never introducing their kids to ramen and making all of their own wheat bread, tortillas and homemade pancakes with their food storage wheat. I am so far behind! I manage to cook a pretty decent dinner each night and the kids know that they have to eat vegetables according to their age, ie; Meg is eight so she has to eat eight green beans. It's silly the rules we make to keep our kids healthy. I enjoy your blog. Good idea about the code names. I have an irrational worry that some stranger will read my blog and somehow track my kids down.
Loved and cried at your latest...oh now I am going to get addicted cause Shannon made me a blog - yippee! Please have Andre get a frow like Brevan's--Carson's buddy on the basketball team...also let us all get money to buy the Haiti family a home...and how come Nancy gets to have her photo show up with her name...not fair....Kitten, yes that is me Kitten from Kitten's Korner...check it out...
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