Dinnertime

Dinnertime at my house has become my least favorite times of my day.

For those who know me, know that I love to cook. It is one of my favorite things to do. I love new recipes, I love grocery shopping and I love using new ingredients that I've never used before. And, of course, I love to eat!

So, one would assume that dinnertime at my house would be a DINING EXPERIENCE, not a DINING DISASTER.

Here's how dinner goes down at my house.

1. Elisan immediately scoffs at whatever it is that I place before her. It could be macaroni and cheese, topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles... she will still complain. (Okay, not really, but it is ALMOST that bad!)

2. As soon as the first bite is taken by Elisan, she begins the, "How many bites do I have to eat until I get _________" fill in the blank here, folks - Popsicle, ice cream cup, etc. I mean seriously... it's with every bite. "How many more bites, now?" AH!

3. Oh, yeah... and the dessert thing... I'm already aware of the fact that she expects desserts after dinner and how baaaaad that is, but hey! If it gets her to eat the good stuff, then a Popsicle ain't gonna hurt her.

4. Kyla is learning all of these wonderful traits from her big sis, so we have to hear the little mockingbird in the background echoing her sister's complaints.

5. Elisan and Kyla duel over who gets to talk and apparently whoever speaks the loudest gets to dominate the conversation. This while Randy and I have trying to have a conversation about the day, etc.

6. Elisan is constantly up and down from her seat. When we are not telling her to "eat the food on your plate" or "use your inside voice" or "it's Mommy's turn to talk now", then we are telling her to "sit down" or "get back to the table".

7. Kyla Mae does not usually spill her water, but two nights ago, she spilled her water TWICE. Why? Because she insists on keeping it in front of her plate, not behind it. It's a miracle she doesn't spill it every night.

I've always known how important it is to sit down at the dinner table and share a meal as a family. That was standard practice at mine and Randy's homes. And, I wish I could enjoy dinner time more. The fact is though, that by the time dinner rolls around, I'm exhausted from the day and spent at least an hour preparing dinner, so all I want to do is sit down and enjoy it -- but, I can't.

So the remedy? There is none. We stay on the status quo path, because it's like Randy says, "One day, they won't want to talk to us."