Dinner: chicken or tofu skewers marinated with zucchini, red peppers and yellow peppers, brown rice and salad. Salad: romain lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, strawberries, grapes and swiss cheese. Dessert: yogurt!
Oh boy- where do I start? Tonight was one of those days! One child had diarrhea, and was wearing a full Batman suit, so in dire situations, wrestling out of it in time was a challenge. One child fell off her chair (we were in the dining room so the regular chairs- not the high ones, thank goodness). This child was also complaining of a diaper rash "bum-bum hurts!" so dinner was constantly interrupted so I could wipe her sore bum with warm water. The third child would not sit at the table at all! He said he didn't like the dinner. He kept fooling around and getting up and hiding in a huge cardboard box.
Next silly problem- The boys had gotten into the labels with our name on it for lunch boxes/coats, etc. and had them stuck on their arms. (They routinely do this with stickers) The problem, (despite the fact that these labels are pricey!) was that they are so sticky, they hurt to come off. Terrek was brave and ripped his off, but Patrick cried that it hurt! So those labels are affixed to his arms indefinately... we'll see how long they stay stuck!
Patrick and Evelyn did a fair job at eating their dinner at our first sitting. They both ate most of their salad, with dressing, Patrick ate his chicken and not his tofu, and Evelyn ate her tofu and not her chicken. (Unfortunately, she walked to the green bin and spit her chicken out into it after she took a bite). Neither of them touched their peppers. (I gave the boys only one piece of pepper each, as I knew this would be a sore spot).
PROBLEM: How do I get Terrek to stay seated at the table???? He would not cooperate! I want him to sit with us, enjoy each others' company and share a healthy meal together. He said he was bored and kept leaving the table. He didn't eat anything at the first sitting. He just kept hiding in that cardboard box.
Later, after revealing his plan to sneak downstairs in the middle of the night and eat a bagel, he finally asked for his dinner. (Ahh! This is not a healthy attitude- I don't want them to feel they have to sneak food- am I going wrong here??)
Terrek proceeded to eat all his salad (without dressing) and his chicken. (I didn't attempt to give him any tofu- we've been down that road before...) He had a bone to pick with his pepper though. "I don't like peppers. You know I don't like peppers, Mommy! Why did you give me a pepper?" No amount of explanation sufficed, and he "accidentally" "dropped" the red pepper on the floor. I washed it, and put it back on his plate.
Meanwhile, Patrick had finished almost everything except a few pieces of his salad (including his grape- he doesn't like grapes) and his pepper. He was holding on to a container of yogurt, giving me threatening looks. I played it cool. "Of course you can have yogurt when you finish your dinner."
Neither boy would budge on the pepper. Self-doubt got the better of me. Maybe it was a moment of weakness or maybe it was the diarrhea...I caved and said they didn't have to eat the pepper. After all- it was yogurt they wanted, not chocolate pudding or candy floss. They finished everything else- with the salad giving them a good dose of veggies- I reasoned that it was OK for me to let the peppers slide.
Did I do the right thing?? Have I set a bad president, going back on rule number four?
They all went crazy over the yogurt. (I buy creamy yogurt, sweetened with fruit juice- no sugar) Even though it's a common food for them, all three were really in the mood for yogurt. Terrek ate two yogurts, Patrick ate three, and Evelyn ate one and a half, finishing up by using dallops of the yogurt as hand lotion. (Mess)!!
Plan status: Successful**
Label status: Labels stuck on both boys
*minus peppers
**Why won't they eat all their dinner at dinner time? Why do we have to have two sittings every night??
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