A dinner tale.

So... tell me what it is about food on mom's plate? (that is a question... because if I had been talking a live person my eye brows would be up with question and my intonations would have left you feeling like you must answer...)

I spent the morning at that amazing farmers market down town drooling over beautiful veggies. I had visions of salsa made with heirloom and yellow tomatoes for the kids after school snack, and stir fry dreams for tonight's supper. The veggies were incredible. And I bought a lot of them! So I had to use them.

I made this delightful dinner tonight, (which, I might add, did not just whip up in 20 min since slicing and peeling veggies takes a ridiculous amount of time) And just as it was finishing up and the timer was hollering that the rice was done, the children came running with wonderful expressions on their faces! "what smells so good?" they inquired as they turned the corner to the kitchen. With high hopes, the taller ones opened the pan to get a sneak peek. Coley stood high on his tipsy toes trying to get a good look. And then, "oh." and silence that seemed to scream, "YUCK!". And those faces dropped like a barbell on your naked toe.

Child 1: "I don't think I'll be eating tonight". Child 2: "May I make a sandwich, you know I don't like that. I told you last time we ate it". Child 3: SILENCE. and then all the kids disappeared as if they had just eaten a feast and didn't want to be around for clean up.

So Papa Nate and I spooned up a pile of rice and topped it with the heavenly veggies L0-mien and sat down. I even considered candle light since we would be dining by ourselves tonight! Just after, "amen", those same children came in to stare. Why? Why do they refuse and then stare with sad wet eyes like I've starved them for the past week? And then Child 1 even set herself down next to me and hung her sweet head. And child 2 inched himself next to me, his mouth closer to my plate than my own. And child 3... the one with the audacity of a bison, pulled himself up to the table with the leftovers of his after school chips and salsa fest and began to eat! Bless his clueless heart. And so it was that our romantic home made Chinese dinner Lo Mien wasn't romantic at all. Papa Nate instantly looked anoyed. He was obviously trying REAL hard to not make mad noise. I looked straight ahead pretending nothing else was going on.

Child 1 spoke up with a quiver: "I'm so hungry, could I just have a taste of one noodle?" Child 2 chimed in: "Could I just have one taste?" Child 3: crunchen' on chips and salsa. Papa Nate: "I'm really trying hard not to comment here but I can't help but notice that you are all eating off your mother's plate." Child 1: stomps away and tosses fork into the sink with force only to return less than 20 seconds later with big tears and obvious sobs. Child 2 swallows food, looks at Papa and says, "hmm, not bad... what are the noodles made out of?" Child 3: oblivious that anything is wrong gets himself a drink to wash down his chips and salsa dinner and says, "are we going to the ice cream social after we eat?" Child 1 crys out, "I'm so hungry but I don't want dad to be mad at me for asking mom for another bite!" Child 2 opens his mouth expecting me to fill it will veggie L0- mien goodness on demand. Child 3 wondering what all the fuss is over. And so I asked the million dollar question, "would you like some dinner? I'd sure love to dish it up!" Child 1: sniffles. "Could I just have rice? I don't like cabbage. It makes me gag. And mushrooms are disgusting. And spinach makes my stomach turn." "GOT IT! Thanks for your honesty." Child 2: "no, I made myself a tuna sandwich, I'll just eat a little of yours." (WHAT?) child 3: "I'm not hungry". As he piles a giant portion of salsa onto his next corn chip. Bless his clueless heart.

And so I dished up one brown rice as ordered. And child 1 partook. When her rice was 1/2 gone she looked up and said, "is that lo-mien good?" Papa was on helping #2. Couldn't answer without gumping so opted out. Child 2 had polished off my helping #1 but still didn't want any of his own. Noticing that indeed it was good, child 1 asked, "could I have just a little bit on top my rice?" and so she did and ate and loved her dinner. And was happy. Child 2 was real full. Child 3 is a garbage gut who ate (literally) corn chips and salsa for dinner and then most happily trotted off to the ice cream social for dessert.

And so it is that papa Nate and mama Beck did not eat candle light lo-mien for dinner tonight by themselves. Child 1 joined them and after she figured out that she was truly not a martyr, she lived happily with good food in her belly. Child 2 over ate... because he made himself a tuna sandwich and then also ate his mother's helping of lo-mien. And he was happy because he never had to admit that he liked that stuff... Child 3 is happy. He is happy about everything. And he is full of garbage. And probably one day he will suffer from obesity and diabetes because his mother fed him corn chips and ice cream for dinner instead of lo-mien. And papa Nate enjoyed 2 helpings and mama Beck ate part of one helping and felt joy that finally childs 1 and 2 did partake... and laughed all the way to bed over child 3... bless his Coley heart.