Too much...

It still surprises me that telling someone new about My Little Reader's upcoming surgery completely knocks the breath out of me. 9 days and counting. Praying, hoping, pleading for the best possible outcome. We are so very, incredibly blessed to have so many faithful people sending constant prayers to heaven on our behalf. 

And the angels sang

As I am sure you know, we have faced years of food battles with the oldest. To her credit she has come a loooooong way in the last four years. However, there are still struggles. She gets picky at things that I know that she has eaten and liked. For example, apples. She likes apples, eats apples, asks for them at McDonald's instead of french fries. So when it comes time to pack school lunches I feel that it is my duty as a mother that her lunch include some kind of fruit or vegetable. We tried carrots, again something she likes, eats, and asks for. If she buys hot lunch, she always gets carrots from the salad bar. But when they are packed in her lunch she ignores them. What gives?

Then came the great apple experiment. She likes apples, but prefers to have them cut. So daddy tried cutting them and of course they turned brown and came home untouched. So then he experimented. I think with lemon juice. Same result. Untouched brown apples. Yuck. Then I gave in and bought the pre-sliced apples that cost one arm and half a leg. Seriously. $3.49 for what maybe amounts to 3 apples. What ?!? But, again, my mom badge was on the line-get fruit into the kid or lose the badge. Guess what. Still the apples went untouched. ARGH! I started racking my brain. What am I going to feed this kid? To her credit she will eat banana chips-though I have a feeling they have more sugar than banana.

Saturday I was in the fruit cup aisle getting pears for the littlest and oranges for the middle-est. I am super happy that now they come in 100% fruit juice (that's 2 points for my mom badge). So, while in the aisle I see pineapple also in 100% juice. Could she? Would she? Sure why not, if nothing else we can use it for Hawaiian Chicken. I brought it home and launched in with my best infomercial about how great pineapple is and how much she loved it at Disneyland and how she eats it on said, Hawaiian Chicken. I got a maybe. She agreed to try it, but wanted to try it at home before she had it in her lunch. So, tonight while eating dinner she asked if she could try it. What? She asked without cajoling, bribing, or begging? And would you believe it....

she ate the whole thing!

I heard angels singing when she said, can I please have this in my lunch every day? Yes, yes, you can!

Hmmph.

Tonight's dinner falls smack dab in the middle of the category "Why do I bother?" After a hot day at school (the heater ran ALL day) I was thinking of options for dinner. This week we have already had Onion Ring Chicken, Pasta, Caribbean Jerk Chicken with Pasta in a Cream Sauce, and Pork chops with noodles, cornbread, and carrots. This is the most I have cooked in a while (other than pasta or an assortment of frozen delicacies such as corn dogs and fish sticks). So. I decided- not chicken, not pasta....hmmmm. I settled on scalloped potatoes. YUM. Went to the store with two uncooperative, cranky girls in tow. Came home sliced onions, made a bechamel sauce, grated three kinds of cheese, nearly lost my mind using the most worthless mandolin ever, and sliced the ham. More than an hour later my masterpiece was in the oven! 1 hour of cooking and dinner was served. Sorta. The oldest, contrary to usual attitude, dug right in proclaiming dinner delicious! Angels sang. Seriously. I was not so lucky with the littles. They both turned their noses up at it. Begged for more milk and more bread and questioned repeatedly every single morsel (What is this? It doesn't look like a potato.) Alligator tears at every turn. Then to make matters worse the cookies were done. Cookies, which I intend to give to the three guys that I HOPE will fix my heating issue tomorrow. The oldest, having devoured her dinner earned a cookie which sent the middle-est into hysterics. I think they are all calm now. The little-est finally finished his dinner and also earned a cookie. Still (20 minutes later) waiting on the middle-est. I am sure that she will somehow manage to finish just in time for bed which in turn will start a whole new battle. How many more days until Orlando?