Family Meetings

We have had several successful family meetings lately.

1. Meal behavior expectations
2. After school til bedtime schedule
3. Chores aka helping out Team Royce

I think it is essential to consultant parenting, with the stipulation that parents can over rule in the end. Then when the newness wears off we can point to the document and it is holding up--each of our signatures bearing witness to our agreement.

The Sneaky Chef

I have been using the cookbook The Sneaky Chef to get vegetables and other super foods into my kids, particularly one kid. And it is working, but I am also noticing that I am feeding them more chocolate chips to hide my veggies... hmmm, net health benefit?

Turkey burgers are the current family favorite, most other foods get the verdict (even if he liked it), "It's okay but I'd only want it--once a week/month" etc. In other words, please don't ask me to eat this leftover.

Because I ask for his feedback on food Benji seems to think I will actually adhere to his specs. He is surprised when after a tiring day meatballs from a previous meal reappear in Spaghetti, when he specifically allotted them a once a month status and he is eyeing the family meal agreement with disdain.

Home Schooling

So it is official, we are homeschooling through the public school internet academy. For the last two days we have been Mom-schooling, which Ian thinks is so cool, and although he appears unappreciative I have been getting alot more hugs and kisses (shocker) from Benjamin.

My Favorite Winter Attire

I love my boots! Beware to my husband who finds them less than attractive, once they are dusted off from the closet they are here to stay until Spring. They are the only thing that keeps my feet dry and warm all winter. My favorite accessory is a scarf and fleece beanie hat. Also not the most attractive, I'm told, but last time I checked I didn't care!! Ha ha, I love winter turtlenecks, cozy fires & Grandma's Pendleton wool throw blanket. Covered in Cranberry, Navy and Forest green Tartan, with a cup of hot cocoa in my hand, I endure the long winter months. Hopefully this year I will add my warmly buzzing old laptop atop my lap and get some writing done, instead of escaping into the historically doomed lives of others in novels. I shall create some doom! Or hope, if I can be inspired that direction.

NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel-writing month! So give it a try. 175 pages in a month... local libraries are providing space and seminars for enhancing the experience. Good luck.

Green Beans

We recently revised our family policy on dinner food. I realized I was doing a lot of extra steps getting dinner to the table because I was making a meal for Aaron and I and then making plates of hotdogs cheese ketchup and carrot sticks for the kids. In my mind I wasn't being child centered because I wasn't changing what I ate to accomodate their pickiness. However you can see this was quite a blind spot. The subject kept coming up with other parents and we began to see how we were enabling their pickiness, surprise: maybe unecessarily. Whoa! That was a serious realization.
I did not want my kids to be a pain when they went to other people's houses. I did not want them to be rude or dictatorial for others, but I was letting them dictate to me. So we dug deep and announced one evening to the boys that we were going to require them to eat whatever we were serving and if they didn't eat it for dinner they would see it again for breakfast, and lunch etc. There was a bit of groaning, but dinner was satisfactory that night except the veggies. Corn is apparently toxic. Benji fussed and we stood firm, and eventually it went down the hatch. Come to dinner the next night. Benji does great, despite his desire to pick out the tiny inner bean only, he eats the whole beans. Ian refuses to eat the green beans. So Aaron tucks them into the fridge and we pull them out for breakfast the next day.
Ian tends to prefer non-breakfast foods, so this wouldn't be too bad, except he calmly refuses all food if it starts with beans. We do gymnastics, on 0 calories. He falls asleep on the way home (unheard of). He sleeps over an hour. When he wakes I encourage him to eat the beans so he can have other food. I suggest creative ideas: swallowing with milk, dipping in ketchup/Ranch, salt... He refuses with tears and an iron will. It's getting time for dinner, and now it's been 24 hours since he's eaten. He was allowed a little apple juice and water. I'm making pizza and he loves to help in the kitchen so he is spreading sauce and putting on toppings. Aaron is shredding Mozzarella. Ian is extremely hungry, but staring at him from his place at the table are four green beans. We interview Benji about any tricks he has for eating food he doesn't like. Aaron suggests melted cheese on the beans. Ian says "no" to all our ideas.
All at once he says, "Can I have them with shredded cheese?" Aaron and I stare at each other in disbelief. In shock I finish putting the pizza in the oven. Aaron takes Ian over to the table and asks,
"Do you want it next to the beans or on top?" Once the cheese is properly topping the beans Ian throws them into his mouth one by one, and not just the four I downsized for him to eat, but a few more from his original portion, without hesitation. Then he says,
"I want more! I want more beans for breakfast and lunch and dinner!" I almost faint, I want to scream and cry and pull out my hair. As with most parenting moments, it takes more out of me than it does the kids to set and reinforce boundaries/standards. Fortunately Aaron is there and plays it cool, going over to the cupboard to see if we have another can of beans.
Alas, we are all out of beans, and though I thought maybe this was a big joke to him and he really didn't want more, he continues to ask for them. When Aaron and I debrief, later we are both shocked and laughing; my eye is twitching. It was like Green Eggs and Ham in real life.

Craigslist Provision

I love the adventure of Craigslist, but even more so the thrill of crouching over the free list waiting to pounce on the thing I need. Recently I was keeping my eye out for a desk for my writing room, Ian's old bedroom, which he calls his ofiice. When what to my wandering eye should appear but a listing with no photo for glass topped desk, CD player, and small black bookshelves. I was apprehensive about the desk because I was looking for something particularly inspiring for my creative space, and some re-inventing of my most used spaces in the house. I had a creative volcano brewing and it was about to erupt in a re-decoration explosion.

Many times I don't even look at ads with no picture, and particularly when I am looking for my own specialized space. This time, I had been waiting so long that I went for it. I figured I would stuff as much into the minivan as I could and figure out the details later.

I was in the beginning stages of a mighty purge throughout every room of my house to get rid of clutter and things I could part with of every kind. I stayed up into the wee hours getting a second wind of energy as I breathed free air. Freedom from stuff is invigorating.

So as I drove to the Kent condo to find my treasure I was imagining the loot and how it would figure into my "F-reedecoration." Even as I loaded up I was reeling at my treasure! When I got home, however, nothing was quite fitting into the space I had envisioned. I let it sit a few days cleaned the surfaces and then TEAM ROYCE came to my rescue. Now I have a minimalist living room and a nice work space. My kitchen even got more organized and color coordinated. Interestingly enough I am still moving things a bit much to my four year old's dismay, "Why do you have to move things around??" He asks in an accusing tone. I reassure him I am just trying to get things to look nice and be convenient, work nicely for the family. He is unconvinced and a lover of status quo.

The CD player turned out to be a nice shelf system, that needed speaker wire, which happens to be one of Aaron's many specialties. After he wired it, it still wouldn't play. No big loss, it was free and unexpected. But then, he pulled out the screw driver to see if it was just a dirty crystal. Whoa! I didn't even know you were allowed to open them up, but in short order Aaron had cleaned the inside, put it back together and Rod Stewart was crooning classic American Songbook! This was better than I could've hoped for. Now I get up in the morning and with one-touch on the remote I have music to energize me for the day. And just down the hall I have a writing retreat. Now if I can just get connected to the internet in there.

Craigslist and Team Royce--unbeatable combo!