soggy cereal

remember in "a christmas story", ralphie comments about his mother not being able to eat a hot meal in fifteen years? I swear that he was foreshadowing about my life. every day... every. single. day. every. single. meal. it's something. I present the troops with their bounty, and it never fails... the moment I sit down, the requests start rolling in... "mama? can I have some ketchup? mama? can I have some ranch? mama? can I have the other kind of bread? with butter, mama? mama? can I have more milk/juice/water? mama? can I have some more broccoli? mama? will you help me eat my 'fagetti?" okay, I'm exaggerating... they have NEVER asked for more broccoli. but the rest of it? true story.

tonight c is working late, so I had the trio to myself. I let them choose dinner... turkey dogs, mac and cheese and veggie squeezees. no problem. I had a bowl of cereal. and, per usual, as soon as I sat down, lyncoln starts:  "mama? can I have a piece of bread?" me: "you don't like that kind of bread." lu: "oh yeah." Quinn: "mama? can I have some ketchup?" me: "you have one bite of your turkey dog left. do you really need ketchup?" Quinn: "yes, mama. I need the ketchup." so I got her the ketchup. that she didn't touch. as soon as I sit back down, rhys joins in on the party: "mama? can I have some more mac and cheese?" I get the kid more pasta, and, my derriere doesn't even touch my chair before the trio chimes, "mama? can I have more milk? pleeeeaasssee?" sweet mother of pearl.

sometimes the kids are able to get their own requests... but most of the time, the ketchup or the ranch is just out of their reach. if they were left to their own devices, there would be a much bigger issue, in the form of a mess, to clean up. the beverages, other than water, are kept on the top shelf, so they can't reach those... and second helpings are always served by an adult. and that adult, friends, is more often than not, yours truly. I sit on the side of the table closest to the kitchen, so it's usually me who fetches their needs and wants.

so, tonight for dinner, I had soggy cereal... soggy cereal, that, when the littles saw what I had, began asking for bites... so, tonight for dinner, I had a partial bowl of soggy cereal... and I also had three happy, well fed, kiddos. i'll take it.