Do you ever feel like you are playing Russian Roulette with dinner? I do. Tonight for example, I made rolls from scratch with a recipe I had never tried. I thought I had plenty of time before I needed to get dinner going when I started at about 1:30. I got the dough all made and in the oven to rise while my dad played with the girls upstairs so I feed Seany and put him down for a much needed nap. Well, he woke up about two minutes after I put him down so I let him cry a little. He started wailing while I cleaned up a little and the girls all filed downstairs. I got the dough out and made into the individual rolls and back in the over to rise again at about 4. Since Sean hadn't taken a nap he was wanting to be held all the time and the girls were getting into the super crazy time and the rest of the dinner needed to get ready. So I had to put Sean on the counter (to keep him safe from the oldest) and listen to him cry while I cut up the cheese and the turkey and ham and made the sauce to make ham/turkey and cheese sliders. Of course the last time we had these the girls didn't really like them, nor did Joe, but I did, so I choose them for dinner. Well the rolls had to cook before I could make them into sliders, they were done just before 5. They were super hot as I ripped them open to spread a little mayo, add the cheese and meat, and top with the sauce. Why it said to wait for 10 minutes I don't know, maybe the same reason it said to use 1/2 cup butter in the sauce (I used 2T). I shouldn't have waited. They weren't done till about 540 just as Joe walked in (we try to eat at 530). Of course I was trying to double up on the oven and had to get the brownie mix all ready to go in as soon as the sliders came out (darn not wanting to waste all that good hot air, I'm cheap that way) so that made it seem all the more chaotic. Of course that got the girls all interested in being in the kitchen. But I so digress. I choose our dinner because I liked it and I know that the girls are okay with all the components (at times, anyway). As I dished up their plates with salad and a single slider I warned them that I didn't want any complaining. If they didn't want to eat it, fine, just don't complain. Cassidy started crying and whining because there wasn't any butter on the inside of the slider or on top. Then she picked it all apart. So did Molly. Julia just ate it all. In the end Cassidy ate 3, Molly ate 2 and a roll, Julia had one plus a roll, Joe had 3 as did I. They loved them.
Then there are other nights I make something I know they like and it's a huge fight to get them to eat anything. Why? There is no rhyme or reason to their dinner moods. It's always a huge guess as to what will work or not.Top that off with a crying (screaming baby) and three girls that are usually at the end of their nice ropes and are getting crazy and mom is set to explode.
Is it like that in your house?
