Random Tale of Josh and the Gross Dinner

Gross Dinner is certainly one perspective, though it was admittedly a near-miss for our tired chef (me). I made my mom's turkey-stroganoff over rice this evening, and the kids helped me cook. Since I don't measure the spices, I discovered it's a bit harder to 'eyeball' the amount of the spices in a tiny kid-hand, and ended up with a tad (read: YUCK) too much garlic salt in the gravy. Not to worry, I made enough rice to stretch it out and make it palatable.

Enter Josh, who claims he doesn't like stroganoff (though he loves to help me make it), even though he's been eating it since he was in the womb. We had broccoli with it, which is the bane of his existence; certainly the nemesis of any 3-year old boy (he was once only offered his broccoli at every meal/snack until he choked it down the next day at lunch).

Unfortunately for him, I mixed his broccoli into his stroganoff. In order to make dinner a bit more enjoyable I offered cheese into the mix, which he accepted gladly, stating he would then eat his yucky stroganoff and broccoli. He still didn't touch it until I picked it up and took a bite (which I might add, was quite good, the broccoli along with the extra rice and cheese was VERY good, enough so I may have a new cassarole on my hands...but I digress). Once I took a bite he was super interested in eating it himself, so long as I fed it to him. I don't usually go along with that request, but he was eating it (broccoli included) so I just went with it.

On EVERY bite with broccoli, the kid gagged. I still don't know if this is acting or not. I know Miguel has a very sensitive gag reflex, so it could be real, but I still haven' t decided if I buy it or not, especially since he does it with anything he doesn't want to eat, but I like to give him the benefit of the doubt. His last bite of broccoli was a small "tree" which I knew couldn't be very crunchy, and is the part I like the best. He took it and started chewing *and gagging* all while being praised for his valiant efforts of eating his veggies like a good boy. He gagged, and gagged, and gagged again. And finally...he threw up on the table.

Josh 1 Mom 0

He didn't ask for anything else and proclaimed he was finished at that point. I didn't fight it, though he certainly didn't get any "treat" (read: iced animal crackers - YUM) after dinner.

Oh well. On to figuring out new ways to disguise vegetables with dinner. And, just to let you know, normally when I offer veggies it is alongside something he enjoys eating. So I have him eat a serving of veggies first, then provide the good stuff. I guess I have to switch to fruit on the nights we have an entree he despises...hmmm...that may be my new strategy. At least he will eat any fruit I put in front of him. If he could live on fruit, yogurt, cheese and peanut butter sandwiches, I think he'd be the world's happiest kid.

And the tiredness continues...

The new person I mentioned in my last post (please take note of the date of that post), has yet to be hired. Yep, still hasn't started. Yesterday I heard final word he is starting on Monday, so hopefully I will be able to have time to think soon.

Tired...

I'm sorry, I've been working like a crazy person. 2 people quit at work, 1 of which was my counterpart. I am now 8 months into this job, doing the job of a Sr. Technician. Great opportunity. Horrible hours. No fun sinking or swimming.

BUT I haven't forgotten my blog and my few followers.

Pray for me, I think I will be needing it...

Hopefully they will hire someone next week, but then I have to train them AND do the job of 2 people. Why doesn't that sound comforting?

I'm going to bed.

Coming Soon....

Vacation...yes, you read that right!
4th of July

We really aren't dead, I've just been busy. I'll catch you all up on our un-exciting busy-ness soon.

Josh's Antics

Josh was watching Phineas and Ferb this morning while playing on Daddy's computer chair. During the commercials he kept himself entertained like this:

Sorry it's so dark, I didn't want him to know I was taking his picture.

They're 3, and He's 2 and They're All Canines

For those of you keeping track, no human in our family has a birthday outside of February (Josh) or October (everyone else). But we have 3 dogs who all have birthdays in June.

I know, strange to know a dog's birthday. I'll get to why there are pictures of Transformers in a minute, for now I reminisce. Growing up we had rescues or maybe I just had parents who weren't fun. Either way, we never celebrated any dogs birthdays.

Enter married life, and into our lives come Sarge and Sadie. We "Rescued" them from a very nice lady who simply didn't have the room to keep her puppies (which she didn't mean to have) and wasn't going to take them to a shelter. For the first time, we have dogs of our own and even know their birthday! For their first birthday we attended a "family reunion" with a bunch of other pups from the litter. Great fun, not something we would have thought of on our own, but still fun.

Then we have another addition to our little pack of pups, Sherman. The older dogs' 2nd birthday came and went and there was a relatively new baby and a boy being potty trained and things just went on unnoticed.

Now the older dogs have turned 3 and Sherman has finally calmed himself into a decent (yet still annoying) older adolescent at 2. The kids are older and more self-sufficient and we found ourselves in the middle of summer, with nothing to celebrate between Memorial Day and July 4th, so we'll have a DOG BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!

Yes, it really is a simple excuse to buy cupcakes and party hats and an even better excuse to buy Transformers for my husband...I mean for my son.

It's always entertaining to put hats on the dogs. Doesn't Sadie look like she's saying, "This sucks!"?

And what birthday party would be complete without a meltdown from the resident 3-yr-old?

Isn't Sherman a pretty dog? See the dirt he manages to constantly get on my walls and fridge? Yet they are all so obedient they will eat from our children's hands (only with adult-supervision).

All in all, the kids had a great time and we enjoyed our little excuse for a party.

Water Guns in the Afternoon Sun

I love our backyard. The dogs don't add to the landscaping, but it's a wonderfully big space to allow the kids (and dogs) to run WILD, and they love it.

Of course my son loves water guns. He would play with them all the time if I allowed it and he just doesn't understand why not in the house? We had a lovely Sunday afternoon in the backyard after dinner and I was able to snap some photos.