Wednesday, October 1, 2008

What I am, Is What I am...

"I'm not aware of too many things I know what I know, if you know what I mean... "

And what I mean is that this mama has to get back into the kitchen and cook some decent meals, stat.

Seriously.

"Dinner's here" is what we have said more nights in the last few weeks than "it's dinner time!"

How did this happen to two foodie adults with a passion for fine dining?

Oh, yeah. We became parents.

Seriously Daddy and I are both pretty darn good cooks and enjoy food (and that's why my booty is on the treadmill every night.) Back in the day when we were cool, Seriously Daddy and I would spend weekend mornings at the local speciality food shop, farmers markets and our favorite wine and beer shop. Head home with a trunk full of good stuff and cook the night away. We made our share of masterpieces as well as disasters but it was a fun experiment none the less.

But our grandest experiment of all, the L's. The L's no likey our dinners. They no likey my cooking, they no likey Daddy's cooking. They no likey at all. We have gone through the "I only eat hot dogs and mac and cheese stage", the "I only eat pizza stage", the "I only eat fruit stage", the "I don't eat at all but still find time to shit in my pants in huge quantities stage" and the "Mom, I only like Grandma's cooking" stage. Now the last of their stages wouldn't be a problem if my parents didn't live halfway across the country and getting to their house by dinner time would require this family leaving our house 11 hours prior. Not so easy with a one and three year old and two big dogs.

As much as I am ashamed to admit it, I gave up. I gave up the specialty food shop, the fancy wine and beer pairings, the ceramic dinnerware, the traditional Sunday experiments. I gave them all up in favor of sanity and chicken nuggets. So sue me. I know that I created these little monsters and I know I am the one who purchased these foods and I know I am the one who was just trying to stay sane for cripes sake! You can't tell me you serve gourmet meals 3 times a day, now do you? Uh huh, that's what I thought.

It's time for a revolution. A SeriouslyMama food revolution! Can I get an Amen? Who's with me people?

The L's are in for a big surprise. No more prepackaged, processed, camouflaged, mom is a sucker foods in this house. Now that they are both old enough to go to bed hungry if they decide not to eat, we are heading back to basics. Fresh, organic if possible and certainly not shaped liked the latest toy. No more electric blue yogurt, no more tractor shaped nuggets, no more fruit pressed into the shape of notebook paper. No more crap!

So tonight as I am listening to some Edie Brickell, sipping on some Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc and making Chicken Piccata, the L's will be eating their chicken dipped in ranch dressing. Guaranteed.

I have to start somewhere, right?

Tell me about dinner time at your house. Inquiring minds want to know. Have you been able to get your kids to eat like normal human beings or are you just keepin' on to keep sane?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I actually laced a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with peas once, just to get C eat vegetables. Seriously. I hear ya', and if you ever figure out a way to make mealtime not seem like a Battle Of Wills, let me know!

Wendy said...

We're foodies too. I'm a former restaurant owner, and my husband is a chef. There's some serious cooking going on in this house! lol. Sometimes, my kids love my cooking. Other times they won't touch it. Noah won't eat my famous speghetti sauce, only the pasta with parm. Tessa only likes meat. I pretty much let them eat whichever parts they want and don't worry too much about it. Lately though, I haven't been cooking much. They know they'll go to bed hungry if they don't eat, so I don't have too much trouble. Oh yeah, and Noah's favorite meal? A bread and butter sandwich. Yeah.

Irrational Dad said...

I'm so happy we're still doing breastmilk for Tyler. I'm not looking forward to this stuff. It's crossed my mind though.

BUT, I was watching an episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8 a couple days ago (don't judge me), and Kate said that the kids WILL eat when they're hungry. If they don't accept the food you make, they don't eat. I can handle that.

Seriously Brenda said...

Sammanthia - I too have laced many a foods with the green stuff. Did they get the head fake or did it work out? Mine always figure it out. Thanks for the visit!

Wendy - You owned a restaurant and your hubs is a chef! That's totally cool. If I wouldn't have finshed my Geology degree, I would have totally gone to the CIA. It's always been a dream of mine. You know, like the female Bourdain. Snarky but oh so talented! Thanks for the visit!

Joe- We too watch Jon and Kate and my husband refuses to admit it. Enjoy the breastmilk only days. You will have your work cut out for you when they start to get an opinion. I can't wait to hear the stories!

Anonymous said...

Good for you, Toots, or else you end up with a 12 year old like mine. He will regurgitate broccoli when coerced into eating it, gags at the sight of carrots, and will run screaming from something as exotic as a mushroom. The only vegetable he eats is applesauce. (Yeah, I Know it's not a vegetable- tell him.)

My only consolation is that I didn't eat "weird" stuff till I was 21, then it was like a switch flipped. I'm hoping his first girlfriend is a vegan who loves Indian food. Totally broaden that palate. We don't eat any dyes or high fructose corn syrup, but there's still a broad range of organic crap he's subsisting on.