What Happens When the Mac and Cheese Boils Over

Can I just tell you what a whirlwind day I've had?  Well...if it wasn't a whirlwind day around here I don't know what I would do. Ava was back to school today. Jordan was back after being off for 5 days. Livi was back to dance class today.  The girls had a dentist appointment this afternoon (all of my girls L-O-V-E going to the dentist...is this normal?)   Jim was working late tonight (still not home) so I was on single parent duty.  When bedtime came, all I could do was sigh.

But I wanted to share the funny part of my insane day:

We went to my mom's after I picked up Ava from preschool. This is our normal Wednesday routine. We usually hang out there and eat lunch together before I drive over to Olivia's dance class and my mom usually heads to work.  I pack a lunch for myself and the girls so we don't wipe out my mom's fridge and cupboards with our visit. Today was no different, except that mom offered up some of her leftovers for lunch.  She made ground pickles and "jumbo" which doesn't really sound appetizing. Nor does it look appetizing in real life, but it does remind me of my childhood and it is sort of a nostalgic comfort food, so I decided to partake. I put away my non-comforting Lean Cuisine and rooted around in the fridge for the container.

It's in the smallish Tupperware there, Mom said only half glancing to see if I chose the right one. The refrigerator is full of leftover containers. Mom is really good about keeping (and eating) leftovers. Unlike myself.  If I have a leftover to save and actually end up saving it, it is usually moldy by the time anyone thinks of it again (ew, I know).

I gathered up the sandwich making ingredients and popped open the ground pickles and jumbo container and noticed that it seemed a little soupy. What's in this? I asked (but duh, I knew the answer and I bet you do too!) Ground pickles, jumbo, eggs, mayonnaise mom said.  Okay, I thought. It seemed awfully mayonnaise-ey and there were reddish flecks throughout but I thought it was maybe jumbo skin (gross, I know).  I slathered the soupy goop onto my bread and began to chow down over the sink. Nope, didn't grab a plate, just started wolfing right there as I watched the pot starting to boil for the girls mac and cheese. 

This doesn't taste right, I thought.  It didn't taste BAD. It just didn't taste like ground pickles and jumbo.  I kept eating.  First, it didn't taste BAD as I said, and Second, I didn't want to barrage my mom with questions about her ground pickle and jumbo making techniques. I had already hounded her by asking what was IN it, right?  In the meantime, my mom was preparing her own sandwich.

My mom took a bite.  Wait, this doesn't taste right.

I know, I said, It doesn't taste sweet.

That's not it, Mom replied.

I looked at my sandwich. I was down to the last quarter of it.

What in the hell was I eating? 

It tastes like salsa,  I said

My mom started laughing. 

I started laughing.

This isn't ground pickles and jumbo, is it? I asked.

Both of us cracked up and tossed what was left of our sandwiches. 

I had just chowed down on a salsa dip sandwich.

If you don't think that a ground pickles and jumbo sandwich sounds appetizing, how about a salsa, cream cheese dip concoction (leftover from SUNDAY) sandwich.  I would have hurled, but we were laughing too hard.

And the mac and cheese was boiling over.

The Best Day Ever

So according to my daughters, and SpongeBob Squarepants, Saturday was the best day ever. Why, you ask? It was allowance day AND my husband brought donuts home for breakfast while he was out on his Saturday morning coffee run. So anyway, because of these two facts my three little girls launched into an explosive rendition of the chorus of Spongebob's "The Best Day Ever" song and it went on...and on...and on...and on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQXNi9d1WvE (Here's a link to the song in case you've managed to not ever hear it in your life) It began shortly after the last donut was devoured and continued as Jim made his way outside on this mild day to take down the Christmas lights, continued as I made our bed for the morning, and continued on as I unloaded the dishwasher and loaded the washing machine. AT LEAST 15 minutes of the same 5 words sung over and over again. But...I didn't mind. I'm happy that these little things make my girls so happy.


So who knew that donuts and $1 each would prompt this (50 cents for Livi)? I certainly didn't when Jim announced at the beginning of the week that he would start doling out an allowance to the girls if they cleaned their bedroom and playroom everyday of the week (except for Sunday, which is their day off). I was kind of happy, but secretly thought, man this is going to mean more fights for me. My girls have trained me to believe that it is easier sometimes to just do it myself than wage a 30 minute war with them about cleaning up after themselves. But I guess at 5, almost 6, and 4 it is time to learn about hard work and reward. AND at the end of the week it wasn't so bad!

Jordan quickly devised a plan and put it into motion unbeknownst to Ava that each day she would scope out the room that was the less messy of the two and chose that as her room to clean all on her own...leaving Ava to clean the other...which really kind of means Ava lays in the middle of the floor staring at the ceiling with her legs crossed while she talks to, or sings allowed to, herself. Somehow it got done each day. The threat of not getting an afternoon snack helped and I only had to remind them a few times per cleaning session that they wouldn't be getting allowance and that they pretty much would be staying upstairs until it was done.

I'm hoping that the sugar high, the natural high of a job well done, and the memory of the smell of a dirty $1 bill will remain in their minds this week as we launch week 2 of Operation Allowance. Jim has already promised them a raise in 6 months if they keep this up...so we shall see.

Now, if I could just get them to stop fighting with each other and get through the dinner hour (more like 15 minutes at our house) without a meltdown!!