Week in Review

You would think by now I would get the hang of this. Every afternoon around 4 pm I am striken with the realization that I must serve my family something for dinner. (A quick calculation shows that this has happened nearly 1500 times since the arrival of children). It's not that I don't like to cook or even mind going to the grocery store. It's planning what to eat for a week (or even a few days) that is difficult. Nothing appeals to me anymore, groceries are expensive, the children are picky, and we have a number of wacky dietary restrictions.

I once read an essay about a woman's mother who routinely served a dish on Sunday night called "Week in Review." Basically she took the various leftovers from the week, mixed all in a casserole dish, topped it with cheese and baked until bubbly.

So at 5 o'clock I opened the fridge and this is what I saw: a jar of pickles, a jar of applesauce, carrots and celery, various condiments. Even with a thick layer of cheese, I don't think you could make a meal.

It was time for Plan B, which I am ashamed to admit, is the standard chicken nugget. Actually there is nothing standard about a bunch of spare chicken parts, breaded and shaped into the form of a dinosaur. Nevertheless, it was quick and the children will eat them. Who can resist a funny face?



Actually, Andrew can. He refused to eat the pineapple eyes (even though he had eaten them earlier in the week) so he had to sit at the table until he was finally saved by the bath.

For us, Doug hit the local bar (Merv's) for the biggest, cheapest burgers out there. While I waited for him to return, I perused the grocery store ads and made a list. I even went to the store while he bathed the boys. We'll see if next week is any better.
And for our Week in Review activity wise:

We enjoyed the warm weather and the return of picnic lunches (which are great 'cause the ants handle cleanup). Once again, Andrew refused to eat his food (a sunflower butter and strawberry jam sandwich).

My mom gave me a book that lists various activities to improve listening skills and Andrew loves to read through it. We decided to try tapping on glasses (empty, 1/2 full, and completely full) to test the sound. Stephen thoroughly enjoyed the chance to bang on something.


I love this look on Matthew's face. Maybe there is a correlation between the number of chins and the amount of happiness!

And here he is modeling a big boy outfit.
Best of all, this marks the first week in 2008 when we had no medical appointments. Quite an achievement with 3 small kids.