eat dinner with a stick

i recently posted on my facebook status that our "eat dinner with a stick night" was a success. after a couple responses from 3-4 of my closest 190 friends i started to re-think my post. i spend a lot of time thinking up, searching for and/or copying goofy ideas to keep the kids excited about our life and family. yes, they are loved, kissed, tickled and cuddled...but i think, adding a bit of crazy makes it great!
1 out of 3 dixon kids loves to eat. but if you give a kid a stick with chunks of bbq'd chicken for some reason i can get 2 kids to finish their plates and ask for seconds. in this case the baby doesn't count. i am not crazy enough to give a baby a stick!
anyway...back to my facebook status. after a year a posting, you begin to know which posts are a hit, and which ones either people think are stupid, or cannot relate to. in this instance, i kept thinking of all those parents questioning my own parenting techniques. how could she give her kids a skewer to eat with? they will stab themselves, choke on it, or poke their eyes out. how could she do this while we are teaching our kids how to set a table, sit properly and use the right utensil for the right course at dinner?
i'll continue to give them more to talk about once i've revealed my "eat with your fingers night" or "eat under the table night"!

multi-what??

multitasking is the art of doing many tasks at the same time. this is something i do not do well. i tend to multiworry very well though and i am proud to say that i do know all the things that need to be done. my problem usually begins with a single task like straightening the living room, which takes me to the kids room to put away a toy. 2 hours later i have somehow decided to alphabetize the kids books and rearrange the closet. this of course causes more of a mess from pulling everything out to make a clean start. finding a sippy cup takes me back down to the kitchen where i begin to tidy up, and now i've found myself searching the cupboards for a snack.

seriously, sometimes a little slap in the face might get me back on track, but not for long. so now i'm thinking maybe i'm a "one task at a time" kind of girl. this will give me focus, right? i will not move until the project/task/goal is completed. nothing will stop me and life will run smooth.

today...is laundry day! five clean loads to fold and seven dirty ones to wash, dry, fold & put away. the kids won't be fed, changed or bathed, but as GOD as my witness....the laundry will be done!