january 18: cooking with dom...

This afternoon was rough.  From the moment the big boys got in the car, it was "What are we doing tonight?" "Can we go to a friend's house?" "Can we have movie night?" "Pass me your phone so I can play Angry Birds...".  Yikes!  Can't say that I don't know where it's coming from.  We have been ont he move since the day they were born...they've grown to expect a certain level of "fun" planned at all times.  But ya know what???  Sometimes, we STAY HOME!!!...and there is nothing wrong with a little weeknight routine.

So, apparently the stars aligned just right this evening for everyone to be just a bit cranky.  I was pulled in a million and one directions...one of those directions- cooking with Dominic.  He is usually my super kitchen helper...always sitting on the counter hanging out with me while I cook.  I really thought that he, above all others, was going to soak up this whole cooking night thing.  Alas, even he wasn't in the mood.  He did play along long enough to help make salsa and chop up our lettuce for our chicken tacos, so for that I am grateful.

Tonight definitely didn't quite go as expected (my margarita wine cooler made an early appearance), but taking a night a week to cook with each kid is definitely something I am going to continue to do. I think it speaks differently to each child.  For Elijah, he enjoys the praise for doing a good job. For Dominic, he enjoys the undivided attention.  Not sure what Joel will think, but we'll see next week!

  

january 17: "i love you because..."

At dinner tonight, we did a little "gushing" over each other.  We went around the table and each person had to say one thing they loved about their family members.  Tad went first.  The three big boys held their breath while Tad spoke...they were soaking up his compliments.  When it was their turn, it was funny to watch them look for words to express themselves.  We tried to stay away from things like "I like your hair." and steered them towards things like "You are fun to play with."  We heard things like "...you're pretty", "...i like playing outside with you", "...you're cool", "...you do a lot for me", and "...you make me smile."

We won't do this often, but we'll definitely pull it out a couple of times a year...just to remind us how lucky we are to have each other.

january 16: dinner delivery...

So, we did the lakefront clean up thing yesterday, which was great...but, it was very "big picture".  I love the idea of it, but it's a bit long term to explain to the kids about their impact to our ginormous, too big to comprehend, planet.  Today's project was to deliver dinner to someone...a much more tangible experience.

Cooking for someone else isn't difficult.  Over the last few years it has actually become one of my love languages.  Whenever I hear of someone having a baby, losing a loved one, or just having a rough week...my first thought is..."I should bring them dinner."  Maybe it's because with all of our procreating, one of the best things my friends have done for me after coming home with a bambino is taking care of dinner a few nights.

It just so happens that two amazing families we know lost loved ones this past week.  I normally don't know what to say, but I do know that things like not having to fuss over dinner one night has to at least make a small impact.  

Today is Monday.  In New Orleans, Monday is red beans and rice.  So, I threw a few pounds of beans on the stove this morning and cooked them all day long.  Once Tad came home, we loaded the food and all the kiddos in the truck and set off.  On our way we had a good talk with Elijah and Dominic about heaven and what it meant to do things like this just to make people feel better.  Our boys haven't experienced the loss of anyone close, so we tried to just let them lead the conversation...we'll have to have deeper conversations eventually, but no need to push the issue.  

We got to briefly visit with two wonderful families last night...wish we could just drop in on people every night!  Unfortunately, homework, feedings, and baths get in the way of too much lolly-gagging in the evenings.  The boys had a really good time delivering dinner...maybe in the future they can help prepare the dinner too. 

Tomorrow, we praise...

january 15: serve others...

I'm not sure if you are born with a heart to serve, or if it is taught.  My guess is that it's a mixture of the two.  Keeping an eye and ear out for opportunities to serve is something I am working to better myself at.  I know some people who just know what people need.  After finding out you've had a bad day, they show up at your door with a rotisserie chicken and a bunch of flowers...somehow it's just what you needed.  Others who can organize a collection of fast food gift cards for a mom who just lost her husband.  As a family, I hope that we can be in tuned with our community enough to see needs that arise and, without missing a step, swoop in to address them.  If it is a learned characteristic, there's no time like now to start teaching.

We went back and forth with what our service should be.  We thought about raking a neighbors leaves, washing someones car, and even crashing a friend's house to clean up.  In the end we chose to go down to the lakefront and pick up litter.  It was a beautiful thing, and the boys really got into it! Abram watched from my hip as the bigger ones climbed up and around rocks gathering cups, fast food bags, and beer cans.  We explained how if the trash gets into the lake, the fish can get sick.  We also talked about how it makes the park a prettier place for our neighbors to visit.

Our final loot filled up 5 Wal-mart bags...not bad for 30 minutes of work!  Little experiences like this will hopefully add up to boys who look beyond themselves to the greater needs of our world.

Picking up trash helps our whole community...tomorrow we teach them to serve on a smaller scale...

january 14: outdoor play...

Boys LOVE being outside! We have four boys.  We are ALWAYS outside!

After living for a year without a backyard, we are so in love with the grass that came with our new house.  I can't wait to get our playset built so the monkeys have something to climb on (thanks Mom and Chris!)  For now, we have a basketball goal, an infant slide, a hand me down ride in car, and a whole lotta nothing.  I am enjoying watching the boys lack of toys bring out their imaginations!  Today, we made sure to spend some good family time outside.  Papa Gene was wrangled into a game of "horse" and quickly learned that Elijah was going to win...at one point Eli had an "H", an "O", and a 1/2.  Dominic then pulled Dad into a soccer match in which he won with 900 points...Papa Gene didn't stand a chance!  Joel was all over the place, shooting bad guys and turning the slide into his own personal pirate ship.  My little Abram holds his own too...he is always one step behind his bigger brothers.

january 13: movie night...

Papa Gene is in town!!!  When I originally scheduled movie night, I hadn't remembered that my Dad and his friend Anita would be in town this weekend.  Usually we do a Redbox rental or a new movie on Netflix, add sleeping bags and popcorn and...voila!  good family fun =)

Instead, the big boys actually went to their school for their Movie Night in the cafeteria, and Joel watched Lion King in the playroom while us adults visited in the dining room.

Movie Night in the Patella house wasn't up to it's normal standards, but getting to visit with my Dad and Anita were worth it!

Tomorrow, we go outside and play...

january 12: try a new food...

My kiddos aren't necessarily picky eaters, but they definitely go through phases.  Sometimes they decide that they don't like peanut butter and jelly...oatmeal...chili...  Now, I am kind of picky, so we don't we don't go out on a limb very often.  No sushi for dinner in this house, folks.  But as a family we were going to try something new tonight.  I chose something that I had eaten, but never made.

Stuffed Bell Peppers!

The boys were a little wigged out from the get go, because they usually pick out the bell peppers off of pizza and spaghetti.  We have a little game though when something might not be everyones favorite.  Everyone puts the "offender" on their utensil...we count to three...and all eat at the same time.  It works to get at least one bite of something into their mouths.  Mom did a good job concocting a pretty tasty dish, and her boys ate almost all of what was on their plates.

Next time we do this we will probably cook something a little more edgy, but I was happy with our little guys participation tonight...

bon apetit!