Dinner Time Routine

5 p.m. Bailey reminds me that it is 5 p.m. and time to start dinner. He gets really concerned about dinner.

5:12 p.m. I extricate myself from whatever else I was doing, which right now is probably feeding Seth.

5:27 p.m. Lucy figures out that I'm working on dinner, so she comes to beg scraps off me.

5:32 p.m. Lucy gets upset because all of the spare raw onions or tomatoes are now being cooked, meaning she can't have any more.

5:40 I start trying to get someone to clean up the homework/aspiring artist mess left on the table.

5:47 I remind the kids as calmly as I possibly can that their cleaning needs to be done before they can eat dinner.

5:48 Abigail explains all the reasons why her chores aren't done yet (everything from my legs are purple to Lucy won't let me clean because she is distracting me)

5:56 Dinner is ready! Table is still dirty, Jamie is finally finished with his shower (he rides his bike to work ya know), kids are frantically trying to finish their chores.

6:10 The table is finally clean, and set. Lucy is sitting in her seat screaming because she wants to eat, but we are waiting for Bailey and Abby.

6:17 Everyone is at the table, prayer has been said, and Bailey says "What's for dinner?" If the answer is pizza sans sauce, quesadillas, Chick-fil-A, macaroni and cheese, or baked potatoes, he gets really excited. If the answer is anything else, he either says "I don't like that." or "Is that all?"

6:21 Bailey is still sulking that the rest of the family doesn't share his enthusiasm for his favorite foods and shows it by actually eating something else. Abby is trying to decide if she likes it or not, Lucy is screaming for more food, Jamie and I are finally settling in to eat.

6:22 Seth reminds us that he is hungry too and needs some milk.

7:00 Seth is mostly done eating, my dinner is cold, the table is once again a mess, and my family is getting ready for bed. I sit back to finally enjoy my food and think about how I get to do it all again tomorrow.

But, I catch myself before I fall into my big dark pit of dispair. With the few rare minutes of quiet that I have I think about my kids and I remember that somewhere I read that the average teenager spends about 12 minutes a day with a parent. I just spent two hours seriously engaged with my family, with at least one more to come before bedtime. I smile to myself and realize that in a few short years, my time with my kids is going to be limited and this crazy-stressful tradition of family dinner may be the only time I spend with them. Maybe tomorrow we'll have Quesadillas, so I can see Bailey's face light up and hear Lucy say "'dilla, 'dilla" and ask for salsa.