Sunday Food Crawl

Sunday afternoons are my favorite. After a morning doing family things- a park, a trip to the zoo, or today, just a bunch of errands, I go to my 1:30 barre class, swing through the grocery store on the way home, and set up shop in the kitchen by 4 pm. And then the fun begins. Music is turned on, food is put away and organized in the pantry and fridge, and dinner prep begins! On Sunday I always make something that involves a lot of prep because it's the only day I can do so without anybody crying. JP is home, the kids are in and out doing kid things, Cora is sleeping or playing nearby, and it is delightful. In the right circumstances- i.e., when it's not after a full day at work with hungry kids and no husband, I find making my mirepoux very soothing.

Tonight's dinner was my friend's deliciously healthy turkey chili and my sister's deliciously unhealthy homemade macaroni and cheese. They both involve a lot of prep- lots of chopping for the chili and lots of steps and layering and bechamel making for the macaroni. I like to serve them together in the same bowl- the mac and cheese lends a creamy unctuousness to the otherwise healthy and veggie filled chili and it makes my soul feel complete. We're having the leftovers of each for dinner tomorrow.

After dinner, we played a few rounds of Uno, with Cora on the carpet with us, paying very close attention to the game. When JP and I were done with the two slowest moving rounds of Uno ever (Claire looks at every single card in her hand individually every single time it's her turn; she's very earnest about it but omg we have to cap our nightly rounds at two), the big kids decided to teach Cora to crawl. As with all things, Cora was game, even if she was a bit skeptical at the developmental appropriateness of the initiative.

Landon: Okay Cora, you have to put your hands out like this.
Claire: I'll hold her legs!
Cora: Huh?

Landon: No. Claire, her legs have to go down on the floor.
Claire: See, holding them so high!
Cora: What are you fools doing to me?

Claire: I've got her feet!  I'll make them clap!
Landon: Yay Cora!
Cora: You know we are accomplishing nothing, right?

Cora: Staring contest, go!

Landon: Mom, she's going to do it! She's going to crawl!

Cora: Unlikely.

Landon: See, like this Cora!
Claire: Yes, like this!
Cora: Where's my elephant?

Landon: She doesn't seem to be crawling.
Cora: I am totally not crawling.  Bottle time?

And in other happenings, Landon made her into a superhero this morning so she could join the Lag Liv family junior crime fighting league. She was far more excited about her cape and mask (and mostly that she was wearing it all in the jumperoo) than she was about her post-dinner crawl training.

She is such a joy- more to come in her 5 month post this weekend (5 moths- ack!).