What was I thinking, really?

Okay, before I had kids I had great plans of how I was going to raise them, the cool things we would do. Take dinner time for instance, in my dreams we would sit and listen to classical music while we dined. My darling well dressed children would know the composors by names. I would be a terrific mom and expose them to foreign foods, art and culture. My kids would know their manners and how to properly set a table. They would sit up straight and speak poperly at the table. If they didn't like a certain food they would simply say "Mother I dont' care for that" They would say grace and it would be a profound moment every night as the Holy Spirit settled upon us. We would discuss politics, art and science at the table and my kids would be so well behaved I would able to take them to fancy restaurants without fear.


(screeching tire sounds).......................

not.

I sat tonight exhausted and somehow reminded of all my grand plans, I imagined Nettie there smiling and joining in or at least learning the crazy that describes our family.

Reality is this. Poop is a really funny word when you are 6,4 and 3 and 37. Chewing with you mouth open is just practical as you can say Poop more often. Licking a bowl of yogurt is considered not wasting. Breaking out with a random tap dance a top your chair is just dinner entertainment. Mismatched plates and cups and silverware is really just an artistic expression of individuality. Clearing the table is a time saver because there are 50 million Lego pieces that haven't been fully dumped on the dining room floor and that is just tradition. Toys at the table, under the table and over the table serve as decorative pieces, who needs flowers and candles? Napkins are useless when you have your sleeve and why not go "green" anyway? Food on the wall, science and art mixed in one.

So you see although this wasn't my dream I couldn't have imagined a better life.