Stop that kid, she's got a bowl of peas!

o.k.  this is so My life.  Olivia thieves a bowl of peas from the dinner table and high tails it out of the kitchen.  I catch up with her in the living room, tackle her down and retrieve the peas before spillage.  I mark brief Success in my parenting book for the moment.  Then she traps her foot in the baby doll stroller, screams her head off and I declare:  bedtime for the baby!  And that is where the lovely little sticky faced , mismatched, buggered faced girl is now.  In her caged bed, with her bottle and many special blankets and attachments and I pray for rest for us all.   There are still parts of the baby's string cheese snack laying around the house from earlier in the eve.  She asks for the cheese when the other kids ask, I always give it to her regretting the act, knowing the fate of the dairy product.  It is always the same.  String cheese stringed around, waiting for me to collect and depost among the other junk that goes in the garbage.  Speaking of cheese: Ben likes to shorten words of things , his own personal language.  So when you ask him would you like a snack?  He might respond, I'll have some Cottage.  Or how about some Cottage?  Now the whole family refers to Cottage Cheese as Cottage because Ben has penned it so.  Seriously, it totally cuts down on time and effort just saying Cottage verses saying cottage cheese.  It totally makes sense.  Especially if you are a cowboy.  I am granted with a cowboy in my kitchen at least twice a week if not more.  TOday is one of those full gear days.  He wanted to bring for "free choice " showing tell, his cowboy gear (once again).  I told him, no Ben, you've brought that oh so many times before, choose something else, for your little friends must be bored to their gills with seeing your cowhide vest once again?  This time he reluctently chose:  a military beany baby bear.  He likes the bear, but much rather would have brought....you guessed it...Cowboy gear.  Tonight I made a new recipe:  Coconut Curry Pork (well and stolen peas as a side!).  Not my favorite.  Of course it is not up there on my NEVER MAKE AGAIN list, like:  Vampire Chicken (lets just say lots of garlic but not in a good way).  O.k., I must be honest here and tell you that I do believe that the 3 legged dog has just peed on the deck and part of me does not care, cuz I am tired.  The end.   So, our fish willy william, he doesnt seem to be doing super grand.  He won't eat properly.  I wonder if it is something I said?  Sometimes I try to keep him company with a mega blocks girl figure (I know this sounds dirty but it is totally not... her figure is blockish, like I said...It's like a big lego girl ) that I put next to his tank. ((Side note:  even though the children have begged for a fish, they have seemed to quickly forgotten that they do in deed have a fish.  I mean, I know a fish is not the most exciting of all creatures that tread water and earth, but it still ranks as "Pet" but anyway, I degress....)  He swims next to it and seems happy ...but he's not eating so who knows.  Maybe he is just stupid.  Stupid as he does not seem to realize that the shrimp pellets that I fling into his bowl are his nurishment for life.  I pray for the fish because his beauty is soothing and I do believe he has a purpose.  Even if it's mini, it's a purpose.  I hope I don't find him upfloat, but honestly I wonder if I should have got the Sea Monkeys instead?