Hot Tip for Pre-Dinner Craziness

If you are anything like me, the 15 minutes before any meal can bring out the worst in dear ol’ mom.  Maybe it’s that I am a rotten planner or a crappy organizer or an unmotivated cook, but the pre-dinner craziness gets me nearly every time.  The toddler tripping me in the kitchen, siblings fighting over who gets to lay out the spoons, one dish getting cold while the main course still isn’t cooked through–this is my world around 5:30.  And the real kicker is that when I finally do get it all on the table, I realize two of the three kids won’t eat it anyway, and have to hop back up to make  peanutbutter and jellys (Is it any wonder why we really do have cereal for dinner quite often?).  A few weeks ago, however, I discovered a brilliant plan to occupy my children while I scurried.  Yes, it created (yet another) mess to clean up, but they were quietly happy for at least 10 minutes, which I’ll take any day, and all it required was a cup with milk and a straw.  Good times.