Lunch Break...as in the rules.

Growing up we always had a lot of rules for when we were eating meals. I want to raise my kids to have good manners, also. Whether or not a 2yo and an 11mo can have any semblance of manners is up for debate, however. A debate which I seem to be losing. In this post I'd like to show you some good examples of said table manners.

On second thought maybe I should go with what not to do at the table. We seem to have that down. See above, for example. You probably shouldn't put your feet on the table while eating. While a relaxing position, no telling where those things have been. Actually, I know where they've been. So get them off my table, por favor.

In some situations, it's probably best to use utensils. Tirzah's idea of utensils is kind of limited, since we are still working on not throwing food onto the floor, the walls, and the mother, (another rule breaker) but Merrick has also been known to use a fork as a drumstick or a dart. Also, please do not throw your silverware away. I finally figured out recently why I had no more kiddo spoons. Merrick had been diligently tossing them out after each use. Dearest, those are expensive, please try throwing them in the sink of you must throw your utensils. Gracias.

Another good mealtime rule: don't put too much in your mouth. You will choke and your mother will have to fish it out of your esophagus. This picture is deceiving. While it appears Miss Tirzah Shae has stuffed one too many cheez-its into her mouth and broken yet another rule, she really just sports the guilty chipmunk look regularly. *These babies are all real, people. I do not stuff my cheeks.*

And last, but not least, don't talk with food in your mouth. Or as we see in this case, scream. While jokes abound about see-food, they are no longer funny, and looking at mushy banana-covered cheez-its is really unappetizing for other diners. Especially when you are the mother, and you know that what she is planning next is yet another lunch-time no-no: please do not projectile spit your food onto your siblings or your mother.

Hope you enjoyed this post on what not to do at the table. Another rule I have learned in my many 2.5 years of parenting? Don't photograph your children while breaking meal-time rules...cuz you are just asking for it then. De nada.

P.S. Also, hope you enjoyed this bi-lingual blog post. Those are the only 3 Spanish words I remember from high school. Sorry, Mom.