Backwards and Forwards

Backwards.  We're going backwards.  This normally means someone is getting ready for a huge leap forward, either developmentally or in height, but still.  Sigh.

• Ernie dumped her breakfast down the drain, and rinsed her cup and spoon so she could load them into the dishwasher and hide the evidence.  We're estimating she lied to me 7 times, so she's lost screen time privileges for 7 days.  OH MY GOSH, the tantrum when she figured out I wouldn't let her get on the computer to do her math games.  First, she loves those games.  Second, she will now be unable to check off every box in her academic manual each day- I'll let her catch up next week.  She spent at least half an hour raging in her room.
• Mimi peed on the floor of the bathroom, and then went to her room to get ready for her bath like I'd asked her to.  WHY!?!  Why not just get in the tub, like we always do, and peel clothes off there?  (Mom, I promise she'll be wearing a diaper tomorrow.)  She had...2 wet accidents, plus a dirty diaper before she changed out of it in the morning yesterday.  BACKWARDS.

I need to admit that I have been completely hardcore on meals this week.  Much, much stricter than I've been before.  Ernie is getting sick again, and I'm taking part of the blame in not serving enough fruits and vegetables.  At the end of our unemployment, I was in full panic mode, not knowing when we'd find a new job, and I think I went to the grocery store about twice a month.  We were working with storage apples, onions, potatoes, and carrots, plus green salads.  And the kids don't eat lettuce willingly.  Eating seasonally always sounds so great, until February, doesn't it?

But, back to the strict: I am serving vegetables this week.  And fruits.  And they will go on your plate, and you will eat them if you want more of anything else.  This really isn't a new rule, but Ernie has reached epic levels of not-gonna-do-it.  She's ALMOST at that fantastic level where she can will herself into throwing up just by looking at a meal.  I kid you not, her eyes were so red at dinner she looked like she'd been punched.  Big puffy red bags underneath, red all around.  The issue?  She begged for lemons today, to make lemonade for lunch.  She didn't drink it at lunch, I put it at her place at dinner.  I looked up, and she'd transformed into Big Red.  Her dad laughed at the face I made, till I said "Ernie, look at Dad."  "WHOA!  What happened to you!?"

The breakfast issue was over a banana+ice smoothie, with milk, and spinach, and oatmeal.  The oatmeal was the real issue, she's tried one of my smoothies before with lots of raw oats (how I like it) and she didn't.  So, she stared at that cup for about 20 minutes without even trying it, before disposing of it while I was showering.  I gave her Cocoa's leftovers at lunch, she was less than thrilled.  Well, she finally drank it, it wasn't so bad, and she got lots of pesto pasta.  She ate strawberries.  But by this time, she is seriously missing calories, because we've been playing this game all week and she's missing a lot of meals.  

I took pity this afternoon and made a big batch of hummus- the girls ate about a half cup each, with corn chips, and then ran around the house dancing and singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" at the top of their lungs.  E and I did a bit of school, and I turned them all loose to do whatever they wanted.  I spent the afternoon writing.  Unstructured seemed to be the answer.

I know our steps forward are coming!