Benefits of Bunnies and Bitamins

At the last minute I remembered that traditionally people have an Easter dinner for the holiday.  Ever since I’ve been a grown up (I think I’m one of those) it’s hard to remember those things without other family around to celebrate it with.  I remember it being really scary the first time I had to make a turkey and it wasn’t even a whole one.  This year, I remembered to buy a ham only because I happen to be walking in that section of the grocery store.  Well, I cooked it, we had potato salad (gotta use up those boiled eggs), rolls, and pineapple. 

I didn’t realize what meat-a-vours my kids were until I saw them gobbling up the ham.  As it is with every meal, we have to stress the benefit of each item on their plate, especially the ones they won’t eat.  They have finally gotten down the benefit of protein.  Because they are growing they have started a level of competitiveness, that being “who has the biggest muscles” contests, and protein is now their ally.  Their minds are always going as I’m sure any observer of children has noticed.  Reed, no doubt, was thinking about how his food helped him when he brought up the next topic of conversation.

Reed:   I know where all the left over food goes that doesn’t go to your body.

Mom:  Let’s talk about this after we eat, okay?

Reed:  No, let me tell you, it goes…(no need to explain the details of his understanding of the intestinal tract).

Mom & Dad:  Stop, please.  We don’t talk about that kind of stuff at the table.  (Reed continues to talk about it, not getting the hints that started gently and have grown to threatening).

Finally, he comes to the end of his biology lesson, after which mom reverts to how things were done when she was a kid (along the lines of “there are starving people in China”, and people used to never talk about intestines at the table, and they also used to wear their shirts.  And for that matter, they never brought their guns and knives to the table either).

Mom:  If you had done that at grandma H.,s house you would have been in big trouble.  She would have made you leave the table. (Reed now feeling defensive over his lesson, started making an I’m shocked-you-could-even-think-that face).

Douglas, as usual, on Reed’s side of the argument where all things bodily are involved said:

Douglas:  (in an indignant tone he asked) Why?  Grandma talks about that all the time?

He was referring to my mom, their grandma H., not my dad’s mom, my grandma H.  Yes, their grandma, my mom, is very open about subjects concerning biology.  We can make excuses for her by saying she was a nurse and that’s why she’s gotten used to discussing such subjects openly.  Perhaps this can be my new technique in encouraging them to go to medical school and becoming doctors.  “You can talk about that subject as much as you want if you become a doctor, but until that day, you’ll have to keep table conversation to benign subjects such as the weather and geography.”  Though, even those subjects, unbelievably, can turn onto roads less dignified.

Here are a few pictures from Easter, pre-sugar shock and crash.  They’re just so cute!  Yes, I can say that, besides it’s true.  Honesty is always the best policy.

It’s so bright out here!