Chairold and Chairlene Got a

Summer Job

The Winter Chairs the Beginning

Once all my boys are out the door it's run the dishwasher, run the laundry, run the coffee maker, and get the day going. It is then that my mind wanders to the Chairs of Winter sitting out my kitchen window.  The Chairs will never grow up,they will never move out. They will always need me to tell their story. The life of a Chair is an easy one for the winter. 
They sit, they freeze, they wait for someone to bring them into the circle, Campfire, or snow storm. Chairs never argue. They will need me to stage their winter story from year to year until they go off on their journey to the curb.

The Chairs have a story every season but I feel like the winter story is the one I can tell more easily. I can easily imagine their days as a "family". It's a very different family, though. 

Chairold the original "abandon chair" was a lonely man out in the yard in 2007. My kids were 2, 5 ,and 7.  Ten years later Chairold is still in his stuck in his own head. 

Chairlene showed up a years later. She kept Chairold in check. She told him what he was doing wrong. She pointed out his idea of "fun" hide and seek? or some years shes sat on the patio watching him stuggle to get free of his Winter layers. She had plenty to point out when it came to Chairolds life of right and wrong. I wonder if Chairlene was a "first born" if one is to believe internet rumors and "they sayers", she's quite bossy. She knows everything. 
Experience of my own tells me that first borns do know everything and will tell you exactly what you are doing wrong.  Oh right, I think the word we're looking for her is a LEADER! yes that's it I'm a leader. 

Chairolton is he who spends the majority of his time trying to get Chairlene's attention. He is the chair who can do know wrong. He will gladly stay up high or over by the firepit, it all depends really on when the snow comes in the early winter but don't tell Chairolton that bit of information.  (She who holds the camera/phone, runs the show). 
Chairold, Chairlene and Chairold are all part of the "brown" family. They all showed up together here at Kyootycenter. They were all purchased at the same store on he same day. One has left us. He who never got named? He broke down early in his stage life.  I didn't stage him, he was in the house most of the time used as a kitchen table chair. Some would say he lived the high life too high with the children in the house. He helped them bake with me and he helped them climb the highest heights in the house. 

Chairlotte and Chairity, came about in the last 4yrs after the building of the new deck and patio. These two were gifts from my Hubby. He picked out Pink and Purple in a way to brighten things up. This year Chairlotte has been keeping Chairold company. I have no idea what Chairlene thinks of all this as she's been out hiding by the Fire pit buried. I wonder somtimes if Chairlotte is sneaking in on Chairlene's turf?

Life with Hungry Teens (AKA How to Keep your Food)

We have reached the point here where it feels like we are living in a All You Can Eat Buffet but the buffet trays are always waiting for the refills. The food is here but it's going fast. One grocery trip leads almost immediately into the next one. We rarely go out to eat as a family because restaurants aren't going to fill them up.  Where do they put it? My boys have become eating machines. They are almost all taller than me now. I was once the tallest in the home, those days are gone.

When they were younger, I could just buy more vegetables for us and mix the vegetables in with part of the food and they would leave it. Spaghetti night? Mom's is the one with mushrooms, and they weren't going to touch my portion. Now, they'll just move the mushrooms out of the way. It may keep my husband (allergy) from eating my portion but not the boys.

New Tricks for having some for me came to surface today.
Popcorn : I put the butter on give them theirs and then sprinkle mine with Kernels Seasoning, they don't like it, it's safe for now.

Hubbie's Trick for Wings is to keep all the bones in the box with his uneaten ones. EWW! He used to use a discard plate or napkin and throw them out, now he leaves them in his box so the boys don't eat his and theirs. 

One son's trick to keep Dad out of his wings? Lick them all!! first step is to lick all the wings, or fries or pepperoni slices on his pizza. This will prevent Dad from taking "just one" off the slice or out of the box. Taking just one is annoying when some slices only have 1 piece to start. The boys are no longer a fan of just one slice of pizza or just cheese pizza.

Another son's trick to keep his brothers from eating all the school snacks before he makes his lunch box is to now put the next item in the lunch box the second he gets home with the previous days lunch. If they had their way, they would eat all the snacks in one sitting.

What are your tricks for keeping things fair or even?