1. Dish noodles onto plate.
2. If you are one of the three smallest Ballards, your noodles must next be cut into bite-size pieces using kitchen shears. They are called kitchen shears and therefore can be used on food. This is a saving grace when it comes to cutting up food for the kids. It's much easier than that sideways fork maneuver most attempt.
3. Load on Compromise Sauce. Compromise Sauce is what we have in the Ballard Household instead of spaghetti sauce. Because the two biggest Ballards do not agree on what makes a good spaghetti sauce, every sauce becomes Compromise Sauce and almost every time we have a different version of it. This version brags heavy meat (Dad) but half of the meat is ground turkey to cut back on red meat consumption (Mom), whole wheat noodles (Mom) and a sauce-to-noodle ratio that leans to the sauce (Dad)...though unfortunately, this time around, the amount of meat kind of ate up all that sauce...anyway...
Load it on.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 as many times as needed.
5. Load onto something that resembles a transporting device. Transport to backyard to keep promise of having a picnic for dinner even though you may have forgotten spaghetti was on the menu.
6. Shirts off...um...if you are one of the three littlest Ballards.
Eat to your heart's content!
Then move on to backyard playtime, getting as filthy as you want. After all, you already have sauce all over chest. Um...again, if you are one of the three youngest Ballards.
If you are THE littlest Ballard, continue on to step 7.
7. Return occassionally to graze. Because you can.
This was a really fun evening. We have started playing outside a lot right before and/or after dinner, so I thought...why not during? :) Besides, all that playtime plus the event that is bathtime and we're all exhausted by the time bedtime rolls around making for a great night's sleep for all! I am loving this time of year.
I have a feeling we will discover other picnic worthy foods we never knew about in the next few months...
3 comments:
I wonder what my roommates would think if I suggested a naked spaghetti dinner in the backyard...
Oh wait, we don't have a backyard. And everything is snowy outside.
And oh wait....you get kicked outta
BYU for that kind of thing.
But mmm...spaghetti. Maybe worth it?
Word Verification today: Frandwa. I feel this is an adjective to describe when you are dressed like an elegant grandma...."That hat and broach are so FRANDWA, darling..."
I am loving this idea! Seriously! We just had pasta tonight, and besides being outside, we almost did the same thing. We take off shirts (well, the kids) and they just go for it. I figure I just throw them all in the bathtub at the end. No biggie. :)
Oh, and by the way, we try to compromise as well. :) Pasta is not a common dinner at our house--even though it's Sammy's favorite... Mostly because when it comes, I practically want to eat the whole dang pot. So much for counting calories today. I don't even wanna know how many calories I had tonight, but it sure was yummy. :)
i AM loving having the kids play outside...and it does end up being just before or after dinner or both. they ask to eat outside every night. every once in a while, i give in, but they just don't eat! i think your kids probably eat better than mine though, so that's way nice.
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