Dinner for Three

The week of loving Kyle well is going just fine. It's actually passing slowly, but in a good way. Last night I couldn't believe that it was just Tuesday night. Even in the summertime, I can't get rid of that "Another week is gone" bit of anxiety that starts to hit me around Thursday. Do you know what I mean? That sense that you didn't quite get everything done that you want to? At any rate, I'm not feeling that. I'm glad that we still have three days left of this unstructured yet highly beneficial week.



Monday Kyle requested pizza for lunch. I keep a stash of inexpensive (and remarkably delicious) Tombstone Pizzas in the freezer. They make for a good dinner for the kids if Terry and I are going out, and this summer, I've made them for lunch a few times. I told Kyle that we didn't have any, but we could have real pizza for dinner if we went to the store. He agreed.

He and I thought through the list together and set off the store. I haven't taken him with me to the grocery store since he started school full time. I usually do those things while he's gone (and I like it that way, as does he, I'm sure). I had decided in advance that I'd let him pick some sort of treat, and when we visited the bakery overstock shelves, he selected some delicious frosted brownie bites.

We were in the baking aisle getting flour and yeast and Kyle spotted something else he wanted. "Cantaloupe! I love cantaloupe; can we get it?"

I told him that we couldn't get cantaloupe in the baking aisle, but we could certainly buy one (He was looking at storage containers, and one had an insert that make it look like it was full of cantaloupe).

As we were selecting our fruit based on size, firmness, and sweet aroma, he said, "I can have this with my dinner."

So while the pizza was baking, I served he and Terry their "appetizers" in the living room while they were watching baseball -- a bowl of melon for Kyle and a salad for Terry. That was a nice touch that Kyle liked.

Letting a kid choose what's for dinner is just one small way to make them feel loved (at least around here). And who knew that one of his grocery store treats would be a healthy fruit?

*****

I've posted my recipe for homemade pizza dough before. It's not hard.  As I mentioned in that post, I didn't make it nearly as often in Connecticut because takeout pizza was a semi-regular staple (since it was so good). I can (and might) write a whole 'nother post about why I will definitely be making homemade pizza more often now.

As I right this I sit on my back patio, and Kyle is in the pool urging me, "Come on, Mom! Get in!" and so I must.