Redecorating: The Great Clean Up

So the kids want to redecorate? No problem. Huge plans? No problem. As soon as the room is clean.

Which is exactly where the first problem in the Great Bedroom Saga was waiting for me. We have one basic rule in our house: your room is your room. I don't care if it's messy. I don't care if you don't put your clothes away. I don't care if you haven't made your bed. As long as the room doesn't smell like a dried up fish stick and your don't leave your junk lying around the rest of the house, I can live with a messy room.

Until it's time to redecorate. I am not even going to try to redecorate a room with Lego strewn across the floor. Have you ever stepped on a Lego? I have and it hurts. So if there's Lego (or one of the many other little toys they seem to keep on the floor) lying around, I'm not painting. Ever.

Bear in mind that this whole redecorating thing wasn't exactly my idea. The kids came up with the plan. So I figured it was only fair that they get their own junk off the floor before I bought the first can of paint. Good idea.

Or so I thought. Who knew it would be such a battle? And, just to set the record straight, the room isn't exactly a total disaster. Some things are on the floor, yes, but most of it is in toy boxes or up on shelves. Cleaning up the entire room would take no more than about fifteen or twenty minutes. Tops.

So what do the kids do? Nothing, as it turns out. I send them to clean their room, promising a trip to the hardware store just as soon as it's done. Ten minutes later, the kids return and ask to go to the hardware store. That seemed just a little quick to me, so I decided to check. They hadn't even picked up the dreaded Lego. No hardware store.

My youngest, who has Asperger's, had an immediate breakdown. He wanted the hardware store, he expected the hardware store, and he was going to have a meltdown (which looks like a tantrum but actually isn't) until we went to the hardware store. My oldest son, who had apparently planned this out, was just about smirking. He had to go to his not-cleaned room while I dealt with the little one.

Eventually, by repeating myself at least a dozen times, I managed to get the little one to understand the sequence of events according to Mommy. Clean up, then hardware store. Clean up, then hardware store. Little one was on board. Now for the big one.

The big one, at a whole eight years old, was not interested in cleaning.

"Why can't you clean it up?" was his big question.

"Fine," I replied. "But Mommy cleans with a garbage bag. I'm going to get my garbage bag. Anything left on the floor is definitely garbage. I'll be back in two minutes."

Usually my threats are pretty empty, but I think he realized that I just might be serious. By the time I got back, garbage bag in hand, Tristan (my older son) was slowly cleaning up. Slowly, but it was a start. The younger one was sitting next to the bunk beds looking confused. A few minutes of careful coaching and Rowan too was cleaning up. Sort of. But it was good enough.

I helped, of course, and thirty minutes later we were ready for a trip to the hardware store. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Redecorating: The Great Bedroom Saga Begins

Have you ever made a promise to your kids that got you in way over your head? Well, that happened to me this week, and it all started because two little boys wanted just one little thing from me.

First, a little background. My two children, now 8 and 6, share a room. They've shared that room for six years. Before that, it was my nephew's room, but then we all played musical houses (that's a different and entirely ridiculous story) and now my kids have the room my nephew once had. The room has a blue ceiling, blue and grey walls, and clouds cut out of ceiling tiles hanging from the ceiling. It also has a Disney's Cars light switch. All of this was from when it was my nephew's room. The only things I added were a few Diego wall decals and a Thomas the Tank Engine toy box. Six years ago. The room hasn't changed since them.

So maybe the situation I've found myself in was bound to creep up on me. And it may be partially my own fault for not updating their room as they grew. They're not toddlers anymore, after all. But I digress.

A few days ago my oldest son Tristan sat beside me and said, "Mommy, you need to paint my room."

That seemed an innocent enough request, so I asked him what color he wanted it painted. Tristan pulled out a paint chip (where did he get a paint chip?!) and showed me a silver paint that would look lovely but would never go over the deeply insane blue on the walls and ceiling now. I asked if he couldn't pick a slightly darker color. He refused. Fine. Silver walls it was. I'd need tinted primer go cover all that blue, but it was fine. Paint is no big deal.

Tristan went on to explain that if he was going to be a knight, he needed grey walls because castle stones are grey. I remember thinking "How cute" as he talked about being a knight. He has all the costumes and two years ago my father and I built him a castle in the yard to play in.

Rowan, my younger son, snuck in and said, "Did you ask her yet?"

Tristan shook his head, so now I was suspicious. He'd already asked me about paint, and I'd agreed, so what hadn't he asked me. I gave Tristan a look. He smiled. I gave Rowan a look. He ran back upstairs.  So I turned back to Tristan.

"What's going on?"

With a heartfelt sigh that shook his little body he explained. He wanted a knight's bedroom. With grey walls and one stone wall and a cool bed and everything. He didn't like Cars and he didn't like Diego. At all. He and Rowan were old enough now to get a bedroom they loved. Thinking paint and wallpaper would do it, I agreed. Then he asked if he could use my computer. In a flash of blind stupidity (and not seeing the connection), I agreed.

So I made dinner and Tristan, at a whole 8 years old, clicked away. To my growing misfortune, I'm coming to realize that the school is teaching my kids to spell and surf the web. This is a dangerous combination. If Tristan couldn't spell, he couldn't use Google and my life would be easier. Well, he can spell and they taught him all about Google. And they taught him how to save pictures from the Internet. This was about to ruin my day.

So I'm making hide-the-beans burgers and cinnamon sweet potato fries and Tristan starts printing something. Who taught the kid to print!? Not me, that's for sure. Into the kitchen he comes with a STACK of paper. My heart clenched as I realized this kid had a PLAN.

What was the plan? A stone wall. Not wallpaper, but real stone. I managed to convince him to use wallpaper because he'd lose a foot of his room with real stone, but it was a near thing. He also wanted to get rid of the bunk bed and have two separate beds. He'd found three pictures on the internet that he wanted to combine. Scary. Oh, and fake windows behind each bed. And castles rising above each bed (he didn't have a picture for this, but he is a little artist). Oh, and THREE nightstands. And treasure chests at the end of the beds. And the beds...navy with a silver stripe. With a crest. And reversible, so silver with a navy stripe on the other side. Still with a crest. Matching curtains around the beds, and these curtains have to hang from the castles rising above the beds.

His plan involves a little more than just paint and wallpaper. It involves new lights (including a dragon light), new switches, new beds, bedding, shelves that look like castles, castles that rise up above beds, curtains, chains, murals, fake windows, and I can't even remember what else. And what did I say when he thrust all these papers and plans at me?

I said, "Yes." What did I just get myself into? Stay tuned for the answer.

Dining Out: Healthy Choices for Kids at Pizza Hut

My two boys love Pizza Hut. My oldest, in fact, saves up his money to treat himself as often as I allow. The gooey cheese that everyone loves is unfortunately a source of naturally occurring trans fats, so that's not all good. The "Eat Well" (it might be called something else in your area) menu, however, has plenty of options that limit or eliminate trans fats, get the fiber up, and lower the calories. You just have to watch what your little ones order.

Order

Try to get your kids to enjoy the delightful Margherita pizza. It's delicious enough for everyone, so perhaps order one pizza for everyone to share. Two slices of this paired with a side salad (try the raspberry dressing; it's excellent) and you have only 480 calories. Not bad for a Pizza Hut lunch. If you can convince your kids to have a glass of water, all the better, but a glass of juice doesn't add too much to the calorie count.

Don't Order

That pepperoni personal pan pizza might be tasty, but it's not all that healthy. If you add a side Caesar salad (with the dressing, of course) and an Orange Crush to drink, you're up to a whopping 1269 calories with 50g of fat. That's a little much for a single meal, so try to get your kids to look elsewhere on the menu. Their health will thank you for it.

Dining Out: Healthy Choices for Kids at McDonald's

Let's face it, modern families are busy and just about all of us end up eating out once in a while. If we're in a rush, fast food joints may be the only places that fit our schedules and our kids' finicky appetites.

Love it or hate it, most of us end up stopping at McDonald's with our children, but even though it may not be our first choice there are still choices available for the health conscious parent. This chain has taken most of the trans fats out of their fries, reduced the sodium in many foods, and now offers milk, apple slices, and even yogurt.

Order

Happy Meals are a big thing for kids, and they used to be pretty darned unhealthy. Today, however, there is more variety. Consider a Grilled Chicken Snack Wrap, apple slices, and a milk to drink. Even a chocolate milk if your child prefers. And they still get the toy. This combo has approximately 450 calories, 690 mg of sodium, and 12 g fat. While this may not be ideal, it's not terrible.

Don't Order

I have nothing against chicken nuggets and fries, and one of my sons really loves them, but if you're looking the healthiest option, pass on this Happy Meal combo. If you add a small Fruitopia to the mix you end up with approximately 600 calories, 640 mg of sodium, and 25 g fat. Another option is probably best.

Stopping at a fast food place such as McDonald's isn't all that bad if you're careful and discerning. If your children do prefer the less healthy options, limit the number of times they're allowed to choose the nuggets or cheeseburger.