As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I am the proud momma of an almost two-year-old son. From the time he was born, food has had a special focus in his life. You see, he was 9 lbs 3 oz when he was born and, after 23 hours of labor he suffered from low blood sugar at birth. He was literally born hungry! And for most of the past two years this hasn't changed!
When he was first introduced to solid foods at six months of age, he was beyond thrilled. Rice cereal evolved to sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes evolved to bananas. And before we knew it, our little angel was eating whatever we were having for dinner... and using his fork, spoon and bowl like a pro. We were so proud!
But then, a couple of months ago, it happened... My son suddenly discovered the fun he could have with his utensils and foodstuffs and the messes began. At first, this was manageable as he was confined to his high chair and our "morbidly obese" dog was happy to clean up any messes that might stray from his tray. However, one day he decided he wanted to join us at the table and we knew it was time to graduate him to a booster seat. He was so proud that he had to show everyone who came through the door his new spot of honor at the table.
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| Proud in his big boy seat! |
With this change has come a period of adjustment. Unfortunately, his manners have continued to devolve and our table linens have paid the price. First, we decided that it was prudent to lose the table cloth, as we were having to wash them daily in the wake of his messes. Then, last week, we realized that the cloth place mats that have served us well for many moons were becoming more work than they were helpful. So we agreed that it was time to buy laminated, kid-friendly place mats to attempt to protect our now bare tabletop.
Like many tasks at my household, buying place mats got lost in the day to day chaos of my life. So, tonight, as I watched my son "eat like a piggy" in true A Christmas Story form I was inspired to take this on as my novel experience for the day.
A quick Internet search led me to the perfect project: Wax paper place mats. I have wax paper! I have an iron! And we definitely have broken crayons!
Well... Maybe not! Come to find out my husband, who enjoys getting rid of things more than anyone I've ever met, had just disposed of all of the broken crayons in our household! It was clear that I was going to have to improvise. Thankfully, I am the exact opposite of my husband. Perhaps you had gathered that when I mentioned in a previous post that I owned a VHS tape of a hula workout? I tend to save things for a rainy day, and this has come in quite handy as I embark on this experiment. A quick trip to my basement did not disappoint and I emerged with shiny blue tinsel. My son was in awe and I knew that I had found a winner!
After he went to bed, I cut out my wax paper, ironed the tinsel in between two sheets and presto!
One very flimsy place mat was created.
This is clearly a temporary solution to our problem. I give it exactly one meal before my son rips my place mat to shreds... However, I have amused myself with my craftiness and novelty for yet another day! The adventure continues!
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