Hot Date

I'm still here in Zion. (a.k.a. UT, a.k.a. Ooot.) The kids are having a blast, I'm enjoying the visit with all my family, and Lance is supposed to be painting our bedroom.

So far we have:

• celebrated Pioneer Day
• gone up the canyon for a picnic and dip in the river*
• played at the park
• played with cousins
• caught shrimp in our mouths at a Japanese restaurant
• played with Marble Magic for at least 35 hours
• walked to church (the novelty!)

It's been fun.

But last night was the best, because I had a date with my little** brother, Kevin. He is proud to claim that this year I am not the hottest date he has gone out with. Way to step up on the dating scene, Kev.

Anywho, we went to see The Dark Knight at the IMAX theater. Verdict?

It. Was. AWESOME.

Really.

Really.

You know how there's always one really big summer blockbuster? Or one movie that blows all others away? This is both.

It was so INTENSE. Seriously, the entire time I was nervous and jumpy, but happily so. All those great things you've heard about Heath Ledger as the Joker? Totally true. That dude was crazy. Nuts. Psycho. Brilliant. He creeped me out but I just wanted to see more! You never knew what he was going to do next, and he never disappointed. AWESOME.

The rest of the acting was really well done, too. Especially loved Harvey Dent and Commissioner Gorden. Rachel Dawes? Not so much. (Can't stand Mary Jane in Spiderman, either. Or Lois Lane, for that matter.)

It was extra fun because it was filmed in Chicago, and they didn't even try to hide the fact that it was Chicago, so Kevin and I recognized a lot of the places. (He served his Mission there.) The license plates, public transit signs, etc. all looked just like they do in real life, but with the name "Gotham" instead of "Chicago". I love details like that.

There were only two things I didn't like about the movie: 1) the way Batman talked when he was Batman. (And not Bruce Wayne.) It was like he had emphysema and laryngitis and a frog in his throat all at once. Very annoying. It made my throat hurt. Couldn't the director have just allowed the audience to pretend that no one would link Batman's voice to Bruce's? I mean, we pretend that Superman isn't recognized because of Clark Kent's glasses - it's not that big of a stretch. 2) The amount of eyeliner and mascara the mayor wore. Not very attractive on a dude. He looked like the Pharaoh from Technicolor Dreamcoat. Creating the coolest Batmobile ever? Yes. Appropriate amount of eye make-up for government officials? No.

Oh well, no comic book movie is perfect.

But this comes pretty close.

Go see it. NOW.

*A river out here is pretty much smaller than most creeks in the Midwest. It makes me want to put quotation marks in permanent marker on every river sign I see out here.
**And by little I mean 6'5". My kids call him "the Giant". Josh is still a little wary around him.

Priorities

Today I have learned:

Motherhood - first.

Rock Band - second.

Usually.

Flyin' to Zion

(I know, it should be Self-portrait Tuesday. But I've already packed the camera and I'm too tired to go find it again. Besides, my hair is HUGE, what with the humidity and me not blow drying it strait(ish) this morning. No need to document that for posterity. There were some pictures of me in yesterday's post, so that should count for something.)

Well, I'm off to UT (pronounced 'oot') tomorrow. We're hittin' two family reunions, doin' the 24th of July thing, chillin' with grandpa and grandmas, and whatever else can occupy us for two weeks. I'm flying out with just the boys tomorrow, and Lance will be coming in a week. (Hooray!)

I'm not sure how much I'll post while I'm gone. It's kinda nice to have a vacation from blogging. Then again, two weeks is an awful long time. Guess it'll just depend on how much crazy stuff happens and how much time I have on my hands. (Notice I said 'how much' instead of 'if'. I've embraced the inevitable crazy that comes along with my family.)

I've packed all the bags, left 'to-do' lists and food for Lance, I've cleaned, I've scrubbed, I've left instructions with the neighborhood boys to water my yard and garden, I've put tags on all the luggage, I've printed our boarding passes...

I think I'm set.

I also think I'm exhausted.

Off to Zion!

County Fair Fun, or This Little Piggie Scarred Josh for Life

We went to the Tippecanoe County Fair tonight. I love this fair because it's smallish - the perfect size for small children.

We first hit the Home Economics pavilion, which I forced my men (young and old) to go through. I even signed up for a catalog for next year; perhaps I'll follow in Christy's footsteps and actually enter something! (Perhaps.)

Then we visited the animals. At first I thought this was just a dopey picture of Spencer - until I realized that the bunny has the same look on his face!


Joshie and Daddy really enjoyed all the roosters and chickens. Cluck Cluck Cluck!


Spencer was especially enamored with the ducks - he would quack and they would quack back! He terrorized every duck in the place with his crazy quacking.


And then came the pigs. Josh was so excited to see them! He ran right into the building - and right out again, yelping for help. I think they were a bit loud and scary for his taste. So I held him the entire time, protecting him from those apparently homicidal maniac pigs.


And then we got a little too close to those bloodthirsty pigs and Josh freaked out. And then of course we had to put him close again and get it on the camera. Because we're bad parents and will do anything for a laugh. (Remember when he was a baby and scared of fish? Same thing.) ((And just as funny.)) I love the look on his face at the end; it says "That was the SCARIEST MOMENT of my 22 months of life!!!!"

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

After the animals we bit the bullet and shelled out the money for a ride. For some reason Spencer was adamant about not going on the ferris wheel, so he and Lance went into some little fun house and Josh and I hit the ferris wheel.


He was so cute and excited. "Mommy, up! Mommy, down! Mommy, up again!" I love that little guy. (By the way, Spencer was just as excited about the fun house. Poor Lance wasn't.) Rides are just so much more fun with little kids; just like fireworks, Christmas, and birthdays.

After the rides we got our traditional funnel cake to share. It's a tradition because we did it last year, too. :) Spencer complained and complained that he wouldn't like it, but then ended up eating more than his fair share.


In typical four year old/Spencer fashion, we had complaints about not wanting to go home all the way back to the car. And then it was about not wanting to go to bed. And then arguing over who got to drink the last of the water. And then constant chatter about the rides and the animals and who knows what else. (I've learned to tune it out and respond at appropriate moments.)

As we pulled into our neighborhood Spencer enthusiastically said, "Oh my gosh! I just can't stop thinking about those rides!" It was so sincere and ardent. It was darling.

Lance and I just looked at each other, smiled, and knew that money, the heat, and the complaining child were all worth it. I can't wait to go back next year!

Bedtime

Bed time can be easy


and hard.


Which is it at your house?

Super Heroes

Every so often we are visited by two super heroes: Super Spencer and Mr. Unusually-Large-and-Strong. (We first met them here.)

Super Spencer is super fast and super loud. Mr. Unusually-Large-and-Strong is exactly as his name suggests. Plus he can super-scowl like no one's business.

Like most super heroes, they like to jump on our bed and watch their capes flutter around. Or fall, as this secret video footage shows.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Oddly enough, Spencer and Josh are never around when Super Spencer and Mr. Unusually-Large-and-Strong are here. Strange...

Spice Girl

I am not afraid of spices. I luurrrve them.

In fact, I lurve them so much that my kitchen is somewhat overwhelmed with them. I used to have so many little spice bottles that it would take me forever to rummage through my cupboard to find the one I needed, invariably knocking one or two onto my head in the process. (A simple spice rack wouldn't be able to contain my spice collection!) ((Plus, my mom's kitchen was just the same way, so I thought it was normal. Turns out, it's not. So I'm not. On sooo many levels.)) (((I'm okay with that.)))

But no worries. Way back in 2002 Real Simple changed my life with this article. They suggested using watchmaker's cases to store my spices.

Genius!

GENIUS.

Now I just flip open a case and pull out the spice I need. And not only is it convenient, but they're just so pretty! I love all the colors and smell of all the spices mingling.


It makes me happy every time I use them, which is almost every day.

Love it. LOVE IT.

(This is an order, not a statement.)

My Day Off

I had grand plans for the day - cleaning, organizing, bathing the kids...

But then I realized that everything on my list (except the bathing) would just need to be done again before I head out to UT (pronounced 'oot') next week. And everything on my list (except the bathing) really could be put off until Saturday.

So I decided to take the day off. I wanted to read, watch a movie with the kids, lounge around.

So far on my day off I have:

• Cleaned the entire kitchen after Joshie conducted a physics experiment involving a bowl full of soggy Wheaties.
• Wiped down the entire bathroom after the boys practiced their tsunami dives in the tub.
• Comforted a hurt child, dodged some flying cars, and threatened a certain child with eternal time out if he didn't turn the lights back on RIGHT NOW; and all that was just while I was in the shower.
  
• Cleaned out and reorganized my baking pantry because I couldn't find the brownie mix I needed but knew was in there somewhere.
• Discovered the aforementioned brownie mix in the garage pantry while searching for some chocolate chips I was going to use to make 'real' brownies. Then I pulled Josh down from the second shelf, which he had climbed during my search.
  
• Made 'garbage' brownies for Picnics in the Park tomorrow (at the Purdue fountain - the most fun picnic of the year!). ((Garbage brownies consist of a brownie mix with whatever leftover 'goodies' I can find in my pantry. Today it was 1/2 cup of mini marshmallows, 1/2 a bag of white chocolate chips, and two chopped Hershey bars.))
• Negotiated several peace accords between the two fighting political factions who live in my home. Why can't the Joshibans and the Spencerites just get along?!
• Helped my little bakers with their play dough creations. And by helped I mean getting it all out, setting it all up, making a few snakes, and convincing the boys that they were old enough to help clean up when they were done 10 minutes later.
  
• Made lunch for two starving little monkeys, who proceeded to complain because I had cut their sandwiches into heart shapes. Apparently monkeys only eat square sandwiches.

All that and it's only 11:30am.

So far it's been a pretty good day off!

Date Night

The kids are in bed. Lance is at basketball. And summer prime time TV stinks.

Time for my date with Mr. Twain and his "The Innocents Abroad", which I have been sorely neglecting since its purchase on Saturday.

I'm only on page 45, but already it's clever, witty, outright funny in some parts and irreverent in others: classic Twain.

It's going to be a good evening.

Self-portrait Tuesday: Canning

Today I made six pints of strawberry/blueberry freezer jam. It is such a good flavor combo; I like it even better than just blueberry, in case you're wondering. And I'm sure you are. It even set properly, so that made me very happy!

(So happy that I hid behind some of it and took a picture! Okay, not really. I've been trying to take a few quick self-portraits, but this is the only one that turned out half-decent. Oy.)

Feeling rather confident in the jam arena, I decided to try my luck at cooked jam.

I have no idea why.

No, not because I don't know how to do it or because I botched it up. It's because when I was growing up I had to help my mom can stuff every summer and fall, and I always swore I would never do it on my own once I was an adult. I was soooo picked on; my mom was totally the president of the mean mom's club. Totally.

(Okay, I also thought I'd never yell at my kids, force my family to eat Cream of Wheat, or get excited when buying a new appliance. Hey, what did I know? I was just a kid.)

Honestly? I didn't really mind canning all that much. (Something I would never have admitted at the time!)

Oh, scalding my fingers while peeling tomatoes and sweating buckets because of all the boiling water wasn't exactly pleasant. And I hated pitting peaches and plums and trying to strain the seeds out of raspberry pulp. (Oh, how I hated those raspberries!)

But I liked the conversations I was able to have with my mom, the things I learned from her, the work itself. I liked learning the things her mother taught her, and her mother before her. I realized that a freshly preserved bottle of peaches or tomatoes can be beautiful. I learned to love the *pop* sound of the lids sealing into place after coming out of the water bath. (There are few sounds on this earth more satisfying than that.) But most of all, I liked the time I had with her, one on one.

So maybe it was a bit of nostalgia that drove me to make the cooked jam this afternoon. I wanted to experience some of those feelings again; to feel closer to my mom. Don't get me wrong - it was messy, hot, and frustrating. But also pleasantly familiar.

And maybe it sounds silly, but I did feel closer to her; almost as if she were there.

Especially when I realized I forgot to put the pectin in the first batch, and then fighting to not @#$%!!! in front of Spencer. I swear I could hear her laughing along with me.

Thanks for being such a 'mean' mom. I miss you all the more for it.

Blueberry Boys

What does 21 pounds of blueberries look like?

This:

And what do two little boys 'helping' their Momma pick 21 pounds of blueberries this morning look like?

This:

They were actually really good. Spencer probably picked a whole pound by himself. Then he ate a whole pound right off the bushes. Then he and Josh decided to cut out the middle man and just eat the berries out of my bucket, and were sorely offended when I put a stop to that. I know, I'm a bad mom.

No, really, I am. Because soon after that, Spencer tripped over Josh and was falling backwards (in a sitting position) into my full bucket of blueberries. Without even thinking, I pushed him over and on to the ground. (Hey, I didn't spend an hour picking that bucket to have him squash them all!) He wasn't hurt, but was quite upset that I pushed him.

I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't do it again.

It gets worse. When we were done and getting into the car I put the blueberries on the ground so I could open the trunk. Josh tripped over something (probably an ant or something - it doesn't take much to get him to fall) and fell straight toward a bag of blueberries. Once again I found myself pushing my child in order to save my berries.

And once again, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't do it again.

Oh well. I made it up to the boys by making a blueberry pie this afternoon.


I think I'm forgiven.


(Well, maybe not by Spencer - he wouldn't pose for a picture.)

Rain Out

We had big plans today. Lance was going to go golfing with some friends and I was going to take the boys to the Farmer's Market and walking downtown.

And then the heavens opened and it poured and poured and poured, with raindrops the size of ping-pong balls. I kid you not. Since there was no lightening or thunder, Josh and I played outside in it for a while. (Okay, until I was cold and wanted to go in - Josh would have played during the entire storm if I had let him!) Oh, and Spencer couldn't be bothered - there were computer games to be played with Daddy!


So instead of all our exciting outdoor plans, we made exciting indoor plans: to take the boys to see Wall-e. Verdict: loved it! I highly recommend it. Go see it. Now.

The boys were so good! Josh was a bit wiggly the last 30 minutes, but nothing more candy couldn't solve. (Hey, considering we had to sit through nearly 30 minutes of previews, that's not bad!) And I heard Spencer laugh and giggle all through the movie, which was just as cute as the movie.

The 'Kadsen With An M' family now loves Wall-e. Don't be surprised if you hear us talking like robots for the next few weeks.


In unrelated news, Spencer bit Josh in the shoulder while they were in the tub this evening. Spencer has never bitten anyone, so it was a bit of a surprise. As I was comforting Josh, in between sobs he blurted out "Spencer bite out of me!" That kid is too cute. No wonder Spencer wanted eat him.

Dog-n-Suds

Okay, confession time.

We've lived here for four years now and have never been to Dog-n-Suds (a local drive-in restaurant.) Oh, the shame! And we call ourselves Hoosiers. (Well, no, we don't. But perhaps we should. Maybe.)

Well, after two and half hours at the pool with two little boys this afternoon, I was in no mood to cook. And, shockingly, Lance didn't even volunteer to make dinner. (Ha!) So we decided to see what all the fuss is about.

Well, we all enjoyed the rootbeer. And the boys lurrved their corn dogs. (They had never had corn dogs before. I know, I'm a terrible mother.)
Lance and I both had Coney Island Dogs with fries and onion rings. The verdict? Well... meh. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't gross or anything. It was even good. But I think I'd much rather go to the Smokehouse or something. Plus, the boys made a mess eating in the car. (I know, another shock!)

After dinner we decided to redeem the coupons for free ice cream at DQ that the boys got at the library. The pictures don't do it justice, but just for future reference in case you don't know: Little Boys + Ice Cream Cones = MESS.
(Oh, and don't mind me with my no make-up and after-swimming hair. I'm so close to just chopping it off again even though I just got it cut!)

On the way home Joshie kept saying "Joshie four!", which of course made Spencer upset since he is four. Then we started talking about Josh turning two in September, and how, yes, he could have a birthday party and, yes, Spencer could come to the birthday party. And then Spencer said to Lance, "Daddy, you can come to the party, too, because I really like you a lot." It was too cute.

I really like my family a lot.

Hilarious Blog

If you know any 'perfect' Utah Valley newlyweds, with perfect lives, perfect marriages, and perfect teeth, then you have got to check out this blog: http://seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/

I love it.

Seriously.

p.s. If you're not Mormon you might not get all the inside jokes. But you'll probably still enjoy it.

Totally Unorganic

I have declared war on all the bugs in my garden and yard.

They started it.

The Japanese beetles have been completely destroying my basil and a bush in my front flowerbed. Random other bugs are attacking my beloved tomatoes. And last year grubs tried to eat our entire front lawn, and my spies tell me they're going to try again this year.

Jerks.

I've tried reasoning with the bugs, yelling at them, and sending my boys to harass them, but to no avail. It's time to break out the big guns.

So I spent yesterday evening mowing, spreading Spectracide Triaxicide, watering, and spraying Sevin all over the garden. I am a completely unorganic farmer, and I'm okay with that.

A billion tiny insect screams can be heard from the lawn.

It's a good feeling.

Requested Recipes

A few of you have requested a few recipes from me lately. Here they are. (Oh, and no one tell Pampered Chef that I posted a recipe from their book. :)

Roasted Potato Bites (from the 4th of July party)
12 "B" size red potatoes, unpeeled (they're about 2" in diameter)
1 TBL olive or vegetable oil
2 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt (I actually use about 1 tsp of Kosher)
1/4 ground black pepper (I use a bit more)
4 ounces chive and onion cream cheese spread
3 TBL sour cream
Optional toppings: grated cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and snipped fresh chives (I use them all!)

1. Preheat oven to 425. Cut potatoes in half crosswise. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each potato half so the potato will stay up. Carefully scoop out a small amount of pulp from each potato half. (I use my 1/2 tsp.) Put the potatoes in a large bowl, drizzle with oil and put in garlic, and stir until all potatoes are covered. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir.

2. Put potato halves, hollowed side down, on a baking sheet. Bake 30-32 minutes or until deep golden brown and tender. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

3. In a small bowl combine cream cheese and sour cream; whisk until smooth. I use the Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator (like a cake decorator) to put the cream cheese mixture in the little hollowed parts of the potato. (But you could probably just use a spoon, too.) Sprinkle with toppings and serve warm.


Pizza Dough (The dough I used for my ham and cheese calzones.)

3 1/4 c flour
2 tbl sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 c warm water
2 TBL olive oil

1. Sift 1 ¼ C flour, yeast, and salt
2. Add the sugar/honey, oil, and water
3. Mix well for a couple of minutes
4. Add the rest of the flour. Knead until stiff
5. Rest 10 minutes; for thicker crust, roll out and let rise for 15-30 minutes
6. Bake for 3 -4 minutes without toppings. Bake with toppings around 10 minutes.

Self-portrait Tuesday

500th Post!

First, down to business. The winner of the MOST FAVORITE EVER, MOST WONDERFUL, HOW-DID-I-EVER-LIVE-IF-YOU-CAN-REALLY-CALL-IT-LIVING-WITHOUT-THIS Zyliss Pizza Cutter is lucky poster #3:

Ashley!!!

Congratulations, you lucky thing! Wipe the tear from your eyes. Bask in the glory. Let me know if you want red or white. (I fully expect you to think of my every time you or Graham use this!)

*Side note: I only had 18 comments for this giveaway. (Well, 19, if you count my Grandma. And I do.) Where the heck was everyone else? According to my Sitemeter stats I have around 50 readers per day. That's a lot of blog stalkers. Or people who don't understand or appreciate the wonder that is the Zyliss Pizza cutter. I'm just sayin'...*

Okay, I thought I'd celebrate my 500th post with some five year old pictures. Wait - it really is more interesting than it sounds. A couple of weeks ago I finally got around to developing some 35mm film I had left in my old camera. I thought you might enjoy a small (and grainy) glance at my life from five (almost six!) years ago. With pertinent commentary, of course.

Summer 2002
Lance and I went on a trip that included Zion's National Park, Bryce Canyon, and other various Southern Utah locales. Love the hats, right? Oy.

Some time in 2002
That's Lance in our newlywed apartment - all 800 square feet of it. We lived in the UofU student housing, and rent was a whopping $300 (or less; I can't remember), which included utilities, cable, water, etc. And yes, Lance was 15 years old.

Christmas 2002
The Trivial Pursuit Miracle
We played couples Trivial Pursuit, and by some amazing stroke of luck my two knuckle head brothers won. It will go down in Roper family history and lore. Could you tell my mom was just a little competitive when it came to board games?

Christmas 2002
My brother, Kyle, snoozin' on the floor on Christmas day. (He's the one on the right.) Oh Nikki dog, you were the dumbest, annoyingest, most wonderful dog in the world!

December 2002
Lance had never been to Alcatraz, so my brother's and I took him. He was disappointed not to get the tour from So I Married An Axe Murderer.

December 2002
Kyle (left) and Kevin, on the ferry to Alcatraz. Kevin was so excited to get this super-cool new coat for his first semester at BYU Idaho. A seagull decided to christen it for him. Very funny, mainly because it didn't happen to me.

December 2002
Lance and I on Alcatraz, with San Francisco in the background. (That's what we looked like before the ravages of children and a mortgage.)

July 2003
Lance with his Grandma Vera and Grandpa Red. Yes, Lance was a child groom.

Summer 2003
My 'little' brother Kevin and I in front of the bear cub pen at Bear World in Rexburg, ID. (Don't mock - you know you totally want to go.) Interestingly, in this picture I am probably 4-5 months pregnant with Spencer. The very next picture on the roll was...

... this one of Spencer. This was his first broken arm, so it was July of 2006. I was then 7+ months pregnant with Mr. Josh. (A.K.A. Dr. Destructo, a.k.a. Mr. Unusually Large and Strong.)

Another one of Spencer some time during the summer of 2006.
I had to laugh at the tower of Rubbermaid tubs in the back. (We were still unpacking from the move.) Especially with the child in the cast standing in front of them.

Brotherly Love

*This is post 499! When will I post #500? Tomorrow? Friday? Tonight? You'll just have to wait and see! But don't worry - I just know you'll win the pizza cutter!*

Today Josh fell down and banged his head pretty hard on the tile floor. I rushed over to see if he was all right. Fortunately, he pushed me away and hollered about being held, which he only does when he's not too badly hurt. (I think when he's only kind of hurt he just gets really angry and doesn't want any cuddling. It's when he's willing to be held that I worry!)

I let him go, only to see him run to the arms of his big brother. Spencer hugged and hugged him, gave him a kiss on the head, and soon Josh was fine.

It just about melt my heart.

I love my kids.

*Scenes recreated for dramatic purposes only.

Ham and Cheese Calzones

In case you're wondering, this is post #498. Only two more until my giveaway! (If you haven't entered yet, do so. Here. Now.)

So the other day I made one of Lance's favorite dinners: ham and cheese calzones. (Well, I think it's one of his favorites. It has his perfect trifecta of foods: ham, cheese, and bread. And not a veggie in sight.) They're really easy to make and really yummy to eat, which is why they're one of my favorites, too.

Want to make them, too? Here we go.

First, make some pizza dough. Use your favorite recipe; nothin' fancy here! Let it rest 10 minutes, and then separate into eight sections. Next, roll each piece out. But first, you have to wrestle the rolling pin away from a grouchy toddler. Good luck.

Distract the toddler and grab the rolling pin. Then roll like mad!

There we go. Give the pin back to the toddler, because life's too short to listen to him scream for the next 20 minutes.

Next, add some freshly grated cheddar cheese. Why yes, that is my Zyliss pizza cutter in the background! I used it to cut the dough into equal parts. I love that thing.

Next, add some ham and pineapple. (I used ham leftover from Easter. It was one of the few things I rescued from the great freezer thaw of aught-eight.)

Then add some fresh thyme. Fresh thyme = heavenly taste. Mmmm...

Okay, you'll probably want to take the leaves off the stem. Otherwise your calzone will be a little... woody.

Add a little more cheese. Because a little more cheese is always a good idea. (I should put that on a sign in my kitchen.)

Next, try to convince your grouchy toddler that eating unbaked dough is yucky. Then laugh at him when he doesn't believe you.

Fold the dough over and roll the sides up.

Then press the sides with a fork and place on a greased cookie sheet. (Or use a Silpat. Another great kitchen invention!)

Let raise in a warm spot for around 15-20 minutes. Try cleaning up the toddler, who has somehow made a disaster area out of a small piece of dough. (Sorry, the pictures would be tood graphic for this family-friendly blog.) Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, around 15 minutes.

Enjoy. Share. Promote world peace. Ignore the toddler; if he gets hungry enough, he'll eat.

And if he doesn't, that just means more for you!