Tag Archives: hotdogs

‘Twas the Night Before a Different Christmas

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
a creature was stirring, a lot louder than a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
But instantly pulled down, cause they don’t belong there!

Other’s children were nestled, all snug in their bed,
while mine had numbers and overload consuming his head.
And Mama was tired she felt really crap,
She wanted a Christmas like those other people had

When out in the corridor there rose such a clatter,
I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter.
Upstairs my son had escaped with a flash
Entering his room I heard a loud crash.

The moon shone its light through the curtains with a glow
While the Christmas stocking lay alone on the floor down below
It was not welcome, it had been a strange thing to appear
‘Cause he didn’t know about a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.

I tucked him in calmly with a kiss so quick
To him there was no person called St. Nick.
But Christmas is not what it is to claim
We can call it something different, a new name

“No Dasher! No Dancer!
No, Prancer and Vixen!
Or, Comet! Or, Cupid!
Or, Donner or Blitzen!
The strangeness is scary
With meltdowns a plenty
So dash away! Dash away!
Dash away, No entry!”

I unwrap every gift to remove the surprise
Making it clear what has been left to find
We listen for murmurs of our little dude
Because a load full of toys will be left for him too.

As the morning light dances onto the roof
Little footsteps can be heard while we’re still aloof
As I draw my covers downwards I look all around
My boy comes into the room with a bound

He is dressed in his pyjamas, from his head to his foot,
and he announces for rice cakes, I go have a look
The toys sit untouched all alone in a stack
My boy has grabbed the familiar toys he knows back

But my boy’s eyes-how they twinkle! His smile, so merry!
His cheeks are like blossoms, his feet a little smelly!
His little mouth is drawn up in a smile,
His blonde hair so bushy in one big pile
He opens his mouth and produces a gap in his teeth
He brushes past the big unfamiliar Christmas wreath
It is just a normal day with a bit of telly
Just like every other day full of jolly

As food is prepared with goodies from the shelf
He holds an apple, the outcome from stealth
A wink of my eye and a twist of his head
I soon realise that this is not a Christmas I need to dread.

As the others eat turkey and all the trimmings
My son sits on the couch with with his Christmas bringings
A pizza with small hot dogs on the side
Who needs a spread when your favourites are tried

We don’t need a Christmas card representation
It’s our family Christmas, our own homemade tradition
We don’t need the presents or big fat old bird
We don’t need the silence where nothing is heard

Cause Christmas is a tradition made our family’s way
Where you can do what your like, your own special day
And if that is the same as everyday before
That’s OK, it makes it less of a chore.

So Merry Christmas to all on this strange dark night
Where we do things differently, we do them right
As I look at the smile on the face of my son
He creeps quietly upstairs because he is done.

Merry Christmas Everyone

🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠

TOTS100 - UK Parent Blogs
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The Big Eat Out!

“Shall we get some food?” asked my husband as we walked out of a successful bowling family outing. We were all on a bit of a high from a family activity that had gone to plan. I looked up to see what he was referring to and saw a burger restaurant was in front of us, it was a takeaway, sit-down-if-you-want type of establishment. I assumed we would grab some food to eat on the go, as we have not sat down as a family in a restaurant for many years, longer than I can remember.

Rhys doesn’t do sitting down, waiting for food and social norms like eating out, are not part of his agenda. He will shuttle run up and down between the tables, and if the opportunity presents itself, he will run out an open door. There was once a situation where he didn’t want to sit at the table with us and decided to sit down at a table with an old couple who were on a quiet meal out. They didn’t seem to mind, but probably wondered what was wrong with us!

We find eating out stressful, and have therefore discounted it from family activities, resorting to a quick take away, picnic or lunch at home.

Until now. We decided to give it another try!

We took a chance, and as the food got ordered, I ushered our family into a booth. We all sat across the table from each other, Rhys included, and I thought to a picture I had seen earlier on my Facebook feed. I thought of families who regularly go out for food together, they snap a shot of them all around the table, conversing and enjoying a meal.

Here we were sitting, just like that family in the photo I had seen earlier.

Happy

We were however naturally contingency planning, knowing that our food could just be packed up and taken with us if something went wrong.

As we dished out the food, Rhys wouldn’t touch his hotdog, and pushed away the chips, but he sat there with us. He was happy to sit calmly and watch us eat, and look around at the sights of the restaurant. We all took our time eating our burgers and shared a strawberry milkshake, passing it around letting the paper straw get soggier with every sip (not the best decision!).

The environment was calm and stress free. A feeling of achievement washed over us. Our whole family out having a meal together, without one of us jumping up every two seconds to retrieve Rhys or calm him down.

As we sat, we took a photo. A photo that means more to our family than any other family’s weekly breakfast meal out. The first photo of us having a meal out together. The first photo ever.

Our first restaurant meal together!

We sat as a family eating a meal. The first meal together in a restaurant in forever.

There are no more words to describe the feeling of achievement and success. We are all moving forward in this scary world, and goals are limitless. Who knows what we will achieve next!

What are your experiences of eating out? Head to Facebook and let me know your story.

TOTS100 - UK Parent Blogs
TOTS100