When the kids were little, they both said the color yellow as “lellow.”  Awww, so cute.  Lellow. 

Why all the yellow biz?  When I was younger, my mother would make what I called “Yellow Meals.”  Everything at the dinner table was yellowish in color – parmesan chicken (which my little brother called frosting chicken – aren’t kids cute?!), potatoes, corn. 

See?  Yellow.  Carb-loaded.  No veggies or fruit to speak of.  Just yellow carbs.

As a result, I have used this as a measuring stick against which I compare the meals I serve my own children.  Is everything all one color?  Nope??  Then we’re good to go.  Eat up chillun’s.

But last night?  Last night it all just hit me.  I could not decide ONE MORE TIME whether to serve broccoli or peas as the veggie which would still have several spoonfuls left in the bowl when the table was cleared.  So I served corn.  The kids LOVE corn, but I never serve it because I’m always serving rice or potatoes instead.  And while the potatoes in this instance were fancy herbed wedges, they were still potatoes.  And I did serve a fruit.  Pears.  These gorgeous YELLOW pears my parents send us every Christmas.  And the protein?  Frosting chicken.

Not a single, solitary kernel of corn was left after the meal, nor potatoes, pears, or frosting chicken.  EVERYTHING was consumed.  And?  The kids didn’t even ask for dessert afterwards. 

Oh.  My.  GoodnessGodnessAgnes!!!  My mother is BRILLIANT!!!  Here I thought she was just exhausted from the endless 20 plus year grind of serving evening meals to a family of seven.  But in fact, she just didn’t have any dessert to serve us.  Bee..arr…illiant!!! 

I am sorry I doubted you all these years, Mom.  You are GENIUS. 

More Yellow Meals from now on!  ‘Cept we’re gonna call them Lellow Meals.  Put our own twist on things so we’re not TOTAL copycats.  Lellow.  So cute.