What Do You Mean It's All Gone??!

Last night was taco night, mostly because I wasn't sure how else to start getting rid of the 4.5 lbs of leftovers of what had been a 5 lb pork roast.

So, I shredded the meat, mixed in a packet of taco seasoning, chopped up the fixin's and set it out on the table.  Without much hope, really.  Tacos are never more than half-popular (which means only 2 children scream) at our house.

Well, we did have a little screamy episode when we insisted the 3-year-old try the meat.  And then once he did, he couldn't get it down fast enough.  The six-year-old (the Major Picky) had SECONDS!

My teeth are on the floor at this point.  Which wasn't a good thing, because while I was picking them up, someone ate the rest of the taco meat.

What?

But they didn't stop there.  They also ate all the tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and cheese.  And taco shells.  We had to break out a bag of chips and grate some cheese (OK in moderation for our milk-intolerant kids) for some impromptu nachos because people (read: children) were still eating!

But that ain't all:  I got tired of looking for more food before they stopped eating!!

If you had told me this time last year that I would serve a meal that (a) everyone would like; (b) everyone would eat; and (c) I would actually RUN OUT of food, well, I would have laughed maniacally and told you to go soak your head.

Because this time last year every meal we ate was still ending with someone screaming, and, occasionally, someone barfing.  Usually on me.  

This time last year was before we discovered that our middle one is intolerant to BOTH wheat and milk.  Here's the difference that knowledge (and changing his diet) has made:  over the past year he's grown about 2 inches and put on 7 lbs; he LOOKS healthy; he ACTS healthy (i.e. runs, laughs, and plays); and he has voluntarily tried SALMON.  And he'll now eat pineapple and strawberries, and he doesn't ever barf anymore, even when we ask him to eat a bite of green beans!

Wow.  My teeth are on the floor again just thinking about it.

But I'm scared to pick them up; someone might eat everything off my plate!