We have been allowed to spend a lot of time with the boys the past couple of days and they don't have school tomorrow and so we have a full day with them again. Today we rode the bus to Dneproprotrovsk and attended church there. We were worried that the boys would be mad if we didn't replay McDonalds and shopping but Tyler told them that we didn't buy things on Sunday and they were fine. We took treats and bread and Nutella and so it turned out fun. We came home and spent the rest of the day in our studio apartment. It was an experience. We had fun talking and learning more about them and washing their clothes etc. We cooked spaghetti but they preferred their noodles without the sauce and ate a huge dish of tomatoes and cucumbers. I turned around to take a bite of spaghetti and it was gone. They didn't stop there. They ate EVERYTHING in our house. They ate every container of yogurt and the cheese and drank the juice (right out of the carton) and ate Borscht and then Dave made no-bake cookies (because baking things doesn't work well here) and they ate them before they cooled. They ate eggs, bread, ice cream, all the mayo, they stirred up cocoa and sugar and milk in a cup and ate that and then Oleg started eating sugar in a cup, just pouring it in his mouth. If we had had a stick of butter, they would have been chomping on that too. Dave said that they are enjoying being able to eat whatever they want whenever. I am hoping that the novelty is going to wear off or I will need to start shopping everyday at home. They found a little bag of beef jerky in my suitcase (yes Vitaly regularly goes through my suitcase and my purse and helps himself) and I saw them smelling the little bag of Jerky and I quickly told Tyler to tell them that I was saving it for an emergency. They didn't understand but I hurried and hid it. I may be the one hiding things under my pillow in the future not the boys :) PS I have M&Ms too that I have managed to protect but I know it won't be long and they will be gone forever.
I don't really mind their cute appetites but I do have to try not to feel invaded. I don't think that this apt was made for a family of 5. Tomorrow (softra) we are going to go out and do things away from here. Sonya invited us to their house for dinner. I had better warn her huh?
Vitaly and Oleg had a little tiff and so we had to work through that. They were playing and it turned to rough and Vitaly pulled Oleg's ear. They both got mad and pouted for a long time. We had a little talk and said that fights happen in families but we need to try to get along and work things out and all that kind of stuff and then Dave got out the ice cream and they were back to normal. I decided that boys need activity and we wish that we had brought more games and things to do together.
All is well
The Hinksons
I bet they were so full they were sick! My Alex would do the same thing. He felt if I had food he MUST eat it all!! We still struggle with leaving leftovers-I finally explained that it's okay to leave some salad in the bowl for mom to have for lunch the next day! I think the eating constantly and the table manners have been one of our biggest battles. Dave is right it is a novelty to eat what and whenever but man o man it takes a long while to wear off!
ReplyDeleteI'm sending you an email as I found that this comment was getting too long!
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We haven't had an eating-too-much problem. We have had a picky-eater problem. He doesn't like a lot of food I make. I thought he was getting better, but some days it's really bad. It sounds so typical, though, of things I have heard from others. I'll bet they have stomach problems tomorrow. I'm glad you were able to go to church. We never took the bus to church, didn't know we could. I think they liked getting the extra cash for driving us. Your blog is interesting. Why isn't Sonia blogging???
ReplyDeleteI had to smile when I read your blog. I remember when we hosted 2 boys. We had put apples, ramen noodles, hot dogs and some thing in our house that we'd planned on feeding them over the course of a few weeks. They had pretty much polished off everything within a few days. Since the apples had come off a tree, and the hotdogs/ramen were fairly cheap, we didn't make a big deal about it, but I do remember the after effect. Our house smelled like a sewage treatment plant constantly. Thank goodness for Scentsy! I think you're right - the freedom of being able to eat whatever, whenever, causes their 'full' switch to not quite work. After all, they've probably never been so full that they had to say no!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad things are going well. It's hot, then cold, then hot in Utah. Typical Utah in May. Do take some time to go to Russia if you can. You'll not regret it when you get home, and will be something pleasant from this trip you can look back on!
That is hilarious about your boys eating so much. My girls are still like that. Luckily it is mostly fruits and vegetables, but honestly it is exasperating how much they can eat. They eat the strangest most disgusting things together and then turn their noses up and something yummy like cinnamon rolls.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are hanging in there and giving all of us at home some entertainment as well.
I understand that the novelty of choices makes them want to eat more but the longer you delay setting parameters on behaviors like going through your luggage, grabbing and eating whatever they want, etc., the harder it might be once you're on your own with them and at home. Kids need to know where the "edges" are and not knowing can add to anxiety. Just my .02 I do realize that being older, you have to be concerned that they agree to the adoption...
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