If You Feed Them Pancakes For Dinner…

I generally love to cook.  However, tonight I just didn’t feel like cooking anything glamorous.  I decided to make something easy, that I knew all the kids would eat.  I settled on pancakes.  Pancakes for dinner… why not?

Hold that thought.

I mixed up a double batch of pancake mix and started flipping them on the griddle.  Noah and Eli were still out playing with their friends, but the littles needed to eat.  They were thrilled with their dinner, and each of them cleaned their plate like they hadn’t eaten in weeks.  Ever hear the expression ‘eat and run’?  That’s pretty much what they did tonight.  I figured they had full tummies so I didn’t think much of it, and went on making the rest of my pancakes.  My kitchen is not in sight of the family/playroom, but I have learned (the hard way) to keep my ears open.  I heard the sound of what I thought was the blinds hitting the window, so I knew that the SYRUP was starting to kick in.  Oh boy…  

Really?  I hadn’t even finished cooking the rest of the batter!  I tried my best to get them settled down, but it didn’t last long. (And by the way, I have no idea what happened to Aidan and Liam’s shorts…)

I spent the next several minutes running back and forth between the two rooms, but I eventually managed to get all the pancakes made.  Noah and Eli were taking their sweet time coming home, so I kept their pancakes warm in the oven.  I cleaned up the kitchen, other than the items that N&E would need… like the syrup.  BIG mistake.

My innocent, sweet, littles were found pouring the syrup bottle out onto the plates I had left out for the big boys.  We’re talking 3/4’s of Aunt Jemima’s body!  Given that was my last bottle of syrup in the house, the frugal one in me opted to ‘save’ it… afterall, it was on a clean plate!  Probably not such a good idea in hindsight.

Some how Luke managed to slip by me and made his way to the kitchen, alone.  I am always counting children, so it didn’t take me long to figure it out.  I headed towards the kitchen, and was stopped dead in my tracks.  My socks were literally sticking to the floor.  I’m not sure what words came out of my mouth at that point.  I do know that Matt came fleeing down the stairs from where he had been working.  [He later told me that that was probably the scariest yell he’s ever heard come out of my mouth (oops!).]  Yes, little Luke climbed up onto the counter, and from what I can tell, attempted to throw my syrup-filled plate across the kitchen like a frisbee.  Syrup was (IS) EVERYWHERE… including on my RUG, and in a big way.  (At this point Matt is quietly getting the mop.)  Oh… and guess when the big boys decided to come home???  Yep.  You guessed it.  We don’t call it the House of Pannek for nothing.

There was so much commotion in my kitchen right about then, nobody even noticed that we had some escapees make their way upstairs.  (Liam has learned how to pick the lock.)  I was already planning on putting them in the bath, so I left them up there for a few minutes while I grabbed towels, pjs, etc.  Their bathroom is upstairs, and there was no way they were coming back down tonight!  I still had laundry piles on the table from the afternoon, so it didn’t take me long to get my supplies.  While making my ascent up the stairs, I noticed what sounded like a fraternity party, underway in N & E’s room.  The door was closed, so I wasn’t quite sure what I might find (what ELSE today???).  I grabbed my camera to see if I could catch it on video.  Here’s what I found…

(Pardon the blue painter’s tape… we have a project underway…)   

These boys are CRAZY!!!  I couldn’t help but laugh.  I just love them to pieces!!!  What a way to lighten the mood. 

Somehow, I still managed to get them bathed, and in bed 20 minutes ahead of schedule.  WHEW!

For the record, it’s going to be a LONG time before I make pancakes again.