All restaurants are called “towns” in our household. When we leave our little corner of suburbia and head to where the shopping is, I tell the kids, “We’re going to town.” Eventually that transformed into, “Hey, let’s go eat at town,” and finally last month as we walked through the airport, Laylee pointed out the food court by saying, “Hey! They’ve got a BUNCH of LITTLE TOWNS here!”
One of our favorite towns is “Enchilada Town,” Laylee’s name for any Mexican restaurant, most specifically the one down the street where everybody knows your name because your name is always Niña or Niño if you’re under the age of 23.
For a long time I wondered why so many Hispanic kids were named Niña. I was also horrified that anyone could name their daughter Hermana when I saw the list of “sister” missionaries in our church bulletin and it included a girl who’d gone to El Salvador. Hermana Leslie Pennington. I mean, Leslie’s a good enough middle name, but Hermana? That’s just cruel.
I am not so good with the Spanish but we love Enchilada Town because they’re so warm and inviting there. (Never mind that every time I say Enchilada Town, I’m reminded of this video.)
My husband’s parents and three sisters came up this weekend to help us move in and fix things around the house. We have worked them HARD. My goal this afternoon when they get home from church is to fabricate some semblance of hospitality to lull them into a sense of vacation-esque security before I hand them paint rollers tomorrow morning at early-o’clock in the AM.
My plan is to make chicken enchiladas for dinner this evening, despite the fact that I had to stay home with “sick” kids. Laylee had a fairly high fever last night and is now medicating with a healthy dose of animation therapy and play doh, not ingested, just “tasted” repeatedly.
Magoo’s not so much “sick” as he is “sick of” sitting still (yeah, right) for 3 hours at church every Sunday. 5 months till he’s old enough to attend the children’s nursery and we’re counting down the days. That kid is an adorable wreaker of havoc. Most women like to have the contents of their purse emptied out but there are always those select few who don’t enjoy sitting through Sunday school with a lap-full of tampons and chewing gum. To each her own, I guess.
So this afternoon, there will be food, fun, and everyone will be called something with an enyay. Tomorrow, it’s back to work!
“Animation Therapy”—if we use the term enough, you’ll make it into the dictionary!!! You are so smart :-)C
Sounds like “Enchilada Town” is happening at your house tonight. It is funny what a few good hot enchiladas will do to persuade painting fever at “early”o’clock in the morning!
I am big fan myself of watching the contents of purses go flying. I forfited that game and started leaving all things home except…. Crackers, children’s books, cherrios, trains, bath toy frogs, and some marshmellows.
The marshmellows keep me happy.
Wow, he’s not old enough to go to the nursery? You’re brave. I’m guessing we wouldn’t be making it to services if there wasn’t a place to corral my child.
That family of DYD’s is worth having, I tell you. I suspect they would have helped you out to the max, even if you didn’t lull them into a false sense of hospitality. But waking them up with paint rollers at “early o’clock in the AM” sounds a bit like cruel and unsusal punishment to me. I think that’s been banned in the continental United States, although it may still be OK in Hawaii and Alaska.
Good luck!
I love your spanish skills — too funny!
I put Helene into nursery a few months early….
Because they said I could and also…. I just couldn’t take it anymore!!!
By the by…
Love your new house. Your red doors make me jealous. But so does your gorgeous backyard.
Oh… and my fish is still alive.
I don’t know why… I just wanted to throw that in there.
I have often thought there seriously needs to be a “pre-nursery:” A big ol’ sound-proof room with toys that you could take your under-eigteen-month-old (who started walking at nine months, but we won’t go into that) where they pipe all the audio for the meetings into. Wouldn’t that make you happy? It would certainly make me happy. And I know some frustrated pre-nursery hall-wanderers that would be pretty jazzed about it too. But who am I to complain? Dylan went to nursery (with great success) yesterday for the first time. Two weeks early – ssh, don’t tell anyone! – but we figured we might as well have at least one or two Sundays sans kids before the new baby arrives. Good luck with your next few months. And my sympathies 🙂
I think that 18-months is almost too late to start nursery. I took my kids in as soon as they could walk, but I stayed with them until they were “of age” or the nursery leaders said I could leave. 🙂 All three of my kids had a smooth transition.
I like Jessica’s idea of a pre-nursery. We started putting a baby monitor in the Relief Society room so we could listen in the mothers’ nursing room. It was very effective. But there is a plethora of non-nursing pre-nursery kids and moms out in the hallway who really need a place where the kids can play without disturbing the grandmas and the mom’s can be spiritually uplifted. Where’s the suggestion box?
Hope you suceeded in lulling the family before springing the work on them!
Our youngest is in children’s Sunday School, but he doesn’t sit still and he samples the play-dough there. Oh well, he will get his attention span up any time soon, right?
One time in church a 2 year old kid in our ward emptied the contents of his mother’s purse, found a tampon and began smoking it like a ciggarette. The mom was moritified and jerked it away from him. He turned and looked at her, then turned and looked at us, then got the red-faced “I’m Pooping” face. The mom was just dying. And so were we, but from laughter.
I love this post. I love you. I love taco town. I almost died watching that video. In fact I am dead. There is no more me. See ya!
I love enchilada town! And I was lucky like Kelly and Mason got to go to nursery two months early, woohoo! I knew there were benefits to serving in the primary. Don’t worry your day will, come too. And it will be wonderful.
How did you get that wiggly Spanish thing over your Ns?
Your friend, El Nino
i personally love having the contents of my purse on display. i sit by a girl who a 11 month old exactly for that reason. she comes over, pull out my water bottle, i try to drown her, repeat, also a tube of lipgloss can keep her busy for about 5 minutes, enough time to lean over and ask someone what book we’re in, what samuel? we were just in kings. aghhh. please pass the crackers.