When reality TV & a game show meet

Sometimes that's what our life feels like these days. The idea for this post came to me in the kitchen the other day as I was rushing around like a mad woman trying to whip up some dinner before time was up, i.e., the babies woke up. I felt a bit like Top Chef or some food network show where contestants have 20 minutes to make an elaborate meal!  

The other afternoon I had a similar feeling as I tried to make a kale salad for dinner later. Only in this version of the game show, random distraction tasks kept being thrown at the contestants as they tried to cook--let the dog out, now run to the basement to switch diaper laundry, let the dog back in, go soothe a crying baby,  back to cooking. Oh wait, rush back to get crying baby before that baby wakes the other two. Try to finish whipping up dressing while bouncing crying baby in one arm before the other two wake up to eat!  Uh oh, time's up! :) I managed to get all the pieces done but didn't get to "plate" my kale with wild rice, roasted squash, feta, & pomegranate salad, but heck, we couldn't eat until after feeding babies anyway, so that could wait!

The game show metaphor has popped into my head at other times over the past few weeks too. Like the time we stopped by Trader Joes on the way home from the pediatrician and I got dropped at the door while Michelle circled the parking lot trying to keep all three babies asleep. That was like a low budget grocery shopping game show where I had to get supplies for a week in ten minutes or less and fit them all in a basket. I rushed around the store like a mad woman tossing staples in my basket. By the time I made a full loop of the store my basket was overflowing and threatening to tip me over, it was so heavy!  The manager, who recognizes us since we shop there all the time, checked me out and first he said "you're traveling light today!" because I had no babies with me & I told him about Michelle circling the parking lot. Then, when he'd finished ringing me up he said, "Wow! I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone pack $90 worth of groceries into one of our hand baskets before! Nice work!" ;) I'm going to go ahead and claim a victory for that game!  

Have you heard of the show Minute to Win It? I've never actually seen the show, but I think that concept works around our house too. Tasks might be: how many diapers can you change in a minute? How many household tasks can you do in a minute with only one hand (carrying a baby in the other of course)? Or how many cloth diapers can you fold or babies can you dress in a minute? :)  

I have a feeling that Michelle and I will come up with lots of game show meets reality TV concepts as these babies grow up! Herding three crawling or toddling babies, getting three toddlers into car seats, catching food and utensils as they're tossed from high chairs... Got any other ideas for gameshow concepts we can look forward to? :)