During the 2-hour wait for dinner to be served, I had time to remind the kids about our family’s eating-with-strangers policy. When the food comes, take what you want and do NOT go back for seconds, no matter how good the food tastes.

The common practice of everyone diving in with their chopsticks is pretty horrifying. At weddings, the table is mostly made up of complete strangers, people we don’t know from Adam (or Eve) which makes this whole business of saliva-mixing all the more disgusting.

There’s a common spoon which everyone is supposed to use but no one does. It’s faster to just dive in with your chopsticks. God forbid the people who like to lick or suck their chopsticks before plunging them back into the common plate again and again! YUCK!

When the kids were younger, it was even more stressful for me as I had to fill their plates and my own before everyone else dives in for seconds .

Well, we don’t end up eating a lot. Which is okay we’re there to celebrate someone’s wedding, not to stuff our faces like we’ve never eaten good food before and certainly not to embarrass ourselves.

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When my cousin came to town and invited us out for dinner, I decided to wear my almost-new wedges. I love wedges. I think they’re sophisticated in a casual way.

What I hadn’t counted on was that I’d need Foot Pain Relief by the time we were done with dinner which consisted entirely of walking a few feet from our table to the buffet area and back.

Man, I should’ve applied my Engo patches which not only prevent blisters but also relieve blister pain. I’ll have to remind myself about that the next time I need to break in my new shoes.

These days, I shout a lot. Not because I’m angry with my kids but because they can’t hear me with that mp3 player perpetually blasting in their ear. I’m sure my neighbors can hear me better.

3 teens = 3 mp3s stuck in 3 pairs of ears

Apparently if you’re a teen and you don’t have some wire hanging out of your ears, you ain’t cool! I guess that’s a good way to shut out mom and rock to your own tune, eh?

Kids: You don’t have to shout, Mom, we’re not deaf.

Mom: How else can you hear me with that thing blasting in your ear?!! I said, pick up your clothes, you haven’t done it yet!

Silence.

Mom: Did you hear me??!!

No, you didn’t, that mp3 is too loud!! Grrr!!