What's Happening in Ojas-Tejas Land

A long pending longish update of what's going on in the household.
Some good friends pointed out that it's great to have family time together at meal times, on the dining table. And also good practice for the kids to eat what we are eating. So weekends and weeknights we are moving towards a multistage meal which includes a beverage, a portion of fruits and a proper adult meal like french toast, sandwiches, rotis/ curry, upma etc...The kids are allowed to make their choice more often than not on what they wish to eat as long as they finish what is given - well, more or less.
The positives I see are-
- disciplined eating, no eating in front of TV
-developing table manners- rudimentary stage though, they do insist on having a mat under their plate
-less of work- as they eat what we eat on weekends
-variety for all of us
-they have learnt to set the table for 4
-and the most heartening- those evenings when I would have had a quick sandwich after coming home, the kids will ask me, Mamma where is your plate when I sit with them at the table while they are having their dinner.

We have developed a game to be played in the mornings- I ask them to guess what could be in their tiffin boxes for the day. At first they guess the likely stuff available at home- like cake or grapes or papaya.
If they happen to be wrong I say- p for or d for etc... Sometimes they guess some times they don't.
I go on describing the colour of the item...
If they still cannot, I say out the first few letters like -
pop.... they end with corn
cucu...they end with mber
souf...they end it with fle (actually they mean chocolate cake)
The game is played in several rounds and each question has to be followed by intake of a spoonful of food to get an answer or follow up question from Mamma.

The kids are being treated for chronic cold/ snoring etc.
So they are to be administered some nasal drops. Now they thought this is their vitamin and they were very excited to get the drops. I askd them to lie on the bed with their mouth open and eyes shut. The trusting cute fellas did exactly that... then Tejas the forever suspecting fella said- first Ojas...
Well anyway, I dropped a drop into the nostril and Tejas got the shock of his life. I said sorry sorry open the mouth again. Repeat into the next nostril and he turned his head and a few drops fell into his ears.
Now Ojas the brave one faced similar treatment - the drops went by mistake into the nostril.
They spent a good few minutes howling and insisting they wanted to put the medicine in teh mouth.
Next morning I ask Tejas- did Mamma put the drops into the nose.
Tejas- yes, you must not put in nose. there is nosy inside.
Mamma- so shall I put it in the ears
Tejas- No we put hands inside the ears (meaning finger)