I am not a mother who will give my kids the last bite of my food. No, not going to happen.

When I enjoy a meal, I will eat in a way that saves the best bits for last. I like to leave my meal with the Perfect Bite, the bite that combines the best of the dish. It might be a bite of peach pie that combines the fruit and filling with the perfect ratio of crust. It could be a bite of sandwich that has a crusty edge of the bread, lettuce, tomato and the roast beef all in proportion or a few noodles covered in alfredo with a small broccoli floret and a single scallop. It is the bite that sums up the meal or the dessert perfectly. If the entree and sides are both wonderful, I will rotate eating them, leaving a bit of my favorites to end with and mentally plan out the order to eat the final bites in.

Reading this, I sound completely compulsive and absurd, but really I am not. Life is okay if I do not get my Perfect Bite, but I do enjoy finishing with it. The kids had better back off though, because I will not share it. If they ask early enough in the meal, I will share a bit, but that last bite is mine.

{If I hadn't broken my camera, I would have included a picture of the final bite of a dessert here. Use your imagination. Hey, since you are imagining, why don't you picture a piece of lime green Fiestaware (I love that stuff) scattered artfully with pie crust crumbs and just one remaining bite of blueberry pie (the blue would look so nice with the lime of the plate) with a heavy silver fork perched next to the bite. Maybe imagination is a good thing!}