Handling Contradiction is the Sign of a Sophisticated Mind

Daughter, on her Christmas parade costume (a wrapped box): I didn't like it. I felt cold, and hot.

Daughter, on eating spare ribs: This is both yummy and disgusting, at the same time.

Love Notes

The children got to decorate the front porch, and yard, for Halloween. They then created a carnival style game, beta tested it with each other, and then invited us to try our hand (25 cents for three tries, and a few freebies thrown in).

Then, in an apparent fit of gratitude, they sat down in bed together and wrote us a card. It reads (with a few hearts sprinkled in):

"Dear Mom and Dad.
We love you guys. And girls.
We really, really love you guys.
And girls."

And then, they signed it.

How cool is that?

Well No, But She Was Tired

Son was invited to the skating rink after drama camp. Next day, I told Son he was missed.

Me: You know, your sister cried for ages after you left for skating last night.
Son: For how long?
Me: Fifteen minutes or so.
Son: Well, but that's not her record.

Last week was the busiest of the summer, and although it was all "fun" (or, you know, income earning), I'm glad to see the back of it. We had:

1. first week of hubby's summer class (at 8am, no less)
2. first week of mine
3. only week of Son's British soccer camp, every morning
4. first week of swim classes which only Daughter got to attend (see previous entry)
5. first of two weeks of afternoon drama camp
6. first week of summer soccer league (two practices and a game, all on week nights of course)
7. doctor's appointment for scout camp physicals (early in the blasted morning, due to 3 and 4 above)
8. a scout hike
9. gymnastics*
   
   *I felt like a cruel parent taking Daughter from drama camp to make her weekly gymnastics appointment. It was a tough decision to have her in summer gym at all, but she has physical therapy needs and gym serves them. It was a tougher decision to take her from one busy activity into another (change of clothes and all), but since drama camp is two weeks long I decided she should not miss two weeks in a row (being therapy, and all) and took her. And there were: two kids, two teachers, and the entire 5,000 sq foot gymnasium for them to work in. It's not often I go from "awful mother" to "vindicated mother" so quickly, but it's the one time all week I could have cried about our schedule, for the right reasons!

Didn't See That Coming, Either

Daughter to me, as I'm lying in bed, reading: We're going to play.
Me: I'm snuggling.
Daughter: We can play Snuggle, then. But you have to pick a color. I'm white snuggle.
Me: I'm red snuggle.
Daughter, lying across my tummy: Mmm. I like snuggling. Now, a hawk picks us up, and flies us to the nest, ready to be eaten.

**
And in other news, I am wading through many pounds of paper sent home from elementary school over the last week or two. Son's homework includes a book about Godzilla in Australia fighting a monster kangaroo ("dedicated to my grandmother who lives in Australia, who gave me the insperation" [sic]).

And also, a list of proverbs to be creatively completed by Son. Herewith, a couple:

You can lead a horse to water but... not a bird.
Don't bite the hand that... gives you stuff.
A penny saved is... better than none.
The pen is mightier than the... eraser.

Like Indiana Jones... but with more screaming.

Son, in back of car yesterday afternoon, musing about school: Well, that part was boring.
Daughter: Don't include me.
Son: What?
Daughter: I'm not boring.
Son: No, not at all. You're not boring. You're a whole different adventure.