Better Than Sex Cake

To celebrate Labor Day, Cindy made a chocolate cake with the above name this morning. Needless to relate, we have gotten a lot of mileage out of this name in the interim.

Actually, Cindy and her sister got the most mileage out of it. Tonight as they were talking on the phone, they were wondering if the name was really that accurate or not. E.g., if given the choice between the two, which would be more tempting. Cindy said that maybe she should ask me, and from the other room I called out, "Well, the cake doesn't make me sleepy!"

As for my opinion, it was mighty fine cake, but it would be hard to do a side-by-side comparison, as with the whip cream and all it would probably be a bit messy, and besides, I wouldn't be awake long enough to cut me a second piece.

Greetings, Pop!

Over the years the kids have developed innovative ways to greet me as I walk in the door after work. It has ran the gamut from screams of glee to sheer uninterest.

Now Makenna has left her mark (or, in this case, marks??)

Her favored mode of salutation is a head-butt. (Now, this is not to be confused with what was once Cameron's favorite salutation, which had the two words in reverse order.) I am thankful that with her height she usually hitting me at hip level, but she is also a pretty solid little girl, and thus can sometimes knock me off-balance.

Other quirks include her refusal to accept a good-night kiss--if I lean over she rolls away....violently! (Thank goodness she has a queen-size bed.

She has also picked up a new phrase from some TV show, i.e., 'Definitely!'

Sweet Child of Mine

After cleaning up the yard sale late this afternoon, I came in and Erin immediately came up to me and excitely said, 'Smell my T-Shirt!' and pulled it out for my olfactory pleasure.

Being somewhat tired, I did it, thinking for some reason that maybe she had spilled some of her scented lotion on it or something.

I smelled.

I recoiled.

She beamed.

And cackled.

And trotted away.

Allyson had obviously puked down her shirt.

Yardsale Blues

Cindy and her friend did a yard sale this week, but it was rained out partially on Thursday, it looked rainy again on Friday so they didn't do it (it never actually rained all day!), and then today we got everything out, the Doppler was clear, and then it started misting. We covered everything back up. It stopped again. We uncovered everything again. Then an hour later the light showers started.

It looks like Goodwill will be having an even better day than we thought!

Wasted Birthday Money Again....

'Kenner celebrated her 5th birthday on Wednesday, and as you might expect, her two favorite gifts were the two cheapest little 'afterthought' gifts that were bought to up the present count.

#1: A roll of Rolo's choco/caramel candy (this was by FAR her most favorite, even if it only lasted for about 3 minutes....)
#2: A Barbie notepad and pen.

Together, these ran us about $2.75.

The big ticket items are certainly being played with, but they left no lasting impression.

It would be nice if we could remember this every year....but we won't.

Bowling for Strikers!

In case you haven't heard, the Huber Heights teachers went on strike on Friday, and as of now (Monday night) there appears to be no sign of settlement.
Cindy is ready to line them up like tenpins, box their ears and take a ruler to both sides.
The biggest problem is a lack of communication--no one really knows enough to judge which side is causing the problem (or if both are equally to blame). This leads to discontent.
Fortunately Cindy is planning a yard sale for Thursday~Saturday, so it should keep her mind off of the issue.
But then again, every time the kids drive her nuts (approx. 257 times a day) she is reminded of it anew.

Soccer craze (or crazies?)

It has begun.

Today was the first day of soccer games and also team picture day. We were at the park from 8:30 to 1:40.

All 3 kids won their games, but the weather was horrendous. In this case, 'horrendous' means hot and VERY humid!

We are all now at home recuperating in air-conditioned comfort, thank you.

Only 6 more weeks of games to go!

whoopie

Free at last! Free at last!....

....Cindy fervently intoned.


Today was the first day of school for our eldest three kiddies... we've chosen not to think about the impending teacher's strike on Friday....

Vivacious Erin (9)--4th Grade

Handsome Cameron (7)--2nd Grade

and Sweet Poptart Makenna (4--almost 5)--Kindergarten

A Pleasing Conclusion....

Cindy finally mustered the intestinal fortitude to go downstairs to see what Cameron and Erin were doing in the kitchen.

They were cooking a birthday breakfast for her! Erin had gotten out a cookbook and had whipped up some waffle batter from scratch (she had even sprayed the waffle iron with oil!), and Cameron was making scrambled eggs at the stove. (The oven was off (whew!)—he must’ve meant ‘stove.’)



Perhaps even more surprising, they weren't fighting with each other!

I had planned on surprising her with the box of cherry-cheese Danishes that I had placed on the stove before I went to work, but the kids beat my present all to heck!

As Cindy relayed the above to me over the phone, she commented loudly that she hoped that the kids would wash the breakfast dishes too.

Cameron quickly replied, ‘That is the one thing we won't do!’

UPDATE: Erin just called to tell me what they had done. She had been watching Gilligan's Island, and thought, 'Why don't I get up and make breakfast for mom!' She was rightfully proud of her selfless service!

Scary Words on a Birthday Morn

Today is Cindy’s birthday, and at about 8:30 AM Cameron came up and asked a question that would strike dread in the heart of any mother.

“Where is the baking powder at?”

(Now, when Cameron asks this, it takes the anxiety to a whole new level, because he has been begging us to help him make a baking powder-powered bottle rocket.)

She grilled him, and found out that Erin needed it for whatever she was making in the kitchen. It seems that the oven is also involved. So she told him where it was.

Cindy is now afraid to go downstairs.

She called me at work instead.

Physics 101

The kids were in watching Gilligan's Island--the episode where they find clay tablets and Gilligan dreams about being a caveman--and caveman Skipper makes some remark about the earth being flat and people falling off the edge.
Cameron (knowing the earth is round) asked Cindy about what happens to people who live on the 'bottom' of the world, and why they don't fall off. She patiently explained that gravity makes a person feel like they are on top of the earth regardless of where they are, and that for all we kn ow we could really be upside down right now!
Cameron thought a second, and then said, 'We must be upside down when I get headaches!' (I.e., because the blood feels like it has rushed to his head.)
He's always thinking!

Which is sometimes not such a good thing......

Productive Saturdays

A rare post about me!

Last Saturday I spent the majority of the day doing touch-up painting inside the house, then cleaning out the garage. It feels like we have 2-car garage now! I was amazed at how much I was able to rearrange! Cindy was dazzled (dazed?) by the new spaces she can now fill up again! (She is hoping to have a yard sale soon, and our computer room downstairs is already half-full of boxes of unneeded items.)

Then yesterday I did just a bit more painting, then spent a good hour weeding in the garden (aka 'The Jungle').

Now you can see why I don't write about myself much!

There are few who can handle this level of excitement.

Egg in her face?

This week Erin decided to cook scrambled eggs by herself, and has now done it 3 or 4 times.

This is an amazing trend--Makenna making her own sandwiches, Erin cooking her own breakfast, Allyson sleeping through the night, Cameron......well, I'm sure if I thought long and hard about it I could think of something he can do by himself!

In the Dumps

Yesterday after work I went upstairs to find Cindy on the bed holding Allyson on her lap, gazing intently at her.
Then she sighed and said, ‘Allyson does looks like Cameron.’
Trying to console her, I somewhat vigorously responded, ‘She doesn’t look THAT much like Cameron.’
More sighs.

You see, Allyson at first resembled Cindy’s baby pictures, and also has glimmerings of red hair on her head, so Cindy was at last feeling that there was some prospect of a kid not looking like a Louis clone.

(Truthfully, Makenna looks nothing like me, but on the flip side, she doesn’t look anything like Cindy either, so in the game of likenesses, I have been ahead 2-0-1, and she has been eager to pare my lead away.)

Then last week my Mom emailed to say that in the recent pictures Allyson seemed to resemble Cameron (I never had the guts!), and Cindy has obviously been mulling this.

And mulling and mulling and mulling.

And mulling.

I’ll buy some peanut butter swirl ice cream for her tonight….

But really, memories play funny tricks on us, and looking at Cameron’s baby pictures afresh, I think there is less resemblance than I thought!
See, she doesn't have his weiner lips!

Getting on Allyson's Good Side!

Makenna has learned the trick for getting big smiles out of Allyson—talking sweetly to her in a high-pitched/falsetto voice from about a foot away.

In terms of results, it sure beats the heck out of Erin’s method of getting up close and trying to suck her brains out of the side of her skull with a kiss or playfully playing patty-cake with her head.

Or, for that matter, of Cameron’s method of getting an inch away from her nose (or closer) and making lots of loud guttural shouts.

Just Say No to Drugs

Lest Makenna becomes too prideful, let me say that she did NOT like the prescribed anti-infection medicine for her cut (see last week’s entry) even though it was grape flavored. I never really had to get involved with this, but Cindy had to hold her down—once with Erin’s help--and force some of it into her squealing mouth.
(This was after trying to cajole her for extended lengths of time with candy and other treats, and even having her talk on the phone with her cousin Kelsey who just happened to be taking the same yucky stuff).

Makenna the Chef

I was watching the 3 younger ones last evening, and when both Cameron and Makenna said that they wanted sandwiches for dinner I got up to go make them.
Cameron (who is 7) merely placed his order--‘PB-jam--and went to play on the computer.
However, Makenna (who is almost 5) quickly ran ahead of me into the kitchen, grabbed lunchmeat and cheese out of the frig, got 2 pieces of bread and neatly cut off the crusts, piled on her usual 3 slices of meat and the piece of cheese, and began chomping.
Cameron had to wait a bit longer, as I was sorta dazed for a minute or two.
Finally, a child who actively seeks to be independent!
PS: Cindy later told me that Makenna had done the same thing at lunchtime! Atta girl!

Potty-Mouth Potties II

Not having learned his lesson (boy is that a surprise!) [can you hear the sarcasm cascading down the walls??] Cameron said some other quite inappropriate things to Erin again today as they were leaving the Y, so when they got home Cindy marched Cameron upstairs and had him clean the master bedroom toilet, sink, and mirrors.
As he whiningly finished his tasks, he loudly proclaimed, ‘That's it! I'm not doing any more crap in your room!’
Cindy took written note of this and is planning to repeat this back on him some time in the future.
The near future.
And repeatedly.

Potty-Mouth Potties

With summer vacation winding down, Cindy decided to be a sweet mother and drive the kids 30 minutes to a fun park to play. Sometime during the play Cameron got mad at Erin and began yelling a true cuss-word at her. Erin replied with another real one (though she said it ‘sotto voce’ and Cindy didn’t know it until Cameron tattled and Erin confessed).
As soon as they arrived home, Cindy marched the 2 perpetrators inside and they were each given a toilet to clean.
As Cindy put it, ‘If you use potty mouth, you’re going to clean potties!’
They didn’t enjoy it much!
We parents enjoyed it immensely!

Timewaster

This is an addicting little game that has Cameron and Erin entranced. The object is to pop the bubbles, but it is harder than it looks!

http://www.miniclip.com/games/bubble-trouble/en/

Don't blame us if you get hooked!