Derbster

Cameron participated in the Pinewood Derby on Wednesday, and came out somewhere in the upper middle of the entrants.

(His design was created by his creative (go figure!) cousin, but the manufacturing was left in my less than capable hands.)



And no, that is not a guardian angel on Cam's left shoulder--it is merely the kid in the papoose.

Another reason why getting a dog would be superfluous.....

She was LICKING(!!) the bread dough residue in the mixing bowl.....



Messily shoving a cupcake into her mouth (after first biting all the frosting off)....



Notice the LICK MARKS in the applesauce.....

'Nuf said!

Husbands, some things are best left unsaid....

The bed was covered with unfolded, freshly laundered clothes.

Being ever the helpful hubby, I began folding some of the articles.

Seeing a pair of blue jeans, I grabbed them and at the same time casually soliloquied, 'Hmm, I wonder whose these are?' **see Cindy's version below**

I looked at the brand mark that is above the right butt-cheek, and continued, 'Ahh, these are mine.'

Cindy just about went through the roof. She grabbed them out of my hands, opened them up, showed me the big butt, and said, 'Did you somehow think they were MINE!!!?!!!!?!!!!!!!!!!?' She continued to chit-chat, bantering on in a non-linear fashion about a number of subjects--something about clothes-blind husbands, how good heaven is, that I was less than forthright (I believe that 'unbelievable' was the term she used), that it was fortuitous that there was an extra empty bed in the girls' room, etc., etc.

My protests that I had made that comment just as I had just grabbed them--i.e., when they were still just a clump of sizeless blue denim--fell on deaf ears.

Now I know why Hamlet was pondering suicide when he chose to soliloquy!

**NOTE**
Not quite how it happened. Having a load of clothes on the bed ready to fold, Louis began helping. As he picked up a pair of jeans and shook them out he said, "Are these yours or mine?"
EXCUSE ME! Is that a question you need to ask? Because if it is, then the diet I am on is completely inadequate. I would like to see him wearing a pair of my jeans.

Hmmmm?????


Sorry...I got lost in the thought of it. Let me wipe the tears from my eyes.

I think he will THINK the next time he helps me fold the laundry. No. He will not be getting out of it because of this. In fact...maybe he should be the chief laundy folder for a while....at least until it is obvious...without question as to who the clothes belong to.

Chug-a-Lug

Today was a tiring/vexing day at the Floyd house. All the kids appeared to be eagerly jostling each other for first place in the Oscar category 'Let's get Mom and Dad really mad!'

The Oscar for 'Best Male Mouthiness" goes to Cameron.

The Oscar for 'Best Female in a White Whine Sauce (or saucy whine?)' goes to Makenna.

The Oscar for 'Best Re-Creation of 'Unkempt Room with a View'' goes to Erin.

And the Oscar for 'Best Parroting of a Siblings' Script' goes to Allyson!

I'm sure that Mom and Dad would have also won awards in various categories, but they were never nominated by their peers.

Otherwise we might've made a clean sweep in the following categories:
"Best Cinemetography of a Tantrum"
"Best Imitation of the Incredible Hulk"
"Best Remake of 'Stalag 17'"

To illustrate the above, at 3:15 this afternoon Cindy strode into the kitchen, grabbed an unopened 1-lb bag of Christmas M&Ms, ripped off a corner, put said corner in her mouth while raising the bag above her head, and let gravity do the rest.

To show my empathy, I held out my hand and received a generous handful.

(As Cindy later explained, she was just 'putting into practice' what she learned today in RS about the wonderful properties of chocolate.)

(To 'Lilola's' daughter: Are you still sure you want us to live next door? It might make you appreciate your family even more, but the soundproofing that would be required would probably be cost-prohibitive....We are currently blessed with empty lots on either side.)

Time Marches On

Well, it looks like Ally is weaning herself from being a Daddy's girl.

Yep, I will soon just be "Ol' Whojiwhatsit" to our last child as well.

She now prefers to have Cindy put on her shoes, change her diapers, put her to bed, give her snuggles, and all that jazz.

But being the new center of attention is all roses for Cindy.

She called me at work today at 2:50 to ask when I would be coming home.

When I said, 'Soon' she sounded relieved, saying, 'I'm getting worn out entertaining Ally!'

Prayer Circus

A couple nights ago Cindy made a slam-bang dinner (not to be confused with 'bangers and mash' dinners), and as we sat down at the table the kids were rather animated (bat crazy), so I asked Cindy if she would say the prayer (I had said it the past couple meals).

She gave me a wry sideways glance, sighed, and then said something like, 'Thank you dear--for letting me cook the meal and say the prayer...too.'

It was the '...too' that did it--I couldn't stop chortling throughout her prayer and the kids also followed my example. (Of course, it didn't help things that Cindy took special pleasure in blessing the hands that were 'worked to the bone to prepare such a delicious feast' and other similar language.)

Whew! I just remembered what had been on the menu! Chicken bundles, pretzel/cream cheese/jello salad, and rolls! (It's hard to remember when she makes so many wonderful, delicious dinners!)

No dog house for me tonight!?

A New Church Program?

Yesterday (Monday) it was approaching dinnertime, but there was no activity in the kitchen. Cindy had been working around the house all day, and the kids had been coerced/bribed/threatened into helping to at least some extent.
I jokingly said, ‘Even though it is Family Home Evening night, maybe just you and I should go out for dinner!’
Cindy instead suggested that we all go to CiCi’s for dinner, because kids eat free on Mondays. (She knows that the word ‘free’ unlocks even my miserly heart.)
When we told the kids, they were ecstatic to the point of bouncing off walls, off each other, off furniture, all the while yipping with glee.
Sadly, such antics quickly deteriorated into miasmic chaos, and we ended up calling the whole outing off.
Out came the leftovers, and a quite delicious (and nutritious), cheap, and eclectic meal was enjoyed by all--or at least by those not pouting mightily with ‘What did I do?’ written all over their faces. (These just happened to also be the primary contributors to the above-mentioned chaos.)
Anyway, after we had eaten, Cindy looked at me and said, ‘Maybe just the two of us should’ve gone out for dinner.’
I replied, ‘Yeah. We could have called it ‘Leaving the Family Home’ Evening.
I didn’t think my phrasing was transcendently comedic, but Cindy couldn’t stop laughing for 2 full minutes. (I guess a full day alone with surly kids can do that to you!)

Even I admit that the more I think about this idea the greater its appeal becomes.

Whoa, Beuntoyou!

What else is lunchtime for?

Ally has been watching too many princess movies, and sometimes she even rides side-saddle.

She's usually easy on the quirt and spurs too.

Imperial Vulcan Stormtrooper?

Or the Man from the White Lagoon?
Or The Man Without a Face?
The White Elephant Man?
Robert Frost?
Skeletor?


Tonight I began sanding some drywall seams. Cindy came down to see how I was doing, and immediately scampered back upstairs to grab the camera.



Those paper facemasks didn't work quite as well as I thought they would either....

Ahh, the joy!

I can't wait to blow my nose!

If only I had black tissues!

Domestic Feverish Goddess

As I mentioned below, Erin was home with a fever today. She spent her time watching Season 1 of Malcolm in the Middle, and when I got home she showed me the other thing she had done in the afternoon after she started feeling better--she made a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!


And then there was the kicker--she had even hand-washed the mixing bowl, the cookie sheet, and other related cooking implements!

And they tasted good (even though she couldn't find the teaspoons and just guesstimated the salt!), the house hadn't burned down, and her mom's KitchenAid mixer wasn't broken!

I was very impressed! (I now need to teach her how to make cheesecake!)

Atta' girl Erin!

UPDATE: Further investigation showed (i.e., Cindy told me) that Erin only used the KitchenAid bowl, not the actual mixer, and that she dumped all the ingredients in and then began stirring. That would explain the consistency, but with at least 20 chocolate chips in every square inch, this minor defect was overlooked.

Direct Orders

The kids were in bed by 9:30 last night, so at about 10 PM I figured that they would all be asleep, so I walked down the hall and turned off the bathroom light (this serves as a very expensive night light).

I immediately heard a deep gravelly voice that quietly--yet with great emphasis on every word--growled, ‘TURN THE LIGHT BACK ON NOW!!!’

I sighed as I turned it back on.

Looking in at the complainant, I saw that she was lying on her side, eyes blissfully shut, sucking her index and middle fingers on her right hand as her left hand methodically caressed her silky blanket.

A More Perfect Union

Erin was sick yesterday, and she still had a fever when she woke up today, so she was able to miss church and school. (I wonder which one she savored the most?)

Anyhoo, as Erin, Ally and I watched as the other kids got on the bus and it began pulling away, I noticed a couple girls in the back rows looking around as if to find Erin (she sits on the very back row).

“Hey, Erin,” I said teasingly, “I think there are some girls wondering where you are!”

“Yes,” she replied simply, “I complete them.”

She continued, “Yes, it’s true. Without me, they are not complete.” She then walked serenely back to her couch of affliction.

I guess it's been awhile since I've had a good steak....?

Please, Play Outside Even More!

In Japan they have a celebration in early February where you open the door to your house, throw out some beans, and call out, ‘Demons out, Fortune in!’ repeatedly.

Naturally, we don’t celebrate this in the US--at least not directly.

However, the other day most of the kids were outside playing, and I was overcome with tingly feeling as I counted my blessings.

Yes, truly, the demons were out, and that meant that fortune* was in!

*Fortune, as every parent knows, is often just the utter bliss of (momentary) peace and quiet.