Does Daddy Make Babies?

(I came across this picture and had to add it.  Can you tell which one is Will?)

We were sitting down to dinner yesterday night; waiting for Will.

Annie:  Daddy gone?

Hudson: Daddy is at work, Annie.

me: Do you know what Daddy does at his work?

Hudson: No.

me: Daddy is an engineer.

Hudson: What does that mean?

me: He makes stuff on the computer and then other people build the stuff.

Hudson: Oh, like airplanes and cars.

me: Exactly

Hudson: Oh and people.

me: Not people.  Mommies grow babies in their bellies.  Daddies don’t make babies on the computer.

Hudson: Oh

We had to clear up that misconception before it got out of control.  Luckily, no other probing questions followed and the “birds and bees,” is tucked away safe for another day…hopefully, very far away!

Crazy in the Kitchen

Annie was begging to cook today.  She had found scrap material from the apron I made her and was falling apart because it wasn’t fitting right(I know my apron isn’t wonderful, but it functions well and I only had to pick out a few lines of stitching.  One day I’ll hop on the sewing bandwagon).  I digress, after a treasure hunt for her apron, Hudson joined us in the kitchen for some quick cooking.  Considering the fact that I haven’t been to the store for quite some time I thought a cake mix could do the trick.  I didn’t want to worry about busting out the oil and eggs with the little ones so I substituted all of the ingredients on the back for a can of soda.  Annie got to dump the cake mix.  Hudson got to dump the soda.  I’m not sure how many of you out there have tried baking a cake like this, but it is quite good and VERY QUICK!!

#1. I don’t mind letting the kids lick the beaters…no raw egg.

#2. Less ingredients

#3. A good dessert for food storage.

#4.  The cake ends up more moist, strawberry shortcakish, if you will.  

One of my good friends from when I was teaching gave me this…”recipe?”  She says it came from Weight Watchers.  I can’t stake claim.  I must say the yellow cake mix + Sprite + straberries + whipped cream topping = Heaven

Of course things got crazy when I was taking picture.

 I think their attention span was about one ingredient each today so it was  good day for “Soda Cake.”

Can today be Friday instead?

Hudson approaches me today and asks if he can play Rock Band. I tell him no because it is Sunday and no because he is too little.  We are actually thinking we are going to return it anyway because it takes up too much room. What do you do with a drum set in a house our size?

He then says, “Well can’t today just be Friday instead?”  Of course I stiffled a chuckle and told him the days of the week were solid.  

“But we can just pretend it is Friday, Mommy,” he replies.

 ”No, Hudson.”  

Hudson then tells me, “But Mom, I think Friday is much stronger than Sunday.”  I’m not quite sure what he meant by the comment and the flexed-muscle pose that accompanied his words, but my decision stands.  

Hudson, I love you, but NO it cannot be Friday!

Wii Wii Wii, All the Way Home

Will got the kids a Wii for Valentine’s Day and got me a Wii Fit(I did receive some beautiful flowers as well…I love you Will). If he was trying to drop any hints, I am ignoring them.  

These games all happen to be some of the first video games that I like.  I am starting to think that the reason for this is my triumphant victories over Will in almost all of the games(Will does take the cake in bowling).  I also get a good chuckle out of the Wii Fit proding and poking Will and I when it comes to gaining and losing weight.  It pulls no punches and can be fairly witty.

Hudson on the other hand, is a machine when it comes to the sports.  He can golf and play baseball like it’s nobody’s business.  He enjoys the other games as well, in which I actually have a fighting chance against him in those.

I couldn’t help be a little nostalgic after Will got everything set up.  I always wanted a Nintendo as a kid, but my mom was sure it would rot my brain out my ears so I always had to play at friend’s houses.  I also had memories of my 6th graders last year talking about their Wiis they got for Christmas and then talking about the original Nintendo.  Oh if I only I had had a camera to savor the shock from the moment I informed them that I was indeed alive when the original Nintendo came out.  Several of the kids looked at me and said, “You mean you remember the granddaddy of video gaming systems, you weren’t just a baby?  That was like 20 years ago.  You are old!”  Had I not been the teacher, I might have smacked a few for that comment(And no it wasn’t 20 years ago!!!).  I then mentioned Atari which resulted in mostly blank stares.  Am I really that old?!

When I can’t control the chaos, give me the strength to embrace it…

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I had one of those days recently where everyone is falling apart at the seams.  I only have 2 kids so the ambiguous “everyone” isn’t really that many bodies.  It was a day where I wanted to wiggle my nose and be sitting on a beach on a “desserted” island(Yes I was hoping to gorge on treats) all by myself drinking a lemonade and maybe a chocolate cake with black truffle.  I did the next best thing, popped in a Movie and plopped down next to the kiddos while eating grapes and some string cheese.   The song that ends the movie has these words and it sort of has become my own little anthem ever since.  It’s suprising how everytime I feel the stress start to come on the words just pop into my head(P.S.-Don’t worry, I really don’t stress that often).  I put part of the song at the top of the blog post incase you were wondering what song I was talking about.

Let it go.  Let it roll right off your shoulders. Don’t you know the hardest part is over?  Let it in.  Let your clarity define you. In the end you will only remember how it feels for our lives are made in these small hours, these little wonders.