Theatrical Debuts

The kids' school recently did the musical production of Annie. It was the theatrical debut for both girls! Abby was part of an orphan chorus, and Annie was Sandy the dog.

Annie had three shining moments in the play. She sang Tomorrow with the character Annie, she wandered alone across the stage, and in the grand finale she was presented to the character Annie as a Christmas present. She loved every single moment.

Abby's debut was singing Hard-Knock Life as part of the orphan chorus. This was a great experience for both girls, and Mike and I are personally looking forward to the day when they get tired of singing or listening to the songs from the musical!

Cleaning for the Cleaner

I'm procrastinating. I have a new housecleaner and I need to clean my house before she comes. Really. I have stacks of "stuff" on my dresser and night table and kitchen counter and...well, you get the point. So I need to go clean since my cleaner's coming tomorrow.

The Three Little Eggs

When I go to the outdoor fruit and vegetable market, I always benefit by taking a kid with me. Vendors are typically kinder to me, and the kids get all sorts of free samples. Most recently I took Annie with me. At the fresh egg stand, the vendor asked Annie if she liked eggs. When Annie said yes, he gave her a free egg. In fact, he was feeling very generous and he gave her a total of 3 raw eggs. ..just for being cute and speaking his language.

It is typical for the egg vendor to give 1 egg to each child, and my kids usually carry a raw egg through the market. About half the time the eggs make it home whole.

On this particular day, Annie was very careful with her 3 raw eggs. She cradled them and loved them all the way home. When we got home, the first thing she did was get a Sharpie and label the eggs. Midget Moe, Tiny Tim, and Bouncy Bob now reside in our refridgerator. How can I possibly crack one now that they have names? It would be inhumane. I just know if they accidently got scrambled Annie would notice and never eat eggs again.

While Mom's Been Away

It really has been encouraging to have so many of you writing while Lisa has been gone this past week. You have offered advice, recipes, answers to parenting questions and a few laughs to make our time without Lisa go smoother. I am really blessed!!

Others of you have been curious to know how the kids are doing. YES, they are eating (at home and not fast food!!) and doing great. They are keeping up with school, David started soccer season and no one has missed the school bus or any class time thanks to some friends here who are helping out. We even had one family with more children than ours bring us dinner last Wednesday evening. The kids, always willing to help, offered to clean up, run the vacuum and straighten the kitchen for me. Another blessing!! Below is a picture of the family room and the kitchen. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

As they told me AFTER cleaning up, "Yeah, but you should have seen it BEFORE we cleaned it up, Dad!"

Seasonal Allergy Sufferers UNITE!

If you suffer from seasonal allergies like I do, this picture will probably make your head hurt and you feel like sneezing. It seems that the worldwide flower is the dandelion. It has followed us here and they are blooming everywhere. Emma still will not believe they are anything except a beautiful yellow flower. She also cannot accept that they make me sneeze. She told me yesterday, "Dad, flowers don't make you sneeze; cats DO!"

NOT Such a Smart Idea, Part 2

So, it's Sunday night at 10:30 pm. You just remember your homework assignment for Monday morning. Should you go to bed and get your needed rest or stay up and do your homework? Well, in case you are wondering what child forgot their homework, it was me, Mike!

Like a good student, I started writing out my homework. Like a bad student, I turned on the TV for "background" noise. In a series of unfortunate events, I somehow stumbled upon the sports channel. And on it was LIVE coverage of the Masters! For those who do not follow golf, there are 51 weeks in the year and then there is the week of the Masters. I stayed focused on my homework for the next hour and finished. But, once done, I had the not-so-smart idea of staying up to watch the back nine of the final round at the greatest course in the world. Try as I might, I did not even make it to the end of the tournament. I will not divulge how "much" (read "little") sleep I got Sunday night, but let's just say I went into Starbuck's on my way to school Monday morning just for help staying awake!

Smart Idea, Part 1

As parents, we are often given "teachable moments" if we will take the opportunity to teach our children. Since I (Mike) am not the sharpest tool in the shed, a few fries short of a Happy Meal, and not playing with all 52 cards in the deck - I was given 2 opportunities in 15 minutes so I would not miss out on sharing.

It was an ordinary afternoon of paying bills and running errands. We have learned you are always treated nicer when you have a child with you, so I took Annie on this particular day. First, we went to pay our internet bill. I did not realize it, but I handed the lady an extra 20 dollars. Because Annie and I were talking with the office manager, I had no idea what I had done. But the lady was kind and honest - and promptly handed me back the extra money with my receipt. Second, Annie needed a new light for her turtle tank. We went to the store to buy a new one. The store owner remembered me (who can forget such a face, right?!?!) and was surprised I needed a new bulb so soon. Rather than selling me a new one, he went to his work station in the back of the store, asked Annie and I to come with him and checked the light bulb out with a gauge. As he expected, it was not a bad bulb. He told me to go home and try it again. When we did, it worked like he said it would!

20 dollars for a bill and 10 dollars for a light bulb would not have been the worst thing to ever happen to us, but Annie and I were able to discuss how we were treated and the kindness extended to us. Then, we went to find someone we could extend kindness to as well......

Golden Girls

We recently visited a nearby city, and these golden girls were sitting on a park bench. David's digging for gold, and Annie's looking for some. No such luck.

Fav Meal

This is one of my all-time favorite meals. It is comfort food for me. As a kid when my mom fixed our favorite meal for our birthdays, I chose meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and creamed peas. On my sister's birthday she chose chicken livers...with a gizzard and heart thrown in for good measure topped off with gravy. Do you think we were raised in the south? Anyway, now the meatloaf meal is one of my kids' favorites. We always create a hole in the potatoes and top them with the creamed peas. Here's a picture. Bon appetit!










The ketchup was given to us by someone who loves us and cares for our well-being.

In defense of my sister, at least she chose a good dessert. It was chocolate fudge cake with chocolate chips in it, fixed in a bundt pan.