All you moms out there, pee before you read this!

My cousin Ben showed this to Thomas, who showed it to me. Enjoy the education.

How Computer Guys Play Legos

My boy and his cousin were playing legos on my husband's day off. Daddy is a big boy at heart, and made up an adventure game for them to play. His next day off, all those ideas that had been percolating spewed forth. He made a full-on, complicated game complete with spreadsheets. Yes, spreadsheets. They took up the entire front room. I had to beg for a cushion on the couch, and a place to put my feet. Thomas was very aggrieved to give up the play space. I curled up there on my perch and read a good book. Then I slept. Then I woke up and read some more. They were still setting up. In all, it took them about 5 hours to set the game up. You read that correctly. FIVE HOURS. Then they played it for an hour. Most of the kids had long since lost patience and went somewhere else to play. In the end, it was just my sweet husband and Thomas playing. The next day, the kids asked to play it again. My husband, with a quick glance at me, jumped in with "I don't think so, I don't think your mom could take it." Smart man, very smart man.

Midol, How do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways...

I love thee to the depth and breadth and heightMy bloated tummy can reach, when feeling out of sorts.

I love thee to the length and distance my children have to run
to escape when they hide from me in the tree fort.
I love thee smoothly, as smooth as the creamy chocolatethat becomes my link with sanity.
I love thee dreamily, on those days when only napsMake me fit for exposure to humanity.I love being a woman. It's just not fair that we get all the fun and men have to miss out.

My Moral for the Week

When life gives you mutilated bread.......

Make croutons.

So let it be written, so let it be done.

Meet My Cousin Ben

This is my cousin Ben. His family lives next door, including his film-making little brother Eric. Ben lives in town, and is over to our house at least a couple of times a week. Nothing's boring when Ben is around. He cracks us up with his funny ways of telling stories. He climbs our trees and rope swings like a monkey. We (I) love it when he stays for dinner because he can eat a ton, and is always appreciative of my cooking. The kids have free reign climbing all over him. He always has time to take in every detail of my oldest son's latest 3-d animation projects. He downloads tutorials for him and gives him tips. Ben means the world to him. He's best buddies with Thomas, and when they get silly, it's a serious effort not to pee your pants from laughing so hard. We sure love him.

Here's a little video that gives you a taste of his personality. Everyone should have a Ben.

Oi Vey!

This picture illustrates the sad story of my life right now. It is a loaf of beautiful, freshly-ground whole wheat bread that actually turned out right. I lovingly made it for the fruit of my womb, to nourish and strengthen them when they got home from school. I left an older boy in charge, and took another son to violin lessons. When I got back, I found my bread on the ground. Where was my dependable babysitter? Asleep, on the couch downstairs. It appears the baby got peckish, and helped himself.
That's nothing to the reception I got when I came in from viola lessons yesterday. Another trusty brother got distracted with video games. I came in to hear water gushing from the basement ceiling onto the carpet. It seems Baby got a little thirsty and helped himself to some water in the bathroom sink. And blocked the drain with a towel, and walked away. "I don't understand how this could have happened!" he wailed. "He was just here a minute ago!" I hear you, brother. Yesterday that same angelic baby took a permanent marker to my velvety upholstered dining chairs. And the computer. I swear, he was just by me minutes before too. So after no school on Friday, my husband working Saturday, being snowed in on Sunday, no school Monday or Tuesday, then disasters Wednesday and Thursday....This Chicky's Cracked!

Oh Brother!