Seven Quick Takes Friday

1. I think 2 1/2 (the golden age of NO) is just easier the 6th time around. Ten years ago, when Mxyl said, "NO!", he was challenging my parental authority and rejecting me as a good mother. Now, Oob says, "NO!", and this little person is just trying to assert himself in the great big world. Neither of them get the cookie before dinner, of course, but I'm just more compassionate with Oob and I don't take it personally (sorry, Mxyl!). My favorite thing Oob says is, "Nokay."

2. Choclo is the most polite disobedient child ever. He never says, "NO!" It's always, "No, thank you." As in (Me), "Choclo! Get in bed! NOW!" Choclo, sidling away with a very polite tone, "No, thank you, Mommy." Must. not. take it. personally.

3. Why spend money on pricey math manipulatives? On a hunch, I gave a head of garlic to Choclo. He spent an unbelievable amount of time removing the papery husks and separating and counting the cloves. Now he is counting them into (and pouring out of) a jar. His comment? "Smells good!"

4. Mxyl is headed out for the Polar Bear Plunge! He will be camping out in 20 degree weather and then take a refreshing dip in the Chesapeake Bay on Saturday, probably during a snow storm. These Boy Scouts are rugged! It's for a great cause, though, Special Olympics. If you'd like to sponsor him for $1 to $5, you can do it here. All the money goes to Special Olympics!

5. I am feeling a bit sheepish. I have had a bad cold for the last two weeks. Finally, the Emperor insisted that I go to the doctor. Dr B. gave me on an antibiotic.

Then he said, "Here's what I think happened, some days you would feel wiped out, so you would rest. The next day you would feel better and try to catch up on all the stuff you didn't do while you rested, and the next day you would feel wiped out. Every day you told yourself, 'I think I'm getting better.'"

I think I sat there with my mouth open. Is he psychic?

No. He has 11 kids himself, and has carefully observed his wife.

6. I got the guest room cleaned! No picture of that room, because I forgot to lock the door. Within 12 hours, Choclo and Oob found the bag of compressed gerbil bedding (pine shavings). What fun! The filled the little coffee maker. They filled the shower. They merrily strewed the rugs. They pulled out the drawers and the bins on the shelves. The entire room now smells very, very fresh. As fresh as a Carolina pine forest... Isn't it remarkable how much they can compress into those little bags? But, I noticed when I downloaded the pictures, someone took pictures of the kitchen! Thanks.

7. Here's a happy picture of Leena. Ordinarily, I 'm always trying to get pictures of the kids smiling, but every so often, I ask them to look angry, sad, silly, scared, scary, and so on. They love to ham it up, and I get pictures of all the different ways they looked. We choose the 8 best pictures, label them, print them on one sheet (wallet size) and save them in their "Not Scrapbooking" binder. Often we get pictures we weren't trying for, "You look hungry! You look tired! You look like Popeye!" I'll post some later!

More with Jen!