The bread smusher

So Charlie has this place mat that has the table setting drawn on it: plate, utensils, glass, teacup, and because it is a princess place mat, a teapot. Now Charlie, love her though I do, is a very whiny child. It sometimes seems that she will find any excuse in the world to burst into tears. (tonight it was Sammy's announcement that she had pizza for lunch that started a 10 minute nerve wracking spell). The other night, she was complaining that when he set the table, Daddy had not put her cup on the picture of the cup. I could quite understand her, so I asked where he put it. "On the bread smusher!" she wailed. What in the world is a bread smusher I pondered. Charlie pointed to the teapot.
What ensued was a discussion of the use of a bread smusher. Apparently this is used for cutting bread. How, I wondered, could you cut bread with something shaped like a teapot? According to Sammy, "You have to hold it at the right angle."
So there you have it.

One of my least favorite parental duties is waiting at the bus stop. I hate standing in the cold. I hate standing in the rain. I hate listing to the complaints of all the kids about how long it is taking the bus. The time it takes for complaints to begin seems to be proportional to the temperature. At 60 degrees, about 2 minutes, at 40 degrees about 20 seconds, at 15 degrees about 1 millisecond. I also become the de facto bus stop monitor. This is interesting when I don't know everyone's names. Of course, I have no authority. The best I can do is to tattle to the bus driver. I really don't like scolding other people's kids! I also hate waiting for the bus in the afternoon. School lets out at 2:30, but the buses usually come through our neighborhood, so from about 2:20 until it's time to leave, I am in semi-panic mode every time I hear a bus thinking I have missed it! The bus has arrived anywhere from 2:37 to 2:50. I hate waiting in the house thinking I'm late, but I hate standing around the stop sign like some idiot who got lost on the way home. Plus I get bored. Sometimes I look at the mail or take a book, but I don't always remember this. Plus, it's not any more fun to wait in the cold when the sun is out than in the dark in the morning. What really bugs me is when I'm on break, I still have to go to the bus stop. No sleeping in for me. I still have to get dressed, go out in the cold and listen to the whining at 7am. Usually when Peter is on break, so is Sammy, so its not an issue for him.

Sammy is dancing around to Fur Elise. She just asked me if I thought someone could play that on the piano. This amuses me because she is playing it on our keyboard, so it would seem obvious that if it is prerecorded there, it should be played there. In any case, she is practicing to be a princess in the new movie about the princess int he wild. Know that one? Me neither!

Happy New Year!

Well, I haven't kept up with this as I had hoped. I'd like to get on a couple times a month, and more during the holidays. Guess I'll try again this year.
Christmas was wonderful. We were able to relax, spend time with family, and give gifts people seemed to like. the girls were in their first Christmas pageant! Charlie played the angel of the Lord, though she got nervous and hunkered down by me. Sammy was Mary, and loved the costume so much she didn't want to change out!

Meghan sang in the cantata again this year. As usual, the variation on Pachabel's cannon was a favorite! This was followed by Christmas cookies. Some of the newer members of the church brought some that reminded us of a cookie variation of kolach: a sweet nut filling in a flaky crescent roll type crust. She even brought more to church last Sunday!
We went to Louisville for the Christmas Eve bash, and made it to the Christmas Eve service at Church. The girls were beat! Then Emily brought her new boyfriend Jacob to our place and we all set up Aunt Julie's gift: all the trimmings for a pink butterfly bathroom! The girls were awed the next morning. Santa was good to the girls but favorite gifts came from family: Horse-opoly, a camera, books, and towels in a bag that they carry everywhere!
We drove up to Mimi's house Christmas day, and Ned brought his family over. The girls had a blast together, and were even more excited to get together at Z's the next day. Unfortunately, Charlie Dot came down with the flu. The worst part for her, I believe, was the Tamiflu. She was so mad when we missed a dose and had to give it to her the next morning. She practically threw a temper tantrum! I let her throw the bottle away when we were done, which I believe she found satisfying!

We were invited to a neighbor's house for New Year's Eve. Sammy made it to midnight, but Charlie did not. We had a blast playing board games and Wii Bowling. Fortunately, we weren't far from home, because we kept forgetting things!

Peter is back at school, and Sammy would be if it weren't for the snow. Meghan starts after MLK day,