My friend Paula made this last week for our homeschool group. Its beyond amazing! I just lifted this off her email so I won't lose it again. You know, I really need a "recipe" blog ...

Just when you thought my computer was safe ... massive lightning strike frys lots of things in our house. Including the server. And other technical thingys. Which are now repaired. Thanks to young entreprenureal techies who work nights and have mad computer skilz. And who are willing (God bless them) to climb the scary tower in the back yard (in the dark). They are SO getting Christmas cookies!

Realistically, Sweeps Week will commence on Monday!

Because I just know I'm going to lose this one. Again. For those of you that don't get Taste-Of-Home or Quick-Cooking, you are SO missing out! Chicken Corn Chowder With Cheese ...

The mystery of the chronic-weird-horrid nightmares is over. I'm getting sleep again. WooHoooo! Lucy-with-sleep equals excessive-posting ...

So, here's what we can all look forward to this week: Katherine's shoe vanishes in front of our eyes! Lucy poisoned by vitamins from China! Washable crayons are our friends! Olay is run by evil lieing liars!

Tune in this week!

When I panic later, remind me that I hid Cassie's birthday present inside the big black hard-sided suitcase in the the loft-closet over our bedroom behind the wall. Its a good hiding place. SO good I'll probably forget it.

Q) What has a 1000 legs and can't walk?

You know our rule about no "Christmas" before Thanksgiving and no "Christmas" after Feb 1st? Well. This has been a hard year. The Reunion. The Move. The Crazy Work-Schedule. The Houseguests. The Bathtub.

I need a little Christmas. Yeah, I know its like an alcohalic needing a drink before lunch. Could be worse -- I have no plans to buy "Santa" sheets for our bed. Yet.

We watched the movie NannyMcPhee a few days ago. (Please note the time lapse, as it shows intense meditation). Its a movie about horrible children who learn that there are consequences to their actions.

This morning, I was making pancakes. One of the children came and sat down at the kitchen counter to talk to me. I was measuring and flipping, so it turned out to be a monologue punctuated by occassional encouragingly vague sounds ...

"Mom? I know which one of the children was the naughtiest. Want to know? It was Simon? Want to know why? Because he's the one with the tarantula. Lee says its the one that put worms in the sandwiches. But I think its the one with the tarantula. He could have killed someone! Heart-attacks kill people. Mom? What I can't figure out though is this -- where did he get a fat tarantula on such short-notice? He didn't live in a jungle. For example, I don't live in a jungle either. Where would I get a tarantula if I wanted one? You know, just in case I need one some time."

The really scary part? The child talking was Cassie (who has never met a ruffle she didn't adore). Which is a warning to us all -- Don't judge a book by its cover!

I needed a break to do some kitchen-thing on Friday, so I cleverly assigned the boys to do their reading-out-loud work with the baby. (Sam's baby sits in the baby-bouncer and listens as the boys read) I told them to pick any of the "100 things" books. Its a series of non-fiction from Barnes-n-Noble. Each book covers 100 things you need to know about ... oceans, dogs, skeletons, weather, etc. Diid I stress that I told Lee that he could pick ANY of the books?

So. Later in the day I heard Lee calling Sam's baby "you sweet little mammal". Seeing my surprised expression, he compounded the situation by calling me his "sweet big mammal". At which point I had to tell him that women did NOT like being called "big" or "mammal". See, there's yet ANOTHER sentence I never thought I'd have to say.

I got a phone call from my husband a few minutes ago. Here you go ...

Husband: Your son just called me. (Please note, its "our" son in reality. Which boded no good.)
Lucy: WHAT? (Because we had the "don't call your father all the time" talk yesterday)

Husband: When I told him to talk to you, he said he couldn't find you.
Lucy: WHAT? (Because I'm in the kitchen)

Husband: Then I lost the stream of thought. I think its an emergency involving poop and something metal, and he's trapped in the bathroom.
Lucy: What? WHO? Which bathroom? (Slightly suspiciously) (This is how some pranks begin, I would think)

Husband: I don't know. But I think you need to find him. And then call me back.
Lucy: Hmmmmm.

And, so, I traipsed through the house looking for Lee (age 8). I found him in the bathroom under the basement stairs. In his underwear. Because you can't go to the bathroom in your Spiderman-costume-jumpsuit. Apparently, he was holding something like a metal key and accidentially dropped it in the toilet. Where it slipped under the poop. IF he flushed, the toilet might explode. If he left, someone else might flush the toilet. What a quandry for a small boy!

The solution? Mommy putting her hand in the toilet and pulling out the poop-covered metal-key-toy-thing. I just looked at him. I could feel, almost against my will, The Vulcan Eyebrow look sliding across my face. "So. You think that the solution is for ME to put MY hand in the poop?" The horror began to dawn on him. Shivers. Darting eyes. Desperation. I thought for a moment I might have to use the Vulcan Death-grip on him. Turns out, the Vulcan Eyebrow was enough.

Heh. I must remember to use this power for good, not evil.