Tradition Continues, With a New Face

Well, today is the first day of school. Traditionally, I take pictures of Pea to share. This year, though, I have pictures of the Little Man, too, because its his first day of pre-K. He’ll be going the full day, same as his sister.

Here they both are, sitting outside on the front porch. I apologize for the blur. The air conditioned house didn’t like the muggy air and my lens was all foggy. I didn’t think it would make for foggy pictures, but… well. :-/

I did manage to re-take some shots of Little Man, though.

I’ll get better pictures of Pea either tonight after school or tomorrow morning. Hers are too blurry to use and I didn’t discover it until after she was gone.

ETA: Here are the pictures of Brenna, taken after she got home from school instead of before. *g*

And for comparison’s sake, all the previous years, starting with preschool.

Yikes! Poison Watermelon!

Yesterday, my mother bought a small watermelon at the local Wal-Mart for $2.98 (marked down from $4.48, according to the receipt). Who doesn’t like a nice, fresh watermelon on a warm summer’s day?

We cut into it and it didn’t look quite right. It didn’t smell right, either. And when she tasted a very small bite, it didn’t taste right either.

So we cleaned it up and disposed of it, so that the kids wouldn’t get into it.

End of story, right? (Well, if it was, this would be a very short blog post.)

This morning, as were all sitting around eating breakfast and getting ready to start our day, I happened to walk past the open window next to the stairs, and noticed a dead squirrel on the grass.

And next to the squirrel… a partially eaten piece of watermelon.

The poor little guy. All he wanted, same as us, was a nice piece of fresh fruit on a warm summer’s day. It turned out to be his last.

Lightning McQueen Been Dethrowned

Today, after months of complaining that his toddler bed was too small/uncomfortable/etc, my Little Man got his first official Big Boy Bed. That is to say, a box spring and mattress. This, as all mothers know, is a special moment in a child’s life. A rite of passage. Very Important.

In honor of the special occasion, I took Little Man to the store so he could pick out a set of sheets and bedspread for his new bed.

He’s long been a Disney’s Cars fan, so this was what we all thought he would choose, right?

Boy, was I wrong! Little Man by-passed the row of Cars bedspreads entirely. He hesitated over a Toy Story one, but in the end, we walked away with Transformers.

After almost three years, Lightning McQueen has been dethrowned. He is no longer the be-all and end-all in my Little Man’s life. That title, I think, now goes to Optimus Prime (his favorite Transformer). Or maybe even Bubble Bee.

It truly is the end of era… in more ways than one.

Can I Borrow Your Kitchen? (Or Maybe Not…)

Are there etiquette rules for cooking in someone else’s home? HOw do you know if you’ve broken one of them?

I ask myself these questions every time I go to visit my parents. We visit them maybe twice, sometimes three times a year and as a general rule, because one or both my parents will be working during my visit, I am given the tasks of keeping the house clean and cooking dinner.

Unless my mother has a specific meal planned out, I am never sure what to cook and I feel awkward about just rummaging through their fridge/freezers/cupboards to find what appeals to me.

What if they’re saving those steaks for a romantic dinner for two? What if they don’t have enough chicken for everyone to have some? What if the freshness date on that sour cream has long since past?

I don’t know, and this often leads me to either calling one or both of them at work or asking (nay, begging) one of them to tell me what to cook that day. I simply feel better knowing that whatever I’m cooking is not going to come as a huge shock to them when they get home.

Or better yet… if my mom just throws something in the crock pot before she leaves for work.

Having Defeated Mordor

I don’t normally find myself agreeing with Republican politicians, but this statement by Senator McCain is, if nothing else, geekily delightful.