They Say A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words

These have got to be worth even more. They show what happens when a Mommy takes a much needed and deserved bath while the Daddy is left in charge. My little girl likes to refer to herself as "Princess Toddler" but she looks kind of like The Joker here!

The mascara was waterproof, so I really had to scrub to get it off.  Ah, the joys of parenthood!

It Happened At Wendy's In Lawrenceburg, KY

A mom picked up her daughter from dance class. They had about an hour's drive to their home and decided to get a bite to eat. They stopped in at Wendy's in Lawrenceburg, KY. Both mom and daughter ordered the same thing: chili, small fries, and a frosty. The frosties were put on the tray first. Then, the cashier (who incidentally had sores on her arms) dished up the chili and reached over the frosties to set them down. Her arm brushed the tops of the frosties. She apologized and said she didn't know which one she got. The mom said she could see the marks in both frosties. The cashier got mad and angrily grabbed both frosties. She came back moments later. It seemed kind of quick and the mother thought the frosties looked kind of funny. She had seen enough of those TV shows were restaurant employees got angry and spit in their customer's food. She carried the tray to a table, wondering what to do. Looking more at the frosties, she realized they definitely were the same ones, that the tops had just been scraped off.

What would you do? Would you think it was safe to eat and to just let it go? After a minute or two of comtemplation, she carried the frosties to the manager and asked to see the ones that had been thrown away. The cashier looked a bit shaken, but another worker stepped right up and said he had already carried the garbage out. The manager assured the woman that he had been the one to throw them away. The woman said she would still like to see them. The manager went to the back of the store and returned to the front carrying another garbage bag saying it wasn't in that one, but he did see the ones that were thrown away. It wasn't till later the woman realized the change in his story.

She decided not to make a scene, at least not then. She took the frosties back to the table and she and her daughter picked at them but just couldn't bring themselves to finish them.

You can bet Wendy's main office and the local health department will be hearing about this... In the mean time, this woman sure is hoping those sores weren't scabies!

HAPPY TIME

Don't get me wrong. I love my kids, and I love spending time with them. But I've put almost 28 years into parenthood and still have at least 15 to go. I homeschool my children, so I spend a lot of time with them. When evening roles around, I am worn out and in much need of some quiet time. It takes me a couple hours to unwind enough before I can go to bed.

Ideally, I like to start getting the children ready for bed around 8:30 or 9:00. However, many nights it is at least an hour later. After the kids get ready for bed, we start our wind-down of the day with singing some silly songs, including The Alphabet Song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Baa Baa Black Sheep, This Old Man, and 10 Little Aliens. Yes, I said Aliens. I don't think Allie understands what an Indian is; to her they are just people like the rest of us, so why would we be singing a song about them? Aliens, however, seem to make more sense.

We progress from silly songs to more serious songs that teach the kids about Jesus and to worship Him. Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves The Little Children, Jesus Loves The Little Ones Like Me, This Little Gospel Light of Mine, and any other songs the children can think of to prolong the inevitable. My older kids are probably outgrowing some of these songs, but they enjoy the routine.

After singing, we pray. We say two different versions of Now I Lay Me. I am so thankful Allie has not realized there are even more variations! After that, we pray for family members and whatever else happens to be on our minds. Then, Daddy and I bless the children, kiss them, and tell them goodnight. The boys are sent to bed, though more often than not they end up together on their floor. Allie gets a little extra snuggle time, giving the boys the opportunity to be quiet before she actually lays down. Susanna is allowed to practice her dancing or get on the computer for a while.

It is a strict rule in our house that once someone has gone to bed, they are not allowed out until the sun is up, unless there is a fire. Every night, without fail, the boys get up anyway, to get a drink of water. I ask if there is a fire, and they give me gigantic grins and explain there isn't but they are thiiiirrrsssty. Finally, they settle down, and then I get Allie into bed. Susanna makes relatively noise and is usually up for an hour or so more. At last, there is peace.