Rationalization?

I've developed this somewhat horrible addiction...

My Top 10 Reasons to Eat Ice-Cream:

10. Cold-stone Creamery coupons.

9. A treat "for the kids" on a rare day in the middle of winter: sunshiny, warm... ice-creamy.

8. PMS.

7. To relieve stomach-burn resulting from any -- even slightly!-- spicy or acidic food.

6. It's Friday night and the kids are FINALLY in bed.

5. It's Saturday night (Blockbuster night at our house!).

4. It's Sunday night, and you're planning on being really disciplined the rest of the week.

3. Monday was rough.

2. Your favorite weeknight sitcom just isn't complete without it.

1. You're bummed because you weren't as disciplined as you had planned (see #3).

The girl's got problems

Ah, to be five again. 

At snack time Meg called out, "Mom, Dad, I have a problem!"

The neck of her mini-coca-cola glass would not accommodate the size of her cookie, leaving the remaining milk piteously out of reach.

Real-life construction

This post is dedicated to all of my friends (OK, so I know of at least one friend) who, like me, find those Martha Stewart blogger types rather intimidating. You know...

Here are my perfect kids, who blissfully played with each other while I completed the following impeccable craft project.

[cute photo]

Well, that is definitely not us. Let's just say if we were talking about "cooking" Darin is not the clean-as-you-go type. But let me add that although the kitchen would be a WRECK, the meal would be WONDERFUL!

Da Man -- with the new wall and soon-to-be built-in bookshelf

Caleb and Meg getting in on the action 

(note: yes, they are currently being baby-sat by Saturday morning cartoons)

mess

mess

mess!

So the question remains: Will you love us because of our methods? 

or, in spite of our methods?

I may not be smarter than [your] 5th-grader, but...

At school, Caleb's class has started a social studies unit, and he brought home a folder about Europe this weekend. Hence the following conversation at dinner last night:

me: "Can you name 3 countries in Europe?"

Caleb: "France, England, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa."

me: "OK, but where do you find the Leaning Tower of Pisa? What country is shaped like a boot?"

[pause]

Caleb: "Michigan?"

Aside from being just plain funny, this conversation should particularly endear Caleb to a certain ex-college-roommate of mine (you know who you are!).