Blondies

The kids were begging for baked goods this morning but with not enough cocoa to make brownies and not enough chocolate chips to make chocolate chip cookies, the usual suspects were out.

Not to be dissuaded Charlie remembered that I had had a cookie cookbook once upon a time, dug through my cookbooks to find it, and picked out a recipe for blonde brownies which turned out to be very yummy in deed.

Here is Amelia spreading a random can of chocolate frosting on her brownies before eating them. I can safely say that she is the only one who missed the chocolate in the recipe!

OK Really

For real, this is the last snow day of the year!!! As it is, with 5 snow days and 1 hurricane day to make up this year Charlie will be in school until July 5th unless they make up some days during April vacation...

I Guess She Loves Her New Boots...

Bribery

She let me French braid her hair for gymnastics in exchange for a chocolate chip muffin...

She's Not Going To Live This One Down

I came home from work today and went upstairs to find Amelia watching TV in my room and eating chocolate covered raisins. When I walked in she promptly looked up and said, "Mommy, I put a chocolate raisin up my nose and now it's all gone. I can't find it any more!" She pointed repeatedly to her right nostril.

I stared at her. "You didn't really put a raisin up your nose did you?"

She made a halfhearted blowing attempt and tried to stick her finger up her nose. "I lost it in there!"

I ran down to the kitchen and retrieved Mike and a flashlight. We tipped her head back and stared up her nose. "I don't even... " Mike started, then: "Oh yeah, it's up there."

After several attempts to get her to blow it out failed miserably (she doesn't know how to blow her nose under the best of circumstances) I decided there really wasn't much else to do except take her to the ER, over Mike's protests that a chocolate covered raisin up the nose was probably the stupidest reason ever for an ER visit, and couldn't he just go at her with a pair of tweezers. Or some nasal spray.

I had Mike and Charlie drop us off so they could do the previously planned Target run, and walked up to the ER reception desk with Miss Raisin. "She stuck a chocolate covered raisin up her nose," I explained to the receptionist as I handed her my insurance card. She went into the back to photocopy it just as Amelia sneezed.

"ACHOO!"

Then, "I have a raisin!!"

I had barely enough time to process the fact that Amelia was holding out a snot covered chocolate raisin before she popped it into her mouth and ate it.

I stared at her now chocolate-snot covered face. "Oh my god, why did you just eat that?" Was the only thing I could manage to say.

"I was hungry!"

I looked up as the receptionist came back. "She sneezed it out and ate it! We just saved a $100 co-pay!"

The receptionist laughed. I hope for her sake that we were the strangest thing she had to deal with today.

And Amelia, I hate to tell you this, but your future boyfriends will be hearing about this one....

Hmmm I Wonder Where She Learned This From...

2nd Report Card

Tonight was report card night at Charlie's school. Since it was also book fair night and a bake sale we all went & the kids picked out books and then played semi quietly while Mike and I met with Charlie's teacher. (I wisely didn't sugar them up at the bake sale until AFTER we finished the parent/teacher conference.)

Charlie's report card was very good; in the Personal Growth section (I.e behavior) he scored satisfactory or outstanding in all areas, some of the "outstandings" being in respecting the rights of others, respecting authority, working independently and completing classroom assignments. His teacher said that he is a classroom leader and gets along well with his classmates.

Academically they rate on a scale of 1 to 4 with 1 being not meeting standards and 4 being meeting or exceeding standards. Charlie scored 4s in Reading, Math, Social Studies & Science. and a 3 in Writing. His teacher commented on his extensive vocabulary and knowledge base, said that he frequently participates in classroom discussions and that he takes school very seriously. Good job Charlie!!