What were they thinking?

Joe and I decided to treat the kids. It was the last full week before school, and we had been promising a backyard picnic for months. So, we loaded up and headed to Wendy's for a couple of bagged Kids Meals to share on one of the last days of summer vacation.

After all was consumed, and the kids ran to play on the swings, Joe and I lounged on the blanket challenging one another with what appeared to be an innocent game of "Where's Waldo?"

As the first paragraph on the back of the kids meal bag suggests, Joe and I began looking for Waldo and his friends. The second sentence says, "Look closer; there are many more things to discover!"

Boy, was there. What we "discovered" next left both our mouths open. If Dave Thomas were alive, I don't think he would have approved this.

Warning: Please remove children from the room before proceeding with viewing the following images.

We are fairly certain the woman circled in this photo is topless.

The woman in the photo below is having her rear examined by a dog.

And the picture below, look just to the right (green bikini) of the man with the look of shock. Ahem. Can't say I disagree...with either of their faces. Oh my!

And, finally...I don't even need to circle the image in this one.

So I ask...What were they thinking?

It's Official. I have lost my waist.

I admire children for their honesty. Correction. I admire children for their brutal honesty. You want to know the truth about something? Ask your kids. They will tell you if your breath stinks. They will point out the pimple on your face with a microscopic finger examination. They will insist on exposing your big fat belly. Did I just say I admire my children? Heh.

A few nights ago little Kate got out the markers and decided she was going to "draw a picture of Mom".

I admire that she put a smile on my face. What do you think? Mrs. Potato Head?

Shark Attack

Our children have very different personalities. While Kate is cautious and shy, Conor is fearless and wild. Kate also shares her Dad's organizational skills. She has none. While Conor is more like his Mama...a bit Type A.

For the past few years, I have been nagging young Kate to pick up her clothes and put them in the dirty laundry basket, don't leave wet towels on the bed, and (most recently) to return her toys to the toy box when she is done with them. Some days are better than others.

She has shrugged off the loss of a few favored stuffed animals, and a book or two. But, a few days ago, she came home and found her beloved Barbie victim of a shark attack.

The victim. The Shark.

Kate has been extra careful to pick up her toys since "the accident".

Indeed, a delightful lesson in motivation (for Mom).

PS. After I posted this, I laughed to myself about how truly different the kids are. Had this been one of Conor's balls that got chewed, he might have tossed the dog another. An act that motivates one would probably encourage the other. Funny.

She Said, He Said

Joe and I grew up in different parts of the country. He in Maryland and I in Texas. So, every now and then we find ourselves questioning (and laughing) at what the heck the other is talking about. It will be interesting to see which "side" the kids take...literally. Enjoy our differences...

What's for dinner?

I knew when I married my husband that I would never starve. Pick up wet towels from bed posts for the rest of my life....maybe. But, starve? Never. He is a WONDERFUL cook, and creative even when we desperatly need to go the food store, and I have declared there to be "no food in the house". He finds food, throws it together, and makes a delicious meal. Every time.

Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoy cooking. But, I am not afraid to recognize my weaknesses. And cooking...well, it's on the list. At the top. Maybe top three.

Anyway, yesterday it was one of those evenings when I decided I was going to cook. And true to my Texas roots...I was cooking Chili. Note to self: One cannot put dry beans in the chili at 5:30 and expect to eat at 6:30. The prep time is a tad bit longer. Ahem.

So, tonight, we all sat around the dinner table to enjoy my very slow cooked chili and cornbread. Yum! Only, as I closed my eyes and went to take my first bite, Kate says...

Mom, are we having poop for dinner?

God love her. At least she didn't say she hated it. I think I'll stick to laundry.