One of Emily's homeschool classes is "business." Emily was playing with Sarah. I heard Emily say, "Sarah, let's open a grocery store. You give me all your money and we'll be rich!"
So I'm not quite sure if her first class was "Introduction to Getting Investors" or "How to Scam." Either way, she has a great desire to obtain wealth. We'll be sure to channel it in the right direction.

Perhaps I should consider an earlier naptime.

There's been another casualty in the household. How many things can a family break in one week? Sunday, David broke one of our seven year old cereal/soup bowls. His sensitive fingers could not withstand the heat of the angel hair pasta penetrating the bowl. Bradley broke the Mary Poppins soundtrack, a result of being unaccustomed to the method of releasing a CD from it's case. The toy box hinge mysteriously broke. Sarah broke one of my set of four white Corelle bowls as she tried to independently get herself a cup of water. And Bradley's careless elbow knocked one of my favorite juice glasses to the tile floor. Added to the two spoons I've accidently garbage disposaled, our kitchen is becoming a collection of misfits. Emily on the other hand thankfully doesn't break much, except for maybe some wind. Oh yes, and Wendy managed to wedge a half dollar coin beneath the A key on our piano. Thankfully, I was able to remove it harmlessly.

A piece of our day:

The other day we were contemplating which Cinderella movie to watch, I or III. Sarah said she wanted to watch the one where Cinderella is dead. I told her that I didn't think there was a movie in which she was dead. But Sarah confidently replied that there was and that she watched it at her friend's house. Confused because Sarah does not play at other kid's houses, I said, "And what friend is that?" She said, "Opie." I think I will have to have a talk with Opie's mother.

Last night Bradley actually slept in his own bed. He usually sleeps with his sisters. This morning he said at breakfast, "Maybe I want to sleep with the girls tonight."
Daddy encouragingly said, "Ahh, Bradley, why don't you want to sleep in your bed?"
Then Bradley said, "Maybe I will the next night. It's a pattern."

I made an apple pie today. It was a good rough draft. Needed more sugar and longer baking. I served it with Cool Whip (actually the cheaper store brand.) It confused Wendy though because she was only eating the Cool Whip and and when she would finish the spoonful I served her she would ask, "More pie?"

So in 20 years we'll reflect on the past and read this post and say, "Remember that time when 4 year old Bradley thought it would be a good idea to experiment with other ways to open a Diet Pepsi soda can? And he found success with the pretend wooden soup can?" (laughter) "Yeah, that sure did puncture a nice hole in the side of the can. Who would have thought?" (more laughter) "I remember hearing, "Oops! Sorry!" and a panicked soda-sprayed face frantically entering the kitchen holding a squirting can of soda. He feared the worst and the panic on his fact left when he saw me just laugh." (laughter) "Ahhh! Who would have thought Diet Pepsi would stain our white 2 inch blinds?" (laughter fades)

Thank goodness for Oxiclean!

Large families are a rarity these days. Every time I buy in bulk at the grocery store, like today when I bought 8 packages of frozen chicken nuggets, the clerk asks, "Are you having a party?"

I think I must finally come to terms that I have officially relinquished any hope of a weekday afternoon nap. I have 5 children, a sixth on the way and homeschooling is entering full force. I don't dare endanger my kids to run loose during my slumber nor would it be possible with a blaring Spongebob. I mourn the loss, but still hold on to a glimmer of hope for the much needed Sunday afternoon nap.

Bradley asked what the smallest state was. Daddy told him Rhode Island but explained that it wasn't actually an island. The kids then inquired about why they would attach "island" to the state name. Then Emily asked, "Why is it called Cowifornia when there aren't many cows there?"

Bradley is my selfless and generous child. He often will often serve his brother and sisters by pouring a glass of water, retrieving a toy, or helping out with something or other. I often use this to my advantage and have told the kids to, "Go ask Bradley." when I don't want to be bothered. Tonight the kids were eating popsicles and Sarah wanted a paper towel. She rudely demanded, "Mommy! Get me a paper towel!" I gave her "the look" indicating that she had asked incorrectly and to try again. She immediately realized her error and turned to her brother and sweetly said, "Bradley, will you get me a paper towel, please?" Perhaps I have taken advantage of this tactic a little too much.

Tech Support in Training

This afternoon David was working on his computer upstairs in our bedroom and it was getting close to dinnertime so I took Sarah and Wendy upstairs to make a little ruckus to give him the hint that it was time stop working. The computer made an intimidating beep noise and it got Wendy's attention. She looked up and concernedly said in her munchkin voice, "What happen?" and ran over to the computer to take a look. I chuckled at her concern and asked her, "Are you Daddy's tech support?" She gave me a very serious nod. I knew she was hiding some geek in her.

I learned that paprika comes from ground red bell pepper. I never knew that! All this time I figured that India had some exotic paprika plants. Now I know I can actually manufacture paprika right at home. Very cool!

Since my entrance into motherhood, it's been a concern of mine that cartoons would have a negative impact on the common sense and knowledge of physics of my children. I was concerned that my children would actually believe that one would actually hover for five seconds before falling off a cliff or that their bodies would take the shape of the stairs if they slipped and fell on them. However, knowing I grew up watching cartoons such as Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes, I knew those obstacles were not of a serious nature and could easily be overcome. Today at lunch in a very serious voice Bradley said to me, "Mommy if you are eating and you laugh, your fork will get stuck in your throat." I repeated his phrase to make sure I understood it correctly and trying to figure out what he meant. Bradley replied, "Yeah, just like Squidward on Spongebob." This is the same kid that believes that lost items are actually stored behind his ears.

An important lesson learned at church

Today in church Emily was sitting on the pew facing backwards. She was digging in her nose as if no one was watching. David noticed her and gently brought her close to his face and he whispered in her ear, "Aren't you embarrassed that you are picking your nose in front of everyone at church?" Emily immediately discharged her index finger from her left nostril, blushed, and faced forward quite quickly. An important lesson learned!