Paper or plastic?

Now that I am blogging again, I find myself walking around with blogs formulating in my head as if they owned the place. With work being completely out of jobs already today, I find myself needing to take a break to release the flow of blogarama from my brain. But first, I made myself get up and finish the housework from this morning. I was putting away dishes, so I could throw in the second load for the day. The first was done by Megan this morning and let me tell you...she is the Master Dish-Washer-Loader. When I tried to tell her so, she insisted that she doesn't want to be the Master because then she would be a target for the Head Dishwasher in the family. Psh! For real?!?! Tell me, would I ever really do that? Besides, I am sure if you asked Jordan, she already claims that title.

Nonetheless, we are a big family (by the world's standards) and we use a lot of dishes every day; 7 x 2-3= 14-21 plates, bowls, forks, spoons, cups (actually not cups, my kids probably use about 6 each). That does not count all the pans, bowls, serving utensils, etc. that are used for each meal. So yes, there are plenty of opportunities to fill the dishwasher every day. Is there really ever a time when all the dishes are done? Not often. Oh, they might look done, all put up in the dishwasher and skillfully hidden down in the sink and what not, but they. are. never. REALLY. done! This was the feat I was trying to accomplish today and imagine my surprise when I was putting away the last load of dishes only to find that there is just not enough room in my cupboards and drawers for them all. No wonder the last load always stays in the dishwasher.

Speaking of dishwashers, one hard lesson we have yet to learn is don't leave a partial load of unclean dishes in the dishwasher without starting it. I understand all about being energy efficient and saving the earth from too many half loads of dishes, but the dirty truth goes something like this:

Mom: Alexis, please set the table for dinner...

Alexis: Are we using plates or bowls?

Mom: Plates will do.

As we are eating, dad wonders about the uncleanness of his plate. The question is raised about where Alexis got the dishes. Why from the dishwasher of course!

Anonymous Head Dishwasher Loader: NO, NO, NO, NO! They were not clean!!!

Protests go up all around the kitchen! Somewhere across the table a child gags as she realizes she has been using glasses from said load of dishes all day! The rest of us are suddenly not hungry, except the almost thirteen-year-old teenage boy who does not concern himself with such worries. The dogs will not be getting his dinner.

All in all, this should not dissuade you from joining us for supper. We'll gladly pull out the paper just for you.

To blog or not to blog...that is the question

Goodness me, it has been so long since I blogged, I scarcely remember how. Even now, as I am utilizing the posting service, that old familiar excitement is welling up inside of me. I am sure what few followers I had have long since given up on me and moseyed on to greener pastures, so if you are within the sound of my keyboard, please do not be alarmed. There is news and pictures (exciting and not) forthcoming from the Smith house. (Do I sound like I have been reading a few too many 18th century books for my own good?) (Or maybe I have spent too much time living among my ancestors from the 16th to the 20th century for the past 4 months.) On either account, I have forgotten what manner of language to use in the 21st century I have slacked and for that I am sorry. I have a faithful sister blogger who never fails to blog and was even contemplating giving it up. If she only knew that I follow her every word. So glad to hear she never gave it up.

To those of you who have wondered if I still have it in me...the answer is, I am not sure, but I am willing to give it another try. To facebook, I find you much easier/faster/convenient/friend concentrated/ecetera, ecetera, but apparently, you are just not detailed enough. So if I can do what I have never been able to do, ( just get on here and post something without having to summon the creative gods to help me deliver that which is not naturally in my brain to deliver) and sit down and post our exciting life in less than 10 minutes, you may have hope for me. Over and out...

P.S. If you are lucky enough to follow me on Google Reader, you got bonus features from CLEAR last year that for some reason NEVER got posted. So never fear, I am not the second councilor in the RS again.

Packin' Heat

Big surprise...I am back. Big crazy move and getting kids back to school. I have missed so many great posts because I have not had time to write them. But today, the house is clean and no kids to mess it up and there is no work... lucky you!

So I am thinking of a day, yesterday to be exact, when Brooklyn came running up into the yard with vegetables from anonymous neighbor's garden. "Hey dad! You have got to try this! It is sooooo good!"

Rob: Um, I am not eating that. That is a jalapeno. It is VERY hot.

Brooklyn: It's not hot! I promise. I already ate one.

Rob: No you didn't.

Brooklyn: Uh huh.

Rob: Well let me see then.

Me (in my mind): Just humor her already would ya?

Brooklyn giggling mischieviously: Hehehe okay!

She proceeds to very cautiously nibble at the end. Rob and I could not believe she was going this far with it.

Brooklyn (chewing the minute piece she had gotten off with her teeth): See? It is not hot.

Rob: You didn't eat enough.

Being the BRAVE kid she is (she will do almost anything) and REALLY wanting to pull off this joke, she takes a bigger bite. The heat finally hits and the tears immediately appear. She spits it out and starts to cry, but not for long. Rob and I busted out laughing and we had tears for an entirely different reason than her.

Rob not being one to pass up a good challenge (or should I say opportunity to humor the kids), takes the jalapeno that Brooklyn had brought to him and bites off half and chews it up. I am not even sure he realized the heat that thing could pack. He was up and out of his chair and to the hose and had it turned on before I could blink.

Brooklyn starts to laugh as the result was better than anything she could have hoped for and told him (now this is the good part): (Anonymous neighbor) told me to bring it to you and trick you to eat it! HEHEHEHEHE!

(Note to anonymous neighbor: Rob doesn't sleep until he gets even...LOL)

Well we all know that a good trick is not a good trick unless it backfires right? Brooklyn was still holding her jalapeno in her hand and asked what made them so hot. I told her that the seeds usually made it really hot. Next thing I know she swipes a few seeds out of the way and takes another BIG bite. Within a split second she spits it out and starts SCREAMING bloody murder. She runs to the hose (that Rob had abandoned for something more helpful in the house) and starts to drink. She didn't find that anymore helpful than Rob had and was still screaming so I took her into the house to get some milk. There was Rob still blowing steam out of his ears, nose and eyes while stuffing his face with anything he could get his hands on. The milk was not helping and Brooklyn was still hysterical so I was searching for something else. Rob pulled out a bowl and some ice cream for her and the wailing subsided considerably. By this time the other kids had come running to see what was up and insisted they wanted ice cream too.

Would they get some? Only if they wanted to earn it like Brooklyn. That's what I thought! Nada!

FYI, ice cream does help...very much.