Legal Loop Hole

Quinn is our local budding lawyer.  Just what every family needs.  He is constantly finding legalistic little loopholes to wiggle his way out of things.  Today in the car, I announced the commencement of school in 10 days.  This was his response.

Quinn: "I don't have to start school this year."
Mom: "Yes you do."
Quinn: "No, I'm not going to.  You always tell us 'Ahos finish what they start'.  Well, if I don't START school, then I won't have to finish it!"

Uhhhhhhhh.... Hmmm.  What to say about that?  Luckily, Colby chimed in.

Colby: "Yeah, but Quinn.... if you don't go to school, you won't get into college.  And don't you remember the FOOD at Michigan Tech?????  You're gonna wanna go to college."

Quinn: "Oh.  Yeah.  Right."

Thank goodness his brother can reason with him on the same wavelength.  My arguments about the value of a good education would've fallen on deaf ears. 

Food Pyramid

Every night after dinner,  I get the same question.  What's for dessert?  I don't know when  dessert became a "given" in our house instead of a "treat".  It SHOULD be a rare treat.  This expectation that it's just as scheduled as breakfast is starting to bug me.

Mom: "Boys, you KNOW that desserts aren't good for you.  You do not need a sweets every single day."
Quinn: "Mom, sweets are the most important part of the diet.  That's why they're on the TOP of the food pyramid!!"

Yeah, whose bright idea was THAT to redo the food pyramid with sweets at the place of honor???

Forehead Slap

Showing the boys pictures from the Triathlon two friends and I did yesterday.

Me: "See!  We were called Team Coppermom!  I swam, Mrs. Sommerville rode her bike, and Mrs. Wanhala ran!"
Colby: "You know why mom's called copper don't you, Quinn?"
Quinn: "No, why?"
Colby: "Because copper is really HEAVY."

UHHHHH.  Thanks.  A lot.

End of an Era

My boys, every single day for the past 8 years, have eaten oatmeal for breakfast.  And now they won't.  All of a sudden.  I still have 4 boxes in the cupboard, because normally they go through several boxes a week.  But not anymore.  Because they've decided that they HATE oatmeal, as has their sister.  Which makes breakfast every morning a choice instead of an automatic, which takes a lot more time.  The indecision is killing me!!  "What do you want for breakfast?"  "I don't know.  What do we have?" "We have oatmeal." "I don't want oatmeal!" "Then what do you want?" "I don't know. What else do we have?"......  UGH.  They would love it if I would cook them blueberry pancakes every morning, but quite frankly, I don't have the time or energy for that. 

I miss oatmeal mornings.

Overheard

The boys, arguing about the monetary value of Quinn's baby blanket at auction....

Colby: "Quinn, it's not OLD.  Old stuff is what makes it valuable."
Quinn: "But it's handmade!  Things that are handmade are worth a lot!"
Colby: "It's not worth one cent.  It's all torn and ripped and stuff."
Quinn: "It is too!  It's worth ALOT!  It would totally go for hundreds at auction!"

Mom: "Well, sometimes things of value are worth a lot to one person, but not to others, because it has MEANING to that person.  Not everything has a dollar value.  That blanket means a lot to you, Quinn, but probably wouldn't mean anything to anyone else."

Quinn: "Mom, you spent months making it by hand.  It's worth a ton."

SMILE.  I am really glad that he is attached to that old ratty, ugly thing that's falling apart.  It IS worth a ton, even if it's not worth one red cent.  And for the record... those boys may watch too much "Antiques Road Show".

For The Record

At 9 years of age and 15 days, my son Quinn weighs 66 pounds.  I know this from a visit to the Walk In Clinic in Billings, MT for Impetigo.  You're welcome.

The Musician

Colby has found the love of his life... the flute.  He's decided it's his calling.  He loves the flute in Japanese-inspired songs, and has come up with our family band, consisting of Mom on the piano, Colby on the flute, Quinn on the trumpet, and Reagan on the harp.  We'd make quite the quartet, wouldn't we??  Next year in 4th grade, he gets to join the school band, and Colby CAN'T WAIT.  He's been trying to decide on his "instrument" for a full year now....

Quinn picked the trumpet after about 30 nanoseconds of thought, because "it's totally easy to play, since it only has 3 buttons".  Hmmmmm.