It's Time for Pie

Yummmmmm, it's time for apple pie.
I made 6 pies today.
A tradition my husband refuses to let me off the hook with this one. He loves them and places his order a month in advance. For Kam, it's a marriage enhancer. I have few talents, and even fewer that he will brag about, but baking- and pie making in particular, well, he generously applauds my efforts. Figuratively speaking. Can you imagine getting a standing ovation for the food you feed your family? The idea cracks me up. Usually its grimaces and groans as Noah tries to hide a veggie he doesn't want to eat. Emily is more upfront. She will just open her mouth wide, declares "YUCK" and spits her food up. Lovely. But Kam is easy to please. Give him something good to eat, and fun between the sheets and he is a happy man. So thats my recipie for a happy marriage. Easy, peasy.

Getting comfortable

I think everyone should have a "comfort object". Mine has been, and sometimes continues to be ( to my own detriment) food. Noah has his "holy" blanket- a name I adore but realize has no religious meaning but just easier to spell for a 3rd grader. Kam has his barbecue chips and on line baseball gaming and Emily....well, she hasn't really decided on one particular thing that gives her a sense of well-being. Besides me. So I laughed when she asked me if she was a baby. I told her that she is a big girl and while this assurance made her supremely happy she said, "but when I become a baby I have a "suckifier". Yep, Em, when you were a baby you used a pacifier, but you don't anymore. To this she told me that she wants to be able to have a suckifier when she becomes a baby again. For now it's a stuffed dog and cat that she carries around with her named Emily and Noah. Too cute!

Bionicle, Barbie, and Barack

Instead of making calls as a local volunteer for the Barack Obama campaign,or feigning interest in my son's latest bionicle creation, I did something unprecedented: I watched Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper. No, not by myself, but with a very eager three year old. And you know what? It wasn't so bad. Sad, right? I know, I know. Based on the story by Mark Twain, I have to say it was fairly engaging and had the added bonus of being a musical. The hollow looking eyes and vacant expressions kinda freak me out. Barbie is, after all, a doll. Yet you would think animators could imbue these characters with more human like qualities. Of course, none of this matters to Emily. She loves all the Barbie movies. And so, it was with this in mind that I finally gave in, and sat down next to her while she sang along to the catchy tunes. I found myself smiling, and with days filled with "To-Do" lists, laundry to be washed, food to be prepared, bills to write, errands to run, etc etc.it's nice to find something that makes me smile. Even if it's watching my daughter watch Barbie. Sometimes, I'm learning, happiness comes from the most unexpected sources.