Picture this scene:

Our family of four descends upon the living room, prepared to hunker down for a movie. This cozy spot barely has enough space for a cushy chair, sofa/sleeper, small coffee table and TV stand. I claim the chair, while my husband plops on the couch.

Then 70-pound Craig sits on my left leg.

And 70-pound Darla sits on the right.

Then Darla invites the dog to sit on her lap.

We’re now resembling a page from “The Napping House.”

And when I point out to my lap-sitters that their Dad is alone on his couch, with exponentially more space for snugglers, I hear this in response:

“But Mom — he’s bony and you’re squishy. It’s more comfortable in your lap.”

Yeah - more comfortable for THEM! For me, it’s reason number 432 to go on a diet.

But maybe I’d miss the benefits of “squishyness.”

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This post was first published October 29, 2006.

I’ve never seen my kids take anything so seriously.

We didn’t carve pumpkins, we gave them a D and C. It wasn’t MY idea. If they were my Jack-O-Lanterns, Craig’s assessment would be correct:

“They’d have gunk hanging out of their noses.”

Happy Halloween!

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This post is a part of the Carnival of Family Life, at ManicMama’s.

No, this post isn’t about the wicked sinus infection/allergy/coldthatneverends I’ve been fighting for a month. It’s about the whiteboard on our refrigerator.

I bought a medium-sized whiteboard last year and it was so handy for reminders, grocery lists, and random comments, we decided to move the whiteboard to our new house.

D and I have been having a dry-erase argument on this whiteboard for a few weeks, and she reminded me the other day, that it was my turn. It took me a while to remember how, exactly, the “argument” started, and what side I was on. But she helped me to remember. This is how it went, over the course of about three weeks.

Me: I love you!

D: I love you more!

Me: That’s not possible!

D: It is too!

Me: It is not!

D: Is too!

Me: Is not!

D: IS TOO!

Me: IS NOT!

(D erases entire whiteboard and forgets which side she’s on. Covers entire surface with two-foot high letters…)

D: ISNOT!

Me: ISTOO!

D: ‘SNOT!

(How can I resist?)

Me: STEW!

Welcome to the allergy season.

Thank you all for your excellent ideas last week on my family out of sync posts. Looks like there’s hope for us after all…

For more great tips, please visit Rocks in my Dryer.

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Heard in the car, 45 miles into the return trip of the eighth leg of ping-pong country back road trips that have lasted too long and happened too often in the past month:

C: Are we close to ANYWHERE yet?

ME: Nope, still NOWHERE.

And that’s the truth.

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The kids have been studying ancient Egypt and D was reading aloud about gods and goddesses.

D explained the goddess ISIS represented the perfect mother.

To which I teased, “Then I’m a goddess!”

To which D quipped, “And a myth.”

Hmpf.

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