Friday, November 11, 2016

7 Quick Takes about Glacier Excavation in the Kitchen, Super-Official Election Ballots, and Tricking Kids into Thinking Eating is Fun

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?

1


I always wanted a fridge with a water dispenser, and now I know what the phrase "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it" means. We got one about 5 years ago and it's been nothing but trouble.

It's always requiring a new filter of some kind or other, and now it's stopped dispensing ice and started dripping water. I highly recommend having a perma-puddle in front of the fridge: not only is it great for wood floors, but the kids can't get enough of the slapstick banana peel action as people try to walk through the kitchen!

Anyway, I finally defrosted the fridge and took apart the ice maker, which is here circled in red:

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}


As I suspected, the entire inside of this thing was a solid block of ice. I was worried it would never thaw on its own (because it was essentially a glacier and those things last forever) so I helped it along with my trusty hairdryer.

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}

It was sort of a weird way to spend a day.

2


While I was busy with the fridge, Phillip was having quite the eventful time himself. On the day he was coming home from a work trip, he got food poisoning in the morning and then ran out of gas driving home from the airport.

Aside from feeling bad for him (and providing some AAA-style highway assistance,) I had to admit I was really curious about the food poisoning.

I've never seen anyone actually use a barf bag on a plane before. What do you do with it when you're done? Hand it to the flight attendant with a smile and say "You're welcome?"

3


I don't know where he learned it, but my 2-year-old has lately been zinging me with these retorts ("Look, there's a dump truck." "YOU'RE a dump truck!") that sound oddly like they came from the 1990s. What can I say, he's an old soul.

It all started when I sniffed his diaper and said, "You stink." He looked right back and me and said, "YOU stink!" I realized too late that bursting into laughter wasn't the right response, because now he says stuff like that all the time.

On a long, errand-ridden car ride the other day he was behaving himself very well so I told him, "You're a delightful young man."

He misheard me and shot back, "YOU a eggplant!"

Touché.

4


This is, if you haven't noticed, a completely apolitical blog. But my daughter did have an "election" lesson in preschool on Monday, and she learned a lot.

Some lessons on the electoral process from my preschooler:

  1. You have to go to the town hall to vote.
  2. A long time ago, only boys could vote so girls holded signs that said "Let girls vote!"
  3. When you vote on crackers, cheese, or apples for snack, cheese always wins. Duh.
It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}
I was told each snack made an impassioned campaign speech before this official-looking ballot was cast.

5


I took the baby in to get his picture taken at JC Penney. I told the photographer he could only sit up by himself for a few seconds so he'd need plenty of support, maybe we could prop him up on some pillows or something. And then he proceeded to sit there unassisted for like 3 minutes while we took his pictures.

It was only when he spit up and I turned my back to grab a burp cloth that he finally tipped over.

6


This has been a really annoying week. I've spent about 5 hours more than I'd like (that means 5 hours total, because I'd like to spend zero hours) driving around looking for something in stores.

Maybe that sounds like a typical week to you, but I hate going in physical stores. I'd much rather plan ahead and order it on Amazon, but somehow I've been waking up realizing this or that important function is today and I've got no other choice.

Frankly, I'm a little scared that my life has become so hectic I can't get it together enough to make Amazon Prime 2-day shipping work for me, but that's where I'm at right now.

On the plus side, I got to see some stuff by going out in the real world. They're already playing Christmas music and have the North Pole all set up for Santa at the mall, and get a load of what I saw by the register at Bed, Bath, and Beyond:

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}
Twix by the Yard: Merry Christmas, I got you type II diabetes!

7


Recently my dad and stepmom went to Japan and sent the kids chopsticks, which I've got to say are the best thing ever, from an American parent's point of view.

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}

See this meal? Leftovers. First night we didn't have chopsticks, and the 5-year-old wouldn't touch it. Second night, we had chopsticks and it was suddenly entertainment to eat it.

I myself have fond childhood memories of trying to eat bowls of Lucky Charms (no milk) with a pair of chopsticks. I'm sure it delighted my parents, who could maybe have a coherent thought or two while I was occupied. So win-win.

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14 comments:

Carolyn Astfalk said...

Our oldest got chopsticks in his Christmas stocking last year. He loves them. Unfortunately, his siblings are no longer satisfied with the cheap ones that come from the Chinese restaurant. Good thing he got a 5-pack or something from Amazon (Prime).

Unknown said...

I want to see the snack campaign speeches!! That sounds awesome. My daughter has woken up every day this week saying she wants to go vote.

Crystal said...

This is why I love the dollar store one block from my kids school. I should write a "How to wing it with dollar store junk" post.

AnneMarie said...

Those twix are intense and insane! I like Twix, but that's a bit much haha. Chopsticks really are the best thing ever-my brother, when he was a toddler, had a phase where he was obsessed with restaurant disposable chopsticks. Since I've gotten into a Japanese food kick, I'm trying to get better at chopsticks, and even though I'm bad at them, I love them. They look pretty (ours have cool designs and really pretty cases), and they are so much easier to clean than silverware!!! It's the best. I actually had a friend who gave up "normal" utensils for Lent one year and only used chopsticks, and I'm kind of tempted to do that, just for fun (which isn't really in the spirit of Lent, but who cares?).

Michelle said...

Unfortunately I have more than once used almost every barf bag on the plane. I made such a scene with my constant barfing that I was encircled by flight attendants taking the full bags and handing me new ones. This is why I now take Dramamine whenever I travel.

AiringMyLaundry said...

I sort of want those Twix now.

Oh no! I hope our icemaker doesn't do that.

The Girl who Loved to Write said...

You an eggplant. Hahah that is adorable!

PurpleSlob said...

I love every single one of your posts!! please write a book, so I can re-read it ALL the time!!
Poor Phillip!
I'm with Amy: "I want to see the snack campaign speeches!!"

Jenny Evans said...

If I got that sick on the plane, I'd probably just ask for general anesthesia whenever I travel!

Jenny Evans said...

All I was told is that the crackers promised to be crunchy. It's a shame they didn't win, because I think they would've delivered on that promise.

Jenny Evans said...

I would print that out and frame it if you did.

Rachel said...

"You're an eggplant!" made me laugh out loud. The lesson on the election for the little kids sounds like so much fun (and sounds like me as a preschool teacher, honestly. I'm all about preschool). My siblings have all grown up with chopsticks and there's a selection of foods they refuse to eat unless they have chopsticks, because the food tastes better when eaten with chopsticks. There's also foods...like rice and curry and veggies and flatbreads--the local Indian foods--that they will only eat with their right hand. When we have guests they spread the rumor that you must eat this food with your right hand only. I always say "NO! You CAN ask for a spoon and fork!" and crush their hearts. This left-hander will never endorse mandatory right handed eating (however, I will use a spoon and fork instead of my hand because I was once accosted by a stranger who grabbed my left hand out of my food and physically put my right hand in my food).

Jenny Evans said...

One of my daughters is a leftie. The struggle is real! You eat with that left hand all you want, nobody can tell you what to do. Except that one crazy stranger, I guess.

Unknown said...

Twix by the yard?! That sounds both horrible and awesome at the same time. Type II diabetes here I come. Your son's comments are hilarious. I love the things that little ones say. Though I'm not sure I want to be called an eggplant. 😀