Friday, August 10, 2018

7 Quick Takes about Everyday Uses for Trigonometry, Stink Lines, and Signs Your 4-Year-Old Might Be Spraypainting Under Bridges in a Couple of Years

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

1


If you want to know what it's like being married to an engineer, it's like this:

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

If you thought this looked like blueprints for a time machine, that's a good guess but no.

It's just what happens when you're looking online at computer desks and ask an engineer whether he thinks you could fit a keyboard tray underneath the one you like.

2


Have you ever opened someone else's mail by mistake? It seems like every time we're accidentally delivered someone else's mail, I realize a second too late that the name on the envelope I just ripped open isn't mine.

And what do you do next? You can't just put pre-opened mail in your neighbor's mailbox or they'll get all mad at the mail carrier or the post office, so you have to go over there in person and be like, "Hey, sorry to bother you but your Verizon account is past due" or "Bad news, your health insurance only partially covered your colonoscopy."

Why, oh why, can it never be just junk mail?

3


Phillip's first time conducting sacrament meeting for church was on Sunday (for those of you who are new readers, we're Mormon and he was just called to be a counselor to the bishop, who is the head of our congregation.)

But regardless of the visibility of whatever calling he has or whatever important stuff he's doing up at the pulpit, our kids like to keep him humble.

"How did I look up there?" he asked after church.

"Stinky," the kids said. (They're so predictable.)

"How can someone look stinky?"

"Stink lines."

4


My 6-year-old wanted to make a Shopkins figure out of salt dough (don't ask,) and while it was baking I started to smell something.

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}
Well, this doesn't look like a horror movie or anything.

At first I was completely shocked and confused, but using my mom forensics training I figured out that a red plastic Tupperware lid had stowed away under the baking sheet with the salt dough Shopkins knock-off.

Phillip wiped most of the mess off the bottom before it hardened, and I took the racks outside where I spent a very focused 20 minutes on the front steps melting the plastic with a lighter and wiping it off with a paper towel.

I burned my finger and accidentally lit the paper towel on fire, but now I'm pretty practiced at this sort of thing so I'll be ready for next time.

5


Can I just say how much I love you faithful readers? Long-time reader and fellow blogger Melinda from Purple Slob in Recovery recently featured her favorite Unremarkable Files memes on her page this week, and I'm honored to finally be making someone laugh besides myself (which is kind of why I started this blog in the first place.)

Go visit Melinda's blog to check them out and say hi, and if you like what you see, head over to Unremarkable Files' Facebook page because there's more where that came from. You wouldn't believe the source material my kids provide me with on a daily basis.

6


Sometimes I realize something very brilliant about parenting and really kick myself for not figuring it out until 14 years into the game.

What I've learned recently is that the best place in the world to shop for birthday presents is at the dollar store.

Yes, the dollar store gets a bad rap because it does carry some things that are basically crap, but they also have some cool stuff. Some of my kids' favorite toys have been stocking stuffers from the dollar store.

Not only that, but buying at the dollar store means you can get the jump rope AND the bubbles AND the stickers AND the sidewalk chalk AND the glow sticks AND a cute container to put them in, and still spend less than if you'd gotten one or two of those at Target.

Learn from my mistakes, fellow parents, and don't take your local Dollar Tree for granted.

7


Lately, my 4-year-old son has been obsessed with this book his sister brought home from the library called Angelina and the Princess. We have to read it multiple times every day.

To sum up, Angelina is a mouse ballerina who gets sick the day of auditions. Mom tells her to stay in bed but she sneaks out, does poorly at auditions, and gets a minor role  but as luck would have it, the lead dancer sprains her ankle right before the performance and Angelina steps in to save the day.

It's pretty different from his usual favorites about trucks and trains, so one day as we were settling down with Angelina and the Princess I asked, "What exactly do you like about this book?"

"She tiptoes out of the house," my preschooler said, using the exact wording from when Angelina goes AWOL.

"Why do you like that part?"

With a grin he immediately answered, "Because she doesn't listen to her mom."

I'm in trouble.
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5 comments:

Rosie said...

The Dollar Tree is my #1 source for stocking stuffers and Easter basket fillers! Forget Amazon and Target, you can get the same stuff for WAY cheaper there!

Rachel said...

The ending to #7 made me laugh out loud. Kids always notice that sort of thing!

The oven disaster is somewhat frightening but I'm glad you guys managed to pretty effectively get rid of the melted plastic!

Terra Heck said...

Wow, that does look like a scene from a horror movie!
All those numbers make my head hurt. Kudos to all engineers for understanding the numbers logistics.

Jenny Evans said...

Yes, I love that place for cute little doo-dads like that. Not everything is a great deal there, but I also buy some of our household goods there regularly: dish brushes for washing dishes, envelopes, gift bags, plastic tablecloths, whiteboard markers, erasers... Did I mention I love them?

Jenny Evans said...

We did lose the metal spatula we used to scrape off the bottom of the oven, but the oven itself survived so I guess that was the best outcome we could hope for.