7 Quick Takes about Storage Options for Bakery Goods, Babies in Movies, and the Discovery of the Century

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

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—1—

The kids have rotating cleaning chores after dinner every night, and one night the 16-year-old was sweeping the dining room when she called "Daaaad... I think there's something you should see in here."

When he came in to check it out, this is what she was pointing at.

Something tells me the kids who've done this chore for the last week haven't been very thorough.

If you aren't sure what you're looking at, it's about 10 buttered English muffins hidden by a child who didn't want to eat them. And we know exactly who, because our 6-year-old hates eating. 

I was actually surprised by how readily he's been accepting English muffins for breakfast lately. Now I know why.

Have you ever tried to discipline a kid for something hilarious? It's not easy. Phillip was trying so hard to stay serious while asking the 6-year-old, "Do you know why it's not a good idea to stuff English muffins between the bookshelf and the cabinet?" 

It's just one of those moments in parenting where if you break character and look at the situation from the outside, you simply cannot get the words out with a straight face. All you can think is Am I really saying this out loud?

—2—

My pet peeve (and it isn't really a pet peeve, because I actually love pointing it out to anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby) is Hollywood's unrealistic depictions of labor and childbirth.

Typically, the mom-to-be is completely fine one moment and then doubles over in the most excruciating pain of her life the next. If her water breaks, it's one discrete event instead of a continuous peeing of the pants until the baby is born — and speaking of the baby, it always arrives having somehow aged two months already.

But according to this video, there's actually a reason for that. Well, at least there's a reason for older babies playing newborns. There's no excuse for the other stuff.

—3—

My kids are doing some standardized testing for school, but they're doing it remotely. The principal sent out an email explaining how it's going to go down and where the kids should log in to take the test. If a student doesn't need the entire time allotted for the test, the email said, don't worry because their teachers have independent work they can do until the testing period is over.

I was reading the email out loud to my 12-year-old son and paused there to explain "So if you finish early, you can—"

"Pretend you didn't?"

So I told him:

—4—

I've been tired lately. Phillip thinks it's the new medicine my rheumatologist prescribed for my lupus, but I'm not sure. It might just be that I'm closing up on 40.

That's the tricky thing about getting older. The side effects of being alive after a certain point pretty well mirror the side effects on the back of most medication bottles.

But yes, tell me more about how my stiff joints and poor memory are my medication's fault.

—5—

My 4-year-old requested oatmeal for breakfast, and when I brought it to him at the table, he let out an exaggerated sigh and groaned, "FINALLY."

To be fair, I was doing several things at once and it did take longer than normal for me to get his oatmeal ready, but it that wasn't exactly polite so I told him, "I think what you meant to say is 'thank you.' That's what you meant to say, right?"

He thought for a moment and answered, "I meant to say both."

—6—

My kids usually sled in our slightly hilly yard, but when it snowed this week I decided to take them to a disused ski hill recommended to me by a friend. It was the biggest hill my younger kids had ever been on and it blew their little minds.

We brought the new sleds we got for Christmas, including two in the classic wooden style. One is a long toboggan (with the front that curls up and over) and the other is the kind on runners, like Rosebud in Citizen Kane.

As we unloaded the car, we were the talk of the sledding hill. People were literally elbowing each other and talking about us in low voices as we went by, and it was kind of weird when the topic wasn't how many children there were trailing behind me for once.

—7—

Brace yourselves for some exciting news. I saved this one for last so you can go check it out directly from reading this post.

We've tried every non-slip and non-skid furniture product on the market to keep them from sliding across the floor when our kids barrel into them with wild abandon, but they may as well be on casters. Nothing works.

I even asked for advice on the blog's Facebook page, and short of bolting the furniture to the floor or selling the kids on Etsy, I came up with nothing.

BUT WE FOUND SOMETHING THAT WORKS. It's amazing. I knew it within the first few days, but I wanted to wait a full month before saying anything to see if it lasted. 

Dycem non-slip material comes in a roll, which Phillip cut into squares, wrapped around the legs, and attached with a staplegun. Our couches haven't moved a millimeter since, even though our kids are as bonkers as ever.

You're welcome for changing your life.

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