There’s a certain comradery that comes with being siblings, I’ve noticed. It also never manifests in the way you think it will and it’s NEVER the Norman Rockwell kind either. Both of my children like to play the video games on the iPhones that Shayna and I have and for Ela’s 8th, we bought her an iPod touch. They really enjoy the games even though they seem pointless. Now, having said that, if you’ve never tried “Angry Birds,” DON’T! It is, in fact, pointless, but totally addictive. Since trying it, I have decided not to try any of the other kids’ games. Back to the point…they have this little secret standard of behavior around the games that’s really charming: They will try and try at a “level” of a game, then when they can’t win, they switch devices and say, “Win this for me.” It’s really adorable and they don’t even know they’re doing it. I dunno, if I tell them to get along, they would start fighting over the game, but this is a relief to see.
What an ugly day here in Chicago. Started out cold and then started raining; I should not be able to see my breath in May. I decided to do absolutely nothing of importance today except to start preparing for Mother’s Day. The kids are loving the preparation and have given her everything that we’ve prepared all week. The just couldn’t wait and that’s super cute. Here’s what they did so far: They made a book for Mommy. Ela and Ben have been secretly preparing these things in her room, which has been a “no go” zone all week. She created a workspace for Ben and put another chair in her room so that they could go in the “lab” (that’s what she called it) to prepare the “secret experiments.” On Friday night, we had a black-tie event to go to and had a babysitter, who further moved the experiment along. So this morning when we got up, they bombarded her with all of the stuff; then they talked me into giving up my gift as well. I’m not so creative, so I ordered a keepsake box from Snapfish with a photo of kids on the top. She really liked it because it can go on her desk at the office. Then, tonight for dinner, I smoked a skirt steak that I’ve been marninating for about 36 hours – Holy Crap! That came out really tasty. I combined that with my special recipe for lima beans and also a wild rice blend as a bed for the beans and steak. I know it was good because Benjamin ate it.
Tomorrow, is the real deal! I don’t have much left, but the day will start with breakfast of Froot Loops and crappaccino in bed. Then, for lunch, I plan a picnic at the park (it’s supposed to be MUCH warmer tomorrow…and sunny too) with sandwiches (unwiches for the grown-ups) from our new favorite sandwich shop, Jimmy John’s. I’m hoping this works as I’m not the brightest bulb on the tree when it comes to this kind of thing.