— 1 —
Hot Lunch
Here’s an easy lunch I like to make on these crazy school days: In the morning, wash as many potatoes as your family will eat and place them in a large pan. Rub with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place pan in the oven and set the delay bake for 75 minutes at 400 degrees, ending whenever you would like to eat lunch. Then … focus on school for the morning! At lunchtime, stir up some gravy on the stove top and serve with baked potatoes and bread for a delicious hot lunch everyone will enjoy. Even you, Mama.
— 2 —
McGurk Effect
Does what you see affect what you hear? Oh yes! Lots! This amazing video gives us an example of the “McGurk Effect.”
I can’t get the dumb embed code to work. Here’s the YouTube link.
HT (and great thoughts on the video!): Msgr Charles Pope
— 3 —
In the Swim
After taking the spring and summer off, we are starting the younger kids’ swimming lessons again today. I have a great set-up where we meet a teacher for a private lesson at an indoor hotel pool. I found that swimming was a great way to keep their small bodies moving through the winter months. The kids had a ton of fun last year and learned a lot. This year is going to be slightly more challenging, though, because 5-year-old Daniel will be starting lessons. He used to love the water, but an accidental dunk in the pool during our trip to Florida last year appears to have scarred him. Before his reluctance to enter large bodies of water becomes a permanent phobia cemented in his psyche, we are facing our fears head-on. Starting today.
— 4 —
A Fair to Remember
Our family really enjoyed spending time at the local fair last weekend. As usual, the younger kids prepared baked goods to enter in the junior competition. Last year, Daniel baked Sinickerdoodles and the fact that his creation did not, in fact, earn him a ribbon almost ruined the weekend for our little competitor. This year, as we helped him to bake some chocolate chip scones to enter into the baked goods competition, we all said a little prayer that this entry would earn him some kind of a ribbon. Any color. We were not fussy.
Imagine our delight, then, when we scanned the baked goods display at the fair and found Daniel’s plate of scones in the glass case with a second place ribbon! He was thrilled. We were thrilled. Another crisis was averted.
But imagine our surprise, then, when we discovered that Daniel’s plate of scones had some other kid’s name on it. The tag bearing Daniel’s name was on some other, foreign-looking plate of entirely different scones.
“Wait a minute!” shouted Gabby the Great Clarifier. “Those ARE NOT DANNY’S SCONES! Why do THOSE SCONES have Danny’s name on them??”
To which I replied, “Look at Danny’s scones! They won a ribbon! You did such a wonderful job, Danny! I’m so proud of you! Just look at those beautiful scones and that beautiful ribbon! Scones! Ribbon! Scones and ribbon! So! Proud!”
We moved on to the giant pumpkins next and then giant cups of soda followed quickly after that.
— 5 —
Determination
I am going to make doughnuts this weekend. Even if it kills me and leaves no time for anything else in the world, I am going to make doughnuts.
— 6 —
Christmas!
Another grand plan I have for the weekend is to take the kids’ Christmas picture. Whether or not it actually happens this weekend, just the fact that I have a plan to do this right now, in October, makes me feel fabulously organized. I might ride this feeling straight into Advent. At which point I will panic because I haven’t ordered any cards yet. Or bought any gifts. Or baked any cookies.
— 7 —
Washing Woes
Those of you who hang out with me on Facebook and Twitter already know this, but there is something trapped under the drum in my front loader. I thought it was a marble, but the repairman who came yesterday told me he thinks it’s a few small beads under there.
He also said they won’t hurt anything even if they are terrifically noisy during the spin cycle and he has no idea how to get them out without disassembling the entire machine and he thinks that would be a terrible idea and maybe if I just keep using the machine they will eventually work their way toward the little trap that is supposed to collect foreign objects under there but has somehow failed us this time and so go ahead and enjoy your terrifically noisy machine and give me a call if you need anything else and that will be $74 please.
Thank you.
I hope you have a great weekend! And be sure to check out all the other Quick Takes over at Jen’s place.