The missing slipper

I tend to lose things often around the house and then conveniently blame this on my kids. One of my slippers had been missing for a couple of days and I commented out loud to Cameron that my feet were cold and I sure wish that I could find my slipper. He got his huge "cat that swallowed the cannery" smile and pitter pattered across the living room, behind the TV and pulled out my slipper. I guess I know who I will be asking from now o

A Night to Remember

So, last night as I'm driving Ian and a friend home from playing (and ice cream!) - and I look in the rear-view mirror just in time to see Ian's friend Max have a bucket load of puke come streaming out of him. Oh-my-gosh. What do I do? Ian started screaming hysterically (as he's extremely smell-sensitive) and is crying and yelling. Meanwhile, Max is just fine sitting there like nothing has happened.

Max pukes some more; causing Ian to go in further hysterics. I called Erin in a panic (heading home now) to get stuff ready. Then I hear this from the back seat: "Dad, I just did what Max did". Oh no. Now what. (another panicked call to Erin - 'bring more!') I start driving much more aggressively to get home while trying to send positive, calming messages to the back seat. (they did very well all things considered) As I'm making it closer to home, I'm thinking 'it won't be that bad, it won't be that bad'.

We get home, I unbuckle, turn around and yes - it's that bad.

It's hard to fully communicate the waterfall of vomit that was now our backseat. Both boys (doing so well) are sitting there with puke all over their hands, shirt, pants, shoes, the book max was reading, the seat, floor, seat-belts, etc, etc, etc. It was truly a scene from a movie. Horror movie probably.

Erin and I managed to hold down our 'urps' and get both boys out of the car (very carefully) and Erin took over managing four kids in the house (with two crying at all times) and I tackled the car. Max's Mom came over (poor Mom) and helped clean, do laundry and manage the chaos.

I ran around to car washes, auto-parts stores and finally rented a "Rug Doctor" (with attachment to tackle the van). Cleaning involved taking both kids' car seats completely apart, a spoon, tupperware bowl, and more. After a couple of hours - a sigh of relief and "whew, what a day to remember".

Except the story isn't over. This morning I go to return the rug doctor and on the way home I still smell it. What could I have missed? I go back and somehow, some way, the puke had run down off of the seat, through the seatbelt 'hole' in the backseat and created another significant pile of puke entirely beneath the backseat. UGHGHGHGH.

Well - it's all clean now. The van is sitting open; and we're hoping for that 'clean car smell' when we get back in.

What a night!

The Golden Rule

As a father, it is so exciting to be able to impart life's wisdom upon your children. Ian's now about old enough that I've started to teach him one of the first truth's of life in the Golden Rule: 'treat other people the way you wish to be treated'.

As we were getting out of the mini-van the other day, Cameron hit Ian as he walked by to which Ian immediately hit him back and said promptly: "Dad, I followed the Golden Rule. Cameron wanted me to hit him."

Whups, I forgot about that part - the Golden Rule only applies to yourself! He was listening though. ;-)