Dictionary

Last night two of my younger girls got themselves all tangled up in a lie. It was over a stupid thing. But they broke a rule and tried to cover it up. What they didn't know was that Daddy was standing right outside the door, listening to their conversation as they planned the cover-up. He put them straight to bed for the night. This happened at 7:15. Early bedtime is pretty much the cone of shame in our house, especially for Bubbles, who likes to feel bigger than the younger kids. When I came in to say goodnight, the girls tried to tell me they had forgotten the rule that they broke. Again, Daddy was listening just outside the door. He came in and set things straight. I expressed my disappointment in the girls, especially in Bubbles, who has not ever lied to me before. She burst into tears. She was horrified that she had broken trust, and devastated that I was disappointed. While I was getting Bubbles and Piper tucked into bed, I told Sunny to get her pajamas on. Several minutes later when I came out of the bedroom, Sunny made a mad dash for the bathroom to put her pajamas on. As soon as she had her jammies on, I put her to bed. Snapper spent her evening in Daddy's office completing a homework assignment that she turned in late and incomplete. Not only is she losing out on two fun events this week, she also had to complete the work and turn it back in. That left Pepper as the only child awake and with free time. We let him pick what he wanted to do with his time before bed. To our surprise, he didn't choose to play on the Wii...he chose to read! He stretched out on the living room floor and read the dictionary for a solid 30 minutes! When I questioned his choice of reading material, this is what he said:

 I love reading the dictionary because learning new words makes me a smarter, more capable child!

After I assured myself I had heard him right, I worked hard to hold in the laughter. That kid is so, so cute!

231. Good Earth Tea

232. The awakening of Pepper's mind

233. His 1st grade teacher, who has been so instrumental in this awakening

234. 12 hours of sleep for three little girls who clearly needed it

235. A comfortable couch for nights when I just can't get comfortable in my bed

236. The warmth of the kitty sleeping on my feet

237. That the obnoxious, noisy, dirty neighbors across the street moved out

238. A kind, attentive landlord

239. "Prep and Landing"   Have you seen it?

240. That the stuff in my chest is starting to loosen up. Painful, yes, but a good sign.