Seven Quick Takes

1. So it's country day in the fourth grade, and Kolbe planned to dress as an Egyptian mummy. I assembled white linen strips and a pile of safety pins. This morning we started wrapping. And the pins -- which clearly weren't designed to pin a darn thing -- started bending. And the strips kept falling. And I began to panic. And I told Kolbe to start praying the Angelus.

And then we seemed to have it all together.

I walked Kolbe to the van and buckled him in and urged him to move as little as possible. He got out of the van and everything fell apart. I pinned and tied and tucked and the overall effect was mediocre at best.

And do you know what? The world didn't come to an end.

2. I'm now making Cleopatra's kisses to deliver at lunch time. May these turn out better than the costume.

3. For those who have prayed for our assorted ailments, thank you. We are down to one case of pink eye (or "the red eye" as John calls it), a rash of unknown origin, and one aching back.

4. On news of a great technological breakthrough, I sent my first text message with punctuation. Yes, I have cracked the code. Who knows? I may tackle capitalization next.

5. I received my first text message from Dave: We,re at dinner. I love u too. We'll both have to hunt down the apostrophe.

6. I mentioned before that I plan to frisk John before church and school because he's always, always, always stashing a little contraband here or there. Yesterday's school picnic at the park was no exception. It was crazy enough that I will leave the story untold save to say I should never judge another mother, ever, ever, ever.

So this morning we're in the school bleachers watching the country day parade, and I notice an odd bulge in John's pocket. The pat down reveals a tube of mascara.

"I was going to give it Miss Rebecca," John informs me.

What can I say? John adores his teacher.

7. Ainsley saw me reading a letter. "What does that note say," she asked. "I bet it says 'Daddy loves me.'"

He does, Sunshine, and he's coming home tonight!

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