Scrooge went to bed again, and thought, and thought, and thought it over and over, and could make nothing of it. The more he thought, the more perplexed he was; and, the more he endeavoured not to think, the more he thought.

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (from Stave 2)

(Boy, Charles Dickens sounds like he is describing a mother!)

At 6:14 pm, when the kitchen is totally quiet, the table not set, and I'm on the couch typing, Peter asked me cheerfully, "Mom, did we already have dinner?" Guess that's a good hint. OK, time to get up off the couch...

Anna brought me a cup of water. "I'm the water server," she said. I took a sip. "It's not from the toilet," she continued,after I swallowed.

When invited to go to bed, Sarah commented quietly, "As far as I'm concerned, sleeping is just a waste of time, except for in the morning."

Julia came in from playing outside with the boys to watch a movie with us. After a minute Peter burst in: "Julia! It's 'prepare for battle'. Aren't you coming?" Julia, hesitating momentarily as she deliberated, gave way and headed back out into the fray. Moments later, we heard the conch shell sound. The battle must have begun!

"So is a jicama kind of like a Spanish version of a potato?" Sarah, making me a special salad for Mother's Day, and cutting up jicama for it.

"When you die, are you gonna leave the car at home? 'Cause I really want Dad's car." Peter, reflections on growing up. (And totally out of the blue. Love how they think ahead.)