Overheard in our home this morning

Chris: What's this?
Me: Oh, those are presents for ninja_kat Jr.
Chris: How come?
Me: I bought him presents for Christmas, but I haven't been able to find them.
Chris: What were they?
Me: Pretty much the same as those, 0-6 month baby toys.
Chris: Oh. I thought those were for me. They were so much fun...
Me: Haha.
Chris: I thought they were sex toys, though, so they're kind of wrecked.


Chris: If I'm having an affair, the woman I'm with is my mistress. So what's the pool-boy? My mister?
Me: Haha. I think it's your luhvaah.
Chris: No, seriously, though. There's got to be a proper name for him.
Me: Dunno.
Chris: Well what do you call your pool-boy?
Me: Ted.

"You won't be needing THIS any more!!"

Subject line from a Simpsons episode where Bart has his first crush, on his babysitter (playing by Sara Gilbert, who played Darlene on Roseanne). At one point she tells him that she's fallen for another guy (her own age). He has a nightmare about it that night, where she tells him her happy news, then reaches into his chest and pulls out his still-beating heart, saying "You won't be needing THIS any more!" and laughing at him.

Yeah, so one of the things that's really... intense about being a parent is how easily your kids can do that to you, with very simple things. The other day it was something I read in Daniel's English book. He was reading Harry Potter #1 (we're all very happy about this, BTW) and answering questions from a novel study booklet I got from Scholastic. One of the questions talks about the Mirror of Erised, and asks what the student thinks they would see in it if they looked into it. In other words, what is the deepest desire of their heart?

So I'm thinking he'll write something like "I would see myself surrounded by all the Bionicles of the world" or "I would see the biggest gaming convention ever."

No. He wrote "Luli, and Daddy passing his exam."

Aw shit. Luli is my mom, who died last year. And Chris is studying night and day for that bloody exam. And... aw, shit.

This weekend it was a conversation with Chris. Chris was in London, doing a thrilling "four twelve-hour days of review" course for his bloody exam. Talking to Daniel on the phone before bedtime, they're having a lovely little chat, and at one point Chris says, "What would you like for your birthday, Daniel?"

"I don't really need anything," Daniel says. "I have a nice house, and food, and clothing, and lots and lots of toys and games..."

"That's true," Chris says. "But is there anything else that you would like, for your birthday?"

"I'd like to spend some time with you," Daniel says, and then bursts into tears.


Yeah, no, we weren't really using our hearts for anything vital, you can just cart them away, 'K?


Anyway. So today was Daniel's birthday, and Chris was back from London, and they did get to spend time together. Most of the day, actually. Justin was home too, because after yet another plus-zero day, the school buses were cancelled (again, that's the fourth or fifth time this year) and this time I was unable to drive Justin in because I literally could not open the door of my car because of the ice. So Chris and Daniel and Justin spent the day together, went to Pizza Hut, played Pokemon, and had some male bonding time. Which was sorely needed. And I had some Mama time. Which was also sorely needed.

And tomorrow Chris goes back to work, Justin goes back to school, and life goes back to normal.