How to cook a turkey

On Monday I went to Ben's school to help with his Kindergarten class.  My job for that day was to sit with one child at a time and ask them how to cook a turkey.  I had to write their responses on a sheet, with spaces for ingredients, directions, cooking time and temperature.

I got through six kids.  It was fun to hear what they came up with - I tried to prompt as little as possible.  Many of them listed chicken as an ingredient.  One girl wanted sparkles on hers.  For most, the first thing in the directions was cutting the turkey or putting it in a bowl.  One boy was adding shoes and trees to his turkey before cooking it.

Ben finally got to do his today with another mom.  I asked him to tell me what he said.  His ingredients were salt, pepper, and whipped cream.  Then I asked what his directions were.

"First, you shoot the turkey..."

That's my boy!

Dallas firehouse

Today Ben and I went to the oldest (or one of the oldest, at least) firehouse in Dallas.  Our neighbor works with firemen and used her connections to arrange a great tour for her boys and Ben.

The firehouse was right out of a childrens book.  The first thing the boys did (after handing over the baked goods, of course) was sit in the big ol' recliners in front of the big television.  They thought being a firefighter must be great fun!  These thoughts continued when we went upstairs to the bunk room - there they have ping pong and pool tables.  We also saw the kitchen and captain's room.  And then the captain opened the red door to show us the pole.

We went back downstairs to see their shiny new firetruck.  The boys got to crawl around, and then it was time to try on some gear.  Ben was quite amused by the head wrap thing - he asked if they wore it to be like robbers.

Then they pulled the truck out so the boys could spray the hose.

The boys were very eager to try the pole.  First the captain lifted them up as high as he could (easier with Ben's friends, but he managed to lift Ben pretty high too) so they could slide down the bottom.  But the boys insisted on sliding from the top.  Apparently this is not a normal part of the tour, but they let the boys do it.  (Unfortunately I couldn't get these photos turned the right way, so please just turn your head.)

Happy November!

It is November and that means it is getting cold in Texas. Just a few weeks ago I was sitting under a blazing hot sun dripping with sweat... Now I'm suddenly very chilly and wondering just how cold this winter is going to be. At least I know its safe to put the summer clothes away for good.

October was busy with sports, school activities, and visitors. My parents were here at the start of the month and we had friends from England here during the last week. Its always nice to have extra people around and get out of the normal routine for a bit.

Ben finished his first season of flag football - final record was 3-5 - not bad considering his coach played by the rules. Susanna is still finishing up her soccer season. Three games left... I am looking forward to a break from that.

Ben has already started his new winter sport - wrestling. This is our main winter activity as practice is three nights a week. That will keep us busy, trying to get there on time, and then keeping Susanna somewhat entertained in the gym. We've gone twice already and its certainly different from team sports - there are around 40 kids, ranging from 4 years old to 6th grade, in one big group. There are quite a few kids who are smaller than Ben. Ben is very excited about getting started and likes it so far. But actually, I think his favorite part is the equipment - ear guard and special shoes. He likes to accessorize.

Susanna may or may not do indoor soccer this winter, but she will keep plenty busy with Girl Scouts, Destination Imagination, and dance class.

Only three more weeks until Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween!!

Homecoming

This weekend is homecoming for our city. Where I grew up, homecoming was a high school thing - big football game, a dance, etc. But just at the high school. Here, everyone gets in on the homecoming fun.

At my kids' school, the PTA put on a special lunch for the teachers - stadium foods including hot dogs, popcorn (somehow the most unhealthy thing offered) and nachos complete with cheez (because "cheese" its not) sauce from a can. Of course the teachers were thrilled.

On Friday afternoon I got an email from our cheerleading coach letting me know that the girls' parents would be giving them "mums" before the game the following day, and then the girls' would be giving little gifts to the boys. I suddenly realized that I had no idea that this was a big deal at all and better do some quick thinking.

I actually found some little stuffed alligators a while ago, and was planning to give them to the cheerleaders at some point. A late night trip to Wal-mart yielded some goody bags, and we were set.

The cheerleaders had handmade, numbered cookies for each football player. We managed to pass out our little gifts to the girls, despite hands being full of drinks, snacks, and the cookies.

I still have so much to learn about Texas culture...

Its hard to see, but if you enlarge this you can see the mums on the girls' uniforms - a big (I'm pretty sure fake) flower adorned with copious amounts of ribbon. I googled this and see that its big business around here and if you are buying one for a high school girl, you could easily spend $100 or more.

Ben's cookie - #10!

And Ben got two touchdowns again and led his team to victory!

Bathroom tech

Ben came home from school today and filled us in on his classroom job-of-the-week: bathroom tech. Of course I hadn't heard of this before and asked for some clarification as to what that job entails. Apparently he is responsible for checking the boys bathroom in the hall outside his classroom and making sure that it is tidy. If it is not, he has to pick up whatever is on the floor, but [thankfully] not pee or poo.

Still, I wonder if they issue gloves?

Touchdown!

Today Ben's game was played in the high school stadium, which made it extra-exciting. The boys are finally starting to get it. Ben had a great game with 2 touchdowns. For the second, he caught a pass and ran for victory.

Here he is - of course he is the one in front!

We are so proud of our little Gator!