Gifts from the children

The other day while the big boys were at day camp I took the Littles to the park.  We weren't there very long--just long enough for the kids to swing and climb and run for a few minutes.  Oh, and for Gavin to almost break my nose.

I was spinning him on a piece of park equipment.  He was standing up and hugging his body close to the post around which he spun.  Then, just as Gavin passed where I was standing, he flung his head out.  I'm sure he meant to revel in the joy of spinning (one of his favorite things), but instead his head connected squarely with the bridge of my nose.

The impact made a sickening sound.  I screamed, saw stars, and nearly threw up.  But, over the course of the next few hours, I determined that my nose probably wasn't broken.  Today, there isn't even a visible bruise.  It just hurts like the dickens.

...

Last Saturday I was vacuuming the house when the vacuum suddenly quit working.  It had been making a strange sound and the suction wasn't very good.  But I was in a hurry (Garry and I were heading out for our anniversary date) and decided that cleaning 75% of the carpet had to be good enough.  

Garry looked at the vacuum on Thursday night.  During his investigation he removed a few tubes and tunnels, looking for an obstruction.  Did he ever find one!  He eventually removed two Garry-sized handfuls of crud from the pipes.  The crud included several pieces of sidewalk chalk (each one inch in diameter and a few inches long), Go-gurt wrappers, an entire granola bar still in the wrapper, twigs and lawn debris, and LEGOs, plus the usual dust and dirt.

I guess this is what I get for making children learn to use the vacuum.