Extemporaneous speaking and oatmeal

Today we're having extemporaneous speaking lessons. I haven't been letting the kids watch TV or play the computer very much lately, so they're trying to find new ways to entertain themselves. They pretty much trashed their room this morning, and then were driving me nuts because they were bored. I was in the living room, trying to take care of some bills and other things, when Bethany had a new idea. They set up a stool in the doorway of the living room, and are taking turns standing on it. Bethany started out by saying, "Dear boys and girls, welcome to blah blah blah (she started making up nonsense words)." Meagan's contribution was to yell something, then demand, "What's going on here?!", or sometimes, "Are you lisk'ing (listening) me?" I kind of tuned them out for a bit, but I think I heard Bethany saying a prayer up there, even. After a few rounds of this, Bethany decided I needed to join in and go say something. She didn't seem to care what I said as long as I started with, "Dear boys and girls..." I wonder if it's something she picked up in preschool. Anyway, they were having lots of fun until I got out the camera to take a couple of pictures, then they wanted turns with the camera and it kind of devolved into a fight. Oh well. Now they're back to running around the living room roughhousing. One of them is sure to get hurt, but I can't seem to make them stop chasing each other, pushing, pulling and grabbing each other's clothes or even sitting on or stepping on each other. I suppose they'll learn eventually.

When I woke up this morning, the house was freezing. The temperatures have fluctuated a lot lately, and a few days ago it was so hot I couldn't stand it and turned on the air conditioner. I never turned the heat back on after it cooled down a bit, and it got really cold last night. I was glad I was covered in blankets. I kind of wish the temperature would stabilize a bit, but the warmer weather has been really nice. It makes me think spring really is coming. My crocuses are blooming and the lilies and tulips and daffodils are starting to poke out. I just hope we don't have another really cold spell, or even any more snow.

I made oatmeal for breakfast, because it seemed like a good cold weather food. It made me kind of nostalgic. My mom had a breakfast schedule: Sundays, cold cereal; Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, scrambled eggs and cold cereal; Tuesdays and Thursdays, hot cereal; Saturdays, whatever whoever got up first made. There were some variations, but that was pretty much it. We all hated the hot cereal days. I especially loathed cracked wheat, but oatmeal was bad enough. We typically had that at least once a week, because it was cheap. It's strange that I hated it so much then, but don't mind it now. My sister has a theory that it took so long to get everyone together to eat that the oatmeal was cold by the time we actually ate, so no one liked it. Cold oatmeal is rather nasty. I remember more than once refusing to eat it, and getting it again for lunch. Refridgerator cold oatmeal is exceptionally nasty. It occurs to me to wonder now why we didn't just microwave it. Whatever. At any rate, whatever reason we had to hate it so much as kids doesn't seem to apply to mine. They actually like oatmeal, as long as I don't serve it too often. It's rather refreshing to have them eat whatever I give them without complaint.

I had to post this picture as well. When I went in the kitchen to start breakfast, I found this stool with Meagan's doll on it. She's taken to putting her doll to sleep in odd places. The funny thing about this one though, is that the doll looks dead, not just asleep.