Tinfoil People, 2 Pounds of Cucumbers and a Sweater Vest

Sunday afternoons are usually filled with reading, playing games, wrestling and quiet time (this last one is mandatory every week). Sometimes though, the kids come up with something to do that takes me by surprise. Last Sunday they asked me if I could teach them to sew. Huh?

The hottest thing at our house is Bakugan. They are a cross between Pokemon and Transformers. They are little balls that open up into battle dragons and other creatures. They might be taking over Star Wars even. . . well, no, Star Wars is too epic, too classic to diminish. But Bakugan is the current phase. These little balls are thrown by brawlers - kids who throw them onto a magnetic field where they open up and battle by points. The redeeming value is that the kids have to add double and triple digits and I always thought transformers were pretty clever.

So, on Sunday Spencer decides to make the brawlers out of tin foil then make clothes for them because he learned how to sew in scouts, so of course he can do it. And he does! I got out my bag of felt and thread and they were occupied - quietly - for three, count 'em, three hours! And that's after quiet time.

Here are the finished products:

Maybe next week I'll teach them how to crochet!

Then after a grueling afternoon of sewing, I offered some mini cucumbers. I kept peeling and they kept eating - the whole two pound bag. A strange, but nice day.

That was last Sunday. This Sunday, we are back to Star Wars (not surprised). Also, we have been trying to get James to wear a sweater vest to church for a while, but he has refused. Until today. He decided it was prudent to keep himself warm during church. He wore a sweater vest with a short sleeved shirt. He liked it so much that after he changed from his church clothes he put it on over his play clothes. Orange, long-sleeved t-shirt, gray sweats and fancy shmancy sweater vest: