Picture Perfect ...

Yesterday I took my son Milo to have his portrait done, something I decided I'd do when each of the kids turns 5 years old. I had him put on some shorts and a t-shirt. But when I looked at all the bruises on his shins (generally my children look like leopards in the spring and summer), I wondered if I should put him in long pants. In the end, I decided it was much too hot outside to make him wear pants. And, besides, he's a boy and that's what he looks like!

When we got to the portrait studio, Milo befriended the photographer immediately. I stood outside the room, knowing he would do better on his own without me interfering.

The photographer had Milo sit on the floor with his legs crossed, but Milo insisted that he have one knee up. (This is the way he sits when he plays.) The photographer said, "But you have a lot of bruises on your legs."

"I know," Milo said proudly, "I want to show them off!"

Happy sweeping!

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com

Pretty in Pink ...

We've been having hot, sunny weather here, but I occasionally forget to slather the kids in sunscreen before they go to school in the morning. One particularly hot day last week, I noticed Neva's cheeks looked rather red.

"Oh, Neva," I said, "You've got a sunburn on your face."

She just shrugged, in that 7-year-old way, and said nothing.

Before supper she asked if she could go outside to play.

"Okay, but keep out of the sun," I warned.

She reluctantly admitted she wasn't actually sunburned. "I accidentally got some lipstick on my face and that's why it's so red."

Upon later inspection of her bedroom, I discovered several mangled tubes of lipstick on her dresser.

Ah, yet another milestone.

Happy sweeping!

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com

What if ... 7-Year-Olds Made Sense?

The 7-year-old mind is inquisitive, full of questions and curiosity. We hear a lot of "what if" questions from our resident expert, Neva - questions ranging from the logical to the ridiculous. "What if I broke both my legs and had to use a wheelchair?" or "What if somebody said, 'You can't, I dunno, do something,' to somebody else?" (Yes, those were her exact words.)

But some things come so out of the blue, they make my head spin.

Last night I was kissing her goodnight and she was giggling like crazy as I nuzzled into that soft crook between her shoulder and neck. Suddenly she stopped laughing and asked:

"What if I had three feet? Wouldn't that be weird?"

Happy sweeping!

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com