Do crickets taste like peanut butter?

     Levi bursts in the house, goes to the pan cupboard, takes out a small pan, puts something in it, and places it on the stove.  As he turns the burner on, I question what he is up to.  "I'm frying this cricket.  It's supposed to taste like peanut butter.  It said so on Wild Kratts."  I remain calm, congratulating myself on being such an open-minded homeschool mom.  "Really?  And you're going to try it and see?" I ask.  "Yup!" he answers.  Oh boy.  I look in the pan.  The cricket is half squished, but not fully dead, as it wiggles in the dry pan.  I have never liked crickets, but a feel bad for this one, being roasted alive.  "Wait, let me add some oil." I advise, and remove the pan from the burner.  The oil must have smothered it, because it never moved again.  We let it sizzle for 30 seconds or so, (I mean, how long does it take to cook a cricket?) and then Levi strains it out with a spoon, placing it on napkin to cool.  He gazes at it a minute, and says, "I need a knife to cut the legs off."  I give him a knife and he operates.  "And the head" he adds.  "Don't cut too much off, there won't be anything left!" I warn.  He picks up the unfortunate insect, and says, "I'll eat it outside."  "Oh no, you don't!  Eat it right here!" I insist, thinking he's going to toss it off the porch and say it was delicious, so Tirzah and Caelin will try one, too.  He gingerly places the cricket in his mouth, and carefully chews a couple times.  "How is it?"  I ask.  "Crunchy?  Does it taste like peanut butter?"  He fishes it out of his mouth, grinning sheepishly, "It doesn't taste like peanut butter!"  And with that, he ran off to play.     

Where there's smoke alarms, there's no fire.

     We have a super sensitive smoke alarm in the kitchen; it goes off almost anytime the oven is turned higher than 375. It in fact, went off tonight, when I checked on the fish fillets and tater tots. The boys heard and came in asking if dinner was about ready. I would like to point out the irony, however, that when the grease from the fish ran off the edge of the cookie sheet and actually caught fire..... NOTHING.  No smoke alarm. I smelled it and saw flames, quickly turned the oven and stovetop burner off (it's gas, and I didn't want to blow up) started hollering for Scott, who saved the day, pulling the stuff out and the flames burned out. Never dull at the Ramsays. :-D

Girl of All Trades

     Today Tirzah was many things: a schoolgirl in her skirt and blouse; a fearless swimmer in her shorts and shirt; a Mommy to her doll Baby Dear; a donated tiara made her a princess; wearing a sunbonnet, she told me she was Amish; wielding a light saber, she boldly claimed she would "save the day" and was going to kill all the monsters; and finally she is a little girl again, cuddling with her "Mankey".
Which just goes to show, with the right accessories, a girl can be almost anything!

Say where?

Levi is a bit confused in his geography.  You'll never meet someone from: 
Sam-son-frisco
Noklahoma
Wyazona

Levi's Mama

     Levi has a unique way of using my name as a fill-in word.  Here are some of his spins:

"I'm livin', I'm livin', I'm livin' Mama."-his version of their Awana song.

"Mama, you have diabetes!"

"Mama's head is a sphere!"

"Mama hibernates!"  I ask, "Why, Levi?  Why do I hibernate?"  "Because you're a Lorax."

"Mama doesn't need any more sweets!" (this was said in a firm,authoritarian-type voice)

"I love Mama, 'cuz she's made out of cabbage."

"If they sold Mama at the Awana store, I would buy her first, before anybody else."

"Mama is a pigsty; pigs live in her body."

"Mama is a grocery girl."

As I burned myself removing my coffee from themicrowave- "Mama set her coffee on fire!"

"Mama eats pythons; there's a python in Mama's mouth!"

(Sung to the tune of Joy to the World) "Mama is a crazy girl, and heaven and nature sing!)

"Mark, the Herald Mama sings!"

"Mama is from Sampson Frisco."

(sung to the tune of Deck the Halls)  "Mama never goes to bed"

Mama is a scuba diver;  Mama is a base jumper.  (!); a chapatti;

Mama is edible; you can eat her.

Mama is on the march.

The ants go marching 3 by 3, and they all go marching down into the mama ground, where the mama queen was.
10/12  It continues.  Lately it is Mama Durama.  Or Mama llama.  Or Mama with a comma.  Or as I say, Save mama from the drama! 

Leviathon

     In the van tonight, Caelin had his iQuest,a hand-held educational game/organizer.  He suddenly calls out, "Mom, I looked up the word leviathon.  Meaning one is a large sea serpent symbolizing evil in the Bible.  Meaning two is a large sea monster.  That pretty much describes Levi." 

Levi the hunter, and wanna-be nudist

     Levi asked, "How many seasons are there?"  "Four." Scott replied.  "Oh," Levi continued, "Deer season, turkey season, duck season, and..." he trailed off.  "Goose season!" finished Caelin.  "What about Bugs Bunny season?" asked Levi.
     After the boys were tucked into bed, I overheard Levi say to Caelin, "I wish Adam and Eve wouldn't have sinned."  Caelin mumbled something and Levi continued, "That way we wouldn't have to wear any clothes!"