Smells Like Teen Spectacle

I took the boy for his flu vaccine Monday night. Of course, this was just for the 'regular old flu', not the dreaded and overblown (my apologizes if I have offended any nasal passages with that play on words) H1N1 virus. When I first informed him that he would be getting the vaccine, there was the requisite whining about having to get a shot. No, silly, it's not a shot. It's a squirt of whatever-it-is up your nose. Ah, the miracle of science. Ok, then, TER couldn't complain about that; not bad, for a boy who can pretty much complain and be contrary about everything.

Once we arrived at the office of the pediatrician, he immediately sat down and proceeded to cover his mouth and nose with his t-shirt. He informed me that he was protecting himself because that place is "full of sick people!". ooooooookkkkkkkkkkk Good to know that his old ratty t-shirt is the perfect buffer against all germs and viruses. He has many of such t-shirts, so if you would like one for your own protection, do let me know and I'd be happy to provide you with one.

So there he sat, looking as if he had lost his actual surgical mask, but was preparing to perform some radical new procedure (one-handed) on the nearest child. I couldn't help giggling at him, which he did not appreciate. Oddly, once we were called back into the exam room, the necessity to cover his mouthal openings had subsided and he felt he could safely sit there - were no sick children had apparently been all day. Whatever. In comes the nurse, squirted the magic spray up his nose and sent him on his way, with specific instruction not to blow his nose "for a while". Thanks for clearing that up. By the time we got back to the car, he blew his nose. I envisioned the $35 I had just paid projecting right out of his nostrils onto the ground. But, I'll choose to believe that the vaccine had sufficiently made its way to wherever it goes once it goes up the nose. On the other hand, TER was convinced that he would now get the flu the next day, and that he had, once again, ruined everything.

By the time we got home, the nasal episode was forgotten and the boy proceeded to begin making chocolate chip cookies - from scratch. I'm still not sure why allowed this on a school night. Maybe I wanted a cookie? Thankfully, this was his personal project, so I was free to go downstairs to watch the season premiere of House in peace. (mmmmm Hugh Laurie) Surprisingly, I was interrupted by only a few irrelevant baking questions, which included "how many tablespoons are in a cup?" and "do eggshells go in the garbage disposal or in the trash?". All was going well until I smelled the cookies. A lot. A batch was burning. I'm not sure how he missed this fact, considering the house smelled like, well, burnt cookies! A lot. After waiting for a commercial (bad Mommy), I went upstairs to remind him to remove cookies from the oven when the timer goes off. "oh yeah" Well, he WAS caught up on SportsCenter, so it's understood how distracted he was. In his head, anyway.

Burnt cookies = more determination that he had "ruined everything". However, he made me try one, insisting that maybe they weren't that bad. How is that possible that they were ruined not that badly?? To keep the peace, I took a bite, swallowed hard, and smiled, indicating that they will suffice. In my head I felt they would only suffice if you were a starving pygmy, or needed to pelt a burglar with a hard object.

Happily, there was only one batch that went awry. The other cookies looked and were perfectly yummy. I swear I've only had two, as he is using them as his treats when he packs his school lunches. Aaawww - how cute. The burned cookies have mysteriously disappeared (into the trash can, underneath other pieces of trash so to hide evidence of my betrayal that I have eaten them with delight).

Cookies baked, TER went to bed. I finished House and made my way back into the kitchen. At least I think it was a kitchen. It looked more like a Keebler factory had moved in, then exploded. Utensils, ingredients and dough everywhere. And everywhere is where I left it. Hell, it would be there in the morning. And it was, at which time the boy got upset at the fact that there were no clean spoons for his cereal. Drama continues...........eyes keep rolling.