Scene of the crime

Today the kids left me properly speechless.

J found a packet of marmite rice cakes, asked if he could have them, I said no as I was cooking their tea, and he went away. A little while later, we're lying on my bed watching this* when the unmistakeable smell of marmite wafts up my nostrils. Unwelcome as I am in the hate camp. Unwelcome for the other reason too.

This is when I became I speechless. I don't know how it will sound to those who don't know him but Jackson just doesn't do that. Never. He is the most rule--bound child on the planet. Or rather, he was. I was so shocked I really didn't know how to handle it so I sent him to read in his room whilst I made a cuppa and bought a little time. I decided to go for the punishment through enduring a long and boring "talk" about trust and consequences. By the time I had gone completely off piste and was into the prison system and rehabilitation I was feeling positively sorry for him.

Part of me thinks, good for him, testing the boundaries, being bold, all that good stuff. The larger part of me thinks yes, but not with me and really hopes it's a one-off. We'll see.

Just realised I said kids - I'm pretty certain Anna was only an accomplice. Anyway, the two of them were so ridiculously contrite afterwards it was almost worth it.

And it gave me a blip on an otherwise blipless day. On such a wet and grey day I was expecting my blip to come from mine and Anna's lunch and shopping trip to Westfield, the only shopping centre I have enjoyed visiting. But I was far too distracted with shopping to take anything blipworthy.

So I was actually quite pleased to open a drawer to put away some of Anna's purchases to find the crime scene.

Oh, that reminds me - I didn't tell J I could smell the marmite, I went for the marvellous parenting line of, "we will always find out, you know", which is, of course, complete bollocks but always put the fear into me when my mom uttered it. Oooh, I feel a little mean now ;-)

Anyway, thanks for the blip kids!

* the kids have been slightly obsessed by this since watching Dancing for Sport Relief on Saturday night. Watching my four year old daughter doing an impression of Katy Brand doing an impression of Beyonce is really quite extraordinary. Actually, that leaves me speechless too!

Lesley x