potato chip potato chip

We had puttered around all morning trying to decide what to do, where to go with the kids.  My heart just wasn't into going anywhere.  I have been on the road all week for work, including an extra trip yesterday that didn't take long but still was me getting out.

I like to hibernate a bit on some of my days off.  Recharge the battery so to speak.  Have time to comtemplate, read, sleep, drink some wine and just chill.

That isn't happening with 3 grands hanging out for the weekend.  Jen is here too, til tonight when she makes her break for places a 40 year old would want to hang out at...and Jim too...so...

Jen got Maddie in the shower this morning when we thought about going to the state line for a lottery ticket.  (A six hour drive, plus another hour or so for stops and food and well, now you know why I didn't want to go...)  So Steve sweetly said we didn't have to go absolutely....

Maddie was incensed..."I'm all dressed up for nothing!!!" she hollered indignantly to no one in particular.  (In her new jeans, by the way and looking pretty cute too...)

So, I had to come up with something quick.  The boys were no problem, being scroungy and not having to quit Wii-ing was what boys live for.  But Maddie was giving me the evil-eye so I said the only thing that I could think of:

Me: Do you want to go help Gramps get the food for our HORS D'OEUVRES? (trying to make it sound exotic)

Maddie: what's that?

Me: ...snacks

Maddie: oh, ok (after pausing and looking at the ceiling for several minutes while she acted like she was considering it...I knew better...a trip to the grocery store with Gramps means she has total control over what goes in the shopping basket).

Me: do you want to help me write the list?

Maddie: yah, sure. (Spoken in a bit of a condescending tone.)

So I had to write the list out first, and then she copied it.  At least she started copying it, but these were words beyond the simple kindergarten stuff she was used to, so we ended up with me calling out letters and she wrote them out as I called them out.

Every time we finished a word, she crossed it out.  This list looks weird, but remember we are buying HORS D'OEUVRES snacks for two adults and three kids.  The cheese & sticks means regular cheese for us, and string cheese for the kids.  Sorta (I like string cheese too I am a bit embarrassed to admit.)

So we are working on Maddie's List.  And she is writing diligently.  She gets to the p in grape juice and says:

"How do you write a p?"

Me: like the p in potato chip.

Maddie makes a little circle looking thing. 

Me: what is that?

Maddie: it's a potato chip.

Me: I said P in Potato chip, not draw a potato chip.  (I am laughing out loud by now, and trying to tell Jen about it.  Maddie is mortified and getting mad at us for laughing, but the more I try to stop laughing, the harder I laugh.  I am getting close to the replacing-your-underwear type of belly laughs by now.  Jen is giggling uncontrollably.)

Maddie: Y'ALL STOP LAUGHING!!!! (Maddie indignantly draws a leg on the potato chip to make a P in graPe...I don't dare tell her the leg is on the wrong side of the chip...)

Slowly, we bring it under control.  Jen is still standing there when Maddie and I resume the list.

Me: apple sauce...

Maddie: how do you spell it?

This is when I turn into Evil Grammy...

Me: A....potato chip...potato chip...L...E...

...by now Jen and I are cracking up again and I just let Maddie wing it the rest of the way, which is why her applesauce is written APSRS...

I recovered sufficiently from the laughing fit by "cookie dough".  Thank goodness, or Maddie would still be giving me the evil eye...

Good thing Maddie will be with Gramps at the store to translate the list...

On second thought, he spells just like that so he'll manage just fine....