Tonight I was studying with my 8 year old for his history test. It was going something like this...
Me: What were the leaders who people chose to act or speak for them called?
Him: representatives
Me: (Eyebrows raised in surprise that he knew that.)
Me: Who were the first people in the Americas to build cities?
Him: The Olmecs
Me: (Impressed. I didn't know that.)
Me: Name one slave who bought his freedom and became a Christian.
Him: Amos Fortune
Me: (Wow, again.)
Me: The Pilgrim leaders established a government and wrote laws called the what?
Him: Mayflower Compact
Me: (I need to go back to 3rd grade to learn this stuff.)
Me: What year did Christopher Columbus sail across the ocean and arrive in San Salvador? (I know this one! I know this one!)
Him: 1982
Oh my. Well, at least he knows about the Olmecs.
In other news...
Yesterday my little cherub caught a snake. As he does with all living things he catches, he made a habitat in the cooler and put the snake in there. This is a bit problematic, because the snake needs air, yet it will also crawl out if the lid is open.
I had no idea the cooler was in the garage. Today, after church, the little guy realized that the lid was open and the snake was gone. Huge, noisy sobs floated into the house, and when I found out what happened, I am fairly sure I ordered my husband out to the garage to find.that.snake.
They did. And they put it back into the cooler, and left it in the garage.
What?!
A few hours later, the same little guy came rushing into the house (leaving the door open, of course), and shouted, "Dad, the snake is gone again!" I cannot even tell you what flew out of my mouth, but whatever I said came out at high volumes and had something to do with shutting the door and getting rid of that nasty thing.
And then I heard it.
A very loud yelling sound coming from husband, followed by lots of commotion.
They found the snake, and it bit my husband.
He was MAD.
Both my husband and the snake.
I had a moment of alarm, and then a moment of sweet victory, because I knew that would be the end of the snake's life...or at least the end of its life in captivity at our house.
But alas, I was wrong.
The snake is still in the cooler at this moment, but it did get evicted to the back yard.
Tonight when I was tucking the boys into bed, the 8 year old asked if he could pray.
I, of course, said yes, and was feeling pretty happy that he would ask to be the one to say bedtime prayers.
Then I heard this:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for this day.
Thank you that I caught a grasshopper mouse.
Please let my snake not eat my mouse.
Please let it be the other way around.
Amen.
Earlier today this son told me that he wanted to be an exterminator when he grows up, because "they handle bugs".
I replied, "Honey, they KILL bugs."
To which he said, "Oh, well. That'll be okay, too."
I have no more words.
