winning*

*Have we already milked this Charlie Sheen phrase to death?  No, I don’t think so. We’re having a week of winning. First, we went to a little soirée-in-the-park hosted by Tillamook cheese.  The kids got their faces painted and Jafta spent most of the afternoon pummeling a man in a cheese suit with a balloon sword.  But the ultimate winning moment?  Mark won us a year’s supply of Tillamook cheese!  They held a grilled-cheese sandwich contest where we could make a sandwich and submit it to the judges.  Mark MIGHT have taken it a little seriously.  He MIGHT have named it, garnished it, and presented it to the judges while mentioned that we have four hungry kids to feed.  Apparently, they are going to be eating a lot of grilled cheese this year.  Which, judging by the way my children hovered around the cheese sample table, is going to be just fine by them. Then, on the way home, we spotted a Little Tykes house and slide sitting at the end of someone’s driveaway, with a sign that said $14.  WIN!  I’ve been wanting to get the kids a house like this, but they are pricey, and I don’t relish the idea of buying new plastic when old plastic is already out there, ready to be saved from a landfill.  They have been in this house nonstop since we brought it home. I also made a spontaneous stop at a neighborhood estate sale and scored two used guitars.  The boys are so excited about them.  The only problem is that they are miserably out of tune.  I have some musical knowledge and a pretty good sense of pitch, but I have no idea what note each string is supposed to be.  Anyone want to enlighten me so I can put my ears out of misery?  I would love for their strumming to elicit an actual chord instead of the minor dissonance they are playing right now. Jafta also had his school jog-a-thon this week.  Now, I am sad to say that his class did not come out of the experience “winning”.  Another class nabbed the pizza party prize.  But boy, were they sweaty – and I was a very proud mama.  So we went to frozen yogurt anyways.  WIN! Kembe and India took their job of official high-fivers very seriously. On the note of winning, I would love to say a sincere thank-you to whoever nominated and voted for me for these fun awards.  It really does mean a lot.  How can I ever repay you?  Perhaps in Tillamook cheese?             Hope you all have a winning weekend. And not the tiger-blood kind.