They're over there with their spoons.

Maybe it's because my second-grader has mastered the three uses and correct spellings of these words, but WAKE UP PEOPLE! I can't tell you how many times in the past week I've come across misspelled words. A friend the other day was blogging "out past the rivers and desserts." Now I'm all for a serious taste of chocolate post-meal, but when you have "America the Beautiful" in mind just take a second. (Sorry, SH!) But even a search on a well-respected source for stock imagery turned up this image of pastries among the sand and camels.

So, starting tomorrow, every blog I read without typographical errors is eligible to stop by my office and pick a prize out of the prize bucket. Hey, it works for the little people.

And I just sat there.

Last night (I know, they have evening hours now) I took my t-minus-8-days 8-year-old (?) (that's right!) to the pediatrician's office. He had accidentally jabbed a pencil in to the palm of his hand. Oh, wait, excuse me, the pencil somehow just flipped around and on its own simply propelled itself straight into his hand through the skin. (You know this age, right?) ("I didn't do it, Mom!)

Hands being the germy places they are, this was starting to look infected. Now of course they had to see him, gosh forbid we over-prescribe antibiotics. (I know, I do actually believe that, but my vast pediatric experience completely qualifies me as a professional and, hello, it's infected.) So we're there. Waiting. And waiting. R pulls his usual hiding routine. "I'm going to hide in this corner (behind the table) and just tell the doctor that I went to Florida." "No, wait, tell her I went to Australia." Now we're talking, I may consider crawling down there if that's where we're going.

So far this is the typical office visit. Until Dr. T. comes in (of course not our usual pediatrician, she's smart enough to be at home already). In a fairly quick and completely concise series of questions and answers my son has just completed the office visit on his own. Took care of it all. And I just sat there.

Beautiful.