Sprite's Keeper

Spin Cycle: Poetry in the techno age.

Liberties have been taken with the verbage, but this is literally what happens in our home, all from the mouth of Sprite:

"Mommy, I want to watch my DVD's."

"My Tag pen needs new batteries."

"Can I play a game on Daddy's phone?"

"Don't help me, I'll do this on my own."

"Where's the movie in this car?"

"I want my stroller, the walk's too far!"

"Check out my new electronic book,"

"It does it all, I only look!"

"And I want to learn to play the Wii,"

"It would be so much fun for me."

"I'm way too bored, I can't fall asleep."

"The iPod's company I should keep."

"It will get me to sleep again."

"Just don't check on me until after ten."

"Yes, I know how to work your cell."

"Perhaps I should play with that as well."

"And your Nook is nice, do you mind?"

"Putting some of my books on there would be kind."

"Other kids have tv's in their room,"

"Therefore me too, I should assume."

"I need some toys, there's room for more,"

"Can you take me to the Disney Store?"

"What do you mean I have enough to play?"

"I don't want to wait for my birthday!"

"No entertainment in the car, what should I do?"

"What do you mean, TALK TO YOU?"

"You want to hear about my day?"

"It was fine. That's all I'll say."

"No tv for the rest of the night?"

"Play outside? Why the spite?"

"But this is all stuff I normally do."

"And besides, I got it all from you."

Next time we complain about our kids having too much access to the electronic stuff, maybe we should realize just whose hands are giving it over..

(Oooh, see how I turned it on you? You hate me just a little, don't you?)

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You mean clicking on the link will bring me to the other Spinners?! What will they think of next?

Peg over at Square Peg in a Round Hole

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar

Arwen over at Spors in the Desert

Kate over at Recommended Daily Dose

KendraSue over at Life in the Slow Lane

Stacy over at Stacy Uncorked

Vandy over at The Testosterone Three and Me      

Peg over at Square Peg in a Round Hole -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!

Gretchen over at Second Blooming -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!

Mama Badger over at Out of the Boondocks and Into the Burbs... -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!

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Next Week's Spin Cycle Assignment: (insert here)

Omigod, exactly what you've been wanting to write! I'm psychoic, I know.

That's right, it's OPEN SPIN! Anything you want to write about, it's the topic! (This basically gives you the right to link basically anything up. Write on a Tuesday and want to put your typing toes up for the rest of the week? Just slap a Spin Cycle on it and consider your work done!

Yes, we're taking it easy on you this time, especially since someone (not saying who) may have been at a late Open House for VPK which preceded a very abbreviated bedtime routine and a fight to read Chapter Nine of Pollyanna. Guess who won? And guess who's writing this at 11 since the other normal after work chores don't care that someone was busy with life? Stupid dishes.

I will obviously thank myself tomorrow when I can pull a clean coffee pot out of the dishwasher for that blessed cup of heaven.

All right, folks, enough of my caterwalling, link on up! You can link all your posts up if you want to! Sky's the limit! No rules, just write!

See you next week on the Spin Cycle!

Spin Cycle: The ONLY thing not battery operated these days is the kid.

I know parents are just itching for an off switch on their offspring sometimes.

And the Spins begin with:

Peg over at Square Peg in a Round Hole

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar

Arwen over at Spors in the Desert

Kate over at Recommended Daily Dose -Updated Wednesday!

KendraSue over at Life in the Slow Lane -Updated Wednesday!

Stacy over at Stacy Uncorked -Updated Thursday!

Vandy over at The Testosterone Three and Me -Updated Thursday! Hm, having a hard time posting a comment there...     

Link up by Friday to tell us your tales of kids and technology!

Derailed

"Okay, Mommy, you color the hair and I'll color the shirt."

Picking up the red colored pencil she had pointed to, I obediently pressed the tip to within the area designated as Ariel's hair.

"No, wait!" Sprite snatched the pencil from me. "I'll do it. You do the shirt."

Ignoring the tiny impulse to lecture about her tendency to take things: pencils, crayons, remotes, my time, I instead turned my attention to the blue pencil and began to trace the shirt.

"No, Mommy. It's wrong. You're doing it wrong."

"It's not wrong. It's a shirt. I'm coloring the shirt blue. Didn't you want me to?"

She smirked, shaking her head. "Fuhgettabowdit," she drawled, using her left arm to gather the rest of the colors to within the safety of her embrace.

Forget WHAT?

"Who taught you that?"

Her eyes became pure innocence as she looked up at me. "Taught me what?"

"That."

"What?"

"Forget about it."

"Okay."

"No. Who taught you-"

"Can I have a snack?"

"What? Wait, I want to-"

"Do we have strawberries?"

"Sprite, I want to- no. We don't have strawberries."

"Can I have a banana?"

"Um.... yes. We have bananas."

"Thank you so much, Mommy!" Batting her eyelashes and flashing some teeth, she picked up her pencil once more to return to dyeing the Mermaid's hair as I, completely lost on my train of thought, didn't even realize I derailed until after I fetched her a banana.

I think I need to scratch a notch into her side of the score card.

Spin Cycle: I've always considered the phrase "you are what to eat" to be a bit Cannabalistic..

You don't?

For the past three plus years, I have been "dieting", trying to lose the baby weight brought on by Sprite and the accompanying need to devour every pastry (except muffins) in sight.

I lost 80 lbs in about 9 months. Then I stalled.

I'm still stalled.

I still watch what I do during the week, choosing to indulge on the weekends, but the weight has fluctuated in a 10 pound range, right now, I'm about 5 up, which I'll blame on the events of the last six days which have weighed heavily on us emotionally, more about that later when my snark returns, it's not quite there yet, but even when I lose that five, I'll be back to that same stagnant number that's been staring up at me for over 2 years now.

John, however, is on a mission. In March, he decided to take control of the food demon and started a strict, doctor supervised plan which has helped him shed over 50 lbs. SINCE MARCH. The man looks amazing. And sexy? This is a family blog, but well, that is how our family started, so excuse me while I throw a wolf whistle out to him. From my office. They won't get it, but you will.

Anyway, during this phase, which will hopefully become a permanent change, he has been paying a lot more attention to the foods and snacks which come into our home, citing works by experts, watching documentaries like "Food, Inc" and "Fat Head" and our favorite inspirational, "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead".

Ezekiel bread and live sprouted grains have been introduced, soda has been banished as a whole since I was the only one actually drinking it on a regular basis. (2 weeks and I haven't killed anyone. Yet.) Cliff Bars have replaced the store brand nutrition bars as an occasional snack of choice since we finally looked hard at the labels and realized just how much sugar was in those so called "nutrition bars".

The biggest change overall is introducing more organic fare into our laire. Grass fed beef, while more expensive, has been proven by several taste tests (the things we suffer through) to be infinitely more delicious than grain fed beef. (And more expensive, hence our rising food budget.)

I've even introduced John to my dear blogging friend Jan who has inspired me more than anything else in my quest to eat healthier. While we can't give up cow's milk, and while John likes almond milk (um, not quite on board with it myself), we have found that our Costco carries organic 1% milk which we will start Sprite on this weekend. Yes, still more expensive, but hormone and RBST free, so I'm willing to give up one more meal out a month for that.

All of this is helping John stay on track to lose the rest of his excess, however I can't seem to drop anything.

Of course, now that I've written this, I am so yearning for a Dairy Queen small sundae. Irony packs a paunch, doesn't it?

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Check out these nutritious Spins! 16 servings! No calories!

Peg over at Square Peg in a Round Hole

Kendra over at Life in the Slow Lane

Michele over at It's A Dog's Life

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar

Ve over at The Reconstruction of Self...

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar -#2!

Patty over at Pancakes Gone Awry

Pseudo over at Pseudo's Spot

Kate over at Recommended Daily Dose

Gretchen over at Second Blooming

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar -#3!

The South Dakota Cowgirl over at The South Dakota Cowgirl

Stacy over at Stacy Uncorked

Vandy over at The Testosterone Three and Me

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar -#4!

SuziCate over at The Water Witch's Daughter

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin! #5!!

Peg over at Square Peg in a Round Hole -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin! #2!

Casey over at Half As Good As You -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin! She's back!

Mama Badger over at Out of the Boondocks and Into the Burbs... -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!

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Next Weeks's Spin Assignment: Kids and Technology

Kids! I don't know what's wrong with these kids these days! (Suddenly, I have a hankering to watch Bye Bye Birdie.)

This topic brought to us by the lovely and just had a birthday Kate over at Recommended Daily Dose!

I really like this topic because it is a growing epidemic in childhood right now. I can't tell you how many of Sprite's friends already have their own iPods. (John even gifted Sprite with his old one to play games and kid friendly movies during long road trips.)

Vtech, Wii, Leapfrog, Playstation, DS, PC games, children have a lot at their disposal these days. Is it a blessing? A curse?

What's your take on all the gadgets geared towards kids these days?

Spin it up and send it in!

And stop playing with the hi tech toys. You'll never beat Junior's score, you know..

Spin Cycle: Spinlicious!

Food, glorious food!

Taste test what these Spinners have to offer! Starting with:

Peg over at Square Peg in a Round Hole

Kendra over at Life in the Slow Lane -Updated Monday!

Michele over at It's A Dog's Life -Updated Monday!

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar -Updated Monday!

Ve over at The Reconstruction of Self... -Updated Tuesday!

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar -Updated Tuesday! #2!

Patty over at Pancakes Gone Awry -Updated Tuesday!

Pseudo over at Pseudo's Spot -Updated Tuesday!

Kate over at Recommended Daily Dose -Updated Wednesday!

Gretchen over at Second Blooming -Updated Wednesday!

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar -Updated Wednesday! #3!

The South Dakota Cowgirl over at The South Dakota Cowgirl -Updated Wednesday!

Stacy over at Stacy Uncorked -Updated Thursday!

Vandy over at The Testosterone Three and Me -Updated Thursday!

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar -Updated Thursday! #4!

SuziCate over at The Water Witch's Daughter -Updated Thursday!

These Spins are fresh until Friday!

Spin Cycle: Happy in the Heat

I should have known I would back myself into a corner when agreeing for the next Spin Cycle to be Puppies and Unicorns.

Sure, I've got the obligatory dog stories starring everyone's favorite canine duo, Harry and Blue, but those seem to come only when they want to, never when I call them. I could tell you about when we found Harry at the pet store, and John dropped this little ball of varying levels of black fur into my hands and once I cuddled it, told me it was a mini Doberman. Not cool, John. Nevertheless, I fell in love with the five hundred dollar mutt (this was back when anything with a Yorkie in it added dollars to the price, and since I heard the mother was a Rat Terrier, the Yorkie was only in it for a minute) (BWHAHAHAHA!) (I don't care if you laugh or not, that is now my favorite joke ever.) and made John buy him. (Remember the good ole days when you could drop money on whatever you wanted? Now you only drop money on what the kid wants. Sigh. Stupid responsibility.)

I could also tell you about Sprite's Unicorn named Goldalicious, but the extent of that story is she has a Unicorn and she named it Goldalicious. The end.

Nope. I'm going to let you in on a little secret of mine. Something that makes me happy. It only lasts for a few minutes a day though.

I absolutely love the sweltering heat that awaits me in my car after leaving my office for the day.

Thanks to the fact that I live in Florida, the summer time usually brings with it temperatures far into the 90's, a heat that is unforgiving, despite the afternoon thunderstorms which never bring the relief, they just add steam. Now, also because I live in Florida, any building with more than one room has central air conditioning, and my office building is set to the mid-sixties. So I freeze all day.

When I walk out to my car, sure the sun is warm, but it's the extreme, dry, enveloping heat that hits me when I sit in my van that I crave.

For those first five minutes, I will drive with no A/C on, just letting my skin tighten in response to the burning temperature, like I just took a Snuggie straight out of the dryer and enveloped myself in it.

Every. Day. It's my little sauna after my 9-5 is over.

Of course, after the first minutes of bliss, I will jack up the freon to cool things off so Sprite isn't uncomfortable when I pick her up from school, but only reluctantly.

I thought I was alone in this and kept it to myself until one weekend not too long ago when my in-laws were visiting and I brought Sprite's Nana with us on an errand. After spending a good hour in an air-conditioned store, we stepped out and bee-lined for the van.

Would you believe the same sigh of contentment came out of her mouth at the same time as mine when we closed the van doors? We looked at each other and said, "You too?"

I'm one of my mother's-in-law biggest fans, but one more thing to bond over is pretty damn cool.

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And the Spinners are here!

Pseudo over at Pseudo's Spot

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar

KendraSue over at Life in the Slow Lane

Kathy over at My space.. my blog.. my life -New to the Spin Cycle! Forgiveness Spin which I didn't see until now! I am SO SORRY which is scarily in tune with the topic. Man, I need a mental health day...

Ve over at The Reconstruction of Self... -New to the Spin Cycle! Another Forgiveness Spin! Blargh! Forgetting needing the mental health day, I'm TAKING one! Again, so sorry!

Erin over at of synchronicity and distraction

Aimee over at Aimee Writes

Patty over at Pancakes Gone Awry

Stacy over at Stacy Uncorked

Kate over at Recommended Daily Dose

Gretchen over at Second Blooming

Michele over at It's A Dog's Life

Vandy over at The Testosterone Three and Me

Alaina over at View From Down Here

Peg over at Square Peg in a Round Hole -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!

Mama Badger over at Out of the Boondocks and Into the Burbs... -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!

If you got through these Spins without smiling, then you must have stayed up all night for Harry Potter..

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Next week's Spin Cycle Assignment: Food

I can hear Jan trilling with joy all the way up North. And is that Michele I hear dropping her coffee cup in excitement in the Lone Star state? Ooh, we'll probably get checked on by Gourmet Gretchen over in California later after she realizes this weekend's Carmageddon means staying home. And Casey, if she would update a post or two (that's a hint, Casey), would love to fill us in on the progress in her gluten free household.

Things have been a-changing in the Keeper household as of late. We're reading labels, watching content, expelling the nasty HFCS. All in the name of lifestyle changes. The incoming crap has been coming down while the grocery bill has been going up as we've been researching and reading and watching documentaries about food and where it comes from.

Poor Sprite's snack shelf never knew what hit it.

This week, tell us about food. What you like, recipes, anything you've nixed from your culinary world, anything you've added.

Full fat, reduced fat, non-fat, trans-fat, fatback, Baby got back, sugar free, meat free, reduced sodium, soy. (Breathe..) 

Do you believe in the organic existence? Vegan? Paleo? Do you think anything in moderation is the way to go? (I think we'll be seeing a lot of Spins from Jan..)

Disclaimer: keep it respectful. Some people do happen to have some extreme views, or they may be extreme to you. As long as we can play peacefully, we can keep playing.

Spin it up, serve it on a platter and call Doris over to take it to our table.

See you next week in the Spin Cycle!

Shorti-locks

I should have known that the day I posted about Sprite's long hair and my love/hate/we can be Facebook friends but don't expect me to invite you over relationship, this would happen.

John had joined Sprite for her school's annual Father's Day event, conveniently held at 4PM so parents would get the not so subtle hint to take their kiddies with them when the party ended at 4:30. (Every time they do this, I tell my boss beforehand not to expect me back unless he would like to hire a preschooler part-time. So far, he has not taken me up on this.)

As John is extremely busy at work, I spent a majority of my day calling and texting him to "Remember, the party is at 4!" "Don't forget about Sprite's Father's Day thing!" "Hey, Father! Yes, you! Allow for travel time! Don't be late!" and "Can you pick up milk?"

(He never got the milk.)

John sent me a picture update from the actual party to let me know he was there and I noticed that Sprite's bangs were covering her eyes. Texting him back, I related this and he sent me another picture with his own hand holding up those errant tresses.

"Much better!" I wrote back.

At 4:30, as I was on my way out of the office to drive over and pick up Sprite, he called. "Don't come to the preschool. I'm signing her out. We just need to stop somewhere and then we'll be on our way home."

"Just let me know when you're actually on the way and I'll start dinner," I replied.

He didn't do that either.

Instead, he posted a series of pictures on Facebook about that mystery errand, thinking I would see it, forgetting that until I'm ready for bed and coming down off my day, I don't frequent Facebook.

 

I know.

 

I KNOW!

 

Sigh.

About an hour after our conversation, I heard the garage door open, signalling their arrival. In our darkened bedroom, I was picking up the last of the midweek laundry when Sprite rushed in.

"Mommy, see my lollipop?" She waved the candy in front of her.

My smile immediately fell as I took in the short tresses. "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR?" I screeched, dropping the laundry basket.

She faltered and turned, running out of the room. I followed suit and found her standing behind John in the kitchen, trying to hide from her mother turned maniac.

I know I overreacted. I know this. I regret this as well, but I learned a lesson that day in parenthood, that John is not aware of the Law of the Locks. The Law of the Locks is simple. No children in the household shall have their hair cut unless the mother is present or at least AWARE of the impending date with scissors. This law also extends to dogs. The father has full right to cut his own hair any way he wants, but the mother does have a say in the decision and can (and will) exercise her power to veto that "do" in the future should it turn out horribly.

Being that we don't have a son, I'm not sure how I would enforce the Law since boys and hair usually go short and neat, buzzed, bald, or long. With girls, a whole nother story. I was the one who always took care of Sprite's hair, I was the one who braided it, I was the one who kept it neat, I was the one who determined how long I would let it grow. I just wasn't prepared to let it GO. And I certainly didn't expect for John to take on the task himself when Sprite had been so adamently opposed to anything shorter than Rapunzel length. So my reaction was purely shock, and with proper notice, I would have faked my way into a good cry when the bathroom door was closed. (That didn't happen either.)

Long story short: (oh, come on, it works here) I apologized for my freak out, John apologized for breaking the Law, and has now sworn up and down that he will never so much as let anyone come near Sprite with pointy objects unless I am standing by. (The stylist went a little short with the length resulting in an awkward ponytail. I would have kept it a few inches longer.) Sprite is happy with her haircut, and I've shaved a good five minutes off my hair brushing time.

I'm even growing to love it. It doesn't curl as much as I feared it would and frizz is still not a part of her heady vocabulary. Besides, we can always let it grow out again.

 

Or maybe not.

 

RTT: Because my dad says I'm not writing enough..

 

I find it funny that my dad has commented on my blog maybe a handful of times in the over three years I've been writing it, yet asked me why I haven't written a Random Tuesday Thoughts in so long. Of course, my answer of "busy/child/work/sleep/zombie watching" is a standard reply, but for him, and you, I will eek one out today.

It may be half-assed, unlike all of my other brilliant work that appears in the archives. (Just trust me on that, don't actually go back and read, we'll never hear from you again..)

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It bears repeating: Unless you are currently filming a reality show (If you do not know whether or not you are in contract with a reality show, please look in your immediate vicinity for cameras and boom mikes. No camera equals no reality show.), any time you use the speaker option on your cell phone, it only amplifies to others how obnoxious you are.

This can also apply to vehicles that back into parking spaces or take up two spaces at once, but only to those whose rims are more than 20", cuz now you're just asking for attention.

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 Any time your child speaks up with "I have an idea!" complete with pointer finger raised, it will end in "I'm sleeping in your bed tonight."

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I dislike discussing politics/current affairs/religion/anything with people who don't know what they're arguing for because then it feels like I'm trying to sell what I believe in and they just look ignorant.

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We traveled on Sunday to see our families for the day, resulting in a long ride uphill through the snow both ways. A very late lunch followed by a two hour nap in the car on the ride home, resulted in a very awake Sprite at 9PM. I had given her a cheese stick since dinner would sit too heavily in her stomach and some water, then made myself a pseudo grilled cheese sandwich (I stole some of Sprite's bread and some of John's 75% fat free cheddar, Cabot brand, really good!) since my own stomach didn't care about heartburn at 2 in the morning.

Upon finishing the preparation, I was greeted by my daughter who had proclaimed for all not even ten minutes earlier that she wasn't hungry and a cheese stick was the perfect ending to her day. "What's on your plate, Mommy?"

I sighed, knowing what was coming, listening to John snicker behind me. "A cheese sandwich."

"Can I see?" She smiled.

I lowered the plate for her inspection.

"Oh, my! That looks VERY yummy! I bet it tastes good." She rolled her hand over her midection. "That would make my tummy very happy."

I split the damn sandwich with her.

This is why I wait until she goes to bed before I break out the Smart Ones desserts.

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 Sprite is loving jokes these days. A few are just plain groan worthy, but most have stumped me, and her, since she doesn't remember the answer:

"When is a banana not a banana?"

Honestly, I've asked her teachers, other parents of kids she hangs with, I want to know this answer. Google hasn't brought anything up other than the history behind nature's phallic symbol and it's no help. Finally, I've resorted to making my own answer:

"When it's lost its a-peel."

Now, it's over HER head, but at least I'm satisfied.

Another joke she loves to repeat:

"Knock, knock."
"Who's there?"
"Peach."
"Peach who?"
"Peach Sprite!"

Um, yeah.

I have been teaching her the chicken jokes though and we like to build onto them:

"Why did the chicken cross the road?"
"To get to the other side."

"Why did the kid cross the playground?"
"To get to the other slide."

"Why did the turtle cross the ocean?"
"To get to the other tide."

"Why did Sprite run across Disney World?"
"To get to the next ride."

Do you have any you could think of to add to this -ide anthology? I would love to hear it and Sprite would love to add it to her growing list of laughs.

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Okay, so maybe this RTT is 3/4 assed, therefore more than I promised you, less than I should have delivered.

So I will deliver you over to Stacy who is currently carrying the wine glass torch for RTT in honor of Keely who is currently holding a mojito. Check out all the other randomizers and randomize something yourself. It's kind of like bedazzling, only not so...80's.

Have a great Tuesday, you all!

Spin Cycle: Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows...

...and all those things...

This is going to be an interesting Spin Cycle depending on who takes the assignment literally and who doesn't!

The first Spin is someone who's clocking the second week in a row at Number 1!

Pseudo over at Pseudo's Spot

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar -Updated Wednesday!

KendraSue over at Life in the Slow Lane -Updated Wednesday! Having issues commenting, Kendra!

Kathy over at My space.. my blog.. my life -Updated Wednesday! New to the Spin Cycle! Forgiveness Spin which I didn't see until now! I am SO SORRY which is scarily in tune with the topic. Man, I need a mental health day...

Ve over at The Reconstruction of Self... -Updated Wednesday! New to the Spin Cycle! Another Forgiveness Spin! Blargh! Forgetting needing the mental health day, I'm TAKING one! Again, so sorry!

Erin over at of synchronicity and distraction -Updated Wednesday!

Aimee over at Aimee Writes -Updated Wednesday!

Patty over at Pancakes Gone Awry -Updated Thursday!

Stacy over at Stacy Uncorked -Updated Thursday!

Kate over at Recommended Daily Dose -Updated Thursday!

Gretchen over at Second Blooming -Updated Thursday!

Michele over at It's A Dog's Life -Updated Thursday!

Vandy over at The Testosterone Three and Me -Updated Thursday!

Alaina over at View From Down Here -Updated Thursday!

Remember, you can write about puppies, unicorns, happiness, or anything lighthearted! Just do it by Friday!

Spin Cycle: Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word (It's Hard)

(That song has been floating around in my head all week and yet, every time I sat down to write my Spin, it eluded me...)

"What the hell?"

"Sprite!"

"Sorry!" Her answer comes quickly. Too quickly. As soon as the epiphet left her lips, her eyes had darted to me to watch for my response. Knowing it would come if I heard it, actually listened instead of mindlessly folding laundry.

We exchange gazes, hers complete with a brilliant grin, flash of white teeth, ready to break into song if only to distract me from being angry with her. (Politicians and polish go hand in hand, do they not?)

"Don't say 'hell'."

"Okay." She comes over to me, determined to put a period on this authority sentence. "I love you, Mommy," she murmurs, wrapping her arms around my waist, her way of an apology in the absence of a real one.

A few hours later, as time winds down for bed, I catch her running after Blue, the too easy target. Blue makes a decent change of direction and darts for beneath the dining room table, Sprite right behind her, grabbing for that dang too long tail, taking hold, and yanking back to draw the poor beagle from safety.

"Sprite! Let her go!"

"Sorry!" she quips, her practiced grin pulled immediately from memory.

"Time out. Go sit!"

Her smile crumples as she turns dejected toward the entry rug, huffing and stomping, before she turns and slumps into a sitting position, hugging herself tightly, dropping her chin to her chest, making sure I see every dramatic movement to comprehend her sadness.

I go to the microwave and set the timer for four minutes.

"Blue, get away from me!"

Glancing over, I can see the victim is back to trying to love up on the guilty, bearing no ill will, just bad breath. Sprite is having none of it, after all, Blue got her into trouble.

"Blue," I call out, snapping my fingers by my side. Sensing a possible treat, she abandons the prisoner and ambles over.

At the end of the sentence, I walk over and lower to my knees in front of her, her eyes glaring at me from between her lashes.

"Why did I put you into time out?"

Her lids lower. There's no getting out of it. She can't sing and dance through it, it has to be the old fashioned way of humbleness. "I pulled Blue's tail." Her voice is soft and thick with remorse. Or reluctance. They tend to sound the same.

"And are you allowed to pull Blue's tail?"

"No." Softer yet.

"And what should you do now?"

"...Say sorry." Almost a whisper, her head hanging so slow, it's almost touching my knees, but coherent nonetheless and therefore valid.

"Now, go apologize to Blue and get her a treat to make up for it."

Justice for Blue is always easy, she's quick to forgive, even quicker to forget, as she accepts the apology and allows for a too tight hug of peace.

That forgetfulness comes in handy when not even ten minutes later,

"Sprite! Get off of Blue!"

"Sorry!"

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If you miss these Spinners, you'll be begging for forgiveness:

Pseudo over at Pseudo's Spot

KendraSue over at Life in the Slow Lane

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar

Kate over at Recommended Daily Dose

Ca-Joh over at Ca-Joh

Aimee over at Aimee Writes

Alaina over at View From Down Here

Erin over at of synchronicity and distraction

Peg over at Square Peg in a Round Hole -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!

Gretchen over at Second Blooming -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!

Mama Badger over at Out of the Boondocks and Into the Burbs... -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!

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Next week's Spin Assignment: Puppies and Unicorns!

Alaina lodged a complaint with the powers that be in management and asked for something lighthearted like puppies and unicorns.

Okay, I'm game.

What makes you smile? What brings up your spirits? A hug from a child (who probably hasn't washed her hands and you know how spotty her record for actually scrubbing those germy palms and now they're all over you, mazel tov, you have the flu) or a heartfelt lick from a dog (whose stank breath and plaque filled teeth carry unknown legions of ick since you don't invest in the dental plan through your pet insurance since, dude, it's a DOG)?

(Sorry, even my parentheses need some lifted spirits.)

How do you turn that frown upside down? How do you stop that stressful day from bringing you to your knees?

Make us smile and Spin it up!

See you next Friday on the Spin Cycle!