Smart

That's me. The smartest one on the block. Let me prove it.

I wanted to make some rice krispie treats for the kids this afternoon. I'm not really sure why. Most of them have been fighting all day. They obviously need a reward for that!

So I tried to get into the Rice Krispie website to find the recipe. I know you are all shocked that any mother with more than 2 kids wouldn't have the recipe memorized already. Now you know just how often my kids get these things. My mom didn't make them much for us, either. It must have a genetic link.

Well, the website wouldn't load the recipe. I can only assume that there are hundreds of children getting rice krispie treats this afternoon and the site was crashing in the search for the recipe. I tried a few likely cookbooks for the recipe and was unlucky in my search. Now I have to think of some other snack...and quick. (If these kids don't end up killing each other, I'll be doing the deed myself.)

And then the brains turned on. Maybe they just flickered. Whatever happened, it was enough to think to look on the bag of marshmallows. Voila! Now I have my recipe. Let's get started. I hope my kids won't think any less of the treat just because I'm using REALLY old marshmallows. Of course, they won't even know the difference because they don't get this treat enough to know the quality is bad.

While the butter is melting, I have to rip the two partial bags of marshmallows (mini and regular) down the sides in order to get the mangled, sticky stuff out of the packages. I get it all into the pan and think that maybe that's too many marshmallows. But how was I to measure a big clump? So I add a little more butter. I'm hoping that will make up for the stale marshmallows, too. And then I add a little more cereal to the waiting bowl. (Good thing I spent 15 minutes trying to track down that recipe!)

Mini marshmallows melt a lot faster than the big ones. Eventually, I decided enough was enough and just dumped it all into the bowl of cereal and stir. I never could get all the cereal mixed in. Apparently, I added too much. And the marshmallows weren't really pliable, so that wasn't helping. I got it into the pan and mashed for all I was worth. I had 4 hungry kids looking on. Joseph dug in first - before I cut anything. He's not particular (remember, he eats off the floor).

Before too long, I give them each a generous square of treats and shoo them out the door. Then I eat two generous squares of my own. The baby is now doing somersaults as the sugar reaches her. I'm pretty sure she's saying thank you.