I have been replaced, by a caffeinated drink!  

Ben is working today!  Yeah!  [Insert lots of applause and joy.]  and I'm working, so we have to insert the dreaded event .... the babysitter.  Last semester the kids were just fine with Leatha, and had no problem.  Now they've had mom or dad for weeks, and so they are getting clingier .....

Today I went to drop off Brandon and megan.  (Jacob is dropped off at the bus on Tuesdays and Thursdays so he can go to preschool.).  Brandon was crying and saying "mommy stay, mommy stay!"  

Leatha, knowing my children as well as she does, picked up my crying boy and soothed Him "Brandon, if you let mommy go to work, I'll share a mountain dew with you."  He smiled, and waved, "bye mommy!  Have fun at work!"  

Great!  He's ok with me leaving if we give him a dew?  Oh well, it worked.  Guess it's my fault, I have an addiction to dew, and I have been known to give sips to my children at times.  (It doesn't hyper them up, it seems to calm them down.)  

We really have to hide them with megan, because if she sees a mountain dew, she will settle for nothing else.  Not even juice!  I think she's an addict in the making.  

So I got to work, Ben got to work, and Brandon got his dew (and I suspect megan did too).  Good thing the kids are with somebody who knows them well!  :-)  Life's good.