November 22, 2008

Don't cry over chopped onions...




David is making breakfast this morning. He's now on a mission to find the best way to chop onions without shedding a single tear. As you can see, he starts by using his face shield he wears to protect his eyes from flying debris while doing yard work. That not only didn't work, but concentrated the fumes once inside. It made things worse.
He tried using swim goggles next. They actually worked. But, in the end, he spent a good 30 minutes or so chopping up the onions when he could have just sucked it up for 90 seconds or so to get them all chopped and be done with it. Sometimes, it's best to just power through it!
While frying bacon, he had 12YO stand against the door frame in the kitchen where we've been keeping track of their growth. In less than three months, 12YO has grown almost and inch and a half! (See? THIS is why I chose not to buy her any pants until it actually became cold outside!) Darn kids!
She's also been pushing to be able to drink the occasional cup of coffee. I drink coffee, and I have since I was small. My mom sees nothing wrong with the occasional cup of coffee for kids (especially since it's barely considered coffee once it's diluted with all the sugar and creamer!) and neither do I. David, on the other hand, is totally opposed to the idea! So, she has to work that out with him. I'm staying out of it, they both know where I stand. My experience as a parent is not better because I get to choose whether or not my kid can drink coffee, nor is her childhood affected. I'm just glad we usually agree on the big stuff and we're disagreeing on something trivial like COFFEE.
12YO has been having more stories as to the drama going on amongst her friends. Poor David told me that he's not sure he can do this three times, because we all know how girls can be! I know it's so not a big deal that 'so-and-so' doesn't like 'so-and-so' and 'so-and-so is only nice to 'so-and-so's' face when those other people are around. But, that is about the size of her world right now, so it's huge to her. I will probably spend the next few years trying to put it all in perspective for her without belitting the size of her world. Not that I'll be able to, and she's sure to hate me as much as all of her friends will hate their parents.
Isn't that why the teen years are so bloody difficult anyway?
I get to have an evening out with the girls tonight, and not the ones that have bedtimes. Actual grown-ups! This could be fun.
If anyone has any better suggestions for dealing with onion fumes, David is really curious. I think he may actually be gaining a better understand for this whole blogging thing. He did, afterall, let me take the pictures AND ask me to blog it to see if anyone had any better suggestions! So, don't let him down!!!
Have a great weekend!


5 comments:

Unknown said...

I havent tried this yet but I hear that if you chew bread while cutting onions it works.

Leann I Am said...

I've heard that too. In fact, David had offered that suggestion to me when I was chopping onions one day. I just thought he was messing with me! He told me that you hold the slice in your mouth...but I thought he just wanted to make me look silly!

3HappyHippies said...

Im not sure about face wear while cutting onions but I do know that at Subway we soaked them in water which diluted the smell. If they were still to strong we would hide in the freezer for a few minutes to avoid crying out eyes out. I have no idea if either of these techniques actually work. J suggests a gas mask although I doubt if many people have these sitting around, his is in his MOB gear.

Have fun on your girls night out, how exciting.

As for the coffee...Im not sure where I stand at the moment. At 12 Im pretty sure I was having an irregular cup every now and again. That said when a friend was letting their son drink up after cup, with 5 or more packages of sugar, when we went out to breakfast one time I was floored. At 6 he had enough energy already.

Susan Ogilvy said...

I have a twisted way of thinking on the coffee. In my mind it was a drink I got to enjoy once I was an adult. My kids already think they are adults and if I condone coffee drinking I am admitting they are adults.

Silly and psychologically ludicrous I know but it's how I think!

I run my hands under cold water before and during the process of cutting onions. It definatly helps with the watery eyes.

I understand the so and so and so and so stuff cause there are 2 13yr olds in the house and there are days the gossip and drama are enough to make me want to drink stiff beverages.

Stephanie said...

I've had a cold lately....and not being able to breathe through my nose actually helped in the cutting onion dept. NO TEARS!! YEAY!