Mismatched Shoes

Let me explain for a minute how mornings go down in this house. I am always the first one up. I shuffle into the kitchen and start the coffee (coffee is always #1; if you doubt that, read this). The lamp beside the couch flips on and I call out to Andrew, my oldest son, to get up. He has always been easy in the A.M., a morning person like me, and he climbs out of bed with no trouble at all, heading for his bathroom to make his way into the shower rotation.

While he does that, I cook. Two extra large breakfast sandwiches on whole wheat toast for Chad, and then I fill his thermos with coffee. The little guys are cereal eaters, which suits me just fine, but sometimes I surprise them with pretty pancakes or scrambled eggs. Andrew wakes the little one, Evan, up. Evan is a little more emotional in the morning– if there is to be a tearful meltdown about milk or school papers, this guy will be the one.

Chad does not wake up grumpy. In fact I’m not sure he wakes up at all until long after he’s left me, thermos and sandwiches in tow.

Evan is always the last one out and most days I have to make him hurry up. Friday was no different. While peering out my kitchen window clutching my freshly refilled coffee cup, I noticed lights through the dark fog at the next house down from ours. No, it was not an emergency vehicle. It was the school bus. Evan’s school bus.

Where was Evan? Well standing in front of the television zoned out slowly rotating his toothbrush around the inside of his mouth… naturally. I managed to fuss at him, snatch up the toothbrush, and shove him out the door waving the homework folder at him all at once. Then I let out an exasperated sigh and set to straightening up the clutter that a man and two boys strew all over the house. This is what I found:
What is this? A picture of shoes. My kid’s shoes. One sneaker, one soccer cleat. What makes this significant is that Evan only has one pair of sneakers that fit. So that means that HE WENT TO SCHOOL WEARING ONE SNEAKER AND ONE SOCCER CLEAT.

How does that even work?

Later that day he stumbled off the school bus looking a little sheepish. And lopsided in his mismatched shoes.

I find that in the face of any little kid that has suffered a day of funny shoe embarrassment, you’ll be hard pressed to find one that doesn’t love you for making him a treat with fresh whipped cream.
Fresh Whipped Cream

Ingredients

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

To Make

Using a mixer (stand mixer or hand mixer) with a whisk attachment, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and heavy cream on medium high speed until stiff peaks form. Use on or in your favorite desserts. Or just lick it off your fingers.
I layered this batch with squishy cubes of leftover chocolate cake, a little fudgy chocolate sauce, and a coarsely chopped snickers bar I had hidden in the freezer for just such an occassion.