Blackout!

Well, it wasn't as dramatic as it sounds. We had an interesting dinner tonight. I had just prepared dinner and was sitting down to cut it up for Grace when after a loud clap of thunder the power went out. It wasn't completely dark yet, but dark enough that I couldn't find a lighter. So I found some candles, used the gas range to light them, and sat down for a candlelit dinner. Grace thought it was all very interesting, and within a couple of minutes, the lights came back on. Phew! But that's when things did get dramatic. Naturally, Grace has not seen much of fire or candles -- except on birthday cakes. Her daycare has a birthday party once a month for the kids whose birthdays fall in that month. So as I prepared to help her eat, she started shouting, "Cake! Cake! Cake!" while pointing at the candles. This gradually turned into whining and fake crying and refusal to eat dinner. What's a mom to do? I ended up promising her a "coke-eh" (cookie) if she ate her broccoli (she actually likes broccoli). I'll have to keep this in mind if we ever need to get out candles again.