Mom, you're on fire

My kids have long thought I'm nuts and frankly, I sometimes look for crazy things to do to perpetuate that belief. But what happened this morning has completed cemented the "crazy woman theory" in Annie's mind anyway. And I wasn't even trying!

To fully understand the events as they unfold, you have to appreciate the fact that I am wearing a ratty, old housecoat I've had for 15 years. The whole thing is falling apart and the material is rotting away. A large hole is found on the back left shoulder and the pockets are gone. The belt is very short due to pieces ripping off as I pull it tight. (OK so I'm cheap - what can I say?)

The scenario: our kitchen where Annie is eating a bowl of cereal at the breakfast bar and I'm preparing breakfast for myself. I put two eggs on the stove to soft boil. A few minutes later while the eggs are boiling away, I decide to reach for the apple juice in a cupboard above and left of the stove. I lean way over and grab the container. As I pour myself a glass directly across from Annie, I notice smoke rising up past my nose. Annie looks at me and shakes her head as I realize the belt of my housecoast is on fire. I move to the sink and douse the end.

Triumphantly, I turn to Annie to show her how I diverted a near catastrophe even though the end of the belt is now black. She takes one look at me and, in her unflappable way, says, "Mom, you're on fire." I look down only to realize the whole front of the housecoast is flaming away. I managed to extinguish all the flames but the housecoat is now just a rag - thank goodness Mother's Day is coming. (BTW - I didn't sustain any personal injury, thanks for asking.)

I turn back to Annie and she's still slowly eating her cereal, shaking her head in disbelief. She can hardly believe that they are going to let me take care of 16 kids at Dalat.

I'm sure the dorms come equipped with fire extinguishers.