Cheep Cheep!

One day, when my youngest siblings were just tiny, my dad was at the grocery store and came up with a grand idea. Twenty minutes and a package of gummy worms later, the Cheap Cheap tradition was born. My dad, the eternal kid at heart, dangled these little gummy worms in front of my little siblings and asked them who wanted one. Of course, they all jumped up and down chanting that they wanted a treat.

So, instead of just handing over a worm, dad had to make it interesting. He explained that baby birds liked to eat worms but they had to cheep for them and the mother (or father bird in this case) would drop the worm into their mouths. So, in order for them to get their worm, they had to lay down and say "Cheap Cheap" and he would then drop a worm into their mouths. Obediently, all of the little ones immediately lay down on the floor and began to cheep. My dad got the biggest kick out of it.

Now, in order to get a gummy worm from my dad, you have to lay down and cheap for one and he will drop it into your mouth. I know....we are a kookie bunch. I have never denied that. I have never had a taste for gummy worms and therefore never really had the desire to have to lay on the floor and cheep for one. However, things change when you have kids.

Dad came over the other night. Like always, the kids knew that he was going to pull candy from their ears. This time just happened to be gummy worms. Instead of just handing them over, my kids immediately lay down and started cheeping (talk about well trained)for the treat. After a few worms, my dad said, "Get your mommy to do it now." After refusing for over 10 minutes, I finally conceded to having a worm pulled from my ear and then cheeping for it. When did I get to be such a push over? The pictures are not flattering but, I got a kick out of it!