I Solve Mysteries

Mystery #1: The Case of the Missing iPod

For Christmas Alana had one major request: a real iPod. Not a fake one, a real one.

I had one major problem with this: she is four. I'm not buying her a brand new iPod. So instead, right after Christmas, I gave her mine. I never use it, she may as well. We loaded it up with all her favorite pop music, plus a few songs from the Tangled soundtrack, and she was ready to go.

Day and night, our house was filled with sounds of her off-key singing. Her favorites were the Tangled songs, especially the "lantern song". Its possible she's the next American Idol.

As time has passed her interest in her iPod has not decreased. I even bought her two new songs from The Little Mermaid. We should own stock in Disney, we give them all of our money anyway.

Then one day when she asked to listen to it, I couldn't find it. I had the headphones, but not the iPod, which made it that much more mysterious. Where was the iPod if the headphones were where they belonged? I remembered untangling the headphones for her, then I put them in a basket on the microwave. That was the last time I'd seen the iPod. My worst fear was that Ava had thrown it away, because that's how she rolls, and that the garbage had already gone to the dump.

I searched EVERYWHERE. I emptied every toy basket, laundry hamper, garbage can in our house. I looked on, underneath and in the couch. I checked every closet, the pantry, the kitchen cupboards, the fridge. I had to not only think of places Alana might put it, but places that a bratty one year old might shove it. Days passed, and no sign of the iPod. I was kind of mad, but it was more because I hate lost things. I have to find them. Especially when they cost $200.

After one week of no singing, due to the lost iPod, our house was very quiet. It was the day before grocery day, so I was cleaning out my fridge. I hate a dirty fridge. It's gross. That's where you put your food people! I pulled the empty crisper drawer and saw a flash of pink. It was the iPod! Hooray! It was cold, but it still works. Alana is grateful and our house is once again filled with off-key singing.

I think the real hero of this story is me. If I didn't keep my fridge clean, the iPod would probably still be in there. Think about it.

Mystery #2: Where's That Popsicle?

Ava cannot eat an entire popsicle. Blame it on physical limitations, lack of motivation, whatever. She typically brings me her half-eaten pop, shaking her head no. I take it back and put it in the freezer, for the next time she wants one. Or she throws it away and wipes her hands on me. Either way works.

Yesterday she was eating a white mystery Airhead popsicle. If you like Airheads, you'll like these pops. I give her the white kind for obvious reasons, it's white. Just as sticky as the other ones, but non-staining.

After Alana had finished her pop and thrown away the stick, I went looking for Ava. There's no way she was still eating hers. She wasn't. The popsicle was nowhere to be found. I searched her typical places. Toybox. Garbage can. Couch. Living room floor. No dice. It wasn't valuabe like the iPod so I gave up far more quickly.

Fast forward to today. While putting away laundry in the girls room I went to close the drawer on the play vanity and made a fascinating discovery.

One melted white mystery Airhead popsicle, complete with stick. Congealed overnight and aged to perfection.

If Ava hadn't left that drawer open I never would've seen it, because I don't keep my kids toy vanity as clean as I keep my fridge.

I can't take any real credit for this one, I was just in the right place at the right time. Dumb, popsicle finding luck.