At breakfast this morning….

Charlie: What’s her problem?

Max: Shorts are in a bunch about the milk puddles that Chloe left behind. She’s going nuts.

Cassie: SHE is right here in the room with you.

Max: Pffft.

Charlie: Pffft.

Cassie: You need to wipe up the milk puddles! Otherwise they get all over the homework and the newspaper.

Charlie: Why should HE have to wipe it up? Chloe’s the one who made the mess.

Max: (nodding his head vigorously) Yea. Chloe made the mess. (Smirks at Charlie, who immediately smirks back.)

Cassie: (mumbling bitterly) Never help out. Have to do everything…Do I need to give another Sponge Tutorial?

Max/Charlie: No!

Charlie: What’s a sponge tutorial?

Max: You don’t want to know. Anyway, as we’ve already established long ago, I don’t do sponges.

Cassie: Pffft. Unbelievable.

Charlie: How come?

Max: They smell. Makes your hands smell bad for like the whole day if you touch one. Total gross.

Charlie: Oh.

Cassie: They do not! I’ve already explained that MY sponges never smell because I wring them out thoroughly and change out the old sponges with new sponges like all the time.

Charlie: “MY” sponges? What, you OWN them or something?

Max: I know, right?! (under his breath) She’s crazy with the sponge thing.

Cassie: Again, talking about me like I’m not here. I can hear you!

(Max gets up to leave, ignoring me completely. He and Charlie exchange a high-five in exaggerated brotherly solidarity.)

Charlie: Have a good day, Bro!

Max: Yep. You too.

Cassie: Pffft. Look, your brother forgot to bring his cereal bowl to the sink. Max!!!! (Then to Charlie) Will you bring his bowl over with yours when you’re done, please?

Charlie: Yep.

Cassie: And could you wipe up that milk spill your sister left behind?

Charlie: No way! I’m not getting the sponge stink thing on my hands.

Cassie: There’s no sponge stink thing.

Charlie: I don’t believe you. (Wipes up the milk drips with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.) There!

Cassie: Charlie, now your sweatshirt is going to smell like sour milk!

Charlie: Oh well! (Leaves the kitchen to go brush his teeth. I can hear him talking to Scott, who’s still in the first floor bathroom, shaving.)

Scott: What’s up? Mom sounds mad.

Charlie: Sponges. She’s all worked up about sponges.

Cassie: (yelling from the kitchen) I am NOT worked up about sponges. I’m worked up that no one in this house ever uses one to clean up their messes.

Scott: I see what ya mean.

Charlie: Careful, Dad. She also has bionic hearing.