April Fools Day 2009 recap

We had a little April Fools Day mirth on the homefront, starting with a prank Mason had plotted a couple of days in advance to get the jump on his older brother. Inspired by something he had seen on television, Mason asked me if I'd help him switch the innards of two of our cereal boxes so when Sam thought he was pouring Honey Bunches of Oats, he instead would be surprised by the Cinnamon Toast Crunch that landed in his bowl.

Of course I was all too happy to be the accomplice, making sure to make the switcheroo after the kids had gone to bed the night before. I took it a step further in the morning by doing some suggestive selling, strategically placing the breakfast options out on the butcher block table that acts as our kitchen island so that Sam would be sure to choose cereal over his other favorite, bagels.

Worked like a charm. Sam, still sleepy and a bit bleary eyed, grabbed the cereal, poured it into his bowl, paused, and realized that he had been fooled. Mason and I let out a couple of belly laughs, and Sam gave himself the I-should-have-had-a-V8 forehead slap.

Later, after reading Velma's post about her family's April Fools Day exploits, I was inspired to try a version of kitchen magnet chicanery. While Brandy and Benjamin were at the library, I cleaned off of the refrigerator, and placed all of the magnets on the back of my car so that they would be the first thing Brandy saw when she pulled into the driveway.

Brandy is not a big fan of stickers on cars. Even the dump and beach stickers are an aesthetic struggle for her. Sure, she likes getting rid of the household trash and taking the kids to the beach, but if it could be done using some sort of E-Z Pass-like system or by flashing an ID, she'd be so much happier.

So I knew there would be some shock value in seeing all of those magnets on the back of the newest car in the family, but the ruse was more successful than I could have anticipated. Brandy couldn't stop laughing, and was doubled over so much she couldn't get out of her car for a few minutes. Benjamin, not quite sure what was going on, laughed along with her for a bit, but after a few minutes asked Brandy why she was crying. She explained she wasn't crying, just laughing too hard.

Success!

Later, during dinner, we were asking Sam and Mason about their days at school. Mason said he and his classmates had tried to play a trick on their teacher, by hiding under their desks after she had left the room. As we understand it, one of the classmates wasn't so sure about playing along, so the trick was not a complete success, but the students had fun. Brandy and I surmised that April Fools Day must be the worst day of the year for teachers far and wide.

The wheels were turning in Sam's head throughout dinner. How was he going to get his revenge on Mason? He confessed he had been making a mental list all day of tricks that he was going to play on Mason the following year. I reminded him in a whisper that he still had a few hours left. That sealed it: He decided to tie knots in the pant legs of Mason's pajamas. While Mason excused himself to go to the bathroom, Sam excused himself to head upstairs to prepare his ruse.

At the end of the night, as I was helping Benjamin into his pajamas, Sam came in to show me what he had done. He had only tied off one leg, so I recommended he do the same to the other leg.

I'm such a troublemaker. Any wonder from whom they got that gene?

Later, Mason entered the room to change his clothes. I almost ruined it for Sam, as I could barely keep a straight face. I had to look away from Mason, so he wouldn't think anything was amiss. Sure enough, Mason started to pull on his pajama pants, and for a few moments kept jamming his foot into the pant leg when the foot wouldn't go all the way through, oblivious to what was causing the impediment. I finally could bust out some laughter, and revenge was sweet for Sam.

May the rest of the April Fools Days that lay ahead be as fun -- and as harmless -- as this year's! I am sure they are all plotting their revenge on me for next year.