1 All happy families are not alike especially families with seven kids But happy families are a lot like pizzas Once you find the right combination of ingredients things go together nicely My name is Curious McCarthy I am in the fourth grade and I am going to be a scientist I just recently decided on this career so I am practicing As a serious scientist I use
footnotes 1 And for the record my family is pretty much a happy family if you can ignore dirty socks on the sofa and long lines outside the bathroom Big families can also be a lot of work Even happy ones It takes some experimentation to get things right Last week I decided to try chemistry My week as a chemist went something like this Sunday 6 59 p m How do I look Dad asked Great Mom said Except for the white socks said my oldest sister Charlotte As a scientist I like to observe And tonight I
observed something unusual Dad was wearing a suit He doesn’t usually wear a suit 2 You want to look professional for your week at B-Dale Engineering Mom said That was it Dad was going back to work Dad is retired So normally he stays at home He usually does all the cooking and a lot of the cleaning and stuff But sometimes he takes a temporary job for extra cash You kids are going to start helping with dinner Mom said starting our family meeting Sunday night is family meeting night In a family with seven kids meetings are necessary for things to run smoothly Actually meetings are necessary to avoid chaos Dad is an engineer He is very organized He
makes precise meals I was curious to hear how the kids would be helping I have it all planned out Dad said He tacked a chart to the refrigerator The five oldest kids will cook dinner Monday through Friday Mom and I will cover the weekend
