"All My Children" at my house

4:15 pm  Carpool arrives and drops off children
4:16 pm  "Moooooommm!  She could have at least assisted me!!!" Nine year old is staring at me with utter frustration, while barely gripping a ripped up grocery bag spilling over with soggy snow gear.
Still 4:26 pm "Well it's all HIS fault... he's the one that broke my SLED!" a shrill seven year old voice screams from the mudroom.  A nano moment of quiet followed up with, "Owwww, ow,owwww!"  Now add convulsive sobbing.  It seems that in the heat of this constructive conversation, the seven year old has rammed her elbow down on the granite counter top - in an animated attempt to make her point clear.
Well, Good Afternoon, Friends.  What seems to be the problem?  I guess I will never mind about the "How was your day?" question.
"Well it just stinks that we don't get to sled for a whole week!"
"Why did you let your friends use my sled... huh?"
"That's NOT why we can't sled anymore - it's because people were diggin' holes and pitfalls and the sleds were falling in them, and runnin' into stuff, and kids were getting hurt."
"Mom - my sled is still broken and I don't even care about the holes and whatever."
"Well, it's just not fair - people weren't even getting hurt that bad."
How about a snack, children?
Eating ensues and there is a well-deserved quiet that falls over the kitchen. They are now moving the discussion on to the cost differentiation between a Nintendo DSi and an ipod Nano.
4:26  The seven year old has gotten a hold of herself and speaks, "Well, mine was free... because I got it from Santa!"
4:26 1/2 The nine year old rebuttal: "No.. uh uh.  Santa is magical because he makes the toys, but then he just bills the parents, right mom?"
A moment of quiet, deep thought. 
"Oh...  Do you want play legos or go outside or what?  I don't care if I don't have a sled.  We can just use that piece of the Slip 'N Slide in the garage - it will work."
"Sure - okay, just let me finish my snack and then I will meet you out there."
"Great!  See you on the hill!  Or do you want me to wait for you?"
"Go ahead, I'll be right there.  Thanks anyway."
So it seems that all is right with the world. In ten minutes flat, we have gone from a melodramatic performance of great proportions to a scene from Loony Toons where the two chipmunks, Chip and Dale, are getting along famously - saying things like: "Before you!  Oh, no, no... before you!  Oh, no, really, I couldn't - you go right ahead..."
The snack is finished and the suiting up for sledding has begun.
One more comment, on his way out the door to slip 'n slide the cul-de-sac mountain, "Oh, yeah, Mom - just to tell you, look at my neck.  I got a pretty nasty scratch."
What from?
"I nailed a little tree when I was sledding because I hit a hole and it bumped me all around."
Hmmm... so are you still going with the "It's not fair, people weren't getting hurt on their sleds" argument?
"Huh?"
And so it goes... just another day in the life...