My 11 year old son is learning to cook. Today he made a burnt omlette. I honestly thought someone was making fish because that was the smell which made its way back into my office. I can handle the smell of fish, even as strong as this was. Only a few smells can I not handle (like hard boiled eggs); smells which require use of my olfactory defense mechanism - breathing through my mouth until either the odor dissipates or I arrive at a fresh location.

However, the fishy omlette was too much for my 4 year old daughter. She cried and refused to eat lunch in the kitchen. She protested so much that the Queen (May she live forever) relocated her into my office. She eats beside me while I work, and while it seems this would be a most pleasant arrangement, there is a catch. In her quest to avoid a distasteful smell in the kitchen, she has brought her lunch into close proximity to me.

I honestly hope she is enjoying those hard boiled eggs, but I'm sure getting tired of breathing through my mouth.