Jen, Eli just had his removed--I can completely understand what panic you must have felt!!!

He has a retainer now, so we're just concentrating on not losing that!

Amanda (FIAR BOARDS)
 

Ah ha ha ha ha ha....how these kids are gonna make it through us is beyond me!
 

Too funny!
 

Too funny!
 

(I should've checked the other comments before I posted, but it was really funny)
 

did you find the crank yet or get the kids to make a new one? ;)

My mom's car had a special key for her hub caps, to keep them from being stolen. I don't know how the key got separated from her car, but it did. One day she had a flat and called home for us to come and bring her the key... we couldn't find it anywhere. They had to break the hubcap to get it off.

Turns out my brother had taken it (not knowing what it was) but it was just right for working on his motorcycle...he was away at college!

I hope you find the crank soon. Can't imagine what it would cost to get a new one.
 

Yes, we did find my 10 year old's crank. We're keeping it in a baggie on the refrigerator now, so we shouldn't lose it again.

Thanks for everyone's concern! :-)
 

Holy cow, Jen, I'm glad I wasn't drinking coffee when I read that!
 

Oh, I'm glad you found it! I remember having to twist my brother's expander since my mother couldn't bare to do it.
 

My best friend had one of those when we were kids. Is it called a binater or something like that? Catherine always had to turn hers 1/4 turn at night. I can remember spending the night at her house. I'd usually fall asleep watching the numbers flip on her hi-tech alarm clock that had her crank lying on top of it.
 

When you gotta have your crank, you GOTTA have your crank. You may want to look into the Betty Ford Clinic. Anya may need a short stay.
 

That is very, very funny!
 

My daughter and I both had those. Ick! Mine was the primitive sort, and they've come a long way, at least since then. (Did ya find it?)