Let's Go Fly a Kite

My girls have been sick for quite a while. Some awful gastrointestinal thing. I think (let's hope), it's merely lingering today and they're in recovery.

Yesterday, they'd been kept inside for three days. Hardly eating, lazing around, just generally feeling awful. Over the weekend, Dulce told me for the first time in her life, "I didn't have fun today, Mommy." Ouch. But what can you do?

Enter my brother. Poor guy is visiting us for the first time since we've moved down here. And we can't take him anywhere or do anything with him. And out of nowhere, it's suddenly freezing in Florida.

But who lets a stomach bug and bad weather get them down? Not these kids. We decided to fly kites.

 But there was no wind.

This was unacceptable, of course. But we were pawns of the weather. Can't you fix it, Tommy?

No, not really.

At least we got out of the house.


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Recipe Monday - Traditional Red Velvet Cake Frosting

This is not a cream cheese frosting. It also includes the microwave, which makes it my best friend forever.

3 TBS. flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. butter

Choose a large, microwaveable bowl (one quart-size or larger) to mix flour and sugar in, as mixture might bubble up some- this will reduce chances of spills in the microwave. To the large, microwaveable bowl, mix together: > 1 c. sugar > 3 TBS. flour

In separate, smaller bowl, microwave 1 minute or so, until hot: > 1 c. milk

Add hot milk to flour/sugar mix slowly, to avoid lumps. Microwave 2 minute more, stir. Return to microwave for only 30 seconds, if necessary, until mixture's bubbly hot.

Add to hot milk/flour/sugar mix: > 1 tsp. vanilla

Cover bowl with plastic; cool completely.

To a standing mixer, add: > The sugar/flour/milk mix > 1 c. butter, room temperature

Cream until light, on high speed, until very fluffy.

Frost cake.

Moment of the Week - 79: Headers

For a brief, shining moment last night, the girls rallied enough to play a game, after being sick all day. They're back to couch-laying now, but I was able to get the only laughs this house has had this weekend on camera.

Some stills, too.

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Toddler Tricks - 79: Alone Time

Problem: You've got kids. No seriously, that's the problem. Because when you have small kids, sometimes, well, that's it. They're always there, they always need or want you, they expect you to be at their beck and call, to straighten their disputes, to hug them when they fight, to talk to them about pretend shopping and castle building. And sometimes, it's just too much.

Solution: I mentioned "alone time" as a way to get the girls to leave each other alone when one is feeling a little cranky or doesn't want to be bothered. Once this phrase takes meaning in their minds, though, you can apply it to yourself. The other night, my husband needed alone time, and my using that phrase over and over again got him at least five minutes' peace at a time.

Sometimes, of course, five minutes isn't going to be enough, and you've got to do what you've got to do, so stick it out. Stick it out on the promise of alone time later. Do your best. Then, if you do get relief, use it. Go out for a walk, or go read a book. If your kids are napping, take an hour for you. Don't fold laundry or look at the taxes. Take a breather. Get up just a little before them. Have a cup of (hot!) coffee in peace. Think about your day, not in terms of your kids or the activities or schedule you've regimented yourself. Take a moment to live free. If that's at night, after they've gone to bed instead, sip on a glass of wine and contemplate not the minute details of the chores you didn't get done or the ways you failed your children, but what you like about your life, or for something completely different, let your mind run back to things you like that have nothing to do with your life now. You'll find you refresh yourself for the upcoming battles ahead.

It's harder to appreciate where you are in life if you never get a chance to see it, if you are too muddled in the details of the daily grind. Just a few minutes a day of adult alone time, used correctly, will keep your mood just a little bit brighter, which will transfer to your children, which will make the days go better by default.

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Teaching Kids to Count

Teaching kids to count. Easy right? I thought my kids had it down. They can go all the way up to 100. They can recognize written numerals up to 20. We add and subtract things on our fingers. In my little world, we're pretty advanced in the number world.

So, when ChildUp offered to send me a few packs of their "Teach Your Child To Count" cards, I actually emailed them back with the message, "Sure, we'll take them, but we already know how to count, so..."

They sent them anyway, and boy am I glad they did.

You see, when my kids have to actually count something, they tend to get too impatient and point at images twice or glaze over items so that they're always one or two off in their final tally. With these cards, the animals are so distinct and separated, I can slow them down. No, you counted that panda twice, or what about the elephant?

Putting recognizable animals to numbers is genius, and these aren't flashcards. There's no memorization involved.

The girls have to associate counting with the final number; nothing is by rote. They can count, add, subtract, and point out differences in animal types and environments.

They're interacting with the cards as if it's a game, unlike the videos we have on counting where they just stare at the screen while an annoying voice-over counts to cartoon images. And the age range is right. Kids really can use the cards from ages one to five. On each card, not only is there counting, but there's also the opportunity to categorize, add and subtract, and the images on the cards walk you through.

I thought we'd be starting at level two, but the cards showed me my awesome parenting/teacher skills had failed where I hadn't realized it. They caught on quickly and will be onto level two by next week, but we never would have gotten to where I already thought we were if not for this activity. There were major gaps in their base, and in math, the base is everything.

I'm super thrilled to have these cards, and I definitely recommend them to anyone looking to teach their kids basic math.

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As I mentioned, ChildUp sent me the cards, but the opinions are my true feelings. These are really great cards! (And you know my reviews are usually mixed.)