“The Rice Box: A Love-Hate Relationship”

Several months ago I saw some simple rice boxes in blog land that functioned like a sand box, but used rice instead. It was the middle of January, and we were lucky to get above 10°, so an indoor rice box struck me as pure genius. I mean, rice particles are bigger than sand so surely it would be easier clean-up, right?

I filled it with rice, added dump trucks, funnels, measuring cups and a few buried treasures and excitedly told the kids to go to town. It wasn’t until I assembled the thing, let the kids dig around in it, and then vacuumed up enough rice to feed a third world country that I realized there might be a few drawbacks :)

I let them do this for a few days in a row before I decided “we” (meaning “I”) needed a break from our wondrous indoor rice box. I put it away in the deep dark storage room and we went back to other forms of winter entertainment-- like cartoons. Okay, so we did brain stimulating activities too, but I was really over the rice box.

Just the other day Parker asked about the rice box and I begrudgingly brought it out and let him have it in his room for quiet time on top of a sheet. Meredith woke up from her nap and discovered the joy of dumpling, pouring, sifting, and (of course) throwing rice. It was still a mess, but they stayed glued to that spot for almost TWO hours until Madelyn got home, at which time she joined in the fun too! Thanks to the sheet, we were able to dump the rice back into the box and I only had to vacuum up enough rice to feed a family of four this time.

Then it hit me—it’s 80°, they can take this thing outside! Now we’re all happy with the rice box. I’ve learned two things about the rice box:

1. To use one in the house you have to be a really laid back mom, and apparently I am not.
2. Lucky for my sanity, kids enjoy the novelty of digging around in rice outdoors just as much as they do indoors.

What other novel concepts do any of you have for entertaining kids?

The Mother's Day Birthday Bash

Admittedly, this is not the most sentimental Mother's Day picture that has ever been taken, but it is the one where the kids were the most authentic and had the most fun! It was 2:30 pm and Meredith had not yet had her nap, so the only way she was willing to participate in family picture/torture time was to be bribed with a bowl of "peanups" as she likes to call them.





I was able to edit the "peanups" out of this one.



Her official birthday is tomorrow but we celebrated today since Adam will be working late.



She had a lot of fun opening the first present, which was a little bear puzzle that works like a paper doll. The various pieces can be swapped out to create different outfits and faces. After she got that open she didn't want to open anything else!

I have enjoyed a wonderful Mother's Day. Adam and the kids went out yesterday to "see a man about a horse" (do some gift shopping) and I got some time in the afternoon to enjoy an unusually quiet house. I was very impressed that no one slipped up and revealed what they had purchased! They were positively delighted with themselves for keeping the secret from me. This morning Adam made breakfast (which the kids declared to be the best French toast ever).

Since my mom died six years ago Mother's Day has been bittersweet for me. My first Mother's Day as a mother was also my first one without my own mom. In the intervening six years I have learned a bit more about what motherhood really requires, and have come to appreciate a little bit of what it takes to be a successful mother, although I am definitely not naive enough to think I have "arrived"! I increasingly value my own mom each year and the sacrifices that she made to give me the opportunities that she did. I also have a deep sense of gratitude for other mothers who have influenced me and helped shape my understanding of motherhood, not the least of which is my mother-in-law. Every day I live with the product of her nurturing and feel so blessed to be its recipient.

Happy Mother's Day!

April Showers Bring . . . Produce! (we hope)

On Saturday we got the garden all set up. We put in a square foot garden last year, so all we had to do this year was add some more compost to the soil and put the grid back on top of the boxes. Once it was all set up we planted some spinach, lettuce, and peas.

Parker really wanted to help Adam hammer in the nails, so Adam started the nail and then let Parker go to town. Everyone's fingers managed to stay intact.

While the big kids worked, Meredith enjoyed her lunch al fresco on the deck.

About 20 minutes after the work was done it started pouring, so those seeds got a good start!

Easter Egg Hunt--The New American Way

Friday night we enjoyed our traditional Easter Egg hunt and dinner with another family. The ages ranged from 1 year through 6 years.

To give the little kids an edge, we told the older ones that their eggs were hidden back toward the woods and that they couldn't take anything that they could see on the deck.

Within about 10 minutes the whole ordeal was over. Meredith collected three eggs and couldn't concentrate on getting more once she realized that there were treats inside. Madelyn's bag was full, and Parker had a good time hunting, but didn't get quite as many eggs. When we got back inside we had a little tax and redistribution of the sugary wealth, in keeping with the New American Way; although I strongly dislike the policy in the political arena, it made the Easter Egg hunt a little happier!

“Turn on the Speed!”

We have had lovely spring weather for the past few weeks. Saturday we took the kids on a bike ride around the neighborhood. As we were leaving Parker turned to Adam and said, “Dad, I’m going to turn on the speed!” True to his word, he sped off and then stopped at the stop sign to wait for us. As an aside, we’re working on bike etiquette and rules since the freedom of wheels underneath him is a bit intoxicating for this little boy. He frequently rides off into the sunset, and it requires one of us cutting him off at the pass to catch up with him. He may not be getting his driver’s license at sixteen. Anyway, after he “turned on the speed” we continued on our walk to the kids’ favorite hill. On the way down the hill, his speed got the better of him and he hit the pavement, HARD. Luckily, the doctor was in, and after a bath and some antibiotic ointment, he was on his way to a full recovery.

All Aboard!

See if you can follow this train of thought. On Sunday Madelyn said, "Sunday dinner is my favorite." Adam responded with "I really like Sunday meals too." Parker jumps in with,"Yeah, and when I go to the mail box I get the male and when Madelyn goes, she gets the female." I would love to spend a day in his head thinking all his thoughts. Meal+mail+male+female=a great ride on the Parker Express!

Making a Splash

Winter is still very much alive and kickin' here in our part of the country, but yesterday Madelyn and Parker started swimming lessons. It seemed a little strange to bundle them up in full winter gear and head off to swim, but that's exactly what we did!

Parker had not done lessons yet and felt a little nervous, thinking he might have to put his whole face underwater for 20 minutes straight (that's the preschool equivalent of .1 second), but it didn't take him long to figure out the water was warm and that this would be a great way to spend Saturday mornings for the forseeable future :)

Madelyn did a great job as well. Her first swim lessons were when she was just younger than Parker and it took several lessons before she stopped crying and was willing to loosen the vice grip around the teacher's neck when she was in the water. Oh what a difference a couple of years makes! Yesterday she got right in the water and within minutes was going across the pool holding onto nothing but a noodle. I can't wait to see her progress!

In other news, namely the kitchen, I tried a new recipe this week that I came across on the blog http://www.chocolateonmycramium.blogspot.com/ (how could I not love a blog with that name?!) It was wonderfully simple and I thought I would pass it on.

Triple Chocolate Brownies

1 package (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding

1 package (18.25 oz) chocolate cake mix

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Prepare pudding according to package directions. Whisk in cake mix. Stir in chocolate chips. The mixture will be very thick. Spread into a greased 10 x 15 x 1 inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until top springs back. Dust with powdered sugar. Makes 4 dozen.

They are lighter than a traditional brownie, but are wonderful nonetheless.