We started our Christmas baking today with snowball cookies. Baba and Margie each had their own cookie sheet to fill with balls of dough they rolled themselves. I must say I was impressed with their results, especially Margie’s. Without any help from me, she made that straight row of cookies you see. 
November 29, 2005
Christmas Baking
November 24, 2005
You Asked For It!
This is what my family looks like after Thanksgiving dinner. I have so much to be thankful for!
November 23, 2005
A Special Message
This is a message from the Cartoon Family to Papa K. We all hope you have a great birthday and many more to come! Blessings to you!
November 22, 2005
Bad News, Good News
First the bad news: I’m running on three hours of sleep. Margie woke us last night at about 12:30 (less than an hour into sleep, thanks to Monday Night Football) with the banshee screeching that seven years of experience has taught us can only mean one thing–vomiting. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before, but there’s not much I hate worse than dealing with sick children. I’d rather be sick myself. There’s something very disheartening about filling the washing machine for the second time during the wee hours and praying that you have enough towels and sheets to last until the first load is dry. Thankfully, Margie fell asleep for the rest of the night sometime around 2:30, and she claims to feel perfectly fine today (complete with a healthy level of energy, of course). I’m still trying to catch up on laundry but have given up on sleep until tonight.
Now for the good news: Thanks to a recommendation from our good friend Kirsten, I picked up the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, M.D. I’m only a couple of chapters into the book, but I already ran across an anecdote which almost exactly described Juniors sleep quirks. The solution? An earlier bedtime! Now, those of you who know our family routine know that not one of our kids stays up late except on rare occasions. Junior himself is almost always in bed by 7:30 PM, which is “early” judging by the reactions of most people. However, this book suggested that frequent night wakings can sometimes be eliminated by pushing bedtime up even further. I figured we had nothing to lose, so the past two nights we’ve given it a try. Sunday night he was in bed by 7:10 and last night he was in bed by 6:45. Both nights he’s slept through until 5:30-ish!! This is by no means a sure thing, given Junior’s history, but the favorable results give me a little hope! We’re still working on getting him to sleep later in the morning (which, contrary to popular opinion, Dr. Weissbluth insists will also be improved with an early bedtime), but if I had to choose between the night wakings and early rising, I think I’d take the early mornings.
So, although I didn’t get much sleep last night, I was thankful that I wasn’t up with a crying baby along with a sick preschooler. How’s that for a silver lining?
November 18, 2005
November 15, 2005
Practicing My Poker Face
This morning as Baba and I sat on the couch reading from our science book, I heard Margie call from my bedroom: “Mom, can you come here?” I asked her to wait until I was finished reading to Baba. A few minutes later, I heard, “Mom, it’s raining in your room.”
Realizing nothing good could be involved with a statement like that, with dread I trekked to my room to investigate. There stood Margie in the middle of a puddle on the carpet.
“Mom, it’s raining in your room.”
Fighting hard to keep a straight face, I sternly challenged Margie on the accuracy of her statement. She decided to change her story:
“I needed to go to the bathroom, but then the potty changed its mind to come out now.”
And now you know why mothers make great poker players.
Lost Tooth
A tooth fell out, and left a space
So big my tongue could touch my face.
And every time I smile, I show
A space where something used to grow.
I miss my tooth as you can guess
But then, I have to brush one less!
November 11, 2005
We Won!
A few weeks ago on a whim I submitted a picture of Baba with one of his school projects to the Distaff, which is the Tapestry of Grace online newsletter. Look who won the photo contest this month! I didn’t even realize it until I received a $10 gift certificate in the mail, but what a great surprise!
November 10, 2005
The Legend Lives On . . .
Thirty years ago today, the Edmund Fitzgerald was lost in a storm on Lake Superior only a few miles from the safety of Whitefish Bay. We’re listening to Gordon Lightfoot this morning in rememberance of the tragedy. Tonight at 7 PM EST we’ll be viewing a live webcast from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.
Be sure to visit the Minneapolis Star Tribune website dedicated to the event.
