Innocent Until Presumed Guilty ...

Bob was taking apart the old computer to retrieve any reusable parts. He thought it might interest the kids to see what a computer looked like inside so he called them all to come see.

Milo took one look at all the parts all over the floor, some of them (deliberately) bent out of shape, and said, "I did NOT do that!"

Happy sweeping!

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com

Teacher's Jar ...

I don't know if it is customary where you live but here, we give our children's teachers a little gift to thank them for putting up with our children and not running away in a mad frenzy months earlier. Some parents give gifts that can be used in class next year, while others give something the teacher can pamper themselves with.

This year, our oldest daughter Neva, with the help of Mommy and her little sister Willa are making "Do-it-yourself" Muffins. To me, it seems such a great idea that I thought I'd share it with you. You simply pack all the dry ingredients in a mason jar, add a tag that lists the wet ingredients the receiver needs to add and cooking instructions.

Now we can't take credit for the idea, it in fact comes from a book called Gifts in a Jar: For Kids by G & R Publishing. You can find it at Amazon.

Amazon.com
http://www.contesthound.com/jump/link.php?id=6270

Amazon.co.uk
http://www.crazycompers.co.uk/jump/link.php?id=6271

Amazon.ca
http://www.contesthound.ca/jump/link.php?id=6272

Happy sweeping!

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

Chairwomen of the Bored ...

It's less than two weeks before our kids are home from school for the summer. Maybe we're getting a little taste of what it might be like this year as both girls are home sick today. It's interesting that once they decide that they indeed are sick, they become rather easily bored. I certainly hope today doesn't foreshadow the holidays.

Our oldest, Neva, has already done some reading, played on the computer, had a couple of snacks, watched TV and she's only been out of bed for a few hours.

Willa has done pretty much the same but she has liberally peppered her down time with countless questions ... "Can I go outside?", "When's lunch?", "Do I have a fever?", "When's Mommy home?"and on and on.

Kathleen would say that I'm the same way when I'm sick. It's a funny helplessness that comes immediately after being officially labeled as "sick" by Kathleen. As with the kids, I too get bored and eventually, almost miraculously, start "feeling better", at least enough to start doing things for myself ... really, I do ... honest!

Happy sweeping!

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

Winter Break or Winter Broken?

It was quite an adventure, our first big family trip. The kind where parents earn a merit badge for survival. It started the week before, when Willa was home sick with a terrible cough and then a bladder infection. I got a sinus infection, which made packing a laborious task. The night before we flew out, we drove through a wee snow storm, complete with cars in the ditch and a tractor trailer spun the wrong way on the highway. Then Milo threw up his entire dinner all over the van ("Happy Meal"? I don't think so!), and our two-hour drive became a four-hour one. Luckily the flight the next morning was uneventful, even exciting, and we arrived in Florida safely and on schedule.

Despite the weather being, well, not entirely Florida-like (it was cold and windy), and despite Neva getting Milo's flu mid-week, we did have a wonderful visit with my mother. We celebrated Willa's 5th birthday; Neva and Milo lost teeth and were visited by the American Tooth Fairy; the sun shone every day but one; we visited the Salvador Dali Museum and the Clearwater Aquarium for rescued marine animals; we had lovely weather the last 2 days; the kids did get to "swim" in the ocean the day before we left (it was freezing) and we had one good swim in the pool. Best of all, there was no snow, no computer, no work and no morning rush!

I can't wait to go back next year!

Happy sweeping!

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com

Head Over Heels ...

I don't know what it is about my daughter Willa, but ever since we enrolled her in gymnastics this fall, she's been flipping an awful lot. She'll hang from the slats of the upper bunk bed and flip her feet through. She'll hold my hands and back-flip through our arms, hanging upside-down for as long as my arms can hold her before flipping through and landing on her feet.

And in the last few weeks it has been taking us much longer to walk to school than usual because she stops every house or two to do a somersault. One cold snowy morning this week, as I was returning home from dropping the kids off at school, I walked past our neighbors' long side yard. And there in the fresh snow was the evidence of Willa's earlier passing: 4 or 5 footprints and one full-body Willa print, 4 or 5 footprints and one full-body Willa print; 4 or 5 footprints and one full-body Willa print...

Happy sweeping!

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com

Let Me Tell You a Story ...

Last week when I wrote about my youngest daughter Willa just beginning to learn to read, I mentioned my oldest daughter and her struggle to learn when she was in Kindergarten. Looking back at it, I suppose she didn't struggle much more than any other average 4- or 5-year old, but she also didn't "take off" the way most of her classmates did in the few years that followed.

In Grade 2, it was very difficult to get her to sit down to read to me, much less on her own. She hated the books her teacher sent home and the ones she chose from the library proved too difficult. It was discouraging for both of us. Then Grade 3 brought her an understanding teacher who introduced Neva to a collection of books the teacher thought would be good for her. The night Neva brought the first of the series home she was anxious, having taken a good three weeks to complete the last book she had read. But she went far beyond any of our expectations when she read the entire book in a two-hour sitting! She has since been devouring the rest of the series and has branched out into different authors and longer, more involved stories.

Although I love to read now, I wasn't an avid reader when I was young, other than during the summer months. (This has always surprised me since my parents and my older sisters were never without a novel on the nightstand!) So to see Neva beg to read "just one more chapter" before bed has me thrilled. It helps to remind me that, at her own pace, Willa too will become a good reader.

Happy sweeping!

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com

M is for ...

The kindergarten teacher at our school has a special reading program for her students. Each Tuesday, a book bag is sent home with an easy reader, a story book and a duotang that holds poems they are learning in school. Our youngest daughter, Willa, who began Junior Kindergarten this fall, has seen her sister and brother bring these special books home all her life. So she was thrilled the day she brought home her first book bag.

Now, Willa wasn't old enough to remember Neva struggling to learn to read. But she has been aware of Milo's intuitive ability to read, sound out and spell. Naturally, she believed that being in possession of the revered book bag would magically turn her into a proficient reader. Thankfully she doesn't get frustrated with the reality of it all. But she will quickly cover my mouth if I'm helping her with something she remembers from the last time we read.

Still, she has begun the exciting journey through letter sounds and words, particularly the initial consonant sounds: "Duh-duh-duh...Daddy". In fact, the other day we were looking at things on my desk and, thinking of marker, I asked, "What begins with M?"

"Muh-muh-muh ... muh-muh-muh ... PENCIL!"

Happy sweeping!

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com