Winter Day Activities

Good Wednesday morning!

The Gallery photos once again show my major imperfections in the kitchen department. We were supposed to have Caramel Fondue last night for dessert. I had skewers. I had angel food cake (not homemade). I had all FOUR ingredients for the fondue. As I put the fondue mixture on the stove eye, Mikie yelled for me to come to the bedroom to listen to The Boy on his radio show. I RACED to the back of the house, only to find out he had signed off earlier than normal because of a basketball game which was being aired. Heavy, heavy sigh.

I've said all of the above to let you know... I BURNED THE EASIEST FONDUE RECIPE IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND. I am so ashamed. So embarrassed. So determined to try it again tonight after church! Don't worry! Tomorrow's Gallery Pics are going to be SO much better... and the fondue will not be dark brown!

CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST! - LOOK FOR THE COLOR WORD IN THE POST TODAY!

RANDOMNESS #1 - I watched Oprah yesterday. This is not an everyday event for me. However, yesterday she was interviewing Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. (I love Debbie Reynolds. Roxie and I are going to have a movie date in a week or so and watch Tammy and the Bachelor. Do you remember that old movie? Love it.)

Okay. Focus, Enchanting Belinda! I assumed the interview was going to be about Carrie Fisher's weight, the difficulty of being a movie star's child, etc., etc., but much of the interview was about her mental illness. She was diagnosed with manic depression when she was a young woman. Today the diagnosis would be bipolar, but that wasn't an option several years ago. She talked about her mental breakdown and the times she spent in rehab.

I loved how incredibly open they both were about her mental illness. Even Debbie Reynolds at 78 years of age spoke about it intelligently and without shame.

I'm always so excited when a discussion about mental illness is brought to the forefront of a conversation and discussed with compassion, empathy and, in this instance, such poise, grace and love from Carrie's mother.

There was no shame. You could see how proud Debbie Reynolds was of her girl... her courage... her ability to continue to live a life which at times is extremely difficult.

They did a wonderful thing yesterday, and I appreciate their words. (I hope Oprah had 10,000,000 viewers. I really, really do.)

RANDOMNESS #2 - Yes. There is more, more, more to the story of how Mikie and I came to be the Faulkner Two. As always, skip ahead if you've heard it all before!

The Mikie and Belinda Story - Part Two

Let's see. Where did I leave off? Oh, yes. I was in the balcony of Shades Mountain Baptist Church with my friend, Kelley. She had just pointed out Mike, as well as her friend, Alesia, who we were to meet after the service.

Alesia turned out to be very established in the Singles Department at the church, and we met literally dozens of people our first two Sundays visiting there. Kelley, Alesia, and another girl, Celeste, and I became close friends, and it wasn't long until we were doing EVERYTHING together. Beach trips, shopping, movies, more shopping, out to eat, and even more shopping. Many of our activities were "group" activities, and along with Kelley, Alesia and Celeste, we had many other friends (male and female) in our core group. Mikie was one of our guy friends.

Mike and I hit it off immediately. He was incredibly easy to talk to, and he was fun to be around. He was considerate and sweet. He was a good listener... and I was a good talker.

Over our next three years together at Shades Mountain, he became my best male friend. Also, during our next three years together at Shades Mountain, it became obvious Mike's one and only goal was to date as many nice, Christian women as possible. And this was a goal he met!

It honestly did not bother me. Many times after a date, Mike would call and we would talk about anything and everything. I knew his story from beginning to present, and he knew mine. Because we were going on trips and retreats with the Singles Department, he had definitely seen me with no make-up, little sleep, and very grumpy, and I could say the same of him. Well, except the no make-up part. As far as I know, Mike has never worn make-up. (That would have been a deal breaker.) It didn't matter. We were friends.

I can remember the first time it bothered me when he called after a date. The girl he was dating at the time was wonderful, and she was a friend of mine. (Not close, but a friend.) Mike really enjoyed dating this particular girl, and she obviously, enjoyed his company, too.

At the time, I wouldn't have said I was jealous, but looking back, I'm sure I was. I was not livid or pouty or incredibly sad, but it definitely DID bother me... and up to this point, who Mike chose to date had never bothered me at all.

He, of course, was oblivious, and when he asked me my opinion of whether they should continue to date, I found myself hesitant to answer honestly... because I had to admit, the honest answer would have been, "NO! Are you insane? Open your eyes, man!"

Instead, I deferred and asked him what he thought. HUGE mistake. Having to listen to him go on and on and on for an hour or so about how this girl was SO wonderful and SO sweet and SO funny and SO cute was pure torture. And it was only made worse because she was definitely all of those things and more. I even thought so!

It was probably the first time I was happy when he said, "Well, good-bye," and we were able to end that very one-sided conversation.

Tomorrow, things turn around a little, but only because I took matters into my own hands (which, by the way, I do NOT recommend).

Wednesday Wisdom - Since we're still in LOVE mode around here, I decided to share some funny wisdom about the great institution of marriage!

"I married the first man I ever kissed. When I tell this to my children they just about throw up." Barbara Bush (Maybe it bothers her kids, but I think it's very sweet.)

"I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." Rita Rudner (I don't think this is especially funny, but I bet Mikie will.)

"Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, and half-shut afterwards." Benjamin Franklin (Wise, wise man.)

Winter Day Activities

We've had a lot of cold weather in Alabama this year... and we'll probably have a little more before Spring arrives. Here are some fun activities (from various websites) to keep your young kiddos entertained and happy during those long winter afternoons.

I've also added a schedule to help moms get some things done, too. You know... like laundry and dinner. Little things like that!

1. Ice Fishing - You will need a blue sheet or cardboard painted blue, dowel sticks, string and clothes pins.

Hang the sheet or cardboard from ceiling. Construct a fishing pole by tying one end of the string to the dowel, and tying the other end of the string around the clothes pin.

A parent stands behind the sheet/cardboard with a basket full of little dollar store goodies to attach to the clothes pins. Kids cast their fishing lines over the "ice" and know they've caught something when they feel a tug on their line.

2. Psychic Scavenger Hunt - This variation of the classic game has a mind-blowing twist... Competitors have to guess which items they're supposed to find.

You will need 5 to 10 objects that can easily be found in a specific room (bowl, brush, bottle, etc.).

One player writes out a secret list of 5 to 10 objects that can easily be found in a room, such as a bowl, a brush and a bottle.

He then announces the number of objects he's looking for, and the other family members have one minute to gather that same number of items.

If anyone brings an object that's on the list, he/she gets a point. And, of course, players have to put their items away before the next round.

You can also change the game by limiting the objects to things that begin with the same letter or are a certain shape.

3. Bouncing Raisins - You will need 6 raisins, a glass tumbler, vinegar and baking soda (or an Alka Seltzer tablet).

Pour a cup of water into the glass jar. Add one teaspoon of baking soda and stir until dissolved. Gently add one-fourth cup of vinegar and wait until it stops fizzing.

Drop in three or four raisins. Watch and see what happens (it takes about 10 to 15 minutes).

Note - The gas, carbon dioxide, that forms when you add vinegar to the baking soda forms bubbles all over the raisins. The raisins start to rise as the bubbles of carbon dioxide carry the raisins upwards and then they fall back to the bottom... again and again.

(I did this several times when the kids were little. It's fun and it keeps their attention for about 15 to 20 minutes. Each child can have their own glass. You can also let them add food coloring. We called it Dancing Raisins, and I had their favorite kiddie music playing. When the raisins danced, so did the kids. It released a little energy.)

4. Build a Fort - You can't go wrong with this classic. Building a fort can be as simple as throwing a blanket over a card table. Make sure to build the fort close to the TV so the kids can get comfortable later in the day and watch a video from their special fort.

5. Bring the Snow Inside - When the weather is simply too cold to go sledding or build snow forts in the great outdoors, bring the snow inside. Use a large bucket or bin, and fill the bathtub with snow. Put mittens on the children, and let them shovel and stack snow in the tub. Clean-up is SO easy. As the snow melts, it simply goes down the drain!

6. Rotate the Toys - Split your child's toy collection into different bins. Take some of the bins and stow them in the basement, and let the kids play with the current bin of toys. Every two days or so, swap out the bin of current toys for one in the basement. The kids will have an entirely "new" set of toys to entertain them on a cold winter day!

(I did this a lot, too. One day would be "dinosaur" day. One day would be "Lego" day. One day would be "puzzle" day. You get the idea!)

Okay. Here is your Winter Afternoon Schedule.

1:00 - 1:30 - If the kids are getting up from their nap, let them have 30 minutes with the "new" bin of toys. (You can get some laundry done during this time!)

1:30 - 1:50 - Help the kids build a fort. Use blankets and pillows from all over the house and expect to keep the fort in place for several cold weather days.

1:50 - 2:30 - Let the kids watch an age appropriate video from the fort... complete with non-messy snacks (Goldfish, juice boxes, etc. Make sure the fort has a nice big blanket or beach towels as the floor.)

(Once again, you have a few minutes to get something done. Maybe set the table for dinner!)

2:30 - 2:50 - It's time for Dancing Raisins. Crank up the music and help the kids get started making their raisins DANCE.

2:50 - 3:00 - Head to the Ice Fishing Station. Let each child have a turn to "catch" one prize. Keep the Ice Fishing Station in place for the next few cold days. You'll want to use it once a day for fun OR a reward system for good behavior.

3:00 - 3:30 - If there is indeed snow on the ground, now is the time to bring it in. Let the kids play with the snow in the bathtub while you fold clothes and put them away.

3:30 - 3:45 - Snuggle up under the fort OR on the couch and read for a little while. If one of your older children can already read, let them "practice" this skill by reading to the younger children while you continue getting ready for dinner.

3:45 - 4:15 - Let the kids have some coloring time on the floor in the dining room or the kitchen while you finish getting dinner ready.

Or during this time, you can also involve the kids in an age-appropriate cooking activity for dinner.

4:15 - 4:30 - This is clean-up time. Instruct the children to put away colors, books, toys, etc., etc. and put on some peppy music during this time to keep them moving.

4:30 - 5:00 - Free time. They can play in their rooms, in the play room, etc. They can play by themselves or with their siblings. They can play in the fort or look at books.

5:00 - 5:30 - Bath time and pajama time!

I saved the Scavenger Hunt for something Daddy could do with Mom and the kids AFTER dinner.

Of course, this is just a go-by and you can get PLENTY of new ideas from websites and other books. It's structured time, but it doesn't necessarily feel structured.

NOTE - If the kids are happy playing in the fort (or some other activity) for more than 30 minutes, by all means, LET THEM PLAY!

Thursday's Blog Linkage is HUGE and the date is FANTASTIC... even if I do say so myself. Visit again, won't you?

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda