January 27, 2003 - 7:38 p.m.

Take Two

I wrote an entry earlier, but lost it when I tried to submit it. Ugh. Needless to say, I will be copying future entries before posting them. At any rate, I apologize in advance that this version probably won't be as interesting or well-planned as the first.

Anyway, I was amazed today, not for the first time, at how well a very simple activity can engross children. I pride myself on coming up with creative and fun things for the kids to do (from building with ice cubes to creating obstacle courses). Sometimes the activities that I think are most exciting or interesting end up being completely panned by the kids. Other times, things that I try despite suspecting the kids will get bored or tire of the activity quickly can end up being the most worthwhile. Today's interactive snack was a case of the latter. We had some melons in the fridge, so instead of cutting them up myself and offering them for snack only to have them rejected in favor of pretzels or animal crackers, I decided to give wedges to the kids along with a melon baller each and let them go to town. They spent 45 minutes scooping melon! The girls got a kick out following the "one for me, one for the bowl" pattern. B, who isn't a big fan of healthy snacks, ate more than he put into the bowl and was actually the best at achieving a roughly spherical melon ball. They would've spent even more time on the activity if there had been more melon to go around. Go figure. :) Goes to show that the old story about the kid who gets an expensive toy and promptly abandons it to play with the box is based on real life.

Today's nanny challenges including dealing with the plumber, literally cleaning up shit, and making H review a book on Thomas Edison she read a couple weeks ago so she is prepared to present a book report this week. The lost entry contained a detailed account of how much this child hates homework, and what types of fit she pitches on an almost daily basis about having to do it. Why would a child who BEGGED to spend more time on the internet today "researching" bears and writing down what she learned (which was all her idea) have a problem spending 30-45 minutes doing simple homework? Thankfully, since her parents want to have a part in her schoolwork, homework is usually not my problem.

I found out last night that in just under two weeks I can audition for a community theater production of The Secret Garden! I am so glad I checked the website that lists auditions! I LOVE that musical! It has gorgeous music, great roles, and it would be so much fun to do! There are only ten women's roles, and I am too young for about half of them, but regardless of my odds, I am not going to pass up a chance to be in such a great show. Better pick a song and start working on it now!

today's project: making and eating melon balls (see above)

musing about: what Mary Poppins would do with a child who refuses to do her homework

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