A RealFamilies RealFun Blog

Jul 10 2008

Caffeinated kiddos

Category: Come and Get It

Paul has come a long way from the trailer park he grew up in. Considering that his parents didn't finish high school, it's impressive that Paul has managed to not only graduate from high school, but leave college with two undergraduate and two graduate degrees.

Yet you can take the boy out of the trailer, but not the trailer out of the boy. There's something about Paul being white trash that comes out in our kitchen -- his love of cabbage fried up in bacon grease or cooking up big bowls of steamed beet leaves covered in vinegar. I've learned to like those dishes, too.

Then there's the white trash habit of letting kids drink coffee. Being true to their roots, Nathan and Lucie have developed an early love for the stuff. For most folks, coffee is an acquired taste. I didn't like it until I was in high school, but only drank coffee at the trendy cafes my friends and I hung out at way before Starbucks conquered the world. Still, I'm a diehard tea drinker. Herbal, chai, English or Asian blends...I love them all.

Paul's the family coffee drinker, having developed a strong habit in graduate school. (He's convinced that without it and beer, he wouldn't have survived college.) Weekend mornings, Paul will make himself a big mug of the stuff. But if he leaves it on the coffee table unguarded, it's a guarantee that the kids will sneak sips from it until it's gone.

There's nothing funnier than Paul picking up his mug, peering into it, and declaring, "Darn it, you kids! Who drank all my coffee?" Nathan and Lucie will then flee the scene of the crime, giggling all the way.

Just so Paul doesn't go into the coffee DTs, we've developed a recipe for kid's coffee so they can have their own mugs. You can probably find a version of this in your better white trash cookbooks.

Kid's Coffee
Take one kid sized mug and fill 1/2 to 3/4 of the way with milk. Add lots of granulated sugar, and then fill the rest of the way with coffee. Zap it in the microwave until warm but not hot. Stir and serve.

(You can also fill up a sippy cup 3/4 of the way with milk. Add some sugar and a little coffee. Then put on the lid and shake. Do not heat in microwave. Serve.)

Note:  After drinking, take the kids to school and let the teachers deal with your over-caffeinated, hyper offspring. If it's summer break, call grandma to come over and play toss in the yard so you can go back to bed.

 

Jul 9 2008

My daughter, the doctor

Category: At Home

Paul and I are convinced that Lucie's going to be a doctor. Even before she turned three, she loved to play with the doctor's kit Santa gave her last Christmas. When Nana was here, they watched a veterinary show on Animal Planet. For several days, all Lucie could talk about was being an "animal rescue doctor" so she could help dogs when they "had blood" (Lucie's term for being injured).

She's fascinated with boo-boos and being sick. Also, she's constantly decorating her body with band-aids and slathering ointment on her "scratchies" (patches of eczema on her legs, tummy and arms).

The other afternoon, Lucie walked into the kitchen wearing the glasses from her doctor's kit and holding a play stethoscope. She greeted me by saying, "Hi, I'm Dr. Sushi. How are you today?"

Gosh, a real live house call. Hope my insurance covers it.

 

Jul 8 2008

Have you seen our brains anywhere?

Category: Just Me

Lucie and I were driving back to the house one afternoon after running errands. She was singing her ABCs, "A-B-C-D-E-F-G and now I know my ABCs." Knowing that she wasn't getting it right, Lucie started getting frustrated.

"A-B-C-D, now I know my ABCs. Oh that's not right! Mooooom, I think I lost my brain!!"

I started laughing, struggling to keep the car on the road. Convinced that my brain matter was expelled along with the placenta after Nathan and Lucie's births, I replied, "Honey, join the club. I lost my brains a long time ago."