Science Playdate

I belong to an international club called MOMS Club. MOMS stands for Moms Offering Moms Support. Even though I sometimes feel like the other mothers in our local chapter aren't quite my usual crowd, it has really become a valuable resource for me and Jonah. It has been a great way to meet other stay at home moms in our new area, and even though we don't always agree on lifestyle choices, I have made quite a few good friends. I'm sure they all think that I'm weird, but they accept my weirdness and that is the best I could ask for from any friend. If you are interested in this group, go to their website http://www.momsclub.org/ You might have a chapter near you, or be able to start one!

One of the things that we do as a local chapter is play group. There are often several playgroups in a month, and one person hosts a very over the top themed playgroup. Last month, it was Winter Wonderland. The mother had paper plate ice skating, an indoor "snowball" fight, and they built marshmallow snowmen for a snack.

This month, they were having trouble finding someone to host the play group. I was hesitant, because every time I take Jonah to play group, the children are all very much older than him and we typically have to leave early because of his behavior towards the other children or the property of the hostess.

But, no one else volunteered and I did have some really fun ideas. So I decided to host a Science themed play group! I am really, very glad that I did. Some people are asking me how in the world I planned this, so I thought I'd blog about it. It really didn't take me long at all, and the materials that I used are extremely easy to get. Most of them, you probably already have around your house!

Crafts (we called them experiments for this playgroup!): There's always at least one craft at the big playgroup, sometimes two. I decided to do two, because one is very quick and easy, and the other one can be done by younger children as well as older children. The first craft was Flubber.
No one knows why, but kids love this stuff! They love making it too. I can't describe the moment of wonder that comes across their face when they suddenly realize that the contents in their cup has become this gooey little treasure. Making flubber is incredibly easy. I mix a solution of 1/2 water and 1/2 Elmer's school glue (I find that brand does make a difference here!) in a water bottle or a washed out soda bottle. When I have a lot of kids, I mix it it 2 liter bottles. I also mix a solution (okay, technically it's a suspension...) of water and Borax. I just keep adding borax to the water until it no longer dissolves. I use an empty water bottle for this, too. Borax is a laundry additive and is usually between the Oxyclean and bleach at the store. When it is time to do our experiment, each child gets a dixie cup and popsicle stick (or whatever stirring device you have handy- spoons work well too) I put a bit of the glue solution in each cup and give them a choice of two colors. If you have more than two choices, it can get chaotic. For coloring, I use poster paint. You can water it down in one of those travel toiletries bottles, you don't need a whole lot. Paint works much better than food coloring. I add the paint of choice to the child's glue and tell them to stir it, so the glue becomes colored. Then I add the borax solution, just a few drops at a time, and tell them to keep stirring. Voila. Flubber is born. If it is too gooey, then you need more borax, if it is too wet/watery then just let it sit and dry for a few minutes. The longer you play with it, the more flubbery it becomes! I like to encourage the kids to figure out if it bounces, what happens if you let it "drip" and then what happens if you pull it apart quickly. They love this stuff! For more on the science behind it, do a quick google on "Flubber" or "Borax Silly Putty" or any of these combos. When the children are done, place the flubber in a ziploc baggie and label it with their name.

The second craft/experiment we did was chromatography butterflies, or tie die butterflies.I chose this one because even the older babies and young toddlers could do it, and I knew we'd have a mix of ages. The child colors on a coffee filter with washable magic marker. It has to be washable, both for cleaning purposes as well as for best results on the "experiment." I gave each child a paper plate to put under their filter, so that the marker didn't get anywhere. When the children are done coloring, they use q-tips to paint water onto the filter. The filter will draw the water in, and spread the dyes around. For older kids, I encourage them to look at the colors around the edges of the spreading. Black markers tend to spread purples and blues. Then you let the kids go and do hands on activities, or eat snack, while the filters are drying. When they are dry, bunch the filter up in the middle and use a pipe cleaner to create the body and hold the wings in place.

Activities: We provided a lot of hands on activity centers for the children to explore with our guidance. There were going to be a lot of younger children here as well as the older children, so I wanted to make sure there were activities for all of the age groups. Ages ranged from 6 months to 6 years!

For the babies, I set out a few different board books and picture cards. I also had our shaker bottles.

Everyone enjoyed the bubbles, and a huge favorite were the Nuudles. The kids across the age board loved these things!
They are made of corn starch, and when you wet the edges, they stick to eachother! Some brands of packing peanuts are the same exact thing, but they are not colorful. I got a huge box of these colored peanuts for only $5 at Hobby Lobby and put them in baking pans on the floor. The older kids enjoyed building structures, while the littler guys liked to just dig in them, hold them, throw them... and yes, lick them.

Here are the only structures that survived until the end of playgroup.Another favorite across the age groups was the balloons table. I put some racecars that use a balloon as a "motor" and the kids had races with them. I also had some rocket balloons that fly across the room with a screeching sound when they are blown up and released, and good old fashioned balloons for the kids to create static in eachother's hair!

I also did a little demonstration using dry ice. You can find tons of experiments with dry ice on the web. If you want to see the demos that I did, google "boo bubbles" "dry ice crystal ball" and "dry ice bubbles" I chose the demos that use bubbles, because I knew that the babies could enjoy that too. The kids loved it, and we spent almost an hour popping cloudy bubbles!

Snack: The snack was probably the hardest thing for me to plan. I wanted it to fit with the theme. After doing some searching on the internet, I decided to create a "Snack Lab"I set out items that the kids could use to make their own party mix style snack. I invited them to mix and measure the ingredients as if they were in a science lab, making a chemical experiment. The kids loved the dramatic play! I set out regular items, but labeled them with new science names. We had: Science Squares- cheezits; Proton Pretzel Rays-mini pretzel sticks; Sugar Modules-mini marshmallows; Galactic Chocolate Discs-mini chips ahoy; Whole Grain Particle-O's- whole grain cheerios; and Apple Particle O's-apple jacks.

The finale was the Atomic Punch. We used dry ice, left over from the demo, to turn the punch into "soda." I gathered the kids around the snack table, and placed one large solid piece of dry ice into the bottom of the punch bowl. This makes for a really neat effect in the punch, especially if you use a cool color of punch such as blue or green. The dry ice creates a fog around the surface of the bowl, makes the punch icy cold, and gives it a little carbonation (a nice alternative to that old 7-up punch that everyone's mom makes!)
Please note that dry ice can be very dangerous. It is -109 degrees F. That is extremely cold and could seriously burn any wandering hands that come into contact with it. If you choose to have it at your play group, BE VIGILANT and let the other parents know that they must, also. Never leave dry ice unattended or where children can reach it. For the punch, make sure that you place just one solid piece into the bowl, so no one gets any stray pieces in their drink. Instruct parents to ladle only from the top of the bowl, don't dip down to the bottom, and don't let any kids stick their hands into the bowl (trust me, it's enticing for them to do so!)

If you want to get dry ice, it is actually very easy an fairly cheap. Most refrigeration or coolant places will have it. If you search "dry ice + your city name" a vendor will come up. Take a cooler and some newspaper to pack it in, and keep it in a cool dry area. DON'T put it in your freezer, but keep it in the cooler and place the cooler in your garage, basement, or outside if it is cold.

I am very pleased with how the play group went! I know it looks like a lot of work, but most of the preparation was setting things out that I already had around the house. This was the first playgroup that Jonah and I have hosted at our house, and we're looking forward to having friends over for playdates and play groups more often!

Life is a Day at the Beach

I'm going to be very upfront and let it be known that I'm an ocean girl. Put me in a place with water, sand, and waves, and I'm one satisfied being. I could very easily live the rest of my life as a beach bum, and be perfectly content.

This gravitation towards the oceanic life is most definitely brought about by some of the most- probably THE most- happy memories I have of my childhood. Once a year, my parents would truck the entire family from Northern Ohio to Florida to visit my dad's family. Our visits were full of orange picking, pool swimming, and of course lots and lots of trips to the beach.This was me, about twenty two years ago. I was doing the activity that I loved most in all of the world. Collecting seashells. And yes, I rocked those flip flops! Today if you had been at the beach on Hutchinson Island FL, you would have seen that same little girl, twenty two years older, bent down in the sand with a red bucket, examining the treasures that have washed ashore. My hair has turned darker, and my sense of style is.. well, better (no more bright blue shorts and pastel flip flops!) but other than that, I can't think of much that would be different about this picture had it been taken today.

I suppose the biggest difference would have been the toddler riding along merrily on my back. He seemed just as content as me, being lulled into the rhythm of the waves rolling in and out. The breeze was cool, but the sun was warm, which has quite a calming effect. It wasn't long after our toes hit the sand that I delved into my childhood task, which so many years ago had seemed like the most important thing anyone could undertake. I stood with my husband and child for a few moments, studying the high wave caps. Scanning for pelicans and other marine birds. But shortly my gaze dropped down to those precious treasures that lay right where the dry sand meets the wetness of the tide. I suddenly found myself using the names that my siblings, cousins, and I had conjured for these most prized shells. "Look, an olive shell!" and "Ooooh, a turkey wing, those are cool." or "oh, there's the perfect butterfly clam!" Now, I have no idea what the proper names of these particular kinds of shells are, and I have no idea how we came up with them. I have a distinct memory of a pocket sized book, that had a blue cover, that gave the names for different shells. I am imagining that our names were the childish renditions of names we saw in the book, or we simply called them what they reminded us of. As I was calling these things out with great glee to my husband, and I went to tell him "I need the bucket out of the beach bag!" the look on his face told me how far I had reverted back to my childhood.

As we walked further down the beach, I realized that I am not the only person sent reeling back to youth by the sight of sea shells washing up onto the beach. I saw the same look, the same feeling of wonder, on every person we met walking up and down the beach. Everyone between the ages of two years to eighty two years. It warmed my heart to realize that some things have no age boundaries, and there will always be a little something, some place in this world, that keeps the inner child alive, no matter how old the external body grows.

Jonah enjoyed his first visit to the beach. He loved when I would squat down, letting the water come around my toes and ankles, and just out of his reach. Every time a wave would come, I would squat down and we would both squeel with glee as the water came rushing all around us. The ocean is still too cold this time of year to swim in, and I could feel the briskness welling up around my calves as the water soaked through my pants. But the sun was warm enough that I was only cold for a few moments. Hearing my son laugh, while we walked along the beach, was put on my list of "life's happiest moments." It's on the list, right in between breastfeeding Jonah for the first time, and hearing Daryl's wedding vows.

About forty minutes into the walk, Jonah became very mezmerized by the waves. I noticed him watching the ocean very intently, and gradually his eyes started getting heavier and heavier. Soon, I felt him snuggle his head into my shoulder blade, and I knew he had drifted off to sleep. The sounds of the ocean, the reliability of the waves coming in, and out, and in and out. It has a hypnotizing effect. I could have lay down in that exact spot and fell into a deep sleep myself.

Slowly we made our way back to the car. We stopped at the burger stand for a nice lunch overlooking the beach, and drove back to our hotel.

First Day of Early Interventions Group Class

This week was Jonah's first Early Interventions (EI) class. The class combines occupational and speech therapy into a group setting. It was a little bittersweet to take him. I was excited to see him playing with children who are more on his level, developmentally. A lot of times when he is with his peers, he is quite timid because they are running around and yelling. Other times this makes him aggressive, and he'll knock other children over out of frustration. Sometimes I think he knocks them over because he honestly doesn't know how to play with them, because they are running and walking, and he can't keep up with the game.

So it was kind of nice to see children who are his age and at his cognitive level, but also not yelling and running etc. He enjoyed the free time, when the children were allowed to go to whatever center they wanted to in the room. He played with the textured balls along with another little boy, and then moved on to the Little People sets with a sweet girl.

He did not, however, like the "Circle Time." Circle time is kind of a hot word in preschool and early ed right now. In just about any daycare or preschool you go to, you'll hear them brag about their "circle times." For those of you who are curious, it is just a time for the class to come together, sing songs together, and do certain activities as a group. In the EI class, the goal of circle time is to play games that strengthen the children's balance, motor skills, and verbal skills. We sang songs that had motions. Even though they are songs we sing at home and that he loves, he did not want to dance with the other children. He clung to me, like a little koala bear. If we tried to pry him off, to get him to play the game, he would not only cling harder, but climb higher up my body. At one point, I thought he was going to climb right over my back trying to get out of that group!

I am hoping that it will only take a few weeks for him to get used to that environment. He used to be the same way with our music class, and he has really begun to get more comfortable and participate there. I'm hoping it will be the same with EI, or else it won't do him much good.

I did enjoy learning from the therapists who run the class, different methods of introducing what we are working on into our daily routine. I was getting frustrated before the class, because I felt that I already work so many of these things into our day to day lives. I talk to him about EVERYTHING. Constantly talking, just telling him about the world and hoping that one day he will repeat a word back to me- any word, I swear if he said "sock" while I was folding the laundry, I would probably shout out to the streets! But he never seems to care. We also encourage him to walk everywhere, rather than carrying him we hold his hands and walk him to his high chair or to his potty etc. We do lots of music. I get puppets out and we practice the animal sounds and different phonetic sounds. During bath times, I find myself talking like a lunatic "You have a B-Ball in your B-Bath! And a B-Boat! That B-Boat is B-Blue!!!" and so on.

I really was at the end of the road for ideas of introducing the concepts and motor skills that Jonah needs to learn, into our activities. And I was frustrated and upset. But talking to the therapists really helped me to get some fresh ideas, and a new approach to certain things. One of the suggestions they had was to put pictures everywhere of familiar objects and people, and to make a little family book that is just for him, that he can get and look at whenever he wants. And whenever he is looking at it, just tell him "That is Mommy! That is Daddy!" I really like this idea, and have already started to put familiar pictures where he has access to them. I don't know why I didn't think of it before, as we did it in my preschool room. It just never occurred to me to do it in the home.

We also discussed the orthopedic surgeon and his walking issues. There is definitely something wrong with his feet. When I do the exercises that his pediatrician has shown me, I realized that I cannot even push his foot to go flat like a normal foot does. Even with me pushing up on it, it remains pointed down and the arches of his feet turn out. His feet are always in the "tip toe" position, even when he is trying to walk. He will be needing x-rays and a series of diagnostic testing to see exactly what will help him the best. I was really worried about the cost of these tests. We've been running into resistance from our insurance to pay for certain things, and medical testing adds up. I wasn't focusing on the "price tag" or wondering if it's "worth it" I was just wondering how we are going to pay for these expenses on top of the expenses of a new baby on the way. When you're already immensely worried that something is physically or medically wrong with your child, it adds about a million pounds to the load of worry when the thought of cost comes up.

The EI nurse gave me some information about a program through the county that will help with the expenses. I always feel guilty about considering county-funded programs because they are funded of course by tax dollars. I feel like I am taking something that is not mine. But my family has reminded me that I do pay taxes as well, and in fact if I didn't need to pay taxes then the medical expenses wouldn't be difficult for us to pay. My little boy needs it, so I will swallow my pride and fill out the paperwork. We need the help, especially when considering that his speech therapy alone may cost us $150 per session.

We will definitely be continuing to go to the EI classes. If in two months, he is still freaking out about being in the group, I may consider some other options, just because he can't focus enough to get anything out of it when he's like that. But for now, I definitely see the good in it. Since starting the early interventions program and keeping in contact with the therapists about certain things over the course of his testing etc, we've been able to make a lot of progress with him. He will now tell you that a cow says "ooo" (his version of moo.) He will look at a picture of a cow and say "0oo" or pick up a cow puppet or figure and say "ooo." He can also tell you that a sheep says "aaaa" (his version of baa). And if you ask him what a birdie says, he'll say "Wo Wo" (woof woof) You might think he is confused, but Jonah's birdie really does say "woof woof." Daryl thought it would be hilarious to teach his mother's parrot to say "woof woof" so now that is the bird's favorite thing to say. If you say to Jonah "No, your birdie says woof woof, but what about the other birdies?" SOMEtimes he'll say "teeeeeteeeeeteee" But most of the time you would have to say it first. This is great progress that I am not sure we would have made had it not been for what we are finding out through the therapists and doctors.

Thank God for Baby Signs

My last post was about Jonah and his "baby signing." Jonah knows about twenty signs at this point. I have posted in the past about our signing, but I don't do it as frequently as I should. I am trying to post about it more, as it has become something completely invaluable in our lives.

Jonah does not talk. Not verbally anyway, he does not say a single word. He used to call me "Momom" and he had started to call Daryl "Daddy" but he was never very consistent about either of those words. The only things that he verbalizes currently are "dadadada" (only in babble, not meaning Daryl) "woo woo" (which he repeats after the parrot, who says "woof woof") and "eeehhhh" (his version of "yay")

As I have said in previous posts, he is in early interventions partially for this reason. We are seeking personalized speech therapy. Many mothers have asked me if I regret teaching Jonah signs, or if I am going to stop signing to "force" him to speak verbally. The answers are, respectively, no and no.

On the contrary, I am thankful that Jonah knows how to sign. Without Jonah's signs, I would have no idea what my child wants or needs. He would not be able to tell us basic things. He would not be able to tell me when he has to potty (he can even tell me whether he has to pee or poop!) He would not be able to tell me when he is hungry or thirsty. He would not be able to tell me when he wants his special gorilla, when we've had a "miss" and he needs a diaper change, when he's full at mealtime. He wouldn't be able to tell me what he is thinking about or noticing, like if he sees the dog or his shoes. He would not be able to communicate anything to us. Can you imagine living in a world where you had no words or any way to communicate? If you had to rely on crude gestures like pointing, and crying, to tell people what you need? That would be the most frustrating thing that anyone could experience, in my opinion.

And I have witnessed this frustration of not being able to communicate first hand. When Jonah wants or needs something, and he has no sign for it, the tantrum that ensues is or mammoth proportions. He gets frustrated, and upset, and I get frustrated and upset soon after. When Jonah learns a new sign, the amount of crying in this household is decreased dramatically.

I do not believe that Jonah's signing has anything to do with his speech delay. As a cognitive psychologist who has studied language acquisition and child development both in the lab and in casual observation, I can say with confidence that there is absolutely nothing that suggests signing will lead to a delay in speech. There are so many variables that interact to cause a delay in speech, especially in Jonah's case. On the contrary, I believe that signing can help a child who has a speech delay, by strengthening the connections between words, meanings, and communication.

So no, we will not be taking this valuable tool away from my son. I will not ignore his signs until he produces the verbal word. I think that to do so would be detrimental not only to his emotional well-being, but also to the work we are doing with him to get him to speak.

And everytime he crawls to me and signs "Milk" I do not curse at the thought that he cannot verbally say the word. Instead, I say "thank god he has the tools to tell me what he needs right now!"

Signing Bath

One of Jonah's newest signs is "bath." It amazes me that this child hated baths just a few months ago! Over the summer, we gradually had to introduce him into the pool and the bath tub. One day we would just fill the tub or pool and let him get used to the noise and the whole routine. Then another day we would encourage him to splash in the water. We took baby steps like this all the way until he would let us put him in the water.

Now, he absolutely loves bath time, and will even ask me for a bath! He will splash and play with his boats until the water is absolutely cold, and his hands and toes look like little raisins. Then he throws a fit when we take him out and drain the water. I am really looking forward to our family vacation in Florida this weekend, because the resort we are staying at has a nice pool. It will be too cold to go in the ocean yet, but I know Jonah will love the pool!

He does not yet understand the difference between a bath and the pool. When we look at pictures of him playing in the pool from the summer, he signs "bath." Today, he would not stop signing it, so I was glad he needed a bath anyway!

Here is a video of Jonah signing "Bath"

Eggsellent Activity!

Earlier this week, I had to go to the Target pharmacy to get Jonah's prescription filled for his ear infection. While we were waiting for the prescription, we took a peek in the dollar aisle. The dollar aisle at target often has fun little items that Jonah and I use for activities. I don't get anything from Target for saying this, I just want other Mommies to know that if you are looking for some new activities, Target usually has some things if you get creative.

This week, they have their Easter items out. Easter is on April 4th this year, so I thought it was a little early for that. But, we found some cute boucey balls that are shaped like easter eggs. They are large enough that they aren't a choking hazard (although I wouldn't leave a child unsupervised with them) but they are small enough that Jonah can palm them easily. They came in packs of two, so I got four packs, making eight eggs. Then I found a small felt basket with a cute little chick on it. Perfect! An activity that Jonah will love, for just $5.

I decided yesterday to give it a try. I put all of the eggs into the basket and showed Jonah how to dump them out. Jonah pretty much already knows this game, because we play it all the time with other items. He clapped his hands and then put them back into the basket one by one, while we counted them. Then, he dumped them all back out again and clapped.

He explored them in other ways, as well. He threw them, of course, but was very surprised when they bounced. I think it kind of scared him. He also tried tasting one, but absolutely hated the texture on his tongue. He hid them all and then went back to find them, putting them again into the basket.

In the end, he went back to putting them in, and dumping them out. He could do an activity like this all day and not get tired of it!

Jonah and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Hello to all of my readers out there. This is Jonah. Mommy is taking the day off from blogging, so it's up to me to fulfill the duties to all of my fans.

You would not believe the day that I just had! First of all, I woke up in a strange place. It took me a while to remember that it was Gigi's and Papaw's house. I was scared, so I cried until Mommy came to get me for breakfast. Then she put me straight into the high chair after changing my diaper. All she gave me for breakast was cold cereal. Can you believe that? Just plain old kix! Where are my eggs? Where are my pancakes? I could see this day was getting off to a bumpy start.

Then, I'd barely finished eating my lousy breakast when she came and got me, and put me in the van. I was still in my pajamas! Mom had lost a screw, I think. I sat in the car for a really long time. At least mommy kept it nice and warm. She kept telling me we were going home. I just sat and sat, and then when we got out of the car, mom was right- we were home!

Then she put me straight into the high chair again and fed me lunch. I didn't even get to see my toys! But, I was hungry so I guess that was okay. Except then, she didn't let me play even after I ate. I had to go take a nap! She said I needed to take a nap because I hadn't taken one in the car. She said we still had a busy schedule today, and wished that I would cooperate. So I went right to bed and took a nap. I guess I was really sleepy.

Then Mommy woke me up just an hour later. She put nice clothes on me and put my fancy cloth diapers on me. I knew something was going on, because mommy only ever dresses me like this if we are going out somewhere. Straight back to the high chair I went. I just wanted to play with my toys! But she gave me yummy cereal bars for snack. Then right back into the car we went.

Where were we going this time? I decided to act up a bit, to let Mommy know that I wasn't happy. I just wanted to play! The car stopped for a long time, and I could tell Mommy was getting mad. She kept saying something about a big train being stopped, and we were going to be late. I didn't care about being late for whatever it was, I just wanted to get out of my carseat! So I took off my shoes and threw them. It seemed logical at the time! Since my shoes were off, I figured I might as well keep going, so my socks came off and I threw those into the back seat, and then my mittens, and then my hat. This train thing was taking a long time, and I needed something to do!

Finally, Mommy opened the car door. Guess where we were. Go on, just guess. The doctor's office. Of all the places she had to take me to, it had to be the doctor's office!!! Mommy was mad that I had taken all of my things off and thrown them. If I knew where we were going, I would have hid them all better.

The doctor was no fun at all, let me tell you! She put that metal thing on my chest and wouldn't even let me pull it. Then she stuck a stick in my mouth and poked at my teeth! Then she stuck something in my ear, and my ear was owie! I screamed and screamed, and all Mommy did was hold my hands and tell me that it's okay. But it wasn't okay! I did not like the doctor today at all! Then Mommy talked to the doctor for a very long time. I just wanted to go play. Mommy wasn't listening to me, so I yelled even louder so she'd get the point. Then I pulled all of the paper off of the table I was sitting on. I made a big mess, and I was happy about that! Finally, the doctor left and mommy got me dressed. But the nurse came back in and Mommy laid me down on the table. I knew exactly what that meant! That nurse gives me needles, and needles are owie! I didn't want them, so I started to scream. They gave them to me anyway, and Mommy just let that nurse do it! She gave me a lollypop, but I was mad at her until we left that place.

And then Mommy had to go and get needles, too! At least she knows how it feels. Mommy's needles took a long time, but since I was mad at her I just sat in my stroller and read my book. I didn't even give her hugs and kisses when she was done. I was still mad.

Finally we got in the car. We're going home! But when Mommy opened the door this time, we were at the medicine place. We weren't home. Mommy put me in a shopping cart and went to talk to a lady about some medicine. Mommy told me that my ear needed medicine, and when we got it, we would go home. But the medicine place isn't just for medicine, they have all kinds of stuff there. Shoes and clothes and food and toys. Mommy made me go and try on shoes. I did not want to do it! I wouldn't let her put them on my feet. I was getting really irritated by now! Finally Mommy went and got the medicine for my ear and we went back into the car. The sun was going to bed already, and I still hadn't gotten to play at all! I was getting very angry. I decided to let Mommy know it. I knew we had to be pretty close to home, but I didn't care. I screamed as loud as I could. I yelled and yelled and I let my Mommy know that there is only so much that a little guy can take before he flies off the handle, and I was at my point! Mommy got upset and started saying some bad words at the car in front of us. I just kept screaming. I wanted everyone to know how mad I was!

Finally, Mommy took me home and let me play with my toys. Daddy was home, and I told him what happened, but he seemed to be on Mommy's side.

So Mommy, can we have a better day tomorrow? I'm thinking that sitting around the house and watching basketball on TV sounds like a good plan.

editor's note: Dear son, all of us have days when we wish that we could just wake up and start the day over. Such is life, but we must embrace the good days with the bad days knowing that the universe is unfolding as it should. And no, we will not be watching basketball tomorrow.