October 19, 2007 by Barbara.

Ben is starting to read but has so far refused to to read a story to me or Reid. Last night, though, he wanted to have one of the mint Girl Guide cookies that I had bought from Sarah. Sarah is in Brownies but they don’t have their own cookies. Don’t ask us why. Go ask your mother. Peter told Ben that their family doesn’t like the mint cookies and would buy the vanilla/chocolate boxes in the spring. Ben was undeterred.

Seizing the opportunity, I offered him a cookie in exchange for a story. Stephen said that Ben wouldn’t eat the cookie and I said that it was all the same to me as long as Ben read the story. Ben hunted up a book and read it to Reid and me. He knew many of the words and sounded the others out like a pro. Who puts words like “cigogne” in an early reader for immersion kids anyway?! (Note to self: Figure out what a “cignogne” is. It seemed like a crane or maybe a swan. The illustrator wasn’t on my side either.)

After supper, I gave Ben the cookie he’d earned. He took one bite and made an awful face. Peter grinned and took the rest of the cookie away. I wish I’d congratulated Ben on trying it but was distracted at the time. He was also the only one to try the Turkish Delight. It was also not to his taste but he did give it a go, at least.

All in all, I don’t think I’ll be getting any more stories in exchange for mint cookies from Ben. In fact, I don’t think anyone in their family would do anything for a mint Klondike bar. Maybe to get out of eating one though …

In any case, I highly recommend that you seek out a nearby Spark, Brownie, Guide or Pathfinder and buy some cookies. If you don’t like them, your local food bank will find someone who does. These links are Canadian. The same information will be available for other countries.

Edited to add: Cignogne is “swan” in French.

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October 19, 2007 by Barbara.

I wore a new pair of tights yesterday. They were black with a pattern. Reid watched in fascination as I put them on and came hurrying over when she noticed the pattern. “Diamonds!” she gasped. Or maybe she exclaimed. Either way, I knew she thought I was some kind of fabulous. Ken teased and asked if Reid thought I should go as I was or if I needed a skirt. She looked at him as if he were talking crazy talk but she also seemed surprised that he was able to resist stroking my diamond-clad legs like she was doing. In case you’re wondering, I did put on a skirt.

Reid was right, though, I did look nice. If I do say so myself. And I just did. ;+)

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October 19, 2007 by Barbara.

Okay, I don’t know Jenn from Jenn’s Journal really well but I read a post she’d written recently and I thought, “What a tough time that family is having.” But I also thought, “What a brave and positive woman she is.” So, if you want to read someone who is laying the bad out there along with the good, go see Jenn’s Journal. You’ll see two adorable little boys there. They may make you baby hungry or you may just smile and remember your own little ones’ toddlerhood. Either way, I’m sure that Jenn would appreciate your visit.

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October 19, 2007 by Barbara.

I know it seems like I’ve written this before and that’s the problem - we seem to have to travel whenever the weather is bad. If you don’t believe that we’re the centre of the universe, the two aren’t necessarily linked but it’s happening too often to be a coincidence.

Reid, Ken and I left home in the rain for a quick trip to Chapters and then Kindermusik before getting onto Highway 7 for the drive to Frankford. I was startled when we didn’t take the ramp to the 416 but Ken, the one who doesn’t sleep for 2 of the 3 hours we’re in the car, said that we wanted something better to look at than what the 401 has to offer. When the rain wasn’t heavy, it was nice to see the fall colours and the rocky outcrops that characterize highway 7. My husband has lots of good ideas.

We got to Grandma Barb and Grandpa Terry’s in good time. I had ridden in the backseat with Reid and was still buried in blankets and stuff that needed to be put away when Ken and Reid went in. By the time I got in, Reid was cuddled into Grandmama’s lap. Reid was happy to see Grandma Barb and Grandpa Terry, to be sure, but Grandmama was a particularly welcome surprise.

We had a good visit, with lots of silliness as Grandpa Terry delights in teasing Reid and Reid delights in climbing on him as though he were her personal jungle gym. Grandma Barb prepared a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and Reid managed to eat some food other than the olives that were so tantalizingly close for a while. At one point, Reid wandered away from the table and I said that I would take her to sit in car if she didn’t sit down. This apparently amused the others but I couldn’t think of a place at Grandma and Grandpa’s that Reid wouldn’t find interesting to be in. She did sit and eat nicely and so I didn’t have to go out to the cold, damp car. It’s important to choose discipline techniques that don’t punish you as well, to the extent possible. I had a moment of doubting Reid’s parentage when she tried a butter tart for the first time and reacted as though it were dirt laced with rotten eggs.

After supper, Reid and Grandmama did some painting with the Elmer’s Squeeze and Brush kit that I bought at Costco a few weeks ago. I like to have a new toy when we travel and ones that are washable and mess-free, like this one claimed to be, are particularly appealing to me. I think Grandmama would have contested the mess-free claim. She spent quite a bit of time wiping her hands off - not counting  when I painted her hand and had her make a handprint. Reid covered her hands with paint as her love of handprints continues. Her face and arms were collateral damage. The paint came off with soap and water, though, and so the mess-free claim should have an asterisk with a note that it is mess-free in the long term.

We got checked into our hotel just after Reid’s usual bedtime. With only overnight bags, we could have easily carried our things but I got the cart so that Reid could have a ride. The small things that make kids happy, eh?

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