book pick: the day the goose got loose

by Melissa

you know those stories where one thing leads to another -- that mouse chasing a cookie, for example. sometimes i feel i'm stuck in one of those. the Small One slept in. so she didn't take a nap. so i didn't get all my work done. so in goes the movie so i can. which pushes back dinner. which means more leftovers the girls refuse to eat. which means crying and whining until, finally, bedtime. and then, of course, "Mo-m-my?! I ha' t' go PO-TTY!"

the day the goose got loose is an elevated sort of tale, and not just because it involves migrating geese. this rhyming tale is by Reeve Lindbergh, who until this post i did not know was the youngest of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. the words are wonderful, and delightfully over-the-top. but it's the illustrations by one of our favorites, Steven Kellogg, that are a key reason we come back to this book time and again. he has a wonderful talent for interpreting stories and taking them to the next level.

in this book, a goose gets loose (you probably got that part). and then all hell breaks loose. "When the goose got loose / She caused a riot. / Nobody ever thought she'd try it! / There wasn't any more pace and quiet. The day the goose got loose." and what can come at the end of such a day? a dream, a dream of something rather wonderful.

and now that my own two daughters are in bed dreaming, i have the space to remember that a part of me will miss loosey goosey days such as these.



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flipping out? flip a coin!

by Melissa

it doesn't seem to matter what i make. unless it's a hot dog or some other talent-less dish, my girls generally refuse to eat. Sweet One complains. Little One just dumps her milk over everything. for the most part, i don't care. don't want to eat? fine. next meal is breakfast! still, it would be nice to see some of that nourishment reach their bellies. enter my friends to the rescue...

my friend Julie shared this strategy recently on Facebook (where else?) that her ever-silly husband Jason came up with, and it's too good not to share.

The kids were not into eating their dinner, so Jason grabbed a coin out of his pocket and made a game "Heads; 1 bite, Tails; 2 bites" the kids totally did it - and when they started to lose interest he had one of them call it and whoever won took 1 bite and whoever lost took 2 bites. I love how creative he is with the everyday struggles. You're the best Jason! I am so glad God made us partners in raising our children. Oh! and did I mention he let me leave for the last 1/2 of the game so I could go tanning. Seriously love the man!

i could see this working in a lot of whiny situations, as long as it's not overused. put on jacket or coat first? go for a walk or blow bubbles in the backyard? let mommy go tanning or send mommy off to her room with her book club book...? oh, wait...

photo credit: "Uncertainty" by Nicu Buculei via Flickr