The Magic Whirlpool

Before this week's Q&A;, I'd like to share something personal with you.

My husband is the greatest, without a doubt!

Yesterday, my 3 year old daughter Maegan was coming up the stairs crying. I called out to her, "Maegan, what's wrong?"

"I fell....." she cried.

I went to the stairs to meet her and started down, carrying the phone and the mail I was reading - without my glasses...

Needless to say, my vision is not what it once was. And, although I terribly need bifocals; I haven't gotten them yet because I'm not even 40!!!

Anyway, not paying close attention, and not wearing my glasses...I misjudged my distance from Maegan and stepped on her foot.

Feeling it, I didn't put my weight down on it. Instead, I slipped off of it like ice. And, not wanting to fall on her, I contorted my body around to miss her!

As you're probably seeing in your mind right now, I had a very long tumble down the stairs. :-)
When I landed at the bottom, I looked up at Maegan still standing there and said, "Are you okay?" And she burst out in tears - not because she was hurt - but because my fall scared her. Bless her heart.

Needless to say, in a few hours, I was so sore I could hardly move.

And, you know what my husband did? He got me a room with a jacuzzi at a hotel and sent me off there for the afternoon and to spend the night.

I practically slept in that magic whirlpool of water....but the relief to my aching body was wonderful!!!!

So, today I sit here sooo much better, and truly blessed to have such a kind, thoughtful man to take care of me!

Oh - it's not my first time down the stairs. My mom and dad are probably laughing because it was a regular occurance in my house when I was a teen to hear the "thump, thump, thump" of my rear end boucing down the hardwood stairs.

That's what I deserved for going down so fast in my socks all the time!! But, you know what? As a teen, I don't remember hurting more than a few minutes.

Of course, I wasn't trying to fall around a three year old! I'm sure most of you have experienced child-dodging down the stairs!

Anyway...on to today's Q&A;:

"Hi! Do you know of a recipe for waffles that can be frozen and then toasted later? Thanks in advance."

L.B.: Everytime I make waffles or pancakes, I make way more batter than I need and go ahead and make a bunch extra. I then let them cool, and place two in a sandwich zipper bag and plop in the freezer. Then in the morning, I take the bag, bread apart the two waffles; and pop them in the toaster. They are absolutely delicious! They only thing you have to remember is to make them a size that will fit in your toaster. They are super quick and easy - and we usually toast the pancakes and spread on some jelly and eat it like toast.

"Hi. I was wondering if you have any suggestions - One of the guys I work with burned a bag of popcorn in the microwave last night. It still smells pretty awful. Can I wash it out with vinegar?"

L.B.: I wouldn't do that. The smell of the vinegar would never go away. I would try to clean it out by putting a bowl of water in the microwave and boiling it. That will loosen stuff for you to clean the inside. If the smell is still there, you might try doing that with some lemon or vanilla in the water. And, I'd leave the microwave open so that it can air out. But, if you have soot where you can't clean, it might just be better to replace the microwave as they don't cost much now-a-days. Laura

"Hi Laura, I'm looking for some "neat" Ocean pictures. I loved the dolphins and the starfish too and will use them for our Ocean Project. Thank's for sending them. Thank You also for the E-Mails too, Jane."

L.B.: Thanks, Jane. The only Ocean pictures I have right now are the ones that you have. But, I'll keep that in mind and add more of them when I come across them! Laura

"Hi. I am a sophomore in high school, and my mother is thinking about homeschooling me. We have never experimented with this type of education before, and therefore know absolutely nothing about it. I accidentally stumbled upon your site, and decided to ask you for any info. you can offer us. Please help us, because we wish to know the requirements of homeschooling in Fla. Thank you very much. Signed, Leecy"

L.B. Hi Leecy. You can have your Mom visit the site where you emailed me from and check out the requirements for the state of Florida:

http://www.homeschoolingrequirements.com/FL.htm

That page also have resources for information and support that you are seeking. Good luck! Laura

"My 6.5 year old son is a very high strung child (like his mother!). When it comes to making the simplest choices he can't make up his mind. For example, at snack time today I gave him the choice of pretzels or popcorn. He couldn't decide and had a meltdown resulting in a timeout. He yells at me, "You HAVE to give me both!!!" He cries and is obviously truly frustrated. I, too, have trouble deciding over two things sometimes. How can I help him not "freak out" when it comes to decisions? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!" Michelle in Savannah

L.B.: Michelle, to be perfectly blunt, you are missing out on some very fundamental and basic principles of child-rearing and discipline:

1. You are an adult. Your son is a child. You are responsible and in control of your child.
2. Your having problem deciding between two things is really irrelevant due to the fact that you're an adult and have issues and privelages that has nothing to do with rearing a child
3. Kids need boundaries - they DO NOT NEED CHOICES!!!!! I can't stress that enough. When you feed your child, you give him the food you want, on the plate you want, in the cup you want, and with the snack that you want. You can not give a 6.5 year old the privelages of an adult - they are not designed to handle it...they have not been TRAINED how to handle it.
4. Your 6.5 year old yells at you????? You better get a serious hold on this situation or in a few years, you'll have a child who will be hitting you.

Here's how you help your child NOT FREAK OUT:

First, don't give him the choice. He doesn't need it. I occasionally give my children a choice, but for the most part, there is no choice and there is no issude to deal with.

Secondly, if he whines and complains about the snack he is given; take it away. If he continues to complain or throws a fit, discipline him. And that's not "talking to him" or "explaining to him". It's setting up a controled, loving punishment that mandates compliance to your rules.

Thirdly, when you have to decide between two things - JUST PICK ONE! What does it matter? If you don't know what you want enough to make an immediate decision, just close you eyes and pick one. That example will go a long way for your child too.

Fourthly, don't make an issue out of something when you don't have to. Why battle over how a child handles making choices? Just take the choice away until they are able to handle it. Doing this in other areas too will make your life a lot easier.

Well, that's enough for today. Actually, I feel pretty worked up about this "choice" thing, so let me end with something positive!!!

"Thanks, Laura! I cook with our kids, too, and it definitely pays off! Have a great week... Pietra Gaebel"

L.B.: Thanks, Pietra! I'm glad you understand and benefit from being a Mom and spending quality time with you kids that also teaches them creative life skills!!!! Laura

Other Comments from the Mail:
"Dear Laura, As the mother of three sons and a daughter I find that your list is fantastic and reminding me of the younger years when my oldest aged ALMOST 12 years , was about 7 and the youngest boy was just a year old. Wow.. And so you know.. laundry baskets also make great forts for a four year old princess who is actually disguising herself to lure the knights over and whack them with the paper towel roll. Thank you so much Laura. Aloha to you and God bless ya. Kisha"

"Laura, Thank you for your concern, but I am in Utah so am safe. Your prayers are very well appreciated because I do have an aunt and cousin in Orlando. Amber"

"Laura, My feelings exactly. I thank you for coming out and saying what is wrong with today's youth. That show was an eye-opener. I had my children sit down and watch the behavior of those kids. I explained to them that this is what happens when you don't spank, as God has instructed us to do. My kids know the reasons behind punishment they receive, and they love us all the more for giving them boundaries for their own safety. Sincerely, Liz"

Have a great weekend!
Laura

P.S. To start quality time with your kids, get your Homeschool Cooking With Kids System in a Box at http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com

P.P.S. If you want to start today, you can: get the download and Recipe Archive access this very second at http://www.kidsrecipeclub.com

Laura Bankston is author of Internationally selling Cooking with Kids Curriculum: Homeschool Cooking in a Box and the Homeschool Cookbook. She currently home schools her three children, maintains home school support websites, and manages their family-owned service business. For information on her curriculum and free home school support services, please visit http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com

Copyright 2004, Abundant Learning Publications. All Rights Reserved.

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