Crabby kite story

  Wednesday was windy, and we took two kites to a spacious park. I was getting the second one ready while Princess flew the first one. It took her awhile to understand that you don't have to run around to get the kite in the air if it's windy enough. It became clear that the part about kites she finds fun is running around with them, trying to get them into the air.

  While I wasn't watching, Princess gave the kite to Cookie to hold. I didn't know this until Princess yelled, and I looked up to see her running across the field after the kite, which had taken out all its string and broken free.
  The kite flew across a field, over an enormous abandoned boat slip and miraculously got tangled in an apple tree next to a cement plant. What remained of the handle was tangled about waist high. The kite pulled on its string high in the sky. In this second picture, the kite is visible as a dot.

  These handles somehow popped off the tube that the string was tied to. If the string had come off, we would have lost the kite. If the pink tube hadn't gotten tangled in the apple tree, we would have lost the kite. If I had had a pocket knife, we would have "lost" the kite sometime during the next 20 minutes that it took me to reel it back in. I made the girls stay in the van so they wouldn't hear anything I might say.

  The kite almost made it to the industrial area nearby where ocean-going ships are filled with grain, and trains are loaded with taconite and limestone. That would have been kind of funny, for a ship to unload in Brazil and find our kite.
  But no. I got to reel that sucker back in and learn that kite-flying is overrated.

And besides, my kids were just in that mouse play

  It was almost one o'clock in the morning when I heard a sound that was at once familiar and hard to place. Two seconds later, though, the familiar took over and I realized one of the cats must have caught a mouse. Squeek, squeek.
  When we moved into our house 11 years ago, it had a mouse problem. We have new siding now, and a lot of other work has been done to keep out mice, and I don't think we've had one in a couple years. When you live in the woods, though, it's going to happen.
  Tabby was the one who found the mouse, traumatizing it by playing with it. Cats don't know how to kill a mouse unless their mother taught them, but they still know there's something about them that they like. The mouse ran when it saw me, and the cat kept her keen ears on it, helping me to throw a plastic box over it.
  In the past when we've caught a mouse, we drive it down the street several miles and let it loose at a golf course. We don't want to let it go in the yard, just to find its way back into the house. We don't want to let it loose by a neighbor's yard, either. The exception to this live-release policy happened when Gameboy was 8 months old. I was trying to catch a mouse, and it jumped on my baby. I went all Mama Bear on it, took the mouse outside and smashed it on a rock. Then I broke down sobbing. (New Mom hormones can be hard.)
  I gave this mouse more thought.
  "I could drive it to the golf course right now, but [DH] might hear me leaving and wonder what's going on."
  "I could wake him up to tell him I'm taking a mouse to the golf course. ... No. He doesn't want me waking him up at 1 a.m. to hear that."
  "I could leave it in the box until morning, but it would probably suffocate."
  "I could build a new box with air holes. But it still might freeze to death. And I don't want to build a temporary mouse house right now. It's one in the morning."
  "I could kill it right now. ... No, I don't want to kill it!"
  "If I just let it go, it might be back in the house by morning."
  I looked out at the dark woods and imagined the hundreds of mice that must live out there. One more wouldn't hurt.
  I let it go in the yard, but secretly hoped that it was so stunned from its experience that an owl quickly snatched it up.

Clear of clutter

  Often on Mother's Day, our family goes on the "Parade of Homes" tour sponsored by local builders. They have open houses for newly built homes — which we cannot afford to buy, by the way.

  The girls, especially, love the feeling of slipping around in their socks on the shiny new floors and spreading out on the new carpet. Never mind that the house is full of other people also touring the place!
  I told them I think what they like is the openness and cleanliness of a house without clutter; it's not so much about the houses themselves. They were unconvinced that we could replicate this feeling if we got rid of half our stuff.
  "I like to have mine house with mine toys in it!" Cookie exclaimed.
  I imagine no matter how big a person's house is, it tends to get filled with stuff. I have been de-cluttering for a week, and today's tour of empty homes has strengthened my resolve.

Pretty in pink

  We're not supposed to take pictures during the end-of-year student performance at my daughter's ballet school. I snuck one excellent shot and then enjoyed the show. (That's her in the front. Really.)

  Princess loved the flowers. I would have neglected my duty as a mother if I'd shown up to her ballet show without flowers.

  Once again, I rocked at doing the hair bun. Best ever.

  Princess has had the same teacher for four years, since she was 3. Next year, it might be someone else. Whoever the teacher is, however, we're done with the Saturday morning ballet classes. They'll be two afternoons a week next fall. She really likes it, so I imagine we'll be there. I am a stage mom on several fronts.

How to go to Disney World on a budget

  The girls enjoy playing a game they call "Disney World." To play this game, put on special clothes, such as a hat or sunglasses. Carry a bag for all your stuff. A baby doll in a stroller is optional.

  Walk around the house, talking about how you're at Disney World, and decide which ride to go on. Stand in line for about 30 seconds, and then get on the ride. La-Z-Boy recliners make good rides.
  As you sit on the chair ride, talk about what's happening so you can experience it together. "Here comes the big hill! Here comes the waterfall! Here comes the scary part!"
  Repeat.
  Repeat.
  Repeat.
  After going on lots of rides, have mom make you buy a snack, such as an ice cream cone or popcorn.

Our new reader

  I wrote before about Princess wanting to try out for a play, and the director said she could if she could read. That was a month before tryouts, and Princess, who is 7, was not really reading yet.
  At the time, I hoped the approaching play audition would be enough to motivate her to get past her perfectionism and start reading, mistakes and all. I hoped this, but I guess I didn't expect it to happen.
  But it did! She can read just about anything now. I told her that learning to read is a long process, and from my point of view, she has been learning since she was about 3, starting with her name.
  "It seems like to me," she said, "that I learned to read in about two days."
  I understand. It was as if all the words around her suddenly stood up to be noticed.
  She likes the "Fancy Nancy" books and plans to read the "Magic Tree House" series next.



  Now I'm 2 for 3 with unschoolers learning to read without forced timetables and expensive curriculum. I hang an alphabet poster, read books to them and let them watch "Super Why!" or "Between the Lions" on PBS. I don't think it will be long before my 4-year-old is reading, too.