Schools of Choice and Welcoming in Spring

According to my archived emails, Greg last sent an update to the family in um...November 2015. Of course, it's not like we've been silent since then. So though it isn't my turn I thought I'd help play catch up while Greg writes his prelim paper and prepares two other presentations.

January highlights: 3 day weekend in Indianapolis with epic bubble baths and an R2D2 cake and watching the Russian Ballet perform Cinderella on a "Mommy-Daddy-Toria date"

February highlights: the Blue and Gold Banquet, Valentine's Day, a few theme days while our friend's dad was away at his first grad school conference

March at a glance
Week 1: We went to the annual Fairy Tale Ball at the Urbana Public Library.

Week 2: We battled super lice and won! Karen's advice was timely beyond all else. We got rid of it for good in less than a week while all or friends were still trying to battle it with other methods. Thank you Karen and your professional nit picking friend!

Week 3: Greg went to the APS conference and did well. We had theme days again (see photos.) The day after he got back we went to Newsies and the temple for a belated birthday celebration in Indy, courtesy of my aunt and uncle.

Week 4: We babysat an almost two year old for a week while her parents vacationed in Africa! We registered Victoria for kindergarten (see attached newspaper clipping) and were featured in the local newspaper. Easter was great and low key here at home with friends from the ward next door; we tried to celebrate all week for greater impact.

April highlights: General Conference and yummy enchiladas Saturday night with friends, an upcoming wedding, several singing performances for me, learning where Victoria will go to Kindergarten and whether Greg got the Blue Waters Fellowship, Greg's prelim at the end of the month. My favorite quote is actually from the Women's General session (the last Saturday in March): "Love is making space in your life for someone else." Make space for God.

Our top two choices for schools have elective classes more often than some of the other schools. Neither school has uniforms and both have slightly longer lunches (20 minutes is still short.) The teachers were all impressive--welcoming and genuinely so.

Carrie Busey
The school day begins and ends sooner.
It's close enough to walk or ride.
She gets to help in their garden.

The open house "tour" was a perfect balance in meeting the needs of child and parents. There are 4 kindergarten classrooms and we met with 3 of the teachers. They were friendly and informative, answering our questions as parents while letting Victoria explore without trying too hard to engage her. They did guide her a bit and get her to answer some of their questions. I am excited to go back during the school day with Victoria and see how a typical teaching day goes.

Each kindergarten class has their own garden in which they plant and harvest a fast crop (think spring garden salad) and a long term crop for the next class to harvest in the fall. Because there are 4 classrooms of about 21 each, the students are able to have an elective class of some sort every day. Every other day they go to the "learning lab" for 20 minutes to practice gross motor skills before going to P.E. On the other days of the week they go to music or art. And of course they go to the library weekly. The principle added that if a student is a particularly hungry reader they make arrangements for more library time before or after school. :)

At Carrie Busey, Victoria gets a morning snack and then around noon she goes to play at recess before lunch. Because her grade is the last to use the lunchroom, the students have greater flexibility in how long lunch will last. It's still fast but it's not short to the point of rudeness.

South Side
The P.E. class and music classes are impressive. 
They integrate their curriculum very well and are constantly using technology.

It's the farthest away of my top 3 and so she would ride the bus. With a later start time (8:45) that's good for my mornings but harder in the afternoon. Their profile sounds very welcoming and they encourage visitors to come familiarize themselves with with the school. Victoria and I love that they specialize in music. I had high expectations for our tour and they were met.

You Would Cry Too If It Happened to You: Head Lice

It happened Friday morning. My husband was staying home from work for the morning, so he went in to wake up the sleeping toddler princess. I got called in because he found dark little bugs crawling in her thin, blonde hair. "Yeah, I know what those are," I said with a shudder. It wasn't until I discovered a single bug in my long, thick, blonde hair that I wanted to cry. When it's on my kid's head I can see and kill it. But these critters and especially their clear, sticky eggs are beyond hard to find on my beautifully thick and long blonde hair amid the dandruff.

After a few phone calls, appointment with the pediatrician, and a trip to my favorite grocery store pharmacy, we buckled down and began treatment. After combing through everyone's hair with an electronic comb which kills lice on contact, we got to work with the medicated shampoo. For the record, my hair takes a whole bottle for one application and you're supposed to use it twice.

Most lice shampoos have Permethrin which kills the louse and the nymph but not the nit. (Never mind the new type of lice which are resistant to the stuff!) So we're still stuck with the tedious process of combing and hoping we caught every last one. Every day. For ten days. Yep. Since a female louse lays up to 8 eggs per day and each egg takes 7 days to hatch, discovering and killing early in the infestation is key for complete eradication. Thankfully the bugs don't fly or jump; they just crawl from head to head. This is how most infestations begin. Lice can't live more than a day off the scalp so some say only 2% of reinfestations occur from unwashed bedding etc. (Sources: See the following article and its resources.)

I finally found a bottle of shampoo on Amazon that is bigger than anything I can buy at Meijer. ("Family sized" apparently means 6 to 9 applications for hair shorter than ones shoulders. If you have longer, thicker hair, the nits are harder to find and remove so you're going to need a hair cut to save time and money and stress. Sorry.) The best part is the shampoo I just bought seems to live up to its claim of dissolving the nit glue so most if not all of the eggs also wash out! Looking at the ingredients I'm guessing it has to do with the coconut stuffs. There are also lice repellent shampoos made out of rosemary, tea tree, and olive oils. One reviewer commented, "There is a prescription medicine Sklice that kills the lice, nymphs and eggs. I tried to get some today. Went to the doc, got a prescription, but since I have no insurance, 4 ounces (1 dose) cost $330.00." Actually, Natroba (generic name: Spinosad) kills lice, nymphs, and eggs but Sklice does not. No matter what treatment route you choose, your stuck nit picking daily for 3 weeks before you can truly declare your family lice free. Did you know there are professional nit pickers?! If can find one in your area make sure they use the Shepherd Method of going through strand by strand because that's the only guarantee in the lice world.

So if you need me, I'll be in the shower washing my hair yet again.

A few days later...

Bad News: After a second medicated washing I managed to find a live nymph or two on my daughter! We've got a super bug on our hands that is resistant to the OTC stuff.

Good news: We can still suffocate them to extinction. Thanks to Kate Lovett and Camilla Decker for bring this to my attention and for Hildie at Hive and Nest for writing about this new-to-me method.

Reality Check: Yes it is a blood sucking parasite on my child's head. Yes it's gross. No it does not cause disease and is therefore not dangerous. Yes you aren't allowed in most schools if you have it or have had it recently (which I just now realized means that she and I cannot visit the elementary schools like we've planned these next couple of weeks: darn it!) No they cannot jump or fly, only crawl. The only way you can get it is for my child's head (or something that has touched her head) to touch yours. The lice and their eggs cannot survived 24 hours away from their food source and they get killed with heat pretty easily (hence putting combs and brushes in boiling water and clothes and bedding in the dryer for a full cycle.) Eggs take a week to hatch and then another week to grow up enough to lay more eggs so treatments are expected to take at least a month.

Spiritual lessons learned from this:
1. Be careful who you spend time with and what you do with them. “Friends are people who make it easier to live the gospel of Jesus Christ,” taught Elder Robert D. Hales. This includes repenting.

2. Having good friends makes it easier to endure trials. (You're on the list Camilla Decker, Kate  Lovett, and Karen Hart Wilding.)

3. True repentance is not a one time thing and it must be done thoroughly each time in order to be effective.

4. To stay clean and safe from sin, the only guaranteed way the that of the Good Shepherd. Apply daily for the rest of your life.

Spirit Week: A Mom's Guide to at Home Fun

Being the wife of a graduate student means, among other things, that sometimes I am a single parent. To stay strong and sane while Daddy is at a conference (or even when we home bodies are just getting too bored with the usual routine,) we reinvented theme days. Kind of like when schools have crazy fun theme weeks to promote school spirit or have a bit of fun before a holiday break. I did this for the first time almost a year ago and for a whole week. At the end of the week my too-excited-to-sleep daughter asked at bedtime, "What is tomorrow's day?" I had to explain that we wouldn't always have theme days but that these were special holidays we made up, so they had to be planned and scheduled in advance.

Since then the Toddler Princess and I have enjoyed dreaming up all kinds of fun themes. The planning process begins with the selection of a vague-yet-specific theme and a quick look at Pinterest for birthday parties with that sort of theme. It has to be fairly inexpensive, DIY sort of stuff. The general template includes 1) a brief devotional, 2) food and/or drink ideas, 3) possible activities and decorations, as well as 4) book and 5) movie suggestions.

Now, going all out with a theme is fun. But we've also enjoyed successful theme days with minimal planning and effort. Yes, some theme days are specifically inspired by movies or TV shows; some are more generic. Also, most of my ideas are geared for family fun with children ages 3 to maybe 6. Everything presented below is made to be adaptable and inspire you to be that creative mom or dad or babysitter or whatever.

Princess Day (any and all of them)

You can be as specific as you like but this day's theme was easier for us to not choose a specific princess. We define princess to be “a young woman of noble birthright who lives up to the goodness inherent in her and brings out the goodness in others. This goodness is what makes her beautiful.”

Movie suggestions: Faerie Tale Theatre videos by youtuber Oz Bey, A Little Princess, Cinderella (live action)...we'll be watching Beauty and the Beast in French

Morning devotional: What does it mean to be a prince or princess? To be kind and have the courage to be good no matter what. To care for others more than yourself. Read the story of Esther.

Food/snacks: make muffins, slice fruit, and cut sandwiches into dainty triangles for a tea party

Decorations (optional): pennant banners, things from the lives of your favorite princess stories like an enchanted rose

Activities: dress up and dress fittings, build a castle fort, coloring a dragon or making your own fairy tale book, story time, throwing a ball aka dance party

Book suggestions: Rapunzel's Revenge, a graphic novel by Shannon and Dean Hale; The Princess in Black, also by Shannon Hale; Arabian Nights; The Little Prince (for older children)

Ballerina Day

Recently I asked Victoria “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Her most consistent answers have been a mommy and a ballerina. So of course we have to have Ballerina Day! And did you know you can watch an entire ballet on youtube? (Or just your favorite parts if your toddler hasn't been trained to sit through a concert of that length. No time like the present to learn and in the comfort of your own home too!)

Morning devotional: "When thou art merry praise the Lord with song and dance..." D&C somewhere; maybe something from Psalms
Movie suggestions: The Nutcracker on youtube; Sleeping Beauty on youtube; BYU's Swan Lake on youtube (the facial expressions and sincerity of the Prince and Odette are so moving)

Food/snacks: Healthy snacks

Decorations (optional): ballerina silhouettes with snowflakes for tutus

Activities: dance party, watch /do and ballet conditioning work out videos, put on your very own ballet show, dress up, go to the store and try on dance outfits and shoes

Book suggestions: Mia Dances Back to School and other Mia books, Katy Duck books (another easy-to-read series from the library),

Camping Day

Movie suggestions (optional):

Morning devotional: Sing the hymn “How Great Thou Art” or LDS children's song “My Heavenly Father Loves Me.”

Food/snacks: Eat tin foil dinners or roasted hot dogs with mud pie (chocolate cream pie) and/or s'mores for dessert. "Catch of the day" swedish fish, gummy bears, twigs aka pirouette cookie sticks

Decorations (optional): Set up a small tent inside.

Activities: Set up the tent inside. Play card games in the tent like my family did when I was a little girl. Go for a long walk or hike. Go star gazing. Make a map of your house to show certain camping sites aka rooms and be the forest ranger in charge.

Book suggestions: Lady Bug Girl Goes Camping, Going on a Bear Hunt, Fancy Nancy: Poison Ivy Expert

Alladin Day: Dinner-and-a-Movie Party

Sometimes a theme day the way we usually do them—planning far in advance and going all out—is too much work. Maybe Mom has some appointments in the morning or the kids aren't home from school yet? When Mom is running out of ideas or even just running out of steam, we sometimes have these abbreviated theme nights for some low key fun as a family.

Have something Arabian like hummus and chips, apple slices like Aladdin & Jasmine stole from the market, marinated chicken kabobs, Schnuck's orange vineagrette couscous, & falafel. Genie juice to drink (water and a pitcher of labeled lemonade.)

Snack during the movie: Rajah's tail (cheetoes or dipped pretzel rods)

Book suggestions: Arabian Nights, Alladin, anything with a genie in it even!

Other theme days we've done include Trains Day, Pirate Day, Under and Over the Sea Day, Back to the Future Day, and Star Wars Day. 

Theme days we've planned but haven't tried yet: Big Hero 6 Day, My Little Ponies Day, Fairy/Tinkerbelle Day, Jungle Day, Dinosaur Day and Spa Day.

What themes would you like to try? Want to know more about a specific theme day or want help planning (it's becoming a bit more than a hobby for me)? Let me know!

Sukkot: A Mormon Christmas Advent

Why We Celebrate Miracles with 2 Holidays
Many state that unless you're a practicing Jew you should not observe Hanukkah because the whole holiday was founded to strengthen Jewish culture and religious dedication and to purify oneself from worldly influence. Thus being a non-Jew and observing this holiday undermines it very purposes.

So what is my Christian family with no biological ties to Judaism doing celebrating Hanukkah, and as an advent to Christ's birth no less?! Well, I strive to observe this historic holiday with reverence for my God and respect for the people who brought it into existence. We celebrate the legendary history of this Feast of Dedication because of its many spiritual lessons. Saying we're celebrating Sukkot (see Leviticus 23:33-44) the Messianic Jewish way is probably the most accurate explanation. Because I believe in celebrating "anything virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy" and I know many of you do as well, I have decide to continue this tradition another year and share with you my testimony as well as some logistics.

Hanukkah's History: The legends are nicer than the facts
While you may not have heard of Sukkot perhaps you have heard of the miracle of the oil burning for 8 days and nights. This special oil took time to be prepared enough to be temple-grade but the Maccabees wanted to keep the eternal flame lit and not wait. So they went forward in faith. So the story goes.

But while researching topics for our nightly devotionals I came across a disappointing story: the miracle is made up! Quoting from one website in summation of several:

Jewish Rabbi Daniel Kohn, in answer to the question, “Is the miracle of Chanukah made up?” stated that the whole concept of the miracle of the oil, was indeed untrue. While stating that the actual lighting of the Menorah for the dedication of the Temple was real and based on spiritual significance, the rabbinic writings in the Talmud took the shift from the Maccabeean military victory to that of a claimed miracle of the oil for the Menorah.

The perceived glory of the Maccabean victory became overshadowed due to all they did that caused harm to fellow Jews and their focus became viewed as dangerous and containing seditious ideas that were to be suppressed. The fear of glorifying the military success of the Maccabeans while under Roman rule, formed the basis for the idea of inventing the story of the miracle of the oil to become the focus and with it, masked the truth about the Maccabees and their shameful legacy for many years. By reinventing the stories, the rabbis kept the holiday alive with a shift in focus and thereby inserted more religious significance.

While I am an ardent defender and cultivator of truth, I find that this not-so-accurate legend still teaches me and my family. So we just tell the story for the legend that it is and glean truths from it that bring us closer to God.

Symbols of the Festival
While we have yet to build a sukkah and we do keep a small Christmas tree (two wrong ways to celebrate Sukkot), I find comfort and familiarity as a Mormon celebrating Hanukkah (which by the way has several acceptable spellings.) I love that the Hanukkiah (also known as the menorah) is a symbol of the tree of life. I love the symbolism of the Shamash candle or the servant candle (the one in the middle which is higher up than the others) being is used to light the other candles from right to left.

While playing dreidel is the closest we'll come in our family to any sort of gambling games, I love the message that is spelled out there. Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Shin stand for "Nes gadol ha'ya shem" which translates to, "A Great miracle happened there." We hang a small banner proclaim thus over our homemade nativity. Tradition has it that the dreidel game was a cover up to fool the Romans since studying the Torah was forbidden. Our family deeply values studying the scriptures both individually and as a family and we are blessed to do so frequently and regularly. All these symbols tie in well to various themes for nightly devotionals.

Below is our proposed study schedule for the year:

Day #1, Sunday, also the 1st presidency devotional broadcast: the light of creation
Day #2, Monday, potluck dinner with the Meiers and Deckers: the light given to Adam (studying the fall and the sybollism of the Tree of Life)
Day #3, Tuesday: the light of the Messiah (specifically studying the resurrection and Christ as the Shamash)
Day #4, Wednesday: the light of the commandments (studying Psalms 119:9-11)
Day #5, Thursday: study the light of the Restoration and Joseph Smith as the Shamash
Day #6, Friday: the light of the Abrahamic covenant (studying temple covenants)
Day #7, Saturday, potluck dinner with the Savages and Shaws: the light of discipleship (Matt. 5:13-16 and this Ensign article)
Day #8, dinner and Family Home Evening with the YSA branch: Just as the Jews of old purified their temple, we must purify our lives to better shine the light of Christ and prepare for his 2nd coming.

While I'm not sure we'll keep up this tradition another year I know that all our family's traditions are carefully selected to bring us and those around us unto Christ. In the spirit of Hanukkah we share our light with the world. What traditions does your family have? How have they come about?

Bedroom Decor & More: An Inspired Room Tour

Have you ever read a book that inspired you to make life changes? While I could answer that question with a resounding yes and then share some scriptures, I am actually here to share a book that has found its way onto my reading list. Celebrate with me the launch of this new book with a promising little exercise.

Close your eyes and imagine your bedroom at home, just as it looks right now. Even if you're in there as you read this go ahead and try closing your eyes. No peeking. (note that you might want to finish reading the paragraph before closing your eyes) What is the general condition of your room? What pictures are on the walls? Are there knick-knacks laying around? How about the closet? Open the door. Can you easily find what you need in there? Or, after opening it, do you have to put your shoulder to the door to push it closed?

What does your room say about the person that occupies it? Does it reveal your interests? Do you see things that show you enjoy sports, music, art, dance, etc.? How about reading material? Are there magazines, school books, novels, and scriptures in your room?

Your room is one place that definitely shows your skills in organizing and cleaning. Does your room need a little help? Open your eyes. Do you agree that someone could learn a lot about your outside interests as well as your inner thoughts? The things and feelings you choose to surround yourself with reflect your personal thoughts and feelings.They will have an effect on what you think about and how you feel.

So what does your room say about you? Write down a list on one half of your paper. Or type it out if you prefer. Now on the other half, write down your best and worst qualities and interests. Are they on the first list you made? What can you do to change your home to better reflect who you are?

Due to this exercise I found on a scrap of paper from church ages ago, I decided to cross off some things from my I've-been-meaning-to-do-that list. Normally I'm all about doing things the right way the first time and doing "first things first", but a few months ago I found a better momentum in the emptiness of my schedule by cleaning out and discovering with my toddler. My favorite is the organized computer desk and bedroom closet; her favorite would probably be the pair of child sized scissors we found.

In preparing the house for LDS General Conference weekend and an extended Sabbath we took care of a lot of clutter around the house. It's still not neat as a pin, but it was enough for my OCD self to relax and focus on what's most important about that special weekend! Oh and in addition to several spiritual goals, I made the goal to make my bed daily. I must say that I'm doing pretty well, though I admit to making the beds and pick up some toys just before taking today's photos.

 
 Since her room should grow with her, we recently moved around some toys and bookshelves in Toria's room to make her a reading nook. It's also where she keeps her dolls and rock collection (behind the doll beds.) Can you spot the outgrown clothes I haven't finished boxing up?

The ball pit is a great toy for kids of a wide age range: totally worth the messes for us. We also have a rotational display of artwork on a clothesline. The flower branches are left from a church function.

Bedtime is a family affair that brings us together every night. What I like best about this room is that even though it's my daughter's room I feel like it represents our entire family. Sometimes messy and disorganized, usually fun yet structured, cleans up nicely... So what is your favorite room in your house and why?

You know what I look forward to most about this new book? It supports my life goal of blooming where your planted and "love the house you have." My creativity, generous friends, and modest budget have allowed me to do a lot towards building my dream home.

2 Nephi: Part Two of What the Book of Mormon Has to Teach About Parenting (and Related Issues)

"My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions..."
                                                                           ~ 2 Nephi 4:20, emphasis added

This phrase really stood out to me this time. In the previous verse we get a flavor of the internal juxtaposition Nephi faces; we get a feeling for how he is experiencing two very different reactions to his trials, sets of emotions that we often think of as not being able to have at the same time. But Nephi shows us otherwise. In verse 19 we read: "And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted."

Here Nephi is feeling "encompassed about" and probably overwhelmed at times by the difficulties he faces on a day to day basis. Note that its not until the fourth verse of his lamenting prayer that he eludes to his murderous family! I don't think that is just because he had a lot of other problems he was facing at the time, though that may be true as well. I think this type of attitude comes from an extremely developed sense of the eternal perspective and caring most about what God thinks.

In verse 19 we read that Nephi is not hopeless. He is obviously feeling discouraged (see verse 17-18), but he does not feel helpless and therefore does not despair. Why? Because he knows in whom he has trusted. It's not just a "Hey, I got this because I trust God." He has a personal relationship with God and that is why he can trust enough to see the Lord's hand even in the midst of his trials. Thus we see that Nephi's faith is truly an anchor to his soul. May it be so for you also.

The word through is interesting to me in verse 20. Through as in a preposition other than over, under, or around? Or through as in Nephi's afflictions were the means by which the Lord led? What do each of these interpretations say about the Lord? And have you seen such applications in your life?

Avoiding Trials
God doesn't guide us throughout our lives in such as way as to avoid trials, though sometimes we do receive that blessing. But as Lehi so eloquently teaches just one chapter previous to this: "There must needs be opposition in all things[!]" I've shared before that a wise man once taught me that it's not hard to notice that we live in a fallen world. I used to feel a bit bitter as I'd catch myself whispering with a sigh at some situations, "Evidence of the Fall..." But I don't have to feel bitter, even in the moments when I'm "encompassed about" by my problems! And neither do you. We can try to adopt the attitude of my toddler (yes, I am suggesting copying my 4 year old's attitude) and look at all challenges as learning opportunities. Some such difficulties truly do come about simply because of the world in which I live, but whether or not your sticky situation is deserved it is still an opportunity to build character by coming closer to God. And personally, some of my trials have felt shorter as I have learned to ask "What am I to learn from this?" instead of "Why me?" or "When will this be over?"

Trials Direct Us Inward and Upward
One of the speakers from Time Out for Women spoke about the 3 looks: Look out, look in, and look up. One doesn't practice these looks in sequential order but rather in a cycle and sometimes even simultaneously. During a hard time in life try looking outward to observe the needs of others and do what you can to help. Then look in a ponder how you're reacting to and what you are learning from this unwanted growing opportunity. Then look upward to God and find ways to draw nearer to Him. Sometimes doing so has led me to be truly grateful for blessings in disguises (that's what I like to call trials.)

Sometimes the Lord leads us to him in less-than-obvious ways. We may be directed through the fertile parts of the wilderness, across a stormy sea, or to spend time with people who don't like us (though with Laman and Lemuel I realize this is an understatement.) As Nephi rattles of a list of ways in which the Lord has blessed him, try to not only figure out which specific events he is describing; try to understand how he feels about these various hard times by recognizing the tone in which he describes these past experiences. Hint: he's probably not just suddenly writing with rose-colored glasses on in the middle of a pity party because he remembered that the world is going to be reading his personal, prophetic journal someday.

• [H]e hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
• He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.
• He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.
• He hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the nighttime.

He goes on to list a few other significant blessings but this list will suffice to make my point. In the first example, Nephi was miraculously instructed to build a boat for his family to reach the Promised Land. Due to the unfortunate choices of others that trip is an eventful one. But as with each of the other examples, Nephi focuses on the actions of one person: God. Doing so drastically simplifies his summation of recent history. I think Nephi's choice--whether a conscious or subconscious one--to focus on the Lord's actions is something he made a habit of doing. Read 1 Nephi and see if you agree. By getting to know the Lord it is easier to have faith in him. One way to get to know people is to see how what they do in a variety of situations, even and especially the less-than-ideal moments.

Challenge this week: Record how you act and feel in your less-than-ideal moments. Study the scriptures to find ways the Lord and/or His servants have continued their work despite their own less-than-ideal circumstances.

Happy Father's Day!

June 21, 2015

Victoria: As she wrote a message to Greg Dear Dad, I love you. Happy Father's Day. Please play with me *pause* all the time.
Greg: That's beautiful Victoria.
Victoria. Now I'm going to draw a little picture on the other side. After a moment That's your wife.
Greg: My wife is a snow person?
Danielle: quietly Yep.
Victoria: a bit disappointed I don't know know how to draw regular/normal people yet.
Greg: Oh that's okay. Mom's coloring is a lot like a snow person.

Greg: We need to get a fog machine and some colored lights.
Danielle: What?!
Greg: It's the cleanest way I know to practice mixing colors.
Less than a minute later Or we could use food coloring and water.
Victoria: Yea!