Popping Balloons

Lotta and I have been working on figuring out how to do only two hours of screen time a day during the summer.  The challenge being, she's four and doesn't totally get the concept of time.  And then the challenge of screen time on my phone versus screen time on the computer versus television screen time.  There are just a LOT of screens with which to interact.  AND I really want a balance of utilizing these screens for fun and education and doing other creative, interactive activities.

As Zibbi was napping, Lotta finished a movie and wanted to watch a television show (a "short" one of course...)  I explained that she needed to find something else to do.  She was not happy with this idea and stormed out onto the front porch.  I wasn't sure where this was leading.  Was she running away?  Just checking for neighbors?  I went back about my business when suddenly the doorbell starting ding dong ding dong ding dong.  Right below where Zibbi was slumbering.  I was instantly momma bear furious.  Nobody wakes up my baby!

I flung the door open and started whispering furiously to cease the bell ringing.  But before I started in, I saw Lotta's face, so excited and filled with joy at finding something fun to do with her time, at being so grown up as to be ringing a door bell.  And as I began to "yell" in a whispery way, her face and entire body deflated.

She came inside, and told Ben and I that she would play in her castle.  She crawled in.  Ben and I then heard sobbing sounds.  I responded, "That sounds more like crying than playing...."  I went over and gave her a big hug, explaining how disappointing it is when you are so excited to share something and then you get in trouble instead.

We decided because it was Ben's last day of school we would make brownies together.  I want her to learn the value of chocolate now...Just kidding.  Kind of.

Nailed It!

After much research, Zibbi decided she wanted an Elmo cake for her birthday.  Every time I would mention her birthday, she would say, "Elmo" meaning she still wanted an Elmo cake. 

Originally, I thought I'd have the professionals at Hy-Vee Bakery create the masterpiece.  Having recently discovered Pinterest, however, I decided I would make the cake.  Ben and I looked up You Tube videos on how to make a cake.  One chef promised us it would only take an hour as she went through 65 easy steps to an Elmo cake...it was as if part of her instructions were in a completely different language.  The cake she made was gorgeous.

Finally, I decided on a cupcake pull apart cake.  It is a bunch of cupcakes squished together to look like Elmo's face.  Because Zibbi's two favorite Madison people could not attend dinner on the same evening, we were having two celebrations.  I thought we could just take cupcakes from the bottom of the face the first night and it wouldn't even look like we'd actually eaten anything the second night.  Sneaky. 

With the craziness of after school and the day in general, I was rushed to get the project completed before our first guest arrived.  Then I realized we had a function at Lotta's school that night rather than the next night as I'd previously thought.  So I raced through the cake baking and then frosting making. Needless to say, the Elmo cake did not turn out the way I had anticipated.  I texted a friend that I was hating on Elmo after my fail.  She told me that I couldn't possibly hate Elmo, he is after all, all about love. 

I did learn some valuable lessons that day.
1.  It is so much funnier to fail than to succeed.  Go to pinterest failures for loads of laughs.  Here is my pinterest "nailed it".  I mean, yes, not even Zibbi recognized my attempt as Elmo.  Still, it will be a story to tell for years to come...

2.  You can't rush.  Part of the problem I had was feeling rushed, putting the frosting on too early.  Rushing to make the frosting before the butter was softened, etc. etc.  Apparently, "they" have all those baking "rules" for a reason...

Our great friend Brittany kept saying, "It tastes great and that's what matters!"  Lotta, on the other hand, decided she will have brownies for her birthday. 

Big...Little...

Zibbi and I were reading a book about big and little.  (By the way, Zibbi LOVES reading books.  We seem to have a houseful of book lovers!)  I read the first couple of pages which went something like...Big Bear.  Little Bear.  Big Dog.  Little Dog.  We arrived at the third page, I said, "Big Cat..."  allowing Zibbi to join in on the fun.  To my surprise, instead of saying, "Little Cat", she exclaimed, "poop".