spiders and play-doh

I'm teaching the Sunbeam class in Primary at church this year. The first week, the five three-year-olds chewed me up and spit me out. I lost one kid when we were getting a drink and pretty much failed at all tasks involved. With a little advice from Laurel (thanks!), a friend who is teaching the same class in her ward in California, things are much improved. (I find it ironic that my fabulous advice came from someone with no kids when I, in dire need of the advice, have two kids in the class.)

I'm sure there will be many stories in the coming months. Here's one from today: In Sharing Time, the teacher was talking about taking care of our bodies. After a run down of all the healthy things we should eat, she asked the kids, "What are some things we should not put into our bodies?" The older kids mentioned drugs, smoking, etc. One kid in my class said, "Don't eat spiders." After that, James blurted out, "And don't eat play-doh!" Much more interesting, and at this point in their lives, more applicable, answers. Way to know your stuff little ones!

"Is my name still Kate?"

Kate got a new chic do this week. When it was finished, she looked in the mirror and asked, "Is my name still Kate?" Besides thinking she looks absolutely adorable, I would be interested to know what a child psychologist would say about a kid's concept of identity at this age.

Inauguration

I got back from DC last night after attending Obama's inauguration in DC. Here are a few photos.

"I don't care."

Those are the words Kate just uttered to me (very matter-of-factly, I will add) when I told her, "Kate, listen to me when I say 'no more fruit snacks.'"

Is this normal for a three-year-old?

She did not get the fruit snacks.

Miracle Fruit

Ever heard of miracle fruit? People with insomnia do interesting things to pass the time. Ben thinks about what to plant in his garden in the Spring and searches the Internet for interesting ideas. His search about a month ago revealed a fruit he's never heard of.

In case it's new to you, miracle fruit is a berry, slightly larger than a cranberry, that is native to West Africa. It produces two crops each year, after the end of the rainy season. When the fruit is eaten, a certain molecule, known as miraculin (hence: miracle) binds to the tongue's taste buds, causing bitter and sour foods (i.e. lemons and limes) to taste sweet. The exact cause for this change is unknown, but one hypothesis is that miraculin works by distorting the shape of the tongues "sweetness receptors" so that they become responsive to acids, instead of sugar and other sweet things. The effect lasts between thirty minutes and two hours.

A few weeks ago, Ben ordered a few of miracle fruit berries at a whopping $4 per berry ($1 for each berry, plus $3 shipping PER BERRY). Ben ordered 20 berries! The berries arrived on dry ice, with instructions to store them in the freezer until consumption. Ben has tested the berry's effect on dozens of different foods and seems to enjoy its results. He's also recruited a few other curious testers.

Interesting experiment. But not enough for Ben.

A package arrive today from Thailand.

Ben ordered a miracle fruit tree.

He's off buying a pot to plant it in as a write this post. He's planning to cultivate the tree somewhere in our home. With a little luck (okay, a MIRACLE), he'll invite you all to experiment along with him. We'll be in touch -- sometime after the rainy season.

Two things come to mind that may mean something to a few readers familiar with Ben's fruit fetish.

1. This fruit is not efficient.

2. The passion fruit plants that occupied a considerable portion of our 450 square foot apartment for a year used plenty of electricity, but never bore fruit.

Happy New Year

2009. Time flies. We bid 2008 farewell with sledding until dark, chocolate fondue, and some chit chat at Grandma's. We welcomed 2009 with sugar cookies and a day off. Life is good.