Of Love and Frosting

It's Gommie day tomorrow!

We've been counting down for weeks now, closely monitoring the approach of the day with a special calendar for this week. Bud was so excited because "tomorrow I can wake up and say 'zero days til Gommie comes!'"

So, don't expect too many posts. But I'll give you two tidbits to tide you over:

I've been doing "time-ins" with the kids now for awhile to discuss any problems that arise between the two (read: when they are about to kick each other to death). I usually start with "what's going on?" (not exactly "what happened" but close) and proceed to feelings and wants, trying to get them to talk directly to each other (sound familiar? Yep, nonviolent communication, but I'd come up with the process beforehand and haven't started my NVC for parents book yet, will soon, interested in new strategies). So, today when Sis and Bud had had enough of playing with each other but hadn't actually decided not to yet, I asked Bud what he wanted and he said, "I want love from Sis." (Can't get more nonviolent than that! Except it's not a specific or doable request. Oh, well. We're all learning!) It was so sweet. She was nonplussed, though.

Also, yesterday, we made cupcakes, basic chocolate box mix with jarred/jarring frosting (oh how the mighty fall) with lots of sprinkles. And each kid lavished love and frosting on a big cupcake, sprinkling the dickens out of it, and then gifted it to me with a big smile and "it's for you, Mommy!" Two delicious chocolate cupcakes from my sweet kiddos. And you can bet I ate them both right then and there. Delicioso!