the latest craze

A couple of weeks ago, my sister, Megan, started talking to me about baking bread. So I went on my favorite site, recipezaar, to look into some recipes and I have been 'experimenting' ever since. This morning I was in the kitchen working on some wheat bread, which I was kneading it by hand (which is a great core workout!). Lately I have been reminded how rewarding it is to MAKE something in the kitchen that didn't come from a box and my family has enjoyed the fresh baked bread.

While I was working on the bread, the kids were busy in the sink. Water play is the latest craze at our house. Judah can't get enough of it. He will stand there on the chair, at the sink, in the kitchen until you MAKE him stop and get down. And that isn't an easy task either. To him, water play ranks up there right after spending time outside and before eating...yep, you read right...before eating! Filling, pouring and dumping, filling pouring and dumping...it's amazing to watch a toddler do a simple task over and over and over. The repetition of a small task like that is crucial to his development. And this morning it was all fun and games until something got broken, like one of my cereal bowls!

Hosanna joined him at the sink today. Her craze for the past few months has been wearing a dress all of the time, usually a summer dress. That is what she lives for, she claims that she can't be a 'princess' without a dress (thank you, disney movies!). Surprisingly, she stays pretty warm and doesn't fight too much when she actually has to wear clothes to leave the house.

Jere's latest craze is drinking pop from a glass bottle, you know, the IBC rootbeer or cream soda. Everytime I go to the store that is what he asks me to get for him. It's a throwback to his childhood when he used to ride around town (a VERY small town) on his bike and get Dr. Pepper in a glass bottle from the pop machine outside the grocery store. Back when it only cost like 25 cents, those were the days!

Lately, Zoe has been spitting bubbles and making a buzz sound while doing it. She can't stop smiling either, she is SO stinking happy most all of the time.

For all of us, our crazes usually change, if they don't then it becomes a hobby. As we go through life, there are certain things that we enjoy more than others, for the kids hopefully, its just ages and stages - all a part of the learning process. The bread, by the way, turned out well. Here's the recipe: traditional wheat bread. It will be fabulous with the pepsi roast that we are having for dinner. I can't wait!