"Linka" is growing beautifully this year in many ways. She is taking on much more academically for one thing. She works quietly on her seat work downstairs in the morning (while the noise makers stay up in the playroom.) She thrives on quiet activity, personal space and routine. Hence, her latest idea of afternoon fun is "quiet reading tea-time" with Samantha, her American Girl doll. She is blowing through all of the Samantha readers one by one and easily gets lost in the stories. It takes some nudging to pull her out of imagination land, but I envy the way she can focus with such intensity whenever she picks up a book. (This must come from her father.)
Another place where this little eight-year-old girl is showing great maturity is in the kitchen! This year, she is in charge of lunch, which primarily means set up and clean up. However, she is far more interested in helping to prepare and serve the food, so I'm not about to look that gift horse in the mouth! One day she decided to dress up mom's same old boring salad. Those little sprays of shredded carrot did wonders when it came time to "sell" the meal. Even the baby bought into it and pointed at the plate until we gave her a few to nibble on.
As they say... the presentation is half of the meal!
