Footprints in the snow... and cookie treat

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! The ground shook with the giant footsteps of one Benjaminosaurus! And at the first chance he got, after school past noon today, he went and left his tracks on the blanket of white right outside our place!



As a result of yesterday's snowstorm, the biggest here since 1993, there's snow on rooftops, snow on the ground -- yes, it's snow, snow all around! But it's fast melting away, because the sun is out, and temperatures are above freezing. So while traffic was still crawling on our drive to school in the morning, with drivers understandably being extra cautious of the slick conditions, it had already returned to normal by noon, driving back with Ben.

I took a quick glance at the sky... See how fluffy the clouds looked at that point, they could pass off as the snow on the rooftops! Uncanny, isn't it?




So, can you guess what mystery objects my little boy brought for his show-n-tell, earlier today, when he got to be the "Star" again? These were the clues he gave his friends:
- They are the biggest animals to walk the earth.
- But they are now extinct.

Week after week, Ben has been devouring information about the prehistoric reptiles, from library books -- of both the fiction and non-fiction kind, full of captivating illustrations -- that we've not exhausted, and also great TV programmes on the Discovery channel about what these creatures could have been like in the time of their reign.

And not just Ben, but a hardly dino-savvy me has from these sources, acquired a new vocabulary of big-sounding names, beyond the more familiar T-rex, Triceratops or Stegosaurus that we started out with. And chances are, he can tell you better than I, if the Allosaurus, Diplodocus, Brachiosaurus, Iguanodon, Pterodactyl, and Coelophysis, among several others with longer names I have trouble saying (like Parasaurolophus!), are meat- or plant-eaters. And sometimes, he knows too, which of the Triassic, Jurassic, or Cretaceous periods they lived in.

There's something hanging over my head though, after receiving a long-awaited response about my erm diminishing prospects back home, that kept me wide wide awake last night. At the back of my mind are also the laundry to do, the house to clean, and grocery shopping I'm putting off till later this week. But it's all part of an at-home mom's responsiblities, and besides the daily grind, who doesn't have his or her share of worries?

I'm just glad I put aside my own stuff for awhile longer, and went to Ben's class like I promised I would, because it meant a lot to my little boy that mommy was there with him for his special (to him, indeed it was) day. And I did get to spend a lovely morning with his friends and teachers. And although now and then I'm there to be a little help at lunch and storytime, it's been some time since I got to hang out with the class for the entire duration of their half-day school.

All the kids were pretty well-behaved, and always a joy, and privilege, to be around! There were the expected meltdowns here and there, but nothing as usual that the able teacher and her aide could not handle. And it was wonderful, too, to see Ben lending a big hand to pick up and put away the blocks, puzzles, and other playthings. The way he isn't so proactive when it comes to cleaning up at home though, and our clutter says it all! It's an example of how some things work better in school (or outside of home), but just not at home. Know what I mean? ;p

Kids bake: Sugar Cookies with Choc Chips



Besides the mystery objects, Ben also brought along cookies he and Jon helped bake yesterday, when we were snowed in, specially for his friends. One of a few things I was trying to interest them in, so they wouldn't just be glued to the TV or computer! (Both boys are totally hooked on this Lego Knight's Kingdom website, but I'm not as keen to let them spend hours on end in front of the computer, never mind whether there's any direct correlation between myopia and staring at a computer screen for long periods).

So anyway, it was a recipe in an ad, that we got to try out for the first time. It was more of a sugar (butter?) cookie, but with chocolate chips in it. And Ben's classmates all love choc chips!

The complete recipe (I hope to come back and upload and share here soon) actually called for frosting to be added to the cookie after it's baked, and to add more choc chips to the frosting! But I do know that the teachers, (and me three), cringe when there's more than milk moustaches to wipe off many little faces, so out of consideration for everyone, I left out that last step of the recipe! The cookies themselves turned out to be sweet enough, so it worked for us without the frosting.

The list of ingredients didn't look so daunting, once I laid out everything on the dining table. Doubling the recipe helped make sure there was more than enough cookies to go around for the kids, and teachers, too.

Jon settling down, and helping to make sense of the recipe...


There were lots of flour flying around though, besides a spill here and there, when the boys were trying to add this and that into the mixing bowl! The cleanup took me quite a long time!

My able sous chefs stir away!



Jon who gets to do less baking with me, as Ben who has more time with me at home, did one whole tray of cookies all by himself! After which, like Ben, he ran off, complaining of aching arms from all that stirring and rolling of dough!


The last of the five trays, a half tray, we kept for ourselves, and I left them in the oven for longer so there was a slightly burnt, but can be just as nice (to me!), finish!

Just right, or slightly burnt... which do you prefer?


And Kopi Soh, if you are reading this, please help yourself to these cookies I told you were on the way! Indiana Jones Jon thinks they are yummy! =)




Be back later with other snow pictures! It's been a long day, alright! But the footprints in the snow, reminds me of Footprints in the Sand. And I just need to know, when we feel we can't do it, our Father God is always there to carry us!