Two random links:

First, a chemistry set for kids with no chemicals. Well, not officially, anyway - no comments from the peanut gallery about how everything is made of chemicals, you know perfectly well what I mean!

And secondly, a post on hobo nickels. I feel I've posted that before....

In case you're all wondering how the kulcha turned out

it was what I call "a good first effort". I got the filling/dough proportions wrong, and the recipe I used isn't exactly what I wanted as far as filling goes anyway. Also, next time I have to roll the dough thinner, both before and after stuffing.

Still, I could definitely tell what it was I'd been trying to make. Next time I'll get a little closer.

Now, we go to swimming on Wednesdays.

Ana insists on changing in the women's locker room, because they have separate changing rooms. And last Wednesday a little first grader got herself locked in one of them. So here her sister is trying to calm her down, and trying to tell her dad what happened, and generally panicking (and, when she remembered, saying she didn't MEAN for this to happen! - I ended up telling her that not a one of us thought it was her fault or her sister's) while her sister freaked out in the changing room.

And every few minutes the older girl's father would call to her, and she'd go outside and get his sage advice: "Tell her to calm down!"

I didn't say anything, but what I wanted to tell him was, dude, your kid is NOT going to calm down because her sister tells her to, or because you tell her to. She's going to calm down when she's not locked in anymore! And every time you drag her sister away to tell her something inane like "Tell her to calm down!", you know what? YOU UPSET YOUR YOUNGER DAUGHTER! Because her sister is gone, and she can't see where she went!

I just don't understand what on earth he was thinking!

"Tell her to calm down." I can't imagine anything more worthless than that to say. Sheesh.