Minty-fresh math

Fiona and I were knee deep in number bonds this morning. Once we finished drawing some more ways to reach the number 10, we were going to use dominoes to "make tens" in a game with Nora.

In the meantime, however, Nora had amused herself by finding a box of Creme de Menthe Altoids that I had picked up for Ian as a treat at the grocery. I thought Ian might be amused by the new flavor; but as it turns out, Nora is almost always more captivated by treats than Ian. I have recently had to cull almost everything I need out of my purse because she can often find new and unusual ways to reach and get into it when people are otherwise occupied.

When she brought them to me, I figured the best way to keep her out of them in the future might be to let her taste one, so I offered one to each child. What I didn't anticipate was Nora immediately chomping down on hers, and Fiona following suit.

Nora continued to chew blandly for a good long while, but Fiona's eyes quickly began to water, and the corners of her mouth began to show subtle signs of distress. "They're curiously strong, aren't they?" I quipped. "Just swallow it once you've chewed it up, and we'll see how you're doing."

Fiona requested a drink of milk immediately, but I wasn't sure that was going to help her much, so I opted for The Distraction Method instead. By this time Nora wasn't looking totally sure about hers, either. "I think what you need to do to feel better is blow your minty dragon breath," I nodded sagaciously. Our math games were suddenly clouded by cool breezes of creme de menthe.

They weren't necessarily doing a whole lot better, but I upped the ante by adding, "And you know, I think our cats might really like creme de menthe. You should blow a little dragon breath their way and see what they think, huh?" Grinning, they raced out of the kitchen on a mission.

As it turned out, both Zelda and Ivy were completely nonplussed by creme de menthe, but at least it got both kids over the hump. Regarding Altoids:

Fiona: "I don't want to eat one of those ever again."
Nora: "Can I have another one?"