I still remember the last time when two of my children and I went to the playground. It had rained during the night and the playground was very muddy (泥泞的). They had just put on clean clothes, so I was a little worried about the pools of water on the playground. It was not long before Kathy got her beautiful skirt dirty on the playground. She dug through the rocks. I was about to blame her for getting her clothes dirty when she ran towards me with a smile on her face. When she got to me, she handed me a little heart-shaped rock and said, "Here Mom! Here is a heart for you－just because I love you! Keep it!”with tears in my eyes, I thanked her.
    Should I blame her for getting her clothes muddy? No way! I still have that little heart-shaped rock. It is one of the best gifts that I have ever received. I realize that many times it is not necessary for us adults to worry about the small things our children do. Let them do what they'd like to.
    I will spend a lot more time on the playground with my children. I'm sure I will learn a lot from the children. It reminds me of some years ago when my grandfather told me, "You would not enter the kingdom (王国) of happiness until you pretended (假装) to be a small child.”

    It is nice to hike with kids, but you must know something about hiking if you want to take a happy, relaxing trip.

    Start early, know what to do in a heavy rain and carry sunglasses. Take snacks, toilet paper and a bag with you. Take a whistle(口哨) for kids. You may use it if children run away.

    Find a partner. Kids are naturally competitive, and you can use this to your hike. They will try to do better than each other when they go hiking. They also will keep each other interested in something new.

    Do something easy. It's good to play easy games. You can say "Does anybody see anything red that matches my shirt?" Kids will be easy and happy to answer this kind of questions.

    If you aren't excited, they won't be either. When your kids find something they are interested in, you must show your interest in it, too.

    My name is Lisa. Because of my job, I often went to the United States. I often felt worried during my trip because I didn't speak English well. So I decided to learn English.

    I went to Mrs Brown's English class. Before I came to the class, I always walked away when I met any Americans. But now I try to talk to Americans in English. And I like going to supermarkets, cafes and restaurants to talk with local people.

    I learn English in four ways. First , I listen to the teacher carefully and keep speaking in class. Second, I do my homework after I get home. I learn at least five words every day. Third, I listen to American radio and watch American TV programs. Finally, I surf the Internet to talk with different people in English.

     To learn English well, I think you must learn to open your mouth. For me that is the key to opening the door of learning English.

Dear Li Na,

    I'm really glad to receive your e-mail. You said you were learning to cook. Is it interesting? I think if you want to keep healthy, food is very important. You'll be better if you try all kinds of food, especially（特别是） vegetables and fruit. I eat them every day.

    You asked me how to make a milk shake. There are different kinds of milk shakes, such as apple milk shake, banana milk shake, carrot milk shake and watermelon milk shake. Apple milk shake is my favorite, because apples and milk are both good for our health. Before starting, we need an apple, a cup of milk, some ice-cream and two spoons of honey. Of course, you need a blender.

    Now, let's start. First, peel an apple and cut it up. Next, put the apple, the milk, some ice-cream and two spoons of honey into the blender. Then turn on the blender. Keep it going for only one minute. Finally, pour the apple milk shake into a glass and drink it. It's delicious!

    I want to learn how to make some Chinese food, such as dumplings, noodles and zongzi. Could you teach me?

    Write soon!

Yours,

Maria