Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Sunday, May 11, 2008

Dads, kids make surprises from scratch

Dads, Mike Wintheiser (left) and Dave Johnson make mother’s day cards with their daughters, (from left) Lizzie Wintheiser, 4, Meghan Johnson, 4, and Hannah Johnson, 2, at Saturday’s Mother’s Day Surprise event at Family Resources in La Crosse. PETER THOMSON photo

By AUTUMN GROOMS / La Crosse Tribune

It didn’t take Lizzie and Nathan Wintheiser long to conclude that when it comes to moms, their’s ranks among the best.

Brenda Wintheiser of La Crosse is kind and makes her children’s days great by staying home with them, they said.

“I love mommy,” said Nathan, 2.

“I love mommy, too,” Lizzie, 4, added.

The kids plan to prepare a breakfast feast for their mother today — with dad Mike’s help, of course — and then continue their Mother’s Day celebration with a big lunch at Grandma Bette Wenger’s house.

The gifts they’ll give were handmade Saturday at a Family Resources’ workshop that had Mom in mind.

About a dozen kids, many with their dads, made hand magnets, designed cards, and filled balloons with dirt, water and radish seeds to create balloon plants to present to their moms today.

Meghan Johnson of La Crosse was looking forward to surprising her mom, Tina, with the card she’d crafted.

“She’s going to like it,” she said.

The 4-year-old was anxious to give her mom the gift because she stays home and plays with Meghan and her sister, Hannah, 2, and reads books all day, Meghan said.

Ellie Solberg of La Crosse wasn’t going to give up on funneling dirt into her mom’s balloon plant when it got stuck.

And when she made her mother, Sheryl, a card, Ellie wanted to use the right amount of glitter.

The 6-year-old wanted her mother’s gifts to be great because she “reads a whole stack of books at bed time.”

Making a Mother’s Day gift for her mom, Stacey Stanton, was something

10-year-old Rachel White of La Crosse wanted to do.

“She’s been nice to me all year,” White said. “She gave me a home to put over my head and bought me clothes at the beginning of the year and throughout it, and bought me food.”

And that doesn’t count the times when Stanton acts silly, White said. “She likes to goof around, too.”

Grow your own balloon plant

1. Use a funnel and pour ½ cup of dirt into balloon.

2. Add about ¼ cup of water through funnel.

3. Drop radish seed into

balloon.

4. Blow up balloon without

tipping it. Family Resources used a small balloon pump to inflate the planter.

5. Tie a knot.

6. Add a piece of ribbon.

7. Hang in any window with plenty of sun.

8. Watch it grow.

Source: Family Resources

Contact Autumn Grooms at (608) 791-8424 or agrooms@lacrossetribune.com.