January 2012
1 post
“Me: Shhh! What does Ms. Parham say when it is time to take a nap at school?
...”
December 2011
1 post
“I’ll ask Santa for… a clock, a new toothbrush and some toys…...”
November 2011
16 posts
Dragon Egg
At bedtime Lex is a baby dragon. He curls up in brown blanket, and calls “Caw! Caw!” for mommy dragon to come.
I say “Oh my, what’s in this egg? Is it a chicken egg? Is it a turtle egg? Is it a platypus egg?”
“Caw! Caw!” says the egg.
“It’s not a chicken… Or a turtle… Or a platypus… It’s a BABY DRAGON! And it it...
Science Fair
I have known for awhile that there was a toddler/Primary science fair coming up, but thought they were making projects as a class. That may be, but Monday I learned we also should be making a science exhibit at home. The fair is this Friday.
In the car on the way home, I asked Lex what kind of science he was interested in. “Building robots!” Of course. “Bat bots! And the cape...
Halloween
We went a little overboard on dress-up costumes from Target. Lex wanted to be a hybrid Super-Spider-Bat-Boba Fett hero/villain.
The Captain was a surprise last-minute contender, based solely (I believe) on the fact that he had already WORN all the other new constumes at least once. It was the only one still on the original hanger after school on Monday, and so was the favorite. He was Spiderman...
November Already
I can hardly remember what we did this weekend, much less months ago. September, Zac’s birthday, not a big one, at the end of the month. He got a Lego Millennium Falcon set and put it together with help from Lex. We went camping with friends to celebrate, to Virginia Beach. We found hundreds of beached horseshoe crabs, file clams, skates egg cases, and I swam in the ocean. It rained some,...
September 2011
2 posts
Late Summer Adventures
Our friends were married on Topsail Island, on Monday 8/22/11. Zac was their photographer. Everyone stayed with them in a big beach house Saturday til Wednesday. Our kids played in the surf, caught coquinas and sand fiddlers together, blew bubbles as Suzi & Melissa walked down the aisle, built sand castles, swam in the pool, drew pictures on the shore, dug holes in the sand.
Labor day, we...
July 2011
8 posts
Go To Sleep
L: Momma, I wish I had some snap paper.
M: What is snap paper?
L: It is paper you snap like this… (pinching fingers together) and it makes a loud noise.
M: Oh. Did you learn about snap paper in school?
L: No. Wall-E has some. He snaps it like this… (more pinching fingers)
M: Do you mean bubble wrap?
L: Yes. I wish I had some bubble wrap…
M: I will look for some for...
Company's Best Pickles
Just like my Grandma Zella used to make. (Recipe courtesy of Jill’s mom.)
Crispy Sweet Pickle Timeline:
Day 1: Make salt brine, be sure to make enough solution to cover all cucumbers completely.
Cover whole cucumbers with solution leaving at room temperature. You may try placing a weighted plate over cucumbers to ensure submersion.
Salt Brine:
1/2 cup salt
1 quart water
Day 2:...
Here There Be Dragons
Lex: “Momma! Komodo dragons are real!”
Me: “Yes, they certainly are.”
Lex: “They don’t fly. They only walk.”
Me: “Well, that is true.”
Lex: “And they are named after Komodo Island in the Indonesian Archipelago!”
Me: “!” (Thinking: He is VERY advanced!)
Lex: “And they HAVE 10 FEET!”
Me: “…? I think you mean they *grow up to* 10 feet.”
Invertebrates
Lex: “Momma, animals which have no bones, we call… invertebrates.”
Me: “Yes, we do.” (Thinking: Where does he learn this?)
Lex: “Like an octopus.”
Me: “That’s right.” (Thinking: Ah, Montessori!)
Lex: “Some octopuses can change color.”
Me: “They can. Also did you know they like to eat mollusks?” (Thinking: Momma knows more than my two-year old!)
Lex: “Yes… And...
May 2011
26 posts
Budapest Bábszínház
Hungarian Puppet show. The most magical thing I have ever seen. In a small theater on the fourth floor we sat in a folding chair in the back row, on a little riser so we had an excellent view. The puppets all spoke Hungarian, of course, but the movements were so expressive we understood everything. Here is the story:
[darkness]
Fireflies: This is a story about what happened once upon a time.
...
Budapest: Danube
Started the day at a great playground near the Zoo. Swings, slides, a pirate ship for climbing on, and a huge multi-area trampoline for 400 HUF per 5 minutes. We had a big time before racing across town on the Metro to make the 12:15 Danube river cruise departing from Dock 7.
Fantastic view of Parliment and a variety of historic and architectural wonders, but my boy was absorbed in the...
Budapest: Buda Hills
Take the M1 metro (runs just below street level, uses smaller trains to fit the special short tunnel) from Oktagon to Deák Ferenc Tér. Change to the M2 line (bigger trains, different tunnels, linked by escalators deep underground) to go under the Danube to Moszkva tér (Moscow Square) and catch either the 59 or 61 (old-style) tram for two stops. (Note: Loney Planet incorrectly suggests tram 18 or...
Budapest: Zoo
Another good bedtime spoiled by a 10 pm wake up. But he fell back to sleep and was up a little sooner in the morning. We went down for breakfast, and while I was at the buffet, a waiter brought Lex hot chocolate. He looked so grown up. It made me proud. At the table we had conversations like:
“Excuse me Momma. I would like to talk to you about something.”
Followed by fantastic...
