Tending and Training in the Deep Weird

The JAKE and I were discussing Winnie the Pooh during a recent Walmart run.  We were talking specifically about the incident when Tigger tries out carrots and honey and haycorns and decides that none of them are what Tigger likes best.  I love how even the big kids remember reading these aloud and to themselves. I love that it’s something we have shared together.

Then the conversation shifted a bit as Andy recalled that Winnie the Pooh was one of his all-time favorite videos when he was very young (I leaned on those quite a bit when Katie was new and Andy was only 18 months older!), and what a shame it was that we don’t have a viewable copy anymore since we had to pitch the old VCR.

Andy: We really should buy the DVD, Mom.  It’s a classic!

Mom: You think so?

Andy:  Of course!  Like The Godfather and Toy Story!  A classic!

I’m sure Michael Corleone would feel right at home with Pooh Bear and Buzz Lightyear, don’t you?

A friend shared this link…here’s what I did! Click to embiggen.

Ellie: I can’t wait until I’m bigger than Katie.

Mom: Well, that may not happen for a while.  She’s older, so she’ll be bigger for a few more years.  But when you’re older, it’s possible that you will be taller than Katie.

Ellie: (pauses, thinking) or FATTER!!!

I felt duty-bound to share with you what I am sure is going to be a big trend in the gift-giving department.  We recently had dinner with Sean’s mother for her birthday, and Ellie presented her very own gift to her Nana: a Bug Killer.

It was a large piece of bark.

Ellie explained very carefully to me that a certain part was the handle and another part was for doing the squishing.  She thought Nana might need it for when she goes out into her yard for gardening.

You might want to stock up now, before this stellar gift goes the way of Tickle Me Elmo.

…to anyone who had to see the “related links” that WordPress generated on one of my recent posts. 

Yowza.

Thankfully, it’s disabled now.  In case you’re a WordPress blogger and you don’t know how to disable, go to design, then extras, then unclick the correct box.

Yowza.

Ellie: Jonny, you don’t know everything.

Jonathan: Yes, I do!

Ellie:  Then tell me all the things.

This morning the upper 3 and I went to a local nursery to see about putting some color in the dirt-holders at the front of our house.  I’m glad we went to the nursery because there was a very helpful lady there who gave us some good direction in finding the kinds of flowers that would do well with the limited amount of sun we get in our flower beds.  Each child picked 2 6-packs of flowers, based on the lady’s suggestions.  We consulted together to make selections for Ellie, and she approved once we brought everything home. 

I divided the 2 larger front beds into 4 sections so each child could arrange their flowers how they liked and plant them by themselves.  Ellie had a wee bit of assistance, but she didn’t mind.  I think they’re very proud of their gardens!

Ellie’s layout.

Andy and Katie choosing their layouts

I am so counting this for school.

We decided this was a good opportunity to repot some houseplants that needed attention, too.

Gettin’ dirty for a good cause.

We had some surprise volunteers from last year’s flowers.  These snapdragons are flourishing!

We even managed to get a hybrid!  These were white last year and must have gotten friendly with the next door purple plant.  Hubba hubba.

Jonathan & Ellie’s flowerbed.

Cleaning up. 

Here’s hoping we still have some survivors in a month’s time!

I saw this on Elder Hale’s blog and decided to play.

1. One movie that made you laugh:
The Wedding Singer

2. One movie that made you cry:
Les Miserables

3. One movie you loved when you were a child:
Star Wars

4. One movie you’ve seen more than once:
Pride & Prejudice

5. One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it:
I’m too embarassed to admit it!

6. One movie you hated:
The New World

7. One movie that scared you:
I Am Legend

8. One movie that bored you:
Cars

9. One movie that made you happy:
Sense & Sensibility

10. One movie that made you miserable:
Saving Private Ryan

11. One movie you weren’t brave enough to see:
Psycho

12. One movie character you’ve fallen in love with:
I’m pretty sure I was determined to be Mrs. Han Solo when I was a girl.

13. The last movie you saw:
Prince Caspian

14. The next movie you hope to see:
Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull

15. Now tag five people:
Anyone that wants to chime in…feel free.

This week has brought a great challenge for this technophobic girl. We have begun to dip our feet into the morass of what is available now for home schoolers with computers: Entire courses on “enhanced CDs”.

It was time for Jonathan to begin formal science classes, so we placed an order with our favorite resource for home schooling materials, Veritas Press.  We ordered a “complete course” and I thought that meant textbook + study guide & tests booklet.  Not so.  What appeared on our doorstep was a CD that contains the textbook and all sorts of internet links/resources, and another CD from which I can print tests and study guides.  Just in case this is slipping past you, let me emphasize that I received a science course with no book. Yes, the text is all contained on the CD.  Yes, it is perfectly manageable and user-friendly. Yes, the internet tools are cool.  But there’s no book.

Do I look itchy to you?  I think I’m getting hives.

My father understands.  Dad and I talk about the merits of legal pads and pencils that you actually have to manually sharpen while my husband and mother wax poetic about the latest gizmo that uses terrorbytes (I think it’s terabytes? but I like my word better).  Sean, very practically, pointed out that we could return the CDs and exchange them for the textbook and the manual, but it would actually cost more than the CDs, and besides, we had this one in our hands and it might be good for me Jonathan to have a wee introduction into using the computer for something other than games.

But there’s no BOOK!

Pardon me while I go make yarn with a centuries-old technique.

(Seriously..do I look itchy?)

The Wichita RiverFest is a big deal for us.  Only a few months after meeting Sean at K-State, he invited me to come along on one of his family’s traditions: attending the RiverFest final concert and fireworks show.  Whenever we can, we participate as much as we can. For the cost of a festival button ($5 this year), you can gain admittance to concerts, musical theater, local museums, special playgrounds and other events. We look forward to this week!

The RiverFest begins with the Sundown Parade through downtown…

Waiting…

This wagon is always near the front of the parade, carrying the honorary Admiral of the Windwagon (there’s more tot hat story, but for the life of me I can’t remember it at the moment).  We wondered how they were going to navigate the stoplights, but they’d planned ahead and engineered a retractable mast. 

These balloon people are always one of my favorite groups…they come up with amazing things each year.

The peanut gallery.

And then…EXCITEMENT!

Ellie thought this was way cool.

This one, too.  I think the excitement went to her head…

My favorite float:

And finally, my nomination for the worst advertising campaign ever: