Stay Classy, Southeast Texas

Spotted in the restroom of the restaurant at the mall where we had lunch today.

Shrooms?

Anybody know what this is? There were several growing in our carrot patch. It seems to be some sort of mushroom.

Fairy Tales

Peeper has discovered fairy tales and wants to hear more and more of them. We're struggling to find ones that we find acceptable. Some of the issue is that we prefer those that are not all about "someday my prince will come," but also, holy cow!

I get that these stories come from a different day and age, and that probably nothing you can find in a children's book today approaches the gruesomeness of original versions, but seriously?

Hansel and Gretel?!

I am MUCH less concerned with the witch trying to cook and eat the children than I am with the parents plotting to abandon them in the woods, because they can't afford to feed them.

Twice. (They made it back the first time, and the parents got mad and tried again!)

When I read it, I'm generally saying, "Um, and then the went for a walk, and they thought maybe they would get lost, so they took bread crumbs, and then they got lost and their parents looked and looked for them but couldn't find them, and . . . . " while hoping she doesn't wonder why it takes four pages to say that.

Funnily enough, her first exposure to most of the fairy tales, especially the ones she's particularly "into" these days - Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel and Jack and the Beanstalk - were through Sesame Street, which of course, shows a very different version of them.

Hansel and Gretel, for instance, are a take off on Hans and Frans and they "just want to throw breadcrumbs!" and Rapunzel cuts her hair because it keeps getting caught on things and she can't have any fun.

So, she saw these, and wanted to hear more about them, so Shrike got out the "Inappropriate Fairy Tales" (as we call it) book and read them to her, and now she's kind of obsessed.

At story time yesterday, I asked the librarian to help us find some more appropriate versions, but guess what? The ones we ended up with are pretty much word-for-word like the ones in that book!

We've actually read (Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture - Amazon affiliate link) that the "gruesome" versions are good, in that they let kids work through scary things in a fun way, but parental abandonment, no thanks!

I'm not totally sure about people getting eaten up, but Peeper seems to be okay about it. It makes Rapunzel-gets-knocked-up seem pretty tame, in comparison.

I Believe There's A Three-Year-Old in the House

Peeper and I were playing in the living room when I glanced over at the coffee table and saw this.

I was informed that "She's a ballerina. That's her 'Waltz of the Flowers' dress."

Oh, of course.

Later, I found her here:

I'm really glad I noticed that one, because I never would have looked there on Tuesday, when we're rushing around to get ready for dance class!

How Her Head Works

While playing in the basement with Shrike, Peeper built this caterpillar:

Not sure what the "tongue" is doing way back there but, hey, at least somebody's getting some use out of these weights.

Later, she insisted on "painting" her "metal harmonica" (the screwdriver tips). She then traded the real paintbrush for a tiny screwdriver and "painted" with that.

When she finished with the "metal harmonica," she "painted" the wall and my chair (with the screwdriver) and "made them incognito."

LIttle Pitchers

This morning, Peeper and I made a run to Target, and while we were there, she was playing with some Angry Birds pillows.

(According to the tag, they are "soft and cuddly!" And, angry?)

We are not Angry Birders at our house, but BabyBro showed it to her, so she recognized them, and said, "I wan' dose Angwy Buhds!"

As she was cuddling them, she asked me, "Why he gotta talk to Dr.T?"

Shrike denies having ever made a smart-ass comment to that effect.

Whoa.

Oh. Oh my.

I was just looking at my blog stats, which I haven't done in a while, and checking out the search terms that have found me.

I've recently had two hits from each of the following:
naked fairy coloring pages for adults
santa claus naked

I can only hope that they were sorely disappointed with what they found.

Can You Identify These Folks?

About Those Images

I've managed to fix the images from 3/26 - 3/27 and now they're showing up.

My next goal is to add the photos from the trip to Texas.

Image Issues

I have no idea why the images I've uploaded over the past couple of days aren't showing up, but if you click the little "broken image" boxes, they will take you to the bigger versions of them, and you can actually see those.

Any suggestions?

I Got Nothin'

I really can't explain this.

She told me that she was "All dressed up as BigGaloot," and indeed, that is his "seatbelt" harness from when he was a pup, and he did wear that bandana "round his neck" (as she told me) one Halloween, but I'm thinking the over all effect is not so much "dog" as "leather daddy."

Peep In a Box

Guest Post: Happy Halloween!

From Shrike

Mojo Please

Shrike and I are working on - well, hoping to be working on - a project here that I'm not quite ready to blog about, but if things pan out, you'll definitely hear about it later.

The first step, as is so often the case, is to get the old financial ducks in a row.

We got some very good news on that front a few weeks ago, and yesterday, we learned about the possibility of another potentially huge boost in that department.

I'm sorry to be so coy about it, but we would greatly appreciate any generic prayers / well-wishes / good vibes / happy thoughts / positive energy / mojo that you might be able to send our way, both for the financial end of things and for the thing itself.

I'm sure that The Power(s) That (Might) Be will know what to do with them.

(Oh, and I will neither confirm nor deny any speculation in the comments, so don't bother. Or, what the hell, knock yourself out. Just don't expect me to hear anything from me.)

Overheard: Crime Scene Edition

Shrike (from Peeper's room): Did you do this?

Whozat: Do what? (walking into room)

Shrike: This . . .

Whozat: Noooo . . . . Why do you think he's in jail?

Shrike: I don't know. Maybe for killing the other two?

Kinetic Sculpture

Here's video of the awesome kinetic sculptures at the children's hospital.

And a little bit of Peeper.

Really?!

Also spotted at Target:

Pimp Mama

When Peeper and I were in Texas a few weeks ago, we went to the party store with Frappa, to buy decorations for the shower that we're throwing for the twins (just like the one for Peeper last year, but now with 100% more baby!).

They still had some of their Halloween costumes out, and I tried on a few things.

I didn't think about the camera in her phone.

At our local grocery store. . .

. . . Santa's pants are full of nuts.

Daily Peep: Inappropriate

I am a big fan of harnesses ("leashes") in crowded public places for kids who are big enough to want to walk on their own, but young enough that they can't be trusted to not run off.

(They provide more comfort, security and freedom than holding hands. I took LadyKay's kids to an amusement park both with and without them, and we all enjoyed "with" a lot more.)

That said, I really don't think you're supposed to use the actual harness that the dog used when he was a puppy.

I assume this happened because Peeper was playing with the box of leashes, harnesses, etc, and then Shrike got silly.

When they walked into the room, it took me a moment to figure out what was going on.

Peeper actually didn't seem to mind it a bit, which is good to know, because we actually already own a panda backpack / harness that we'll probably use when she's older.

We'll wear her as long as she (and our backs) will let us, but when she's at that running along beside stage, we'll probably go that route.