Just When You Think It's Safe To Go Back In The Water, There's Another Rainbow

Following last night's Dora and Diego marathon, bath time with my two two-year-olds was inspirational. There was much singing and dancing and imitating.

Baby Z chanted, "Sube! Sube!" (Spanish for climb) as she climbed out of the tub and up to the top of Mommy Mountain.

Swaddling her in a big yellow duck towel, I coached, "Amarillo. Yellow. Amarillo is yellow in Spanish."

"Yellow!" said Baby Z.

Her sister, Baby K, stood still in the tub and smiled, enthralled.

"Amarillo, yellow," I repeated.

Still, she stood and smiled.

I thought I must be doing such a good job to hold a toddler's attention so well.

Then, proudly she turned and pointed near the drain, "Rainbow!"

There it floated, curved like a rainbow, a little brown stinky rainbow. Ah yes, the world looks so different through a child's eyes.

Let It Snow!

How Now Green Cow

Baby Z loves cows. This week we talked with Papa on speakerphone. She was amazed when I told her he had cows we could go visit. Even more exciting was the brilliant array of colors in which she must have pictured them.

Me: Do you like cows?

Baby Z: I like cows!

Me: Did you know Papa has cows at his house we could go visit? Would you like to go see the cows where Papa lives?

Baby Z: (stunned)

Papa: I have a black and white cow.

Baby Z: Black and white COW!

Papa: And I have a red cow.

Baby Z: Red COW!

Papa: And I have a cow that's white all over.

Baby Z: White cow!

Papa: And I have a yellow cow.

Baby Z: YELLOW COW!

Me: Wow, a black and white cow, a red cow, a white cow and a yellow cow. What other color cows do you think Papa might have?

Baby Z: GREEN COW!

Well, yes, why not a green cow? They do seem to come in every color of the rainbow after all.

A Sock Obsession

Do they itch? Do they bind? Are they completely out of fashion? Who knows. She refuses to explain, except to shout, "No!" angrily when anyone approaches her with a pair.

Baby K will not wear socks.

Will not wear socks with shoes. Will not wear socks in twos. Will not wear socks no matter what you do.

Burdened by a good dose of mommy guilt for allowing her to go sockless to preschool yesterday, I came home from running errands with this adorable bundle of colorful baby socks, plus a handful of play along crazy-striped mommy socks.

Let's hope it works.

Knee Bone Connected to the Nose Bone

As we relaxed on the floor together before nap time yesterday, the youngest of my 17-month-old twins pointed to her knee and said, "Knee." Encouraged by my response, she pointed to her sister's knee and said, "Knee." Realizing she was on a roll, she pointed to her mouth and said "Mouth." Excited by her sense of accomplishment, she then proudly stuck her finger up her nose and said, "Nose."

*A repeat performance post.

Mmmmm, Just the News I've Been Waiting For

Wouldn't you like to be on this research team?

Fruity cocktails count as health food, study finds
from Reuters.com
Fri Apr 20, 2007 9:41AM EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A fruity cocktail may not only be fun to drink but may count as health food, U.S. and Thai researchers said on Thursday.

Adding ethanol -- the type of alcohol found in rum, vodka, tequila and other spirits -- boosted the antioxidant nutrients in strawberries and blackberries, the researchers found . . .

Wacky Wednesday -- Seven Words Every Parent Hopes Not to Say

"Stop picking your nose with your fork."

Yet another reason to give them spoons.

Wacky Wednesday -- Flaming Potty

Oh my, and I thought the singing potty was bad.

Japan firm apologizes after toilets smoke, catch fire
from Reuters.com
Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:43AM EDT
Oddly Enough News

TOKYO (Reuters) - Twenty-six smoking toilets, and three more on fire, put a Japanese toilet maker in the hot seat on Monday . . .

Wacky Wednesday: Everything You Need to Know about Having a Baby, Only 99 Cents

If only it was that simple:

Wacky Wednesday -- What's In a Name

I look back fondly on the 80's, but not this fondly.

Yahoo! News
Couple fights to name baby 'Metallica'
Tue Apr 3, 4:15 PM ET

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Metallica may be a cool name for a heavy metal band, but a Swedish couple is struggling to convince officials it is also suitable for a baby girl.

So well-reasoned too:

"It suits her," Karolina Tomaro, 27, said Tuesday of the name. "She's decisive and she knows what she wants."

Apparently "Prudence" just wouldn't do. Perhaps Metallica has a much different ring in Swedish.

Wacky Wednesday -- Refrigerator Art, My Favorite Kind of Art

I would love to visit this coffee shop in New York featuring a silent auction of works by two young artists, ages 2 and 4.

from Refrigerator Art Maybe, but Buyers See Local Resonance
from The New York Times
Livingston Manor Journal
LIVINGSTON MANOR, N.Y.
March 26

The work is of distinctive preschool character, much like the 28 other paintings on the mauve walls of the Peez Leweez coffee shop on Pearl Street, at the southern tip of the minuscule downtown in this picturesque hamlet abutting the Catskills. The artists are sisters who share a passion for pink and an odd taste for cookies paired with slices of ham and cheese.

The creator of the kitty-cat is Arley Foster, age 2. Ayla Foster, 4, favors colorful flowers and dolls with big heads. Their 29 oil, highlighter and crayon creations have fetched bids from $5 to $100 in a silent auction over the last month.

Click here to read the rest of the story on NYTimes.com.

Wacky Wednesday

Wacky Wednesday -- It's a Tough Job

From Reuters.com

Parents beat up principal over grades
Mon Mar 5, 2007 3:00PM EST

BARI, Italy (Reuters) - An irate Italian family beat up a principal because they were unhappy with the grades a young relative had received and a ban on cell phones at school.

Wacky Wednesday -- And Now for Your Viewing Pleasure . . .

Monty Python and the Holy Grail in Lego

Wacky Wednesday -- Back to Mussel Beach

BBC News
Wales
Tuesday, 27 February 2007

Mussel's first class sea return
A shellfish has been returned to the sea off the coast of Anglesey after being posted "home" from Shropshire.

The mussel had been picked up by five-year-old Alastair Thornton from Church Stretton whilst on holiday.

His mother contacted an Anglesey website asking for advice to save it . . .

Wacky Wednesday -- Bogged Down by Beanie Babies

From The Muskegon Chronicle
Not so warm and fuzzy: Burglar nabs 145 Beanie Babies
Monday, February 19, 2007

By Lisa Medendorp
lmedendorp@muskegonchronicle.com

The getaway car -- loaded with 145 purloined Beanie Babies -- got stuck in the snow early Saturday in Norton Shores.

Not willing to lose his loot, the alleged Beanie Baby burglar got a pickup truck from a friend's home, drove back to the intersection of Worden Street and Sunbury Avenue and tossed the stuffed critters into the truck bed.

What the 37-year-old suspect didn't know was that Norton Shores police were already on the way . . .

Wacky Wednesday -- In my day it would have been hairspray . . .

In my day it would have been hairspray (think 80's and big hair bands) . . .

Teens turn out to be underarmed and dangerous...
Mon Feb 12, 2007 3:57PM EST
From Reuters.com

BERLIN (Reuters) - A group of young German women used so much spray deodorant in the bathroom of a North Sea youth hostel that it set off a fire alarm and brought the local fire brigade rushing to the rescue . . .

Wacky Wednesday -- Wow, He's Buff! Wait I Mean, In the Buff.

From USA TODAY, Dutch gym to introduce 'Naked Sunday' for naturists -- "AMSTERDAM (AP) — Self-conscious about what you wear while working out? A Dutch gym plans to introduce "Naked Sunday" for people who like to huff and puff in the buff."

For me, signing up for "Naked Sunday" would be enough inspiration in and of itself to get fit. It's bad enough that someone might have to see my extra-wide mommy fanny in Yoga class, but my naked extra-wide mommy fanny, now that would be really bad.

Wacky Wednesday -- Diaper Double Duty

We have just begun potty training at the House of ZoKai and already I am dreaming of what to do with the disposable diapers soon to be left high and dry.

Although I pride myself on the fact that I fashion a fine looking diaper hat, a girl can only wear so many hats. So what do with the rest? What to do? What to do?

I did a little research and found the following suggestions:

Microwaveable heating pad (Not so sure I would toss a diaper in my microwave, but OK.), keeping a plant watered longer by putting a diaper in the bottom of the pot, and packing material for shipment of fine china (Somehow that just seems wrong.) all from Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things from Reader's Digest RD.com.

You can even make a "diaper cake" for a baby shower as seen here.

Who knew?

Family Kicked Off Plane After Toddler's Tantrum

(The Wacky Wednesday post comes a day early this week. The following was just too good to pass up.)

From Yahoo! News
Toddler's temper ousts family from plane
By JIM ELLIS, Associated Press Writer
Tue Jan 23, 12:54 PM ET

ORLANDO, Fla. - AirTran Airways on Tuesday defended its decision to remove a Massachusetts couple from a flight after their crying 3-year-old daughter refused to take her seat before takeoff . . .