I finally located my camera, Lily's birthday party is finally over, and my parents will be leaving this afternoon. Therefore, in theory, I should have time to take pictures and post a couple of things I have saved in the draft stage right now. I will be posting the gargantuan sleeve, I promise.
In the meantime, I thought I would tell a funny story from my commuting days. It popped into my head recently because of a funny blog I've been reading called (The Customer is) Not Always Right. Check it out. It gives me a belly laugh every day, so it's good for the soul.
Anyway, a lot of the posts on Not Always Right are conversations with some really odd or dysfunctional people. That reminded me of someone I ran into when I was commuting into Boston for work. He fell clearly into the category of odd. So here it is.
Is That Custom?
When I was working in Boston, I had two ways of getting into work. Sometimes I drove into a nearby T station, parked for $3.00 and took the T into the city. Sometimes I took the bus, which stopped at the end of my street) to the T station and took the T into the city. On this particular day, I decided to take the bus.
As soon as I got on the bus, someone said "Hey! How are you?" I didn't think it was meant for me because there was no one on the bus that I knew. I sat down in the seat right behind the bus driver. Across the aisle from me was a gentleman in his 30s. He had a neat crewcut hair style, and was dressed in jeans, a pink dress shirt and a green tweed blazer. The combination was a little strange, but he looked relatively normal... or so I thought.
At the next stop, he said "Hey! How are you?" to every person that got on the bus. It was like he was the official bus greeter. Like me, no one acknowledged him, probably because they were taken off guard and had no idea he was talking to them. As they all took their seats, he said, quite loudly and to no one in particular "I'm going to court today!" That made me really look at him, mostly to see if I knew him from my job (I was a lawyer). Again, no one responded.
He rode quietly for a moment and then stood up and walked over to stand in the front of the bus next to the driver. "Hey!" he said suddenly, pointing to the fare machine, "Is that custom?"
The driver, somewhat startled, said "Uh, yeah, I guess."
The odd man then pointed at the dashboard. "What about this stuff? Is this all custom?"
I could sense that the driver was getting a little freaked out. "I guess," he said shortly. "You gotta stand behind the yellow line."
The odd man pointed at a newspaper that the driver had laid on top of the dashboard. "You reading that?"
Driver: "No. You gotta stand behind the yellow line, sir."
The odd man, showing no signs of moving, said "Can I have it?" The driver handed it to him and said "Now stand behind the yellow line or I have to stop the bus." The odd man took the paper and sat down across from me again. At this point, I was watching him like a hawk. One part of my job at the time was obtaining guardianships for incompetents, so I had a great deal of experience with the mentally ill. Patients like this man, who have no impulse control in public, occasionally act out without warning. I started thinking that his court date was probably for disturbing the peace.
As I'm thinking all of this, the man opened his paper with a snap and appeared to read it. For all of about 15 seconds. "FUCK this shit!" he yelled suddenly. I actually jumped in my seat, it was so sudden. "I'm not reading this crap." He threw the paper down on the seat next to him. I noticed that everyone in the surrounding seats was now giving him their full attention, because all conversation in the bus suddenly stopped.
At that point, we rolled up to the T station. Since he was in the front, he got off the bus first. I purposely stayed on the bus for a few minutes and was one of the last to get off, because I didn't want to risk walking near him. When I got to the T, I looked over the whole car before getting on to make sure he wasn't there. I didn't see him, so I sat down and read my paper.
A few minutes into the trip, an announcement came over the speaker from the driver "Can I help you, sir?" I looked up and, sure enough, the odd man was standing next to the door to the front of the T, repeatedly pressing the emergency assistance button.
"No! I'm good!" he said cheerfully. He continued to press the button.
"Sir, can you please stop pressing the button," came the announcement from the front of the train. Just then, the train came to its first stop, and the man got out. A few people laughed nervously and the train continued onward.
To this day, I have a running joke with my mom and a few friends, where we say "Is this custom?" or "No, I'm good!"
Showing posts with label stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stories. Show all posts
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The UGG-ya
I think Jack is getting just as creative at making up stories as his sister! It all started a few weeks ago when he told me the Big Bad Wolf drank all of my iced tea (actually, it was Jack himself who drank it). He then said the wolf was going to blow our house "all in pieces" but that he would catch him and eat him up.
I was pretty impressed. Jack hasn't been talking in sentences for very long, so it really stuck out when he suddenly told me a long story.
Today, he did something even more creative. He was down stairs in the playroom by himself. He came running upstairs and told me there was an UGG-ya in the basement and he was scared. I was on the phone with my mom at the time, and neither one of us could figure out what he meant by UGG-ya. I asked him if he meant "ogre" but he said "No, its a UGG-ya." I asked him what it looked like and he said "Come down with me."
I followed him downstairs and into the playroom. He walked about 4 feet from the door and then pointed out the door into the laundry room (which was dark). "It's in dere." I said "Where in there?" and he said "Oh, it's some clothes!" He ran out of the playroom and headed up the stairs. I started pointing at the various items of clothing in the laundry room. Was it Jim's shirts hanging on the clothes rack? No. Was it the pile of handwashing on top of the dryer? No. Was it the pile of clean clothes that Jim inexplicably dumped on the floor in front of the dryer? No. Was it the folded clothing on the table? No.
Finally, Jack said "I wanna go uptairs. I scared the UGG-ya!" I thought he meant he was too scared of the UGG-ya to stay in the playroom, so we both went back into the living room. Once we got there, this is what Jack told me about the UGG-ya:
The UGG-ya says "UGGGGGGG (deep growl) YAAAAAAH! (yell)" He is littler than Jack by about six inches. Jack is not scared of the UGG-ya because Jack "scared him away" when we were down in the basement. The UGG-ya is his friend Mimmo.
I was on the phone with mom the whole time and Jack's little story was cracking us both up. We both think he must be trying to say "ogre." He was just so serious about his story!
Kids. They act like little terrors one moment and then they tell you about the battle they won with the UGG-ya. It's moments like these that make me s glad I'm staying at home with the kids.
UGGGGGG-YAAAAAAH!
I was pretty impressed. Jack hasn't been talking in sentences for very long, so it really stuck out when he suddenly told me a long story.
Today, he did something even more creative. He was down stairs in the playroom by himself. He came running upstairs and told me there was an UGG-ya in the basement and he was scared. I was on the phone with my mom at the time, and neither one of us could figure out what he meant by UGG-ya. I asked him if he meant "ogre" but he said "No, its a UGG-ya." I asked him what it looked like and he said "Come down with me."
I followed him downstairs and into the playroom. He walked about 4 feet from the door and then pointed out the door into the laundry room (which was dark). "It's in dere." I said "Where in there?" and he said "Oh, it's some clothes!" He ran out of the playroom and headed up the stairs. I started pointing at the various items of clothing in the laundry room. Was it Jim's shirts hanging on the clothes rack? No. Was it the pile of handwashing on top of the dryer? No. Was it the pile of clean clothes that Jim inexplicably dumped on the floor in front of the dryer? No. Was it the folded clothing on the table? No.
Finally, Jack said "I wanna go uptairs. I scared the UGG-ya!" I thought he meant he was too scared of the UGG-ya to stay in the playroom, so we both went back into the living room. Once we got there, this is what Jack told me about the UGG-ya:
The UGG-ya says "UGGGGGGG (deep growl) YAAAAAAH! (yell)" He is littler than Jack by about six inches. Jack is not scared of the UGG-ya because Jack "scared him away" when we were down in the basement. The UGG-ya is his friend Mimmo.
I was on the phone with mom the whole time and Jack's little story was cracking us both up. We both think he must be trying to say "ogre." He was just so serious about his story!
Kids. They act like little terrors one moment and then they tell you about the battle they won with the UGG-ya. It's moments like these that make me s glad I'm staying at home with the kids.
UGGGGGG-YAAAAAAH!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Greetings from Sick World!
Now we have flu in the house. Who knew that even if one gets herself vaccinated and vaccinates both of her children, she can still get the flu? I admit, I knew on some level that the vaccine didn't cover every strain of flu, but I figured the odds were slim to none of catching something. We think I caught it from the neighbor's boy, who was actually taken to the ER for his because it caused a terrible asthma attack. Anyway, between that and the lingering Cold of Doom that keeps going around our house, there hasn't been much motivation for me to blog lately. I'm just praying that neither of the kids comes down with it, because there was much vomiting involved and I really don't want to go through that again, even as a bystander.
In other news, I have a few new interests that I want to share. First, I'm really excited about joining Ravelry.com, which is a forum for people who love to knit and crochet. I'm still on the waiting list for my invite, but I should be on-line there some time next week. I've found several projects to put in my queue and I'm currently working on two knitting projects and a crochet project. A bunch of the cool ladies from my parenting forum are already on line and we've been talking about and trading projects already, so I think belonging to a forum dedicated to needle arts will be fun! I bid on a set of 15 pairs of bamboo knitting needles (0-17) in anticipation and won the auction for $14.97 (including shipping). All of my old needles were destroyed in the Great Flood of Our Basement in 2006. So I encourage everyone who knits to join and friend me once you get on (or e-mail me to let me know if you're already a member). C'mon, it's fun!
My other interest right now is decluttering. My mom found a great blog where a woman is trying to get rid of 365 things in a year by donating, selling, free-cycling or throwing them away. I think it would be fun to document my own attempt to declutter, so I may start posting about that once a week. It will be a motivation to get rid of all our extra junk. I'm proud enough that I emptied and organized (1) our nightmare of an office; (2) the guestroom closet; and (3) Lily's two bedroom closets. This is the first time all of the closets on the first floor are neat enough that I wouldn't mind a stranger walking in and opening them. Even better, when I need to lay my hands on something, I can quickly find it in one of my anal-retentively labeled IKEA storage boxes! It gives me an overwhelming sense of omnipotence, I have to tell you.
My third interest is collecting Adams Calyx ware in the Regent pattern. You can see several examples of it here. The pattern was my great grandmother's, and she gave my mother all of her china. Since the pattern I chose at 23 when I got married no longer matches my taste, I decided I would add to my mother's collection. After a couple of months of eBay, I have 4 complete place settings (teacup, saucer, bread plate, salad plate and dinner plate). I've found I can get them much cheaper on eBay than on Replacements.com. I think I'll save Replacements for those items that are particularly hard to find, like the cream and sugar set and the salt and pepper set. I'm going to ask Jim to buy me the teapot for my next birthday/Mother's Day/Wedding anniversary extravaganza! It's a little dear, so I figure it could count for all three presents.
Anyway, these are my latest obsessions. The crocheting project (a sweater for me) is the only thing keeping me sane as we enter week 8 (or is it 9? 10?) of being bound to the house by sickness and/or bad weather.
Also, I know I keep mentioning all of the terrific pictures I have to show here and upload on my Snapfish account, and then leaving you all hanging. Someday soon I'll gather the fortitude necessary to get them on my computer and uploaded. You know from experience that uploading pictures to my blog can become an epic battle between me and the force of evil that is Blogger. The thought of doing it now just makes me too tired for words. I have a movie to show you, too. I'm really nervous about that one because I've never tried to upload and post a movie before.
AND....now that you have patiently waded through my personal news, here's what you were all really waiting to read: Two stories by Lily as well as an in-depth interview!!!
The Bird
Once upon a time there was a bird. He flied in the sky, but he was hungry. He saw a berry tree, he went down to it. He liked the berries on that tree. He was so happy he called his friends over. The end.
lily mama (typed by Lily herself. I believe it is meant to show that she made up the story and I typed it for her.)
Lily: I want to tell about a good thing. I want to tell another story.
The Shy Kitten
Once upon a time there was a shy kitten. He would not go near a house. He knew somebody would get him out because that was a house where no one liked kitties. So he went to see his friend, Butterfly. And he helped Butterfly gather nectar for his family. Then he helped him gather the flowers. He went through the flowers and took some flowers for his mom and gave them to her. The end.
lily mama (typed by Lily herself)
Interview with the Author, Lily Deeds
Mama: How did you like having Emma (her neighbor friend) overnight this weekend?
Lily: I liked it.
M: What did you do?
L: I played with her.
M: what did you play?
L: I played makeup.
M: How did you play makeup?
L: We put it on by finger, but we washed it off.
M: What else did you play?
L: I liked playing with her.
M: What time did you go to sleep?
L: I don't know.
M: Did you stay up late?
L: No, we stayed up all night.
M: Were you tired the next day?
L: Yes.... No.
M: Is it yes or no?
L: No.
M: What is your favorite color?
L: Pink.
M: Why?
L: Because I like the color it makes.
M: What is your favorite food?
L: Ice cream and cake! (Makes slurping sound) Lots of sweet stuff is what I like!
M: What is your favorite cartoon show?
L: Whatever you say my favorite cartoon show is... Secret Squirrel and Adam Ant. I like Secret Squirrel, he's secret!
M: What do you think about your brother Jack?
L: I think he is a very odd baby.
M: Why?
L: Because I like how funny he is.
M: What does he do that's funny?
L: He pretends to go to work. He pretends to go to work.
M: What is your favorite book?
L: If you say so, my favorite book is Lily's Plastic Purse.
M: Why is that your favorite?
L: Because she has glasses with a chain like Mr. Slinger, her teacher, and she has shiny coins that are jingly, and when her purse is open it makes music!
M: Are we done with the interview?
L: No! Ask me another question, like "How do you like your cat?"
M: How do you like your cat?
L: I love him because he's a soft friend.
M: How do you like having parties here?
L: Because I do like them here, because there's cake and there's always a balloon to take home.
M: What do you think will be different about you when you're five?
L: Because I'll be five years old and I won't really know. Because I'll be bigger than four.
M: What do you think kindergarten will be like?
L: It will be fun but I haven't got used to it yet, so I'll try it a few more times.
M: What's your favorite thing to do at preschool?
L: Color!
M: What kind of things do you like to color?
L: Paper, but they have lots of drawing inside things.
M: Are we done with the interview?
L: No.
M: What kind of things to you draw on the paper?
L: Lots of fun things, but there's lots of things to color inside of.
M: Who are your friends at school?
L: All of my friends. All of the friends in school are my friends.
M: If you could buy any outfit, what would it be?
L: It would be a pretty dress. A white dress with pretty yellow flowers and a tiara that was purple with pretty little gems on it. If my cat wored [sic] a dress it would be so funny. I would like it if my kitty Oskar would wear a dress. It would look do funny on him!
M: What thing to you hate the most?
L: I hate the most because... because I don't like to go to bed.
M: What food do you hate the most?
L: I hate the most dinner, because it doesn't taste as good as dessert.
M: What color do you hate the most?
L: None.
M: What clothing do you hate the most?
L: None.
What's your favorite number?
L: 4. Because it's me, I am four!
M: What's your favorite letter?
L: Oh, L. It's in my name!
M: Is there anything else about you that you'd like to tell
L: Yeah, I like how pretty my hair is.
M: Is that it?
L: Yeah. Now you can write some of your stuff. You can write a story or something.
In other news, I have a few new interests that I want to share. First, I'm really excited about joining Ravelry.com, which is a forum for people who love to knit and crochet. I'm still on the waiting list for my invite, but I should be on-line there some time next week. I've found several projects to put in my queue and I'm currently working on two knitting projects and a crochet project. A bunch of the cool ladies from my parenting forum are already on line and we've been talking about and trading projects already, so I think belonging to a forum dedicated to needle arts will be fun! I bid on a set of 15 pairs of bamboo knitting needles (0-17) in anticipation and won the auction for $14.97 (including shipping). All of my old needles were destroyed in the Great Flood of Our Basement in 2006. So I encourage everyone who knits to join and friend me once you get on (or e-mail me to let me know if you're already a member). C'mon, it's fun!
My other interest right now is decluttering. My mom found a great blog where a woman is trying to get rid of 365 things in a year by donating, selling, free-cycling or throwing them away. I think it would be fun to document my own attempt to declutter, so I may start posting about that once a week. It will be a motivation to get rid of all our extra junk. I'm proud enough that I emptied and organized (1) our nightmare of an office; (2) the guestroom closet; and (3) Lily's two bedroom closets. This is the first time all of the closets on the first floor are neat enough that I wouldn't mind a stranger walking in and opening them. Even better, when I need to lay my hands on something, I can quickly find it in one of my anal-retentively labeled IKEA storage boxes! It gives me an overwhelming sense of omnipotence, I have to tell you.
My third interest is collecting Adams Calyx ware in the Regent pattern. You can see several examples of it here. The pattern was my great grandmother's, and she gave my mother all of her china. Since the pattern I chose at 23 when I got married no longer matches my taste, I decided I would add to my mother's collection. After a couple of months of eBay, I have 4 complete place settings (teacup, saucer, bread plate, salad plate and dinner plate). I've found I can get them much cheaper on eBay than on Replacements.com. I think I'll save Replacements for those items that are particularly hard to find, like the cream and sugar set and the salt and pepper set. I'm going to ask Jim to buy me the teapot for my next birthday/Mother's Day/Wedding anniversary extravaganza! It's a little dear, so I figure it could count for all three presents.
Anyway, these are my latest obsessions. The crocheting project (a sweater for me) is the only thing keeping me sane as we enter week 8 (or is it 9? 10?) of being bound to the house by sickness and/or bad weather.
Also, I know I keep mentioning all of the terrific pictures I have to show here and upload on my Snapfish account, and then leaving you all hanging. Someday soon I'll gather the fortitude necessary to get them on my computer and uploaded. You know from experience that uploading pictures to my blog can become an epic battle between me and the force of evil that is Blogger. The thought of doing it now just makes me too tired for words. I have a movie to show you, too. I'm really nervous about that one because I've never tried to upload and post a movie before.
AND....now that you have patiently waded through my personal news, here's what you were all really waiting to read: Two stories by Lily as well as an in-depth interview!!!
The Bird
Once upon a time there was a bird. He flied in the sky, but he was hungry. He saw a berry tree, he went down to it. He liked the berries on that tree. He was so happy he called his friends over. The end.
lily mama (typed by Lily herself. I believe it is meant to show that she made up the story and I typed it for her.)
Lily: I want to tell about a good thing. I want to tell another story.
The Shy Kitten
Once upon a time there was a shy kitten. He would not go near a house. He knew somebody would get him out because that was a house where no one liked kitties. So he went to see his friend, Butterfly. And he helped Butterfly gather nectar for his family. Then he helped him gather the flowers. He went through the flowers and took some flowers for his mom and gave them to her. The end.
lily mama (typed by Lily herself)
Interview with the Author, Lily Deeds
Mama: How did you like having Emma (her neighbor friend) overnight this weekend?
Lily: I liked it.
M: What did you do?
L: I played with her.
M: what did you play?
L: I played makeup.
M: How did you play makeup?
L: We put it on by finger, but we washed it off.
M: What else did you play?
L: I liked playing with her.
M: What time did you go to sleep?
L: I don't know.
M: Did you stay up late?
L: No, we stayed up all night.
M: Were you tired the next day?
L: Yes.... No.
M: Is it yes or no?
L: No.
M: What is your favorite color?
L: Pink.
M: Why?
L: Because I like the color it makes.
M: What is your favorite food?
L: Ice cream and cake! (Makes slurping sound) Lots of sweet stuff is what I like!
M: What is your favorite cartoon show?
L: Whatever you say my favorite cartoon show is... Secret Squirrel and Adam Ant. I like Secret Squirrel, he's secret!
M: What do you think about your brother Jack?
L: I think he is a very odd baby.
M: Why?
L: Because I like how funny he is.
M: What does he do that's funny?
L: He pretends to go to work. He pretends to go to work.
M: What is your favorite book?
L: If you say so, my favorite book is Lily's Plastic Purse.
M: Why is that your favorite?
L: Because she has glasses with a chain like Mr. Slinger, her teacher, and she has shiny coins that are jingly, and when her purse is open it makes music!
M: Are we done with the interview?
L: No! Ask me another question, like "How do you like your cat?"
M: How do you like your cat?
L: I love him because he's a soft friend.
M: How do you like having parties here?
L: Because I do like them here, because there's cake and there's always a balloon to take home.
M: What do you think will be different about you when you're five?
L: Because I'll be five years old and I won't really know. Because I'll be bigger than four.
M: What do you think kindergarten will be like?
L: It will be fun but I haven't got used to it yet, so I'll try it a few more times.
M: What's your favorite thing to do at preschool?
L: Color!
M: What kind of things do you like to color?
L: Paper, but they have lots of drawing inside things.
M: Are we done with the interview?
L: No.
M: What kind of things to you draw on the paper?
L: Lots of fun things, but there's lots of things to color inside of.
M: Who are your friends at school?
L: All of my friends. All of the friends in school are my friends.
M: If you could buy any outfit, what would it be?
L: It would be a pretty dress. A white dress with pretty yellow flowers and a tiara that was purple with pretty little gems on it. If my cat wored [sic] a dress it would be so funny. I would like it if my kitty Oskar would wear a dress. It would look do funny on him!
M: What thing to you hate the most?
L: I hate the most because... because I don't like to go to bed.
M: What food do you hate the most?
L: I hate the most dinner, because it doesn't taste as good as dessert.
M: What color do you hate the most?
L: None.
M: What clothing do you hate the most?
L: None.
What's your favorite number?
L: 4. Because it's me, I am four!
M: What's your favorite letter?
L: Oh, L. It's in my name!
M: Is there anything else about you that you'd like to tell
L: Yeah, I like how pretty my hair is.
M: Is that it?
L: Yeah. Now you can write some of your stuff. You can write a story or something.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
16 Safety Rules
Lately, Lily's has been telling us a lot of "did you know?" things. Like, "Did you know animals have ways of telling you how you're feeling?" She learned that on Zoboomafoo, a kid's show she likes. Her "did you knows" also include something she calls "good safety rules." She told us she is learning them at school, but I suspect most of them are of her own creation. Last night, she woke up around 11 pm and came into the living room to sit with me. She told me these sixteen safety rules so that I could share them on my blog.
1. No hitting people while they're driving. They could have a car accident or get hurt.
2. Don't go inside a treasure box in a creepy place, or a closet in creepy place, or in a refrigerator. You don't have air in there and it could lock and you couldn't get out and you couldn't see.
3. Don't put water on anything it because it could have a fire. You can only put water on stuff that's not electric, like yourself.
4. Don't eat things in a jar that look like candy. Ask your mom and dad if you don't know. Ask them to eat it or to get you food you can have. Also, don't eat little round things, they could be pills.
5. Don't get dessert by yourself. You could spill it or get a different bad dessert. Your mom and dad know what's good and bad.
Nobody knows what God eats. Probably whatever he likes. (I know this isn't really a safety tip, but she did mention it at this point in the conversation. I think it's hilarious.)
6. Don't climb a rotten tree. Here's a funny joke. What if the tree falls on our house? In my book, Wemberley Worried, Wemberley thought it. She also worried that something would come out of the crack in the tree.
7. Don't lose your pet. They can get lost. Keep on a collar. If you lose your pet, your mom will be mad if it's her pet, but not if you find it.
8. Don't give a pet to a friend that you don't know. They could keep it forever, and then you need to find out her name and where she lives. Keep your pet at your house with mama and you.
9. Always turn the front and back lights on when you drive so cars can see you and you can see them. If you don't, you could get in one big accident.
10. Don't touch hot lights.
11. Don't hurt the cat.
12. Don't step near a slide or swings. Someone could slide down or their feet could bang into you. It's good to be a grownup, because they can push you, but not when they're little.
13. Don't have 3 people on the seesaw, because then they can't get up. You need just 2 people, unless you have two seesaws. Then you can have 4 people.
14. Watch out for bad bugs. They can hurt you and do anything bad.
15. Don't eat candy unless dad and mom tell us to, and clean up. Always bring a napkin. Candy will rot and get all over the place.
16. Don't tug dogs and cats on the leash, they might scratch or bite.
I hope these helpful safety tips make your week a lot safer. This has been a Lily Deeds Public Service Announcement.
1. No hitting people while they're driving. They could have a car accident or get hurt.
2. Don't go inside a treasure box in a creepy place, or a closet in creepy place, or in a refrigerator. You don't have air in there and it could lock and you couldn't get out and you couldn't see.
3. Don't put water on anything it because it could have a fire. You can only put water on stuff that's not electric, like yourself.
4. Don't eat things in a jar that look like candy. Ask your mom and dad if you don't know. Ask them to eat it or to get you food you can have. Also, don't eat little round things, they could be pills.
5. Don't get dessert by yourself. You could spill it or get a different bad dessert. Your mom and dad know what's good and bad.
Nobody knows what God eats. Probably whatever he likes. (I know this isn't really a safety tip, but she did mention it at this point in the conversation. I think it's hilarious.)
6. Don't climb a rotten tree. Here's a funny joke. What if the tree falls on our house? In my book, Wemberley Worried, Wemberley thought it. She also worried that something would come out of the crack in the tree.
7. Don't lose your pet. They can get lost. Keep on a collar. If you lose your pet, your mom will be mad if it's her pet, but not if you find it.
8. Don't give a pet to a friend that you don't know. They could keep it forever, and then you need to find out her name and where she lives. Keep your pet at your house with mama and you.
9. Always turn the front and back lights on when you drive so cars can see you and you can see them. If you don't, you could get in one big accident.
10. Don't touch hot lights.
11. Don't hurt the cat.
12. Don't step near a slide or swings. Someone could slide down or their feet could bang into you. It's good to be a grownup, because they can push you, but not when they're little.
13. Don't have 3 people on the seesaw, because then they can't get up. You need just 2 people, unless you have two seesaws. Then you can have 4 people.
14. Watch out for bad bugs. They can hurt you and do anything bad.
15. Don't eat candy unless dad and mom tell us to, and clean up. Always bring a napkin. Candy will rot and get all over the place.
16. Don't tug dogs and cats on the leash, they might scratch or bite.
I hope these helpful safety tips make your week a lot safer. This has been a Lily Deeds Public Service Announcement.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Alastair Cooke Presents: Lilybug Theater
As I was writing my earlier posts, Lily asked if she could contribute some stories. Here they are:
The Surfing Penguins
Once upon a time there was a surfing penguin, a boy and a girl. They both liked to surf on their surfboards across the ocean. But then one day, they surfed across the ocean and a big wave came and they splashed over into the water. Then they came back home and they saw no surfboard on their feet and they were just surfing with no board. They used to have a surfboard! Then they jumped and there was the surf board, then they jumped again and they were standing on a magical surfboard. The end.
The Princess and the Frog.
Once upon a time there was a princess and frog. They always played all day at castle. But one day, they forgot all about playing and they didn't even play. (At this point, Lily picked up one of Jack's picture books about Christmas, which begins to inform the rest of her story, as you will see) They were decorating the tree because it was Christmas. They couldn't play because it was Christmas time, and also, if they didn't hang it on the tree no one would like what it is. Whatever they did, they always liked to play. It was a tinkling bell under the bush one day when they found it, and then they saw that no cookies were in the cookie jar and no milk in the cup. Something had ate everything. And then when it ate everything, Santa wouldn't be happy and come to their house so they got sad. Soon, when they woke up it was back there all munched and crunched like a big chubby head and...(here she paused and we had the following conversation)
L: What color are Santa's socks, mom?
Me: I don't know.
L: You have to guess, mama.
Me: Red?
L: (Shows me the picture book, which has the socks hidden under a flap). Get it, it's green. They're green, get it? Like that! (showing me the stamp on her hand from ballet class). What do you think the penguins got for presents? (indicating the next flap in the book).
Me: Are you done with your story?
L: Yes. The End. Can I write my name on it?
Me: Yes.
And here it is:
lily d
As typed by Lily all by herself.
The Surfing Penguins
Once upon a time there was a surfing penguin, a boy and a girl. They both liked to surf on their surfboards across the ocean. But then one day, they surfed across the ocean and a big wave came and they splashed over into the water. Then they came back home and they saw no surfboard on their feet and they were just surfing with no board. They used to have a surfboard! Then they jumped and there was the surf board, then they jumped again and they were standing on a magical surfboard. The end.
The Princess and the Frog.
Once upon a time there was a princess and frog. They always played all day at castle. But one day, they forgot all about playing and they didn't even play. (At this point, Lily picked up one of Jack's picture books about Christmas, which begins to inform the rest of her story, as you will see) They were decorating the tree because it was Christmas. They couldn't play because it was Christmas time, and also, if they didn't hang it on the tree no one would like what it is. Whatever they did, they always liked to play. It was a tinkling bell under the bush one day when they found it, and then they saw that no cookies were in the cookie jar and no milk in the cup. Something had ate everything. And then when it ate everything, Santa wouldn't be happy and come to their house so they got sad. Soon, when they woke up it was back there all munched and crunched like a big chubby head and...(here she paused and we had the following conversation)
L: What color are Santa's socks, mom?
Me: I don't know.
L: You have to guess, mama.
Me: Red?
L: (Shows me the picture book, which has the socks hidden under a flap). Get it, it's green. They're green, get it? Like that! (showing me the stamp on her hand from ballet class). What do you think the penguins got for presents? (indicating the next flap in the book).
Me: Are you done with your story?
L: Yes. The End. Can I write my name on it?
Me: Yes.
And here it is:
lily d
As typed by Lily all by herself.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Lily's Unicorns
Just a quick post for tonight. We're all kind of under the weather here with some kind of cold/stomach bug. Accordingly, not much of interest has occurred lately!
I did want to telly everyone about Lily's new invisible friends, Snowflake and Uni. She invented them a week or so ago. Today, they made one of their increasingly frequent appearances and she told me quite a bit about them. They were sitting right next to me, but of course, I couldn't see them. They are both female unicorns, and only Lily can see them. She's not sure what they look like, except that they look "kind of like a rainbow."
They are not very well behaved in the car, let me tell you. Today, they kept pulling on their leashes to let Lily know they wanted treats, and she had to repeatedly remind them that there were no treats in the car. The only treat they want is orange circus peanuts. They also like to drink water "like dogs." The other naughty thing they do is to push Lily aside to get in front of her "so they can see things." They have to see whatever she's seeing. In Lily's words, "they are always interested."
At home they like to watch whatever Lily is watching on TV. They sleep in the livingroom in special sleeping bags "made for them out of stuff that unicorns like." The bags are pink, purple and "rainbowy, like the unicorns." They can't sleep in Lily's room because they snore and keep her awake. They do not like loud noises and they are scared of the city, monsters and "bad things."
Oh, to be 4 again!
I did want to telly everyone about Lily's new invisible friends, Snowflake and Uni. She invented them a week or so ago. Today, they made one of their increasingly frequent appearances and she told me quite a bit about them. They were sitting right next to me, but of course, I couldn't see them. They are both female unicorns, and only Lily can see them. She's not sure what they look like, except that they look "kind of like a rainbow."
They are not very well behaved in the car, let me tell you. Today, they kept pulling on their leashes to let Lily know they wanted treats, and she had to repeatedly remind them that there were no treats in the car. The only treat they want is orange circus peanuts. They also like to drink water "like dogs." The other naughty thing they do is to push Lily aside to get in front of her "so they can see things." They have to see whatever she's seeing. In Lily's words, "they are always interested."
At home they like to watch whatever Lily is watching on TV. They sleep in the livingroom in special sleeping bags "made for them out of stuff that unicorns like." The bags are pink, purple and "rainbowy, like the unicorns." They can't sleep in Lily's room because they snore and keep her awake. They do not like loud noises and they are scared of the city, monsters and "bad things."
Oh, to be 4 again!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Creston Day 1
The kids woke up at 6:30, so that was pretty nice. Due to his night-time wake-ups, Jack was pretty tired. Jim took him for a walk around the house and he got to rake leaves. It was probably the highlight of his day! He also was fascinated by the windmill, and kept pointing to it and then showing us a little toy windmill he found in Grandma's box of toys.
Lily raked some leaves, too, but her favorite part was throwing them over Jack's head. They both had a great time riding on the little stone lambs in front of the house, and riding the tricycle around the driveway. Ironically, Jack took an immediate spill on the bike, just like Lily did the first time she rode it when she got it!
Lily roped Grandma into more Polly Pocket fun, and Jack took a nice long nap. I still had to wash the vomit-tainted clothing and bag, as well as run a few loads of laundry so I put Jack down for a nap in the Night Night Truck and sat on the bed to read my book until the dryer finished. Two hours later, Jim came to wake me up, so I guess I needed a little rest! By that time, Aunt Jill had arrived and could serve as a second Polly Pocket victim, so Lily had the time of her life.
We took the kids to Cambria in the afternoon to pick up a few last minute Christmas items. They had a lot of fun looking at the beautiful things made by local artisans, and we had hard work making sure that there was no touching. The kids loved looking out for cows, sheep and goats during the drive there and back. By the time we got home, Uncle Steve had arrived, so there was even more fun for the kids.
After dinner we had three desserts -- a custard pie made by Grandma, little cookies made by Aunt Jill and some cracker candy I made. Jack played his bus game and Lily worked on her top secret project for Papa's present. She also drew a wonderful picture of a princess and her two cats. This was the story:
The Princess and Her Cats
It was raining outside and the princess was sad because her cats didn't come home. But the cats really were home, and the princess couldn't see them because she was crying so much. One cat got green paint on his head, and when the princess tried to give him a bath he hopped out and his head stayed green. The orange cat was a rain cat, and he looks happy because he loves being the in puddles.
In other news, these are the things that Jack has broken so far:
1 helicopter
1 plane
2 trucks
1 plastic windmill
He was devastated about the windmill. He accidentally stepped on it. I was out folding laundry when it happened, but as soon as I came in the house, he said "Mama, Jackie BREAKing RAYMOO!" (his word for windmill). He was very troubled about it. He mentioned it a few times during the evening. Grandma tried to glue it back together, but when he played with it, he broke it again. More devastation.
Lily raked some leaves, too, but her favorite part was throwing them over Jack's head. They both had a great time riding on the little stone lambs in front of the house, and riding the tricycle around the driveway. Ironically, Jack took an immediate spill on the bike, just like Lily did the first time she rode it when she got it!
Lily roped Grandma into more Polly Pocket fun, and Jack took a nice long nap. I still had to wash the vomit-tainted clothing and bag, as well as run a few loads of laundry so I put Jack down for a nap in the Night Night Truck and sat on the bed to read my book until the dryer finished. Two hours later, Jim came to wake me up, so I guess I needed a little rest! By that time, Aunt Jill had arrived and could serve as a second Polly Pocket victim, so Lily had the time of her life.
We took the kids to Cambria in the afternoon to pick up a few last minute Christmas items. They had a lot of fun looking at the beautiful things made by local artisans, and we had hard work making sure that there was no touching. The kids loved looking out for cows, sheep and goats during the drive there and back. By the time we got home, Uncle Steve had arrived, so there was even more fun for the kids.
After dinner we had three desserts -- a custard pie made by Grandma, little cookies made by Aunt Jill and some cracker candy I made. Jack played his bus game and Lily worked on her top secret project for Papa's present. She also drew a wonderful picture of a princess and her two cats. This was the story:
The Princess and Her Cats
It was raining outside and the princess was sad because her cats didn't come home. But the cats really were home, and the princess couldn't see them because she was crying so much. One cat got green paint on his head, and when the princess tried to give him a bath he hopped out and his head stayed green. The orange cat was a rain cat, and he looks happy because he loves being the in puddles.
In other news, these are the things that Jack has broken so far:
1 helicopter
1 plane
2 trucks
1 plastic windmill
He was devastated about the windmill. He accidentally stepped on it. I was out folding laundry when it happened, but as soon as I came in the house, he said "Mama, Jackie BREAKing RAYMOO!" (his word for windmill). He was very troubled about it. He mentioned it a few times during the evening. Grandma tried to glue it back together, but when he played with it, he broke it again. More devastation.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Four New Stories by Lily
The Pink Unicorn
The pink Unicorn lived in rainbow canyon and there were lots of dogs, but they wanted to eat the unicorn. So she always flew off to the woods but she flew so far she flew away from her home. But she found her way home and it was her dinner time. She ate. The end.
My Trip to San Francisco
I liked to see the fish in San Francisco. I like to go in the pool. Whenever there is something to eat I like to eat it. But when we eat pancakes I don't like the syrup. I am very welcome in San Francisco. I get to see the sea lions whenever I want to see them because I like them a lot. Whenever there's something good to do I always get to do it. I like to play at my real home but I think this is the best place to be a lot better. When you're here it's more better because you can see lots of things. The end.
Susan
Once upon a time, there was Susan and a cat. She found a new friend that was a cat but then the lady saw them that owned the pet store, but she always puts the pet that she sees that can't be taked care of and puts them in a cage and she saw that they did not be at home. She thought that they needed someone to take care of them. But someone did take care of them. The end.
Pillow
Once upon a time there was a pillow that was named Pillow and the pillow always wwent everywhere that Lily went and he liked it when she went to the store to buy hot cocoa for him in the snowy winter. It was always a great day to be with Lily whenever she skipped across the street he would come with her. Once the pillow found a new thing to do. Lily didn't like it, she told him to stop, but he wouldn't. He used to like to do things with Lily but now he wanted his little pets with him. He always loved them. The end.
The pink Unicorn lived in rainbow canyon and there were lots of dogs, but they wanted to eat the unicorn. So she always flew off to the woods but she flew so far she flew away from her home. But she found her way home and it was her dinner time. She ate. The end.
My Trip to San Francisco
I liked to see the fish in San Francisco. I like to go in the pool. Whenever there is something to eat I like to eat it. But when we eat pancakes I don't like the syrup. I am very welcome in San Francisco. I get to see the sea lions whenever I want to see them because I like them a lot. Whenever there's something good to do I always get to do it. I like to play at my real home but I think this is the best place to be a lot better. When you're here it's more better because you can see lots of things. The end.
Susan
Once upon a time, there was Susan and a cat. She found a new friend that was a cat but then the lady saw them that owned the pet store, but she always puts the pet that she sees that can't be taked care of and puts them in a cage and she saw that they did not be at home. She thought that they needed someone to take care of them. But someone did take care of them. The end.
Pillow
Once upon a time there was a pillow that was named Pillow and the pillow always wwent everywhere that Lily went and he liked it when she went to the store to buy hot cocoa for him in the snowy winter. It was always a great day to be with Lily whenever she skipped across the street he would come with her. Once the pillow found a new thing to do. Lily didn't like it, she told him to stop, but he wouldn't. He used to like to do things with Lily but now he wanted his little pets with him. He always loved them. The end.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Two Stories by Lily
I asked Lily if she wanted to tell a story for the blog. She had recently been scolded (again) for playing too rough with the cat, so she was in a bit of a bad mood. Here is the first story she told:
The Ugly Octopus
Once upon a time, there was a ugly octopus that really hated his mom and dad and he didn't want the Christmas tree lights on because he was horrified of all the presents his friends gave him. So he never kept the lights on, and he never liked the presents his friends gaved him and he hated his mom's hair.
(she paused to comment "Isn't that awful? That's an awful story, isn't that?" and then continued)
He hated his little baby brother and never looked at the cat and he didn't like all of the presents and he hated ever so much his slide. And he never went on it and he also never wanted to play inside with all his other friends, and he never ever let his friends give him a present because he hated to have presents a lot. And he never let his cat come in his room and he never wanted to play with anyone. That's the story!
(It took me a while to catch up because she was talking pretty fast toward the end, so she said "Why are you still typing? That's the story." Then she asked me to read it back, which I did, and she said "Wait, did I say he never wanted to play with his friends?" I said yes. She said "Oh." She seemed to be regretting her story. Then she said "I want to play with my Tyler and Emma friends, not the computer friends. I want it to be a bad story and that's the story." After a long pause, she said "I made a mistake, I want to do a good story." This is the second story:)
The Dragon and the Princess
(She started by saying again "I'm going to make a very big good story.") Once upon a time, there was a dragon and a princess. They both met each other and they always played together and they found a snow pan and they played with them, and they always played with the dog, the cat, the pumpkin, the santa, the reindeer, the candy wrapper, the snowflake, the cat and they played with everything. Every day they went out to play a game of fetch with their dog friend. Whenever they found a special toy they would give it to the dog. They always liked to play together and play with their baby brother and they always, always, always liked to do stuff like fun stuff like they liked to play with tree ornaments because they were so beautiful. When they saw them on TV they would let everyone know where they are. They always liked to put their ornaments on the tree and they always played on the computer whenever it has something to play and they always played together. The end.
The Ugly Octopus
Once upon a time, there was a ugly octopus that really hated his mom and dad and he didn't want the Christmas tree lights on because he was horrified of all the presents his friends gave him. So he never kept the lights on, and he never liked the presents his friends gaved him and he hated his mom's hair.
(she paused to comment "Isn't that awful? That's an awful story, isn't that?" and then continued)
He hated his little baby brother and never looked at the cat and he didn't like all of the presents and he hated ever so much his slide. And he never went on it and he also never wanted to play inside with all his other friends, and he never ever let his friends give him a present because he hated to have presents a lot. And he never let his cat come in his room and he never wanted to play with anyone. That's the story!
(It took me a while to catch up because she was talking pretty fast toward the end, so she said "Why are you still typing? That's the story." Then she asked me to read it back, which I did, and she said "Wait, did I say he never wanted to play with his friends?" I said yes. She said "Oh." She seemed to be regretting her story. Then she said "I want to play with my Tyler and Emma friends, not the computer friends. I want it to be a bad story and that's the story." After a long pause, she said "I made a mistake, I want to do a good story." This is the second story:)
The Dragon and the Princess
(She started by saying again "I'm going to make a very big good story.") Once upon a time, there was a dragon and a princess. They both met each other and they always played together and they found a snow pan and they played with them, and they always played with the dog, the cat, the pumpkin, the santa, the reindeer, the candy wrapper, the snowflake, the cat and they played with everything. Every day they went out to play a game of fetch with their dog friend. Whenever they found a special toy they would give it to the dog. They always liked to play together and play with their baby brother and they always, always, always liked to do stuff like fun stuff like they liked to play with tree ornaments because they were so beautiful. When they saw them on TV they would let everyone know where they are. They always liked to put their ornaments on the tree and they always played on the computer whenever it has something to play and they always played together. The end.
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