Crazy Bunny Lady Starter Kit

Last week I went to adopt a BUNNY.  After a beautiful drive west, I found myself at the headquarters of Animal Craze Traveling Petting Zoo.  Tonya, the kind proprietor, had agreed to sell me one from her stock.  After perusing the contents of a few hutches (and trying to avoid bonding with any pigs, llamas or goats running around… aahhh, goats!), I found myself with two wonderful, incomparable options:

THIS one

This one?

Or;

THIS one?

THIS one?

After a begrudging concession from my husband over the phone, I chose… BOTH!

This is the photo I texted him before heading home, modeled after this “Crazy Cat Lady Starter Kit.” (He said it’s too late for me to *start,* if you know what I mean.)

Crazy Bunny Lady Starter Kit

Crazy Bunny Lady Starter Kit

Q:  After all, what’s better than a bunny?

A:  Two Bunnies! [18 seconds]:

***Introducing***

Fluff n' Nutter!

Fluff n’ Nutter!

Yes the kids love it:

DSC_0028

Gavin, Nutter, Fluff n’ ClaraJane

The dollhouse I picked up from the Cambridge Kids Clothing Exchange.  (Old wooden dollhouse: $0.  New bunny habitat: Priceless!)   I sawed open the doorways so they’d be big enough for bunny butts.

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Yes, they actually hop up & down the stairs

The cats like it too:

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Full House!

The only problem is that FLUFF has seemed to be getting kind of, er, ROTUND.  When I bought her, Farmer Tonya palpated her tummy saying, “I don’t think she’s pregnant.”  They are both girls by the way; easier to manage, and technically can’t *become* pregnant.  I got it in my head this week that she WAS.  So I did research, felt her up a lot, and suspected that either, a) She has indeed been a *Naughty Bunny*, or 2) I’m paranoid.

Then yesterday I finally decided she wasn’t really pregnant and it was just some delusional fantasy, until… (STAY TUNED!)

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Wild Chair Ride

February 9th 2014

2014-02-09 CJ Chair Squealing [27 seconds]:

 

In celebration of her Bohart cousins’ birthday no doubt!

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Bat in the House

2014-02-05 Fruit Bat Boy (2)

Boy and Fruit Bat

My mom tends to take the boys to “Henry Bear’s Park,” their favorite toy store.  She also tends to BUY them toys (Grandparents!), especially -these days- animal figurines.  This week Gavin  brought home a FRUIT BAT, accompanied by interesting musings about the FRUIT BAT.  (“They eat insects AND fruit!”)  Today he also made his Fruit Bat a SCHEDULE, which he is modeling here (next to his pooped-out, snow-day dad):

Fruit Bat Schedule

Fruit Bat Schedule

He explained that he and Miles sometimes pretend their animals go to “one of those schools where you don’t have any parents.”  Some kind of orphan boarding school, apparently, where Fruit Bats take Karate three days a week, and baths on Monday and Thursday.  (But that our baths were so regular.)

Fruit Bat Schedule

Note cool symbol for “Karate”

I’m reminded of when a real *live* bat flew in the house, once when Gavin was a baby.  The bat flew in the open window and couldn’t find its way out, until I stopped filming and realized the sound of Red Sox on TV was blinding its echo-location.  So we turned off the volume and it flew right out.

[Click to play Bat in the House, circa 2008!; 48 seconds]:

And THIS reminds me of probably my favorite animated movie –Bat Thumb– which I excerpt for you HERE [the first 2.5 mins, specifically, click to play]:  Bat Thumb

You’re welcome!  (And note to Tommy Deihl, my all time best co-Bat Thumb Fan;  I miss having whole conversations comprised solely of lines from this “film!” ;oD)

And watch out world.  When I take his picture these days, my son is full of “cool” faces like THIS:

Plenty more where this came from!

Plenty more where this came from!

Can you handle it?  Can’t say I didn’t warn ya.

(o:

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Year at at Glance

Anyone else feel this way?

Ya Know?

Ya Know?

Courtesy of -I mean copied without permission from- The New Yorker, who else?  And pointed out by my Mom… on the gamble that I might not have seen it in all the unread issues lying around the house.   Ah… reading.  I vaguely remember it.  *Sigh*

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Home Work Day (incl. Daddy Diving)

Wednesday 1/24/2014:

It was basically a day of mundane office work at home.  Yet it was -is- also also an embarrassment of riches.  My body complains from neglect.  Yet there was enough latitude in my life to have started the day with a hot salt bath.  Though not before this Monkey Business:

CJ Daddy Diving [1min,12secs]:

[Or click here to play video.]

Then to the (newly reorganized) office:

Including a spot for the cat

With even  a spot for the cat

Later, Hubby casually drops a surprise lunch under my nose:

Right there at the desk

Right there at the desk

Even the cat looks mildly impressed:

Not bad

Yum.  Thank you DLove!

I think my favorite point had to be Daddy helping Gavin with his new RAINBOW LOOM (courtesy of his Bubble Wow; Thanks Mom!):

Daddy helps Boy Rainbow Loom

Rainbow Loom

After dinner, Gavin continues his focus while ClaraJane “reads” the directions:

Looks like she can actually read, doesn't it?

Looks like she can actually read, doesn’t it?

Of course the photos don’t show the paperwork and emails, taxes and condo board minutes, time-outs, power struggles and scuffles; but c’est la vie.  Welcome to my Fairy Tail!

 

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Fraidy Zoo by Thyra Heder

January 27th 2014

Tobin Montessori welcomed the return of former student now author/illustrator, Thyra Heder!  She shared her (then) latest publication, Fraidy Zoo, with our kindergardeners.

2014-01-27 Tobin Fraidy Zoo [2mins, 33 seconds]:

 

Here’s to happy returns with future publications!

 

 

Posted in animals, art, childhood, education, love, making art, mental health, parenthood, patience, school, work, work-life balance | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Saturday with My Kids

Because I’m usually booked on weekends, when I’m NOT it is an extra glorious treat.  This Saturday Daddy went to work instead, so I had the kids -AND a weekend day- with them to myself.  After a glorious morning at home, we made the big treck OUT.

Slushy Snow + Kids = Cute!

Slushy Snow + Kids = Cute!

After making it to the bank before it closed, we went to the Kids’ Mecca in our neighborhood that is Stella Bella Toys (Inman Square, Cambridge).  All was well as the kids perused -and frolicked in the brilliant little indoor “ball pit”- when I realized we were almost out of time on the parking meter.  (Yes, in that weather, I had deferred to the kids when they opted for the car.)  I could literally see my car across the street, but we were several snowboot laces and zippers away, and we were still having FUN.  So check this out; I used Google on my phone to call the pub across the street (The Druid), and asked the bartender if he would kindly consider helping me out by feeding a quarter into the meter; and he did!   So, first, more of this:     2014-01-18 Ball Pit Kids [10 seconds]:

Then we stop by said Pub to thank the bartender, and he says don’t worry about it, refusing my tip.  We start to leave when Gavin says, “Mom, why don’t we eat *here*?  There’s a free table right *there*…”  So, that’s what we did.  And the kids were remarkably couth and civilized about it too.

Daddy's Little Diners

Daddy’s Little Diners

For 2 and 5 year-olds anyway!

Not bad. (o;

Not bad. (o;

*Sigh.*  I loved it.  (I also loved the new found latitude to be able to *afford* such gratuitous expenses.  Not stressed = awesome.)

Me = Lucky Mom!

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Ninja Kids Sketch

Here my Mom’s rendition of the Ninja Kids on 2014-01-16:

Ninja Kids

Ninja Kids

Awesome and hilarious, Mom, thank you! (o:

(PS: My husband is not an obese blob in the mirror.)

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Spontaneous Date Grease Night

January, 16th 2014

On Thursday I had inadvertently spent an entire workday at our son’s school.  When *my* work is light, I seem to let myself get ultra-involved in supportive efforts at the school.  On my way home with Gavin, feeling kind of pent up, I discovered that instead of at *home,* Dear Husband was at *Cambridge Brewing Company!*  Fast forward a hot minute and we are on a spontaneous afternoon DATE at the bar.  It felt so fun and familiar, like when we used to date before we were married or anything… except for one, not-so-little thing:

Hmm, Something is Different

*Something* is Different

Can you see it?  The lanky 5 &1/2 year-old blonde boy, popping up amidst us, ordering hamburgers and such?  Also painting with his dad:

Boys Bar Art

Boys’ Bar Art

Back home at dinner, ClaraJane models olives:

10 Olives

See my olives?

2014-01-16 19.25.47

Check out my olives

With time yet still somehow on our hands, we opt for Family Movie Night, and screen “GREASE.”  At first, they’re mesmerized.

Good Old Black Magic

Good Old Magic

Then, inspired.

Go Grease Lightening

Vikings’ Peterson 

Gavin models the *coolest* shirt he has to the tune of “Go Grease Lightening!

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Check out those muscles!

And this wingspan:

Can you handle it?

Can you dig it?

2014-01-16 19.35.54

I can dig it!

2014-01-16 19.36.00

[Fierce grunting noise]

Jus like a date!

[Double that]

And finally, this:

2014-01-16 Dance n’ Destroy [54 seconds]:

Q:  “Mamma can you please stop?”

A:  You bet honey.  For a moment or two…

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Actually a Big Bowl

This amuses me.

I heated up some soup for my Manmeat because he was sick and -just to scale it up to size for him- put it in a big serving bowl with a big serving spoon.  When I handed it to him, and he cradled it in appreciation, it then just looked like a regular ol’ bowl.  (I guess it bears pointing out -for those who don’t know him- that he is 6’9,” a lover and an eater, not a fighter… and no, he doesn’t play basketball.)

Man and Soup

Man and Soup

I guess this was also special because he’s the one always feeding us in this family; so feeding him (anything) is a kind of unusual treat.  Good thing he loves to cook!  (And thank you DH, for doing so on such a regular basis.)

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