Ruben Yesterday

2 Gallons and a Half Pint

Me: I've gotta' stop in this gas station and put five bucks in the tank.

Julio: What tank?

Me: The gas tank.

Julio: Why do you have to put five bucks in the tank?

Me: 'Cause we're almost out of gas and I want to make it home for naps.

Julio: And if you don't put in five bucks then we won't make it to home?

Me: Probably not.

Julio: But why do you have to put money in there?

Me: Oh, I see. I'm not really putting the money into the tank. I'm going to use the money to buy gas and put the gas in the tank.

Julio: Are you going to use five dollars?

Me: Probably ten. Actually, I'm going to use my debit card.

Julio: Oh. (pause) Does Deb have a debit card?

Me: I don't know.  Probably.

Julio: DOES she?

Me: Yes.

Oh, Those Dinosaurs.

Kids aren't the only ones into costumes around here.  Just look at what I found our plastic dinosaurs wearing:

Evidence

Things you would never see on my sideboard before I had kids:

A.  Monsters, bats and superheroes
B.  Broken glass
C.  Collectible figurines
D.  Jigsaw puzzles
E.  Piles of bills

Pint-Sized and Off-Beat

What's making you laugh, these days?

Travels with Julio

Traveling solo with a toddler definitely requires careful planning and many compromises.

I packed all sorts of things to keep Julio entertained and well-fed, but I was afraid that the long flight would be too much for both of us.

Instead, there were no disasters.

Of course, it was cramped and uncomfortable and the flight was soooo looong, but Julio was a brilliant little traveler.  Both ways.  Our neighbors on the planes even thanked and complimented us, as Julio was in a pleasant mood or sleeping the whole time.  People around us laughed when somewhere over the Atlantic he loudly exclaimed, "A CUCUMBER for ME? Oh, THANK YOU, Mama! THANK YOU!"  I know that I got off easy, so please don't hate me if you are the people whose toddler screamed for 10 hours straight the last time you flew to China.  Or if you were sitting next to them.

It will probably be a while before Julio and I go on a long trip together again, so we will have some time to enjoy these sweet memories of our first perfect flight together.

One of THOSE Days

"What is the matter, my dear? said Miss Grizzel.  "Is the jelly not to your liking?"

That face just kills me.  Even though I was having "one of those days," a look at this picture lightened my load.  This is from a 1931 edition of The Cuckoo Clock by Mrs. Molesworth, and the brilliant illustration is by C.S. Brock.  It is in Chapter 6, "Rubbed the Wrong Way."

What makes you smile when even the jelly is not to your liking?

Small Canvas

A great artist can paint a great picture on a small canvas.
                                                                      -Charles Dudley Warner

                                                                                                          Ballpoint on brother, 2011

Home Improvements

Sometimes all it takes is a little package of googly eyes to spruce up some of the otherwise less attractive corners of your home.

Gotta' love a little DIY!

Filmstrips (part 2)

I love the images and advice on this child care filmstrip called "Teaching Desirable Habits" from 1953:

(From the Infant Care Series , "Teaching Desirable Habits" A Centron Production, produced by Luella M. Foster)

No Afterglow?

Poor Halloween... so quickly cast aside!

Date Night

Toys stay on the floor and dishes in the sink...  Tonight is date night.  At least, I think it is.  Joe's not back from tucking in Diego, so that might be a sign that he's accidentally resting up for date night.  I should know.  I just woke up from putting Julio to bed.

"What does this dynamic couple do for date night?" I know you're wondering.  No, there is no babysitter or idling taxi waiting for me to put the finishing touches on my up-do.  These days, date night is more of a sweatpants and herbal tea type of affair.  There is usually a laptop and a DVD involved.  Sometimes we watch the whole thing (not in one installment) or enjoy a (huge) bowl of ice cream.

When Diego was a baby, we used to read or play scrabble or cribbage, make some music together or (once) do some stretching and a light workout.  For that matter, before the kids came along, we even used to go out.  Those luxuries are on hold these busy days, but you know what?  I really don't mind.  I love watching a movie (falling asleep) next to Joe on the couch.  I know our days of out-on-the-town will be back before long, but right now I can't even imagine staying out late.  I think I'd rather have a babysitter come at 5:30 in the morning so Joe and I could get an extra hour of sleep.  Speaking of which, I'd better go wake him up for date night!

Why, Oh Why?

I tried to look up "Why don't my Blogger comments work,"  but Google suggested all kinds of new things for me to worry about. 

It's Google's very own neurotic inner monologue!  Are those really the top 10 things people wonder about that start with an M?

..........

If you have any ideas about why some people cannot post comments here, please share them.  Have you tried to leave a comment?  I've noticed on a couple of Blogger blogs that my comments won't post from Firefox, but they will from Safari.  If you have the answer, and your comments don't work, please email it to me!

Happy Things

Last night, my eggplant pizza:

Tonight, my favorite spot on the couch:

Animated Shorts

Sharing a love of comics and wordplay is only one of the many things I enjoy about spending time with my fabulous nephew, Leo.  We created this together a couple of years ago, right after he showed me several of his fascinating original computer animations.  He had just turned eight.

 

This was created using Comic Life.  Special thanks to my beloved niece, Anna, for being the best supporting actress!

Turdus Maximus

is the Latin name for the Tibetan blackbird.

                                                 Illus. via summagallicana

Is this hilariously funny, or have I just been spending too much time with the potty-training crowd?