South Coast Botanic Garden: Dragonflies

Dragonfly nymph's last molt

We spotted the adult dragonfly.

Jinkies!

My son loves my new haircut. He says I look like Velma (from Scooby doo). I'm not so sure I should feel flattered.

The Best Mom

"You're the best mom I ever had."

Our Dinosaur

Well, we grew a Triops. We had more, but well, they turned out to be a lesson in survival of the fittest. Dad and I have enjoyed them most. These guys are voracious eaters! Look up triops in wikipedia for more info. We got ours at a hobby store. You can also find them at Toys 'R Us under the name Aquasaur.

Advertising works

"Mom, did you know that last year millions of people went to Progressive.com? And Elvis was there, too."

Screwed!

"Mom, I'm screwed."

The Promise

Hope springs eternal in the human breast:

Man never is, but always To be Blest.

Alexander Pope

While there's life, there's hope.

Cicero

The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers,

but for the wide world's joy.
Henry Ward Beecher

Keep your face to the sunshine

and you cannot see the shadow.

It's what sunflowers do.
Helen Keller

In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me,

an invincible summer.

Albert Camus

Still Life?

The Y's

"Mmmmm. The tire smells good!"

"Mom, you should eat only carrots. Then you'll be skinny like me."

The Y's will:

1. Lift butt cheek up to expel gas
2. Not hear you calling
3. Zone in front of a television
4. Recite from commercials and movies but be unable to recall what you just said
5. Prefer to wait in the car than go in the craft store with you
   

Teach me to look like a Queen B

Yesterday I got a bit ticked off. Okay, I'm still ticked off. Very.

I think I must look very approachable, because I seem to get random strangers coming up to me and feeling comfortable in giving me their unrequested 2 cents. This time we were at the Salvation Army store. EZ was thrilled to find an Easy Bake oven and showed it off to me.

An old European lady comes up and says it's not for boys. Um, excuse me?! WTF?! I wanted to give her a piece of my mind (not to mention my fist and my foot)!

I buy my son things like strollers and dolls to play with. I tell him pink is not only for girls, that there are no "boy" toys or "girl" toys. Here I am trying to teach my son to be fair and open-minded, teach him not to be biased, and this stranger comes up and just is unthinkingly undoing it all.

Can someone teach me how to have that "if you come up to me I may bite" look?? This really bugs me. I'm thinking of getting a sign that reads "No trespassers. Beware of Mom." *sigh* Really, how does one perfect that "talk to me and die" look?

The one thing I am grateful for is that she did not greatly impact Z. It took him less than a second to brush off her comment. What a confident, bright child he is!

I did set him straight on the subject, and I made sure his dad reinforced the facts and how wrong this lady was. WRONG!

So, if you have any tips for me, post them. I really need to look mean and (b)itchy. I want to be a Queen B.

Starlight, Starbright

Last week Monday Z began his first "acting" class, called Let's Pretend. Before going, I asked him if he knew what we were going to do that day. He replied "I'm going to be a star!" Talk about over-acting!

The kid makes me laugh. Hilarious drama king!

And after the class, he informed me that the curtain is not called the curtain. It's called the wing.

I'd better catch up on the lingo before I get upstaged!

ClickSchooling

We take a moment for a brief PSA. (In this case, PSA stands for Public Service Announcement, not to be confused with Professional Sports Authenticator or Professional Squash Association).

If you are looking for a free way to help enrich your child's education, may I suggest ClickSchooling? Created and maintained by Diane Flynn Keith, it offers

excellent information delivered in a student-friendly, multi-media format, and often contain free interactive games as well as printable lessons and materials that can be tweaked to your needs and interests whether you are homeschooling, unschooling, or after-schooling. Many teachers use these recommended resources in the classroom as well. Most of the sites are suitable for a wide age range. The free reviews are sent in a daily email, Monday through Saturday, that are focused on a specific subject as follows:
* Monday = Math
* Tuesday = Science
* Wednesday = Language Arts
* Thursday = Social Sciences
* Friday = Virtual Field Trip
*Saturday = Electives: Music, Art, & Languages

My son is 5, so some of the material is above his level of comprehension at this time. Many of those, I have bookmarked for later. That's how great the sites are that Diane leads you to!

You will have to sign up to have the emails, but it's free. I don't laud often, so take note here. Truly, I've found ClickSchooling to be a wonderful asset. Check it out. You won't be sorry. Heck, your child may even thank you for it. And it's only a click away. (*hee hee* I couldn't resist!)

Did I mention? It's free!

Smooth Operator

Yes! I'm actually blogging again! Now get off my back!! ^_^

We are sitting at Sam's Club having lunch. Z is not a shy one and loves any opportunity to chat someone up. Luckily for him, there is a little girl at the next table.

He leans over and says, "I like your dress."

(I'm thinking, smooth kid...where on earth did you learn that from?)

Then he adds, pointing to his long flannel shirt, "do you like my dress?"

Smooooth.