Random ramblings

Wanna know the definition of precious?  Kids learning to play make believe.

My kids both watch Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, based on Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.  Daniel Tiger was one of the puppets in the Land of Make Believe, and Mr. Roger's kids have turned that into a cute, sweet, calm little cartoon that features all of the puppet characters, and teaches kids good behavior, and how to control their tempers and deal with disappointment. 

My little imp went dressed as Daniel Tiger for Halloween last year.  His "Daniel Tiger pants" are still his favorites, even though the stick-on felt stripes came off in the first wash (nearly two weeks of constant wear after Halloween.  He wouldn't let me wash them any sooner).  He claims to be either Daniel Tiger or Prince Wednesday, depending on his mood.  And I can get him to try new foods by singing the little Daniel Tiger "You gotta try new foods 'cause they might taste good," song.  And then telling him that Daniel Tiger/Prince Wednesday try new foods, and if he doesn't, he can't pretend to be one of the two. 

The episode shorts end with Daniel Tiger Eskimo kissing the "camera" and saying "Ugga mugga."  And my pixie has started doing that when I put her to bed.  She raises up on her elbows and cranes her head around and gives me Eskimo kisses with a very soft, clear "Ugga mugga, Momma."

They both also pretend to be a puppy pretty frequently, scrambling around on all fours and barking.  The imp also pretends to be a kitty (though that calls for scrambling on hands and feet).  The pixie rocks her baby dolls, pretends to nurse them, and sings to them. 

Shadow, our black kitten, has taken to sleeping in the crib* still in the pixie's room.  This makes the pixie horribly upset when it's time for her to go to sleep.  She cries, and starts chanting "Get kitty out!  Out, kitty, out!"  There's a reason for this: Shadow, in particular, is very much a snuggler.  And I missed her, once, when I'd put the pixie down for the night.  And Shadow waited until she thought the pixie was asleep, and jumped up into the bed with her. 

Only, the pixie wasn't asleep.  Shadow jumping up occasioned a blood-curdling scream, hysterical crying, and chanting of "No!  Bad kitty!  Out!"  The pixie didn't take much comforting--she was really tired--but now she searches her room to make sure there's no kitty in there before she's willing to go to sleep.

Our dog is pretty much addicted to the Purina One puppy chow.  It's got pieces of dried chicken in it--she picks those out, first, but pretty much cleans it all up.  Purina is one of the brands that didn't have any issues a few years ago, when so many brands of dog and cat food had been tainted with something that killed and injured so many people's pets.  My cats have always been fed Purina One (Binx, the cat that passed away last year, ate nothing but the Purina One hairball formula food.  She literally didn't like anything else--except fish.)  So, we got some before we brought the pup home.  We got a free bag of the expensive, scientifically formulated, special dog food from the vet's...and the pup turned her nose up at it in favor of the cheaper Purina that visibly has pieces of meat in it.  That, and a  little bit of canned food (and leftover popcorn chicken for treats) is what the pup eats.

This is the last day of Spring Break.  I return to fielding stupid questions with obvious answers, and whining emails talking about how bad the assignments are, on Monday.  And I'll have papers to grade coming in Friday. 

So, I've got today, tomorrow, and all of next week to finish my last revision of The Last Pendragon.  I'm still aiming at a mid-April release for it. 



*No, the pixie doesn't still sleep in the crib.  She hasn't slept in that crib for a bit over a year.  The reason it's still in there is because it's a drop-rail crib in reasonably good condition, and we haven't taken it apart and put it into storage, carefully wrapped in bubble wrap quite yet.