I wish I loved this even a little ...

I'd make a perfect pageant mom.

I'd be the one who'd would be all up in her face: "Are you having fun? ... Do you actually enjoy this? ... Because we can stop any time you want. Like tomorrow ... or the day after that ... or right now. You just say the word."

Heavy sigh. Stretched smile.

Class clown

It's STOP

DROP

and ROLL!

If you wanted me to cover my face it should be STOP, DROP, COVER YOUR FACE, and ROLL!

The lesser known Neapolitan spiritual ...

"Goombah yah my lord, goombah yah.

"Goombah yah my lord, goombah yah. 

"Oooooo lordo, Goombah Yah."

Space Craft Camp

Every one thought I was crazy to indulge Ittybit's whim of hosting a day-long space camp play date for her second grade class. Or perhaps they were just gauging my usual level of patience (which, admittedly, seems to be dwindling by the year) against my level of anxiety and stress (which is strangely increasing in direct, proportional amounts to the number of miles I drive throughout the day on errands and extra curricular events).

But, I  know my limits. I also knew weekend baseball and softball practice would probably limit the RSVPs.

As it turned out, entertaining five second graders (and a soon-to-be-kindergartener) for one afternoon is within my abilities, especially when you mix a few planned activities with liberal amounts of unstructured play.


             

They're really at a wonderful age. Given an outline they can create something you'd never even imagined.

Expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised. That is my motto.

Space cadet ...

That would be me for agreeing to host a "Space Craft Camp" tomorrow for Ittybit's second grade class.






I suggested we eat Oreos and plant sunflowers, but she wants to create a play (including scenery) based on the old Schoolhouse Rock! song Interplanet Janet.

She's already staked out the role of Janet and her brother wants to be Pluto.

This should be good.

Brother of Invention

At the helm of his "Space-Mo-Pod-o Motor Flyer."

Not pictured is the turbo rocket booster ...

Which ...

On a good day ...

Looks a little like this:





But if he's really lucky ...

And he plays his cards right ...

The turbo rocket booster could look like this:

Double agent wear

I unabashedly admit I'm a sucker for McDonald's toys.

Have been since they first started coming out with Happy Meals when I was a kid.

And though my tastes have thankfully outgrown the food that comes in the box, I can't say the same for some of the playthings.

This month we've been hitting up the drive-through window pretty regularly as The Champ is trying to collect as many Spy Gear toys as he can while the promotion lasts.

Ittybit ... being a mature lady of 8 ... is trying to restrain herself, though she did happily accept the gift of a weaponized cell phone toy.

But I digress.

Thus far The Champ has amassed about a dozen things (not all of them from McD's) that will aid him in his recon missions.

As you might imagine, a dozen techno-toys are pretty difficult to juggle, so he asked me to make him a tool belt in a similar style to Ittybit's garden apron.

Instead I decided to make a SPY VEST:


I started by searching the internet for simple vest patterns. After I found one that looked easy enough to draw I remembered that the dog had eaten the measuring tape. So ... I took a Sharpie and marked approximate measurements on a length of organza ribbon.


Then I drew a pattern like this on folded newsprint.





I used pleather leftover from the Bat Jacket I made two years ago for Halloween  for the vest, black fleece for the pockets and ribbon for loops.

First I hemmed the edges of the collar, arm cuts and outside edges of the vest front and then sewed the shoulders and sides together.

Then I hemmed edges of fleece rectangles which would be the pockets, and top-stitched them to the vest. (I actually gave a little thought to the toys that would go in the pockets and tried to distribute them so that the weight of the gadgets would be evenly distributed.

I folded a narrow length of pleather and stitched them to the top front of vest. I looped a circle of ribbon through the pleather strap so that toys with hanging edges could be inserted.

After that was done I noticed that the vest was a little shorter along the bottom than I had expected (and also uneven) so I hemmed and sewed a length of fleece along the bottom edge to add length and even it up.

 

Finally ... I loaded it up with gear and realized the first thing the kid would say when he tried it on would be ...

"WOW! Mom ... You're the best mom I ever had!"

And the second thing ... after he took it off ...

"It's too heavy, though."

First gift: Laughter

The Champ: It's your BIRTHDAY, mom. You should have a piñata!

The Mom: What a great idea. But what kind? It should look like something I'd want to hit with a stick. 

The Dad: I know! It should be a Dad piñata.

The Champ: NO! That's not a good ... well, OK, maybe it is a good idea.

Ittybit (shaking her head): There's a joke in there somewhere.
The Mom: It will be apparent as soon as he presents me with a vacuum cleaner as a token of his appreciation.

What I learned today ...

I noticed the best location for cell phone reception at the dog park is right in front of waste disposal site. Coincidence? 

Lunacy

It's not as if this is so special. Ask my kids ...

"Super Moon? Phreffft."

"It's not even wearing a cape."

"Hey, wait: That smudge right there ... I bet that's E.T."

It's a good thing you live here ...

"Mom? When our house gets old can we move into a different kind of house?"

"Someday you will move into your own house."

"What!? Wivout my parents?"

"Hard to believe, I know, but it's true. Someday you'll be the daddy."

"But I don't even know how to juggle. I can't use a chainsaw. And I don't have a driving license or a van!"

"Good thing you live here then."

From the 'Things I Never Thought I'd Say' department ...

"We don't stand on chairs with our HEADS or our feats!"