I am mad. What do you need?

Or, my godson, my blog-fodder:

Monkey Boy was home sick one day recently. While his mother ran around doing things that needed to be done, he sat in his pajamas playing his guitar with a piece of cardboard and singing this song, entitled I am mad. What do you need? 

What do you do you do you do you need? What do you need?

What do you need in the world right now? 

What do you neeeeeeeeed?!?

I think this may be my new theme song. 

Arum italicum subsp. italicum

The plant pictured above? Arum Italicum. I suggest you do not try to eat it.

Arum Italicum is poisonous, which Ada and Monkey Boy learned the hard way, when they each gave it a good bite yesterday afternoon. Technically it isn't actually poison that causes the problem, but it has some kind of glasslike shards (calcium oxalate crystals) in the berries that cause pain. They both experienced a burning pain due to what they described as the plant's "spiciness."

Ellen, Chris and I hit the internet and gardening books, as well as asking neighbors and finally the poison control folks. Turns out that the woman at poison control is a master gardener.

Both kids showed no lasting ill effects (other than about ten minutes of spicy-mouth). In researching this plant, I learned that it can be highly invasive and is hated by many gardeners.

Lucky for us, this was a case of live and learn. It was also a teaching moment, in which we reinforced for the kids that they could eat what they found in the vegetable garden, but that under no circumstances were they to taste-test other plants they found in the garden or elsewhere. Hopefully this has sunk in, along with the burning sensation.

Color Wars

While waiting at a traffic light:



Ada: Red means GO!

Me: Really? What does green mean?

Monkey Boy: Green means GO!

Ada: Red means Green!




Just wait 'til they hear about yellow.

A Berry Good Day

Ada and I often spend Friday mornings with a group of kids (and their moms). Three of the six moms have had babies in the past couple of months, which has put a little damper on our socializing of late. I hear rumblings that the (once again) new moms are ready to start visiting again, while we were on sabbatical Ada and I took in the sights. And then Debbie called. Berry picking? We'd love to pick berries! I called Ellen and she and I packed the kids in the car, meeting Debbie and her redhead at the farm.

Did I say we'd love to pick berries? Let me restate that: I loved picking berries. Ada, Monkey Boy and the Redhead didn't really get the "you pick" thing. They were all over the "you eat" part, however, and their faces were quickly juice-stained.


Ada and Monkey Boy also really liked the flags set out to mark progress along the rows. Ellen and I tag-teamed the kids, trading kid chasing and picking duties. Somehow she managed to pick two flats, one of which we dropped off at Clyde Common, where they became dessert.



The redhead helped his mom a bit. Mostly by pointing out ripe berries she might have missed.


Ada and Monkey Boy were so sugar-sotted that they even kissed. I was too slow, but managed to get this post-smooch shot.



And then we rolled our strawberry soaked bellies home for baths and naps. We'll be back for raspberries. And cherries. And peaches...

I have never had so much fun at the park

A Monkey Boy Story

The other day Ellen and Monkey Boy stopped by for a bit. Ada may not know how to turn the television on, but Monkey Boy does. (He's older and wiser, but I'm hoping she doesn't catch on to this trick too soon.) Monkey Boy sauntered up to the tv and flipped it on. The Tyra Banks show was on, featuring transvestites. Looking briefly at the curvey, ultra-femmed out trannie on the screen, Monkey Boy declared "Da Da."

Apparently there is something Ellen has been keeping from me.

I ate what?

Big day on Tuesday. After sleeping through the first part of her new playgroup, Ada made an appearance and thoroughly enjoyed herself. Thrilling for both mama and baby was the handoff of FIVE bags of kid clothes and shoes. I'm fairly sure that Super Sugar Star's girls will be running around naked all winter, because we took So. Many. Clothes. (Thank you to such a generous mom!)

Photos from the aftermath of my attempts to organize the clothes while Ada ran around scattering tights, shoes and shirts around the living room.

Later in the day, Ada and I met Monkey Boy and Ellen for snacks and a walk in Forest Park. Ellen and I put the kids on our backs and walked up the trail for a ways before letting the short ones out to wander the path. Monkey Boy immediately saw his chance to escape his captors. After a couple of half-hearted glances at some rocks and twigs, he practically bolted.

Ada stuck her toes in the stream, got her pants muddy, and then tottered after Monkey Boy. She called his name the whole way, breathlessly laughing as she found herself further and further behind him on the rocky path. Recognizing that Ada's one year old legs would never help her catch Monkey Boy, I scooped her up and hustled her down the path towards the boy. (It really is amazing to me how much Ada loves Monkey Boy. I haven't had the heart to tell her that Monkey Boy has been seen hugging another girl at his preschool.)

Back at the car, I stripped off Ada's muddy pants and shoes and strapped her into the car. As we headed home, the girl devoured a peanut butter sandwich. Still hungry, Ada asked for crackers. I handed her a small bag of them and assumed all was well. When I turned around, I saw her working on a little project.


















I wish I'd gotten a really clear shot of her sticking crackers between her toes, but it is hard to watch your child and watch the road. When we got home I scooped up the strewn crackers and stuffed them back in the bag. I left Ada with Chris and headed out to grab our farm share. Realizing I was hungry, without thinking I dug into the little bag on the seat next to me. Halfway through my third cracker I realized what I was eating. Mmm, crackers with toe jam.

No one should get five shots in one day

A few highlights from Ada's first week as a one year old:

At Ada's 12 month doctor visit, we learned that the girl continues to be the tallest one year old in the neighborhood - 30 inches (93rd percentile for girls her age). His dad doesn't like to admit it, but one day soon she is going to outpace Monkey Boy. And then I will cry, because the clothing hand-me-down gravy-train will stop.

Also at the appointment, poor Miss Ada suffered through five shots. Nurse Mike had charmed Ada through the weighing and measuring (yeah, you just try not to laugh when a 40-something, heavyset, balding male nurse does his Donald Duck impression). Things went south quickly when Mike returned with five needles after the doctor left the room. We also learned that band-aids do not protect the wearer from sunburn.


Earlier that week Ada joined Monkey Boy for a dip in the pool and some snacks. Everyone loves watermelon, right? Well, it is even better after your young friend dumps the entire contents of the bowl over his crotch, returns the pieces to the bowl, and then offers you one of the marinated chunks. Also delicious are the cereal bits that stuck to MB's watermelon juiced body after Ada tossed some cereal on the blanket. Mmmm, scroti-Os.

On Ada's actual birthday, it was way too hot to bake a cake, so Ada got ice cream instead. A few days later, Ada's nu-nu Ellen brought over a beautiful cake. It turns out that (no surprise) Ada likes chocolate cake. I was a little worried, since Chris prefers lemon to chocolate, but apparently his weird tastes were not transferred to her genetically.

Um, does anyone else notice something is burning?
Oh MY, that's GOOD.
What do you mean I can't eat the whole cake?