Feeling Reflectful!

Winter's coming, but Summer's here right now!  Enjoy It!

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Thursday to you!

Can you believe we're already at the end of June, Twenty-Sixteen already?  I guess I'm feeling a little reflectful, on account of me finishing up The Daily Zoe Volume Fifty-Eight over on the dang ol' Facebook yesterday, and I'm going to be kicking off Volume Fifty-Nine today.  Crazy stuff.

As it was June, and June has a Twenty-Fourth and a Twenty-Fifth to it, I mentioned that Christmas was coming.  Sometimes that information not well-received.  I guess if I bring it up this time of year, I'm jumping the gun, and am perceived as tryin' to wish away the Summer, which of course could not be further from the truth, but that's the perception of me, just the same.  And when I bring up how much time there is until Christmas in the Brrrr Months, people don't wanna hear it, because they ignored my call-to-arms and Christmas decorations back in the summer, at the half-year mark.

And you Big People say Little People like me are hard to please!  I think you guys take the fruitcake on the hard-to-please platter, though!

Anyways, yes, we all know that Christmas will get here.  We all know that Winter will get here.  But don't forget that even I know and am excited about Summer being here right now.  I'm looking forward to Winter and Christmas, but that doesn't preclude me from enjoying the summer moment in which I live in this very heartbeat. I hope it doesn't preclude you from enjoying the same, Big People.  You can love the moment you're in as well as look forward to the Future with an excited and giddy spirit.  It's entirely possible!

So that's why I'm feelin' reflectful, on this last day of June, Twenty-Sixteen, and the first day of TDZ:Volume 59 over on the dang ol' Facebook.  Lots has been done, there's still lots to do, and all the fun to be had stretches before us in all its glory.

I sure do love ya lots, Big People!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

The Feelings Are Mutual Somedays!

I'd be interested in hearing about residential pre-K! Take that, Mommy!

Well, ya know, Friends, back in the day, Mommy and I usedta go together like chocolate and peanut butter, but lately, we butt heads.  If we had horns (and I'm not entirely sure Mommy DOESN'T), we'd be lockin' 'em every time we're within a yard of one another. 

What I'm sayin' is Mommy and I don't get along lately.  And although she'd say I'm goin' through a stubborn and mouthy streak, you take it from your pal Zoe that it's MOMMY who's goin' through a stubborn, mouthy, MEAN streak.  She's merely projecting her poor behavior onto me, because as a Little Kid, I'm an easy target.

Harrumph.

Anyways, she's been on my case a LOT recently about stupid stuff that doesn't matter like pickin' up my toys, and goin' potty when I need to, and not sassing her when she's on my case about such inconsequential matters.  I think it's a matter of po-tay-to, puh-tah-to, Big People. What she calls "sass" is what I call standin' the heck right up for my rights as a Little Kid and a Citizen of the World.

So you know what Mommy told me the other day?  She's lookin' into residential Kindergarten programs for me, where I'd pack up a steamer trunk, go stay in a bunkroom with a buncha other Little Girls, go to school, and come home only for Christmas and Summer holidays.  Like the kids at Hogwarts, except without the magic.

I'll tell ya what, Friends.  Mommy can look for residential Kindergarten programs all she wants to.  I myself have come to realize what a mistake it was to be born two weeks late, thus missing my presumptive school's cutoff date and havin' to wait an extra year to go to school; therefore, I am searching for a residential PRE-KINDERGARTEN program somewheres.  How about that?!  How the heck right about that?!

Unfortunately, though, Big People, there doesn't appear to be such a thing as either residential pre-kindergarten or residential kindergarten.  But rest assured that when my mother talks about wantin' to send me to those things, the feelings are MUTUAL!

Grrrrr!

I'll see ya tomorrow, Friends!  I love ya lots!  Muah!

Singin' in the Sun, Thinkin' 'Bout the Rain!

Life isn't about avoidin' storms, Friends, it's about learnin' to appreciate the drink the rain gives the plants!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Tuesday to you!

Well, don'tchya just figure, Mommy and I put in our garden about a month back, and ever since, we've been kind of light on the rain.  Don't get me wrong- I LOVE sunny weather!  But we hafta drag the whole hose over to the dang ol' garden to make sure our tomato plants and such receive proper hydration and that.

You know, every year Mommy and I try to become small-garden tomato farmers, something does us in, and it's usually lack of lotsa rainfall at crucial times.  Except for that one year we mushroom-soiled our tomatoes to death.  But mostly, we can blame it on the [lack of] rain.

Of course, this year, we have the flowers-n-plants-n-Pretty Little Trees to think about, as well.  Those guys sure do start to look droopy-n-parched after a while.  Why, I bet they'd LOVE a nice day where we just let the clouds roll in, and let 'em give us a nicey warm, gentle, soakin' rain that gets right down into those dang ol' roots.

You see, Friends, as I sing in the sun, thinkin' about the rain today, I'm reflecting on how Life isn't about avoidin' storms altogether, but rather learnin' to appreciate the drink the rain gives the plants! 

If that isn't on a bumper sticker and refrigerator magnet, it should be, Big People!  I love ya lots!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

It's a NEW WEEK!

Mondays require Energy and Enthusiasm to get through 'em!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Monday to you!

Boyo Boy, if it doesn't seem like we've just done this not too long ago, but here we go again, starting a new week!

You know, Friends, I've been bogged down in Mondayful thoughts a lot lately, but today, I'm getting back to my roots, and trying to live upon the principle that your attitude determines your altitude in Life, as well as on Mondays.  Like I said, I've been bogged down a lot lately on Mondays, but today, I'm gonna go ahead and just have a nose-up attitude so I can climb and climb!

I'm not tellin' ya how to live your life, Friend, but you know, you might wanna hafta give it a spin, changin' your attitude on Mondays and seein' just how high your altitude can get.  Life's too short to let Monday getchya down.  I just wantchya to be as happy a person as you can be, you know?

I love ya lots, Friends, but I've got some serious playin' to do, so I'm gonna go. I'll see ya tomorrow!  Big hugs!  Muah!

Lookin' Dateful!

I'm lookin' Friday on a Sunday.  I must be off-the-charts dateful today!

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Sunday to you!

Well, ya know, sometimes I like to make up my own words for existing meanings.  I'm a lot like Urban Dictionary, except I'd be Little Kid Rural Dictionary, which seems like a genius idea to me, if I ask me myself!

Anyways, my Little Kid Rural Dictionary word of the day today is "dateful."  Dateful is a word I made up to indicate that someone's wearin' nice clothes, and their hair looks nice.  Like they made a real effort!

I really don't know how I came up with the word dateful, other than I just said it one day, liked the sounds of it, and started using it.  Kind of like the time when I decided that "patoot" means "thing."  Not hiney-butt like what you Big People think it means!  You really need to consult the Little Kid Rural Dictionary to avoid embarrassing yourself, Friend!

Anyways, Big People, I'm gonna go be dateful today, so you should, too.  I love ya lots!  See ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Zoe in Wonderland

I just ate the big side of the mushroom, and now I'm eleventy feet tall!

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Saturday to you!

In my continuing Trek Through Great Literature, I've been studying the world of Alice in Wonderland, and I'll tell ya, I can't help but imagine myself there, amongst the singing flowers and the talking caterpillars and the bread-and-butterflies!

What really intrigues me about Wonderland is all the flippity-floppity logic.  Also, I think it's really cool how Alice can eat something and become very tiny, and then eat something again and become really big, and then eat another something and get to be regular-sized.

What I'd give to get to go to a tea party where EVERYONE'S mad, and not the kind of mad that people get when I'm snotty.  The crazy mad kind of mad where everybody's absurd and silly.  Boyo boy, that'd be just fun as the dickens!

However, I would NOT like to meet up with the Red Queen or the White Queen.  Seems like it'd be a wise decision to just leave them alone. 

But.  I could really support celebrating un-birthdays!  Why, every day would be a party!

So there ya have it, Friends!  Every day's a party here with Zoe in Wonderland!

I love ya lots, Big People!  I'll see ya!  Happy un-Birthday to you!  Muah!

Disconcerting Realities About Victorian P.E.I.

I'm beginning to think they shoulda called it "Anne of Gilligan's Island!"

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Friday to you!

Well, ya know, I've recently taken a liking to the story of Anne of Green Gables.  I've had the abridged version of the book read to me, and I've seen the miniseries that played on the Disney Channel way back in the 1980s. 

Throughout my journey to Avonlea, I thought I'd like to go back in time to meet Anne and her friend Diana Berry with the raven locks, and Gilbert Blythe and Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert.  Not that snotty Josie Pye, though.  I would definitely NOT like to meet Josie Pye.  She's mean.

However, I have been doing some research on just what was what back in Anne Shirley's day on Prince Edward Island, or P.E.I.  Did you know that there were no bathrooms in those days?  I mean no indoor toilets.  People had to heat water on the fire to fill a bathtub.  They had to "go" in the outhouse!  OUTSIDE!  And there was no electricity!  No telephones!  No motorcars!

I realize this sounds like paradise to some people, but I'll tell ya what these Olden Days sounds like to me... Well, it sounds like they ought to have called it "Anne of Gilligan's Island," with all the lack of phone, and lights, and motorcars, at least at the beginning!

Oh well, I guess.  I can visit Anne and her friends any time I want, in books.  And then I can come back to my Own Time, especially when I hafta go potty or take a bath.  Those things are much more pleasant nowadays, and I'm sure the folks from Avonlea would be wild about indoor plumbing if they just could experience it!  In fact, I wonder what they'd think of our times, if they could have a peek!  I bet they wouldn't even believe their eyes!

Anyways, Friends, I love ya lots!  Find yourself a really neat world today!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

The Order of the Ladybug!

Like the Ladybug, my mission is to bring happiness and love wherever I go!

Hiya, Big People!

Did I ever tell you that I'm a Night Knight?  I sure as heck all get out am!  I'm a Night Knight in the Order of the Ladybug!

As a member of the Order of the Ladybug, it's my sworn mission to bring happiness and love with me, wherever I go.  It doesn't mean I'm perfect all the time, but it does mean that I try, and I don't get discouraged whenever it turns out I'm... you know, human.

Just like a true Ladybug brings peace and laughter everywhere it lands, that's what the Order of the Ladybug strives to do.  If you see a ladybug-lookin' thing, but chaos and irksomeness abound, what you've got on your hands is one of those imposter beetles.  You want no part of those guys.  As far as I know, though, there are no imposter members of the Order of the Ladybug.  There's just members of the Order of the Ladybug who are havin' a bad day, or they need a nap or a snack.

You didn't know before, but now you know, Friends!  I love ya lots, and I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Whaddaya Know?

My long-term batteries aren't 100% charged up yet, but I feel so much better already!

Well, ya know, Friends, yesterday I talked to you about how I was really tired, on accounta not having a proper nap for about two weeks, plus getting to bed pretty late, mostly.  That sort of thing really starts to take a toll on a Little Kid!

Anyways, yesterday, I came home and took a nap on the dang ol' couch.  It did a lot to fill up my long-term batteries.  I'm not 100% charged up or anything yet, but I feel a lot better already.

You see, we all have our long-term batteries and our short-term batteries that all need charging up.  Our short-term batteries are what gets us through the day.  The long-term and short-term batteries are both charged up with the sleep we get at night.  The long-term batteries kick in, provided you've gotten proper rest to charge 'em, if your short-term batteries get depleted by an especially big day or a late night, or some stress. 

Thing of it is, if your short-term battery deficits deplete your long-term battery, and you don't take corrective measures immediately, once your short-term battery goes kaput on a given day, it's kaput, until you can get yourself some good, restorative sleep.  And that makes ya clumsy, mean, snarly, short-tempered, whiny, and all the things I've been lately.  Because you're over-tired.

I'm takin' corrective measures to get myself some good, restorative sleep, Big People.  I'm gonna get my long-term battery all charged back up again, so I can be happier.  If your long-term battery is all depleted, you should start supplementing your sleep to recharge it, Friends!

I love ya lots!  Muah!

Tired Tuesday

I hate to admit it, but lack of sleep has really turned me into a little ogre.

Hiya, Big People!

Well, ya know, I've gone over  a whole entire week without a nap, and I've gotta say that it isn't quite as awesome a lifestyle as I thought it'd be.  I really thought that a nap-free lifestyle would be glamorous and fun.

Wanna know what it's really like, Friends?  I'll tell ya.

While I'm living the nap-free life, I make mistakes I wouldn't make otherwise.  I'm more accident-prone, if you catch my drift. 

And most of all, even though I hate to admit it, and it galls me to say it, without my naps, I'm pretty much a little ogre.  I snap at Mommy.  I snap at Daddy.  Mommy snaps right the heck back.  I'll tell ya what.  And I'm so tired that ten minutes after I wake up in the morning, I feel like I haven't even gone to bed at all!

I've gotta figure out how to re-adopt my NapLife™ Mommy doesn't have any room to gloat over my so doing.  Napping is where it's at, Friends!

I love ya lots, Big People.  I'm so tired, though, I'm gonna go take a nap.  I'll see ya tomorrow.  Muah!

Getchyer Game Face On!

Let's show this week who's boss, Big People!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Monday to you!

Well, ya know, it's bound to be a crazy week.  Tomorrow night's the full moon.  There's a Summer Solstice on deck.  It's all gonna add up to cuh-ray-zayness. 

The thing we need to do, Friends, is be proactive.  We need to take this week, get right in its face on this Monday, and show it right the heck who is boss. 

Who's boss of this week?

WE'RE boss of this week, Cats-n-Kittens! 

Getchyer game faces on, Big People!  Don't let this week catch you unawares! 

We can do this, together!

I love ya lots, Big People!  I sure as heck do!

Go get 'em!  Muah!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day out there, all you Daddy-Os!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Sunday to you! 

Well, today's Father's Day!

It's a really nice day out there, so I bet you're gonna wanna hafta have a cookout.  I'd grill some steaks on the grill for my Daddy if I were allowed to use the grill, but I'm "too little," so I will be serving my Daddy steak-and-shrimp kebabs from my wooden foods playset in my red play kitchen. 

If there's one thing I've learned, bein' a Little Kid, it's that ya hafta adapt.  If ya can't cook your Daddy steaks on the grill because "four year-olds can't cook with fire," ya just hafta re-frame everything and come up with something you CAN do. 

It just makes me wonder what the heck the caveman babies did.  I bet those four-year-olds were allowed to cook with fire.  I bet those caveman Little Kids just about had the life, you know?

Anyways, Friends, Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there!  I love ya lots!  Muah!

Your Own Worst Critic

Don't be mean to yourselves, Big People!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Saturday to you!

Well, ya know, sometimes the things I hear you Big People sayin' about your own selves just curl the hairs inside my ears!  I've heard it all, Big People! 

I've heard you say you look fat in your jeans. 

I've heard you say that you're stupid. 

I've heard you say you have awful hair. 

I've heard you say you're terrible at this or that or some other thing.

Big People, why do you talk about yourselves like that?  What if you heard somebody saying things like that about your best friend?  You'd be mad, wouldn'tchya?  Well, that's how I feel when I overhear YOU talkin' about YOURSELVES like this! 

Listen.  I understand that it's a really good thing to see yourself with a jaundiced eye.  There's always room to improve.  Always ways to be better.  But there's a difference in constructive criticism and bein' a jerk, even when you're talking to and about yourself.

So consider yourselves Told Right the Heck Off, Big People!  I think you're great!  Stop talkin' so mean about yourselves!

I love ya lots, Friends!  I'll see ya tomorrow.  In the meantime, you give yourself a big hug from your pal Zoe!

It's Friday: I Go NUTS!

Don't be afraid to go NUTS!!! on Fridays, Friends! 

Hiya, Big People!  Hey! 

Didja know it's Friday?  Didja know that on Fridays, we let our hair down?

More specifically, I let my hair down on Fridays.  I go NUTS!

When I go NUTS!, what I do is burn off all the residual energy that I have left here at the end of the dang ol' week.  That way, I can go into the weekend with nice, clean energy.  This helps me focus on all the fun I can have on the weekend.

You try it, Big People!  Go nuts today!  Go into the weekend with fresh, clean energy!  You'll see a big difference!

I'll see ya tomorrow!  I love ya lots!  Muah!

The Stanley Cup Parade!

Even though it was on television, the Stanley Cup Parade was a sight to behold!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Thursday to you! 

Well, ya know, I've spent the last few days in dang ol' Pittsburgh, and it's been really fun.  I got to be around a whole city of happy people, on accounta the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. 

Although I didn't attend the Stanley Cup Parade in person, I sure had a blast watchin' it on the television, in the air-conditioned comfort of Aunt Colleen's living room.  I feel that this is a very appropriate way to enjoy a Stanley Cup Parade, on accounta hockey, the sport the pinnacle of accomplishment for which is the Stanley Cup, is played upon a sheet of ice.  Which is cold.  Not 90 degrees like it was in downtown Pittsburgh like it was yesterday.

Anyways, the Stanley Cup Parade was a sight to behold.  Hundreds of thousands of people lined up on the parade route.  Everybody cheering.

I like Pittsburgh, but I love ya lots, Big People!  I'll see ya tomorrow, from the Bing!  Muah!

Arnie the Doughnut

The doughnut turned into a guy's pet.  Whoa!

Hiya, Big People!

Hey, have ya ever heard of a book called Arnie the Doughnut?  It's about this doughnut who's just pleased as all get-out at the way he turned out.  His name is Arnie.  A fella named Mr. Bing buys Arnie at the bakery, takes him home, and is gonna eat him when Arnie pipes up and tells Mr. Bing that it isn't cool behavior, eating his houseguest!

Of course, Mr. Bing is probably having some kind of existential melt-down, on account of a doughnut talking to him, but I think he handles it pretty well.  He and Arnie try to brainstorm other things Arnie can be besides breakfast, but they can't reach an agreement, so Arnie decides to leave and get a job.

I really don't know what kind of a job Arnie was thinking he'd get, being a deep-fried, chocolate-frosted, sprinkled doughnut, but by golly, I like his ability to take the initiative, you know?

Then, when Arnie had reached nearly the edge of Mr. Bing's apartment complex, Mr. Bing figured out that since dogs weren't allowed to be pets in the apartment complex, maybe Arnie would like to be his pet doughnut and would never hafta worry about bein' eaten again.  And it worked out for him!

It sure was a strange book, and I'm not gonna lie.  I had dreams about that book all night long.  I was rootin' for Arnie, though.  I'm glad he gets to be Mr. Bing's pet, but I'm pretty sure I'd freak out if my doughnuts started talking to me!

I love ya lots, thought, Friends!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Sometimes I'm Just Not Feelin' It

This is how a Tuesday ladybug looks.

Hiya, Big People.  Happy Tuesday to you. 

Hey, do you ever have a day where you're just not feelin' it?  When you just don't wanna hafta be around people at all? 

I don't know if I'm tired, or if the barometric pressure's not right, or maybe I ate something that didn't quite agree with me.  I DO know that I'm just not feeling very personable today.  I'm not feelin' sparkly. 

I know you know how it is, Big People.  I know you understand.  I know you have days just like this.  It's rough.

Maybe I'll go do some Zoga and find my center.  I've been anxious to invent "Ambivalent Ladybug Pose."  I guess now's the perfect time!

I'm gonna go get to crackalackin' on that, Friends, and I'll see ya tomorrow!  I love ya lots!  Muah!

Zoe and the Sensational Sour Sundae!

It's sweet to enjoy a good ol' Sour Sundae!

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Monday to you! 

Say, have you ever been to the dang ol' Sweet Frog?  They have wonderful frozen yogurt there, in just about any flavor you can imagine, and then to top it off, there is literally a bar of toppings you can select from, to make your own customized sundae.

You can bet that I avail myself of the toppings bar at dang ol' Sweet Frog.  I come up with all kindsa cool creations.  My favorite one of all, I call the Sour Sundae.  It's strawberry frozen yogurt topped with Sour Patch Kids, some marshmella sauce, a few more Sour Patch Kids, and some berry-flavored poppers, which are liquid-filled little balls of fun that explode in your mouth when ya eat 'em!

Sour sundaes are where the heck it's at, Friends.  They getchya right in your cheeks.  You've gotta try it, Big People!

On a Monday such as this, it might be just the thing to make your dang ol' day!

I love ya lots, Big People!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Doin' Some Zoga!

I'm becomin' more flexible WHILE findin' my center!  How about that?!

Hiya, Big People!

Hey, ya know how some people do yoga to find their center?  Well, I do Zoga!

Zoga is a lot like yoga, except it has a very Zoe spin on it.  Insteadda quiet meditation, I sing really loud.  Instead of fluid, graceful movements, I pounce like a TigerKid on the prowl. 

But everything I do when I do Zoga helps lead me back to my center.  It helps bring me back to myself as well as to the universe and the galaxy, and the family room floor.

Zoga isn't for everybody, Friends.  But I guess if it were, it'd be called Everyboga or something like that.

I love ya lots, Big People!  You do what you gotta do to find your center, and I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!  Muah!

MoonDollars!

I've just had an Ultra Mega Bambinoccino with Extra Sugar and Whip, Friends!  Whee!

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Saturday to you!

Well, ya know, I'm a kid who has an appreciation for the tastier things in life, and one of the tastier things in life is a good Bambinoccino!

My favorite Baminoccino comes from Donut Dude's, but sometimes, like when I'm working at St. Laffalotatus- Mercy-Mercy Hospital, there just isn't a Donut Dude's around.  That's when I hafta go to MoonDollars.

MoonDollars is a funny place, really.  While people gather at Donut Dude's for their hot beverage and delicious donut needs, and they linger and conversate and palaver like people do, they don't bring all their gear and camp out at a corner table in Donut Dude's. 

It's a different story at MoonDollars.

Oh, Friends, you'll see Little Kids like me on their Leap Pads, typin' out their novels or screenplays, listenin' to musics in headphones, readin' board books, holding teleconferences, even lyin' down and nappin' at the dang ol' MoonDollars.  It's an interesting place. 

...You know, personally, I like the setup at Donut Dude's better.  Donut Dude welcomes ya to sit a spell and stay as long as ya like, but it just isn't conducive to doin' work there, or writin' a screenplay.  A lotta times, there ends up bein' a great big lively conversation with everybody at a Donut Dude's.  It's just different at MoonDollars.

Another thing that is kinda weird at MoonDollars is that I give 'em my order, and they write a name on the cup that's meant for me.  I say "a" name, because never once have they written "MY" name on a MoonDollars cup.  Nope.  I'll say, "I'm Zoe, spelled Zee-Oh-Eeeeee!"

What gets written on my cup and thus called out into the MoonDollars when my order's ready is lotsa different things:
Chloe, Joey, Zora, Zentangle, Clarinda, Clarissa, Zinnia, Zenya, Zelda, Zerp, Princess Peach, Brown Eyes, and most recently, Zilly.

Zilly.  You know, that one's kinda cute, if they hafta get my name wrong at MoonDollars.  I don't mind Zilly.  The other names, I don't even know how they arrive at those, friends.  I guess Chloe and Joey sound like Zoe, but those other names?  I just don't get it.  It's almost like they're tryin' hard to get my name wrong!

Oh, well.  The Bambinoccinos are delicious at MoonDollars.  I can overlook their habit of getting my name wrong, and the names of my fellow MoonDollars customers wrong.  It's not just me.  There's more important things in life to get all whipped the heck right up about.  Not a five-minute social interaction at MoonDollars. 

And you get my name right, Friends!  I really appreciate that about you! 

I love ya lots, and I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

My First Chapter-Book!

It's really suspenseful, havin' to wait to see what happens from one chapter to the next!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Friday to you! 

Hey.  Have you ever read the book Olga da Polga?  It's by the same author that wrote Paddington Bear, but I hafta admit that I have not read Paddington.  I've only seen the movie, but based on that movie, I would definitely read the books!

However, I don't even know if there's a movie about Olga da Polga.  So if I wanna find out what happens to Olga, I'm gonna hafta read the book.

To be clear, it's a chapter book.  There are chapters to it.  Each page has a lotta words on it.  So Mommy reads Olga da Polga to me.  I like that.  Olga da Polga is a plucky little guinea pig that reminds me some of Anne of Green Gables, now that I really think about it.  Olga da Polga charms everyone who comes close to her, just like Anne of Green Gables.  Olga da Polga's fulla stories, just like Anne of Green Gables.  Has an answer for everything.

We just started readin' a coupla chapters of Olga da Polga before my naps, Friends.  It's a new thing for me, havin' chapter books read to me.  Usually the books Mommy reads to me have a beginning, a middle, and an end that's able to be read in one Little Kid-sized sitting.  But I like the way I think about this chapter book, wonderin' what's gonna happen next, even when I'm not listening to it being read.  I feel as though this is something of a watershed moment for me as a budding reader.  I feel like this is somehow a big deal!

I suppose it is, too, Big People.  I've always loved bein' read to.  I'm learnin' to like using my imagination to try to guess what's coming next in the story.  I'm learnin' to accept that not every story can be taken in and understood in just one sitting.

Reading's a whole lotta fun, though, Friends!  You should start a good book today.  Maybe even Olga da Polga.  Then we could discuss it! Anyways, I love ya lots, and I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Have Tiki, Will Ridey!

Your smile just lights up the whole deck, Tiki!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Thursday to you!

Well, ya know, I love making new friends with friends from all over, and this is my new friend Tiki!

Tiki comes to us from an exotic, tropical locale, where there are palm trees, ocean breezes, sand, sun...  You know what, though, Friends?  Tiki looked around one day and said he was kinda bored of the exotic, tropical locale, and that he wanted to go somewhere else.

I met Tiki at the dang ol' Lowes one day.  He was interviewing people to take him home, and I struck up a conversation with him.  I told him about the wind here in the Bing, and the way we can go through all four seasons in the space of a week sometimes.  I told Tiki all about my pal Rozzie.  I told him about our fun old cars.

I was just making conversation with Tiki.  He looked like he could use somebody to talk to at the dang ol' Lowes.  But then, Tiki said he'd like to come live in the Bing.  I thought he was just pullin' my leg at first.  He's that kinda fella.  But he wasn't.  He hopped right up on the flat-bed cart Mommy and I were drivin' around the store, and he made himself right the heck to home, rolled through the checkout with a panache only a two-foot tiki such as Tiki himself could master, and the rest is history. 

Tiki has settled in, guarding our plants on the deck.  At night, his eyes and mouth light right up.  I think he looks friendly, but others see him as foreboding.  It's all a matter of perspective.  When wintertime comes again, Tiki's gonna stand guard in the upstairs hall, so he doesn't catch the pneumonia or anything. We have a plan.

Tiki's really glad he's come to the Bing.  I am, too.  I'm really glad I decided not to be shy that day at Lowes.  Otherwise, I would be missing out on a really great friend right now!

Hey.  I love ya lots, Friends, but I've gotta go.  Tiki and I are goin' for a drive in my pedal car!  See ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Happiness Is A Curly Slide!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Wednesday to you!

Hey.  Did you even know that I LOVE curly slides?  It's true.  There isn't a mental malady I can acquire that a ride on a curly slide can't cure.  I can be sad, mad, vexed, consternated, worried, upset, bamboozled, or bilious, but none of that matters when I'm on a curly slide!

I think what it is, is that I hop on the curly slide, feeling one way, and then I head this way and that way and yet another way, until I've done at least one 360, but the best curly slides afford me a couple-three 360s.  And that appears to shake up any bad mood enough to flip my tickle-box and turn me into a gigglin' fool!

Friends, it's so nice to have something this easy to take me out of a bad mood.  Why, I'd even say that happiness can be found on a curly slide.  I sure would say that, because it's true!

Big People, I hope you find something that makes you as happy as curly slides make me.  It's awful to be caught in a bad-mood loop.  It feels GREAT to slide your way out of one!  Try it!  I won't tell!

I love ya lots!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Ya Never Know What You Can Do...

...Until You Try, Big People!  Don't be afraid to look silly, learnin' something new!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Tuesday to you!

Well, ya know, Friends, I'm a kid who likes to learn new things.  It seems like I learn something new every single day.

I'm good at a lot of things, even the first time I try, but there are some things that I'm not good at on the first try.  Sometimes I end up lookin' pretty silly when I try new things.  I don't let the fear of lookin' silly stop me, either, Friends!

Well, ya can't let something as silly as bein' afraid of lookin' silly keep ya from doing new things.  That's ridiculous!  Why, if I were afraid of lookin' silly every time I tried something new, I never woulda started eatin' solid foods or walkin' or talkin'!  Those things all took some practice for me to start lookin' slick while doing them, but I kept at the practicin' just the same!

Friends, I've heard that people get scareder and scareder of lookin' silly the older they get, and it makes me afraid that you're lettin' that fear hold you back from trying new things.  I don't know what kind of things would be new for you, Big People, but I bet there's something you've never tried to do, because you're afraid you won't be good at it.  I don't know... singing, dancing, drawing, painting, or sculpting, makin' elaborate bird-houses, doing stand-up comedy...

Friends, there's lotsa stuff you could be tryin' to do.  Don't be afraid of lookin' silly at first.  It's good to laugh, especially at yourself.  Ya never know what you can do, until you try, Friends! 

Hey.  I love ya lots!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

My Fierce Anti-Comb Stance!

I'd rather just let my hair be all tangly and wild!

Friends, I gotta tell ya what. 

Despite my outward appearance today, I am just burnin' up inside.  I'm just thinkin' about how much I hate combs and brushes of any sort touching my hair. 

Getting my hair brushed or combed out just ruins the heck right outta my day. 

Thing of it is, Mommy insists on doing so at the beginning of every day!  Fighting ensues, and there we are.

Mommy could easily avoid all the drama by NOT combing or brushing my hair, even with the Knot Genie and the Wet Brush.  I don't like those guys, either.  They're part of the establishment.  What I really want is to just let my hair be all wild and tangly.

Because you know the old adage: if there's tangles in a Little Kid's hair and there's no comb or brush around to go yanking on those tangles, are those tangles really sucha big deal?

You don't even have to answer that, Friends.  The answer is "no."  Those tangles are not sucha big deal, if there's no comb or brush around to torture 'em and make 'em pull. 

How the heck right about THAT?!

Hey.  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Love ya lots!  Muah!

Back to Spragues!

Anyplace with a playground's okay in my book!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Sunday to you!

Well, ya know, I like to eat, but I love to play even more.   So last night, when Daddy asked me where I wanted to eat dinner, I said, without hesitation, "Spragues!"

You see, Spragues has recently installed a wonderful Rainbow playground on their premises.  Despite my love for the Spragues Patty Cake, what I really wanted was to be able to play on that playground again.

Apparently, though, my Big People thought we needed to eat first.  Whatever.  I played the game.  I ate some food.  Drank my chocolate milk.  I was polite.  I said please and thank you and treated our server with the utmost respect.  I waved at all the workers seating customers and clearing tables. 

And then, the magical moment finally arrived.  We left the restaurant, and I made a Zee-line™ right to that playground.  And I got to play for a little while!  Not as long as I wanted, but for a little while.  It was fun!  It was worth all the waiting, waiting, waiting at the table.  It was worth all the having to eat at the table.

Friends, anyplace that has a playground is okay in my book!  You bet it is!

Accessorizin' and Mesmerizin'!

Nothing says "smartypants" like a big pair of glasses... and actual pants that are smart!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Saturday to you!

Well, ya know, I'm all about fashions and accessorizing the fashions and getting the look just right.  The look I'm going for today is Smartypants.  You see, I've decided to take up learnin' to string together some letters into words, and string the words into sentences and then say what it all means.  I believe you Big People call this "reading." 

I think an undertaking this large-scale deserves a look that is equally as formidable.  That's why I've topped my outfit with a pair of really big glasses.  The bigger the glasses, the more of a boost to the dang ol' brainpower the glasses impart.  It's like the learning just flows in through the lenses and magnifies itself right up on my brain!  How about that?!

Anyways, Big People, I have some serious readin' to do in the Skybrary and Epic Apps!  I love ya lots!  See ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Happy National Doughnut Day!

It's National Doughnut Day again already!

Oh my goodness, Friends, did you even know that today's National Doughnut Day?!

It's true.  The first Friday in June is the day we, as a Nation, gather together to celebrate the glory that is fried dough.

If you've been following along with me since... well, the beginning, you'll know that doughnuts and donuts hold a special place right in my dang ol' heart: The Daily Zoe started because I was sent out to fetch coffee and donuts for my co-workers one February morning in 2012, and when I rolled up to Donut Dude's Drive-Thru window, I was told that they were all outta donuts.  I let ol' Donut Dude have an earful of what I thought of that, and some enterprising soul took pictures of the whole thing and put 'em up on the Facebook. 

It took off like wildfire, and now it's a daily thing, my Daily Zoe Facebook Picture Show.  Eventually this weblog came along.  And finally, I left The Company and became Donut Dude's Director of Donut Development at his World Headquarters, when I'm not practicing Humorous Healing at St. Laffalotatus- Mercy-Mercy Hospital.

It all started with a donut run gone unsuccessful.  Isn't that crazy?  I'm pleased to tell you that Donut Dude has never run out of donuts again at any of his Donut Dude cafes.

But that's all why National Doughnut/Donut Day is such a big deal to me, Friends.  If you go for a donut today, have one for me!  And also have one for yourself!  Have all the donuts!

I love the dickens right outta ya, Big People!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Gettin' Back to the Swinga Things!

I hate to say it, but a nap made everything all better!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Thursday to you!

You know, I had a rough day yesterday.  I really did.  All's I wanted to do is cry, and also scream at Mommy.  It started the minute she started washing my hair. 

I'm not really sure why I got all screamy and screechy, other than it just felt good.  It felt right for the moment.  Heck, I liked screaming and screeching so much, I got so I was screaming and screeching even when Mommy wasn't combing conditioner through my hair.

We both know I was just screaming to scream, because apparently, she stopped combing and I was still yelling "Ouch!"  I don't care.  I gotta be me, and as Me, I yell "Ouch!" all the time!

Anyways, I was screaming, and the screaming gave way to crying.  I didn't wanna stop crying.  I told Mommy I had to get it out of my system.  She said that was fine.  And as I was gettin' all the crying out of my system, I realized I was cryin' because yesterday was my first real post-holiday return to the Same-Old Same-Old.

That's a real let-down, Big People.  And that realization made me cry more!

So Mommy made me take a nap.  I hate to say it, but it did put it all right.  I felt more rested almost instantly.  I feel even more well rested today.  I'm ready to get back into the Swinga Things now!  Because Memorial Day Weekend might be over, but Summer's only just begun!

I'll see ya tomorrow, Big People!  I love ya lots!  Muah!

It's the Last Day of School!

Queue up that Alice Cooper song.  You know the one!

Hiya, Big People!

Well, as this morning dawns, the sun sets on yet another academic year.

For my whole entire life, my Mommy is Really Emotional on the Last Day of School because she says that every Last Day of School we pass means I'm one more year closer to goin' to school, myself.  So as you can imagine, I'm battening down the hatches and mustering my force of Kleenexes today.  Preparing for a stormy day, if you will.

One of these years, I'll know the sweet significance of the Last Day of School.  Not this year.  Not next year, either.  The year after.  This time in 2018, I will be wrappin' up my Kindergarten Year.  I'm gonna be bold and bet that Mommy isn't so mad at me today for missing the cutoff date the year I was born.  I'm kinda mad at me for missing the cutoff date, but you know, I'll make the best of my extra year Home With Mommy. 

None of that matters today, though, because school's out for the summer!

I love ya lots, Big People!  I'll see ya tomorrow on this, the first day of Summer Vacation in my school district!  Muah!