Happy New Month's Eve!

Just think of me as the Make Your Holiday Girl!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Wednesday to you!

Well, ya know, we've come to the end of another month, haven't we?  And as we're sittin' here on this Wednesday with Memorial Day in our rear-view mirror and utterly surrounded by no holiday to celebrate today, I've got one for ya!

It's New Month's Eve!  How about that?!

The ways we should celebrate New Month's Eve are by eatin' delicious foods, maybe havin' a balloon-drop with confetti, and definitely a ceremonial Flippin' of the Calendar to Next Month, mmmkay?!

Since I'm a Little Kid, I'm all about celebratin' the little holidays, even if I've gotta make 'em up myself! 

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

I Like My Marshmellas Rare!

I like my roasted marshmellas without any pesky golden-brownness!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Tuesday to you!

Well, ya know, it was a wonderful, long weekend.  I loved every minute of it! 

One of the most notable things about this weekend is that for the first time ever in my life is that I got to roast marshmellas all by myself, with no grown-up intervention.  I had my own stick, and my own spot at the fire, and I learned something about myself.

I learned that I really like my roasted marshmellas rare.  I stick 'em in the fire just long enough to heat 'em up, but not to impart any of that pesky golden-brownness or bubbles or caramelization the Grownups like. I wouldn't have known this, if the Big People in my life were still cookin' my marshmellas for me!

So even though I'm talkin' about marshmellas today, I feel like a Really Big Cheese, now that I know I like my roasted marshmellas rare!

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

Have A Good Memorial Day

Land of the Free, Because of the Brave!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Monday to you! 

More importantly, it's Memorial Day.  It's a day when we remember the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for our country and our way of life. 

I'm not gonna tell ya how to spend today, Big People.  I'm gonna think of and remember the people who have sacrificed so we can live in a place where we can expect to be safe, and free.  I'm also gonna celebrate with my family and friends. 

But when I feel the breeze blow, and when I feel the warm sunshine on my face, I'll remember those brave people, because they're in the breeze, and they're in those warm rays of the sun.  They're in every flag, in the red and white stripes and the blue field and the white stars.

America is the Land of the Free, Because of the Brave.  Remember that, Friends.  Especially today.

Have a Good Memorial Day!

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

Ensign Zoe, Reporting for Duty!

I'm ready to boldy go where no kid has gone before, except maybe Miles and Loretta!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Sunday to you!

Well, ya know, I have recently gotten all hooked into a show called Star Trek: Voyager.  It's a Star Trek show from way back in the Nineties. Because you know, I'm a big fan of the Nineties.

Anyway, what really got me all hooked in to Star Trek: Voyager is how the crew members on the Voyager get into deep-space jams, and then they work together as a team to get themselves out of the deep-space jams!

In a way, it reminds me a lot of Miles from Tomorrowland, except insteadda animated kids bein' the stars, it's actual grown-ups.  What a crazy twist, Friends!

Anyways, I think it's all fascinating, the thought of space travel!  Meeting new civilizations and makin' friends with 'em! 

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

Zozie Runs on PB&J!

PB&J makes me so happy I could sing!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Saturday to you!

Well, ya know, I'm a kid who loves a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and I'm not shy about bein' particular about what I like best in a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

First of all, I choose my favorite bread, which happens to be rye.  I know this is something odd for a Little Kid to like, but I do.  I really, really do.  If I can be spoiled, I request Al Cohen rye, either seeded or seedless.  I like 'em both equally. 

For my peanut butter, I like crunchy Peter Pan best.  It comes only in small jars at my grocery store of choice, and everybody knows, the smaller the jar something comes in, the better it is!  However, in the absence of crunchy Peter Pan, I will eat creamy Jif. 

Now, jelly, I like a variety of different things.  Any strawberry jam, of course.  Or grape.  It's really hard to go wrong with strawberry or grape.  Every once in a while, I'll tolerate raspberry or marmalade.  But strawberry and grape are my favorites. 

So there ya are, Friends.  Peanut butter and jelly on rye is the road-snack on the journey to happiness for me!  I love ya lots, Friends!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Summertime, Summertime, Some-Some-Summertime!

One word for ya this summer, Friends: Sunscreen!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Friday to you! 

Well, ya know, we're comin' up on Memorial Day Weekend, which is the unofficial kickoff of Summertime!  How about that?!

Are you ready for Summer?  You know, people get all crazy for gettin' ready for the Start of School, but ya never hear about a frenzy to get ready for Summer. 

I guess maybe that's because we're all set to "mosey" speed in the summer, and it isn't as important to get all your summer supplies at once, like it is to get all your pencils, paper, and erasers and such ready for School.

But you know what?  My summers, for my whole entire life, have been anything but "mosey."  We go on the go, a-go-go!  So I have compiled a list of things I need to make sure I get together, here before this Summer gets going!

• I need sunscreen.  So do you, Big People!  And a sun-hat and sunglasses!
• Road snacks, because I'm on the road a lot in the summer, and it's helpful to have snacks to eat on my way to where I'm going!
• Sketch-pads, crayons, markers, and other art supplies, because Summertime is the ideal time to do art!
• Back-up road snacks, to replace the snacks I bought with the intention to have ready for road-trips, but I got hungry during a Sesame Street marathon and ate every last crumb of.  
• Sparklers, because the Fourth of July.
• Glo-Sticks. 

See, Friends.  With a little preparedness at the toppa the summer, you can enjoy a lotta more leisurely times!  Write it down!

Come back and see me tomorrow!  I love ya lots!  Muah!

Countin' Down!

I think you know what day it is!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Thursday to you! 

Well, ya know, it is the Twenty-Fifth of the month.  That means it's time for me to remind you how much time you have to get ready for Christmas, Friends. 

I know, I know.  You don't wanna hafta hear it.  I know that you don't wanna think about Christmas, because now the weather's finally gotten nicey warm, and Summer's only just now beginning. 

Thing of it is, if ya start preparatin' now, you'll chip away at all the Christmassy stuff ya gotta do at the end of the year, and ya might get to experience the magic and wonder of the Season, the way I get to, and then you'll have a great time, and you'll remember that great time, and finally, you'll look forward to Christmas as much as I do! 

I believe they call that 'professional reinforcement!'  How about that, Big People?!

So anyway, consider yourself told, Friends!  You know what the end-goal is!  You know how much time you've got to accomplish it all.  You know what you've gotta do.  So it's all up to you!

I love ya lots, Big People, and I'll be cheerin' ya on along the way.  But for now, I have some serious playin' to do, so I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Summer's On The Way!

It's gonna be a great summer, Big People!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Wednesday to you!

Well, ya know, in a coupla weeks, my final Summer of Not Bein' a School-Kid will begin.  Up until now, my whole entire life has been summer vacation.  September would come, I'd see the big yella bus go by my house, I wouldn't be on it, and I'd go on with my life.

At the end of this summer, that big yella bus is gonna stop at my house, and I'm gonna get on it and go the heck to school.  So in a way, this summer that's startin' up is like the last chapter in the first part of my life. 

But before I get ahead of myself, with all the things I've gotta do, once I get to school, and how things are gonna change, I wanna go over the things that I know are gonna happen over the summer!

For instance, I know I'm gonna visit Pittsburgh for a coupla days.  Then I'm gonna go to a place called Gettysburg.  I'm gonna see a lotta neat cars there!  And then I'm gonna go to a place called Kenosha, all the way in Wisconsin, and I'll see some more neat cars!  And then there'll probably be some surprises.  I love surprises!

So this is the part of the year that I get all excited about summer.  This year, summer's gonna be particularly sweet, you know?

Hey.  I love ya lots, Big People!  I'll see ya tomorrow, mmmkay?  Muah!

The Small Things!

There's endless wonder around every corner!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Tuesday to you!

Well, ya know, today is a special day, because it's the day after a spectacular sunset.

It's true!  If ya happened to look outside last night, you woulda seen that there were clouds in the sky at sunset-time and the sun was makin' 'em look like salmon-colored streaks in a dark periwinkle blue sky.

And when ya see a sunset that spectacular, you just hafta figure that the following day is gonna be special.

You know why else today's a special day?  We are completely surrounded by all kindsa small things that are really wondrous, if ya take the time to look at 'em.  The flowers on the trees, the green grass, the dandelions growing on the ground... it's all wondrous.

If ya take the time to notice all these small things, you'll be amazed at what a wonderful place this is, we get to live on.

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

Greet Monday Like an Old Friend!

Greet Monday like an old friend you don't see very often!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Monday to you!

Well, ya know, I always say "happy" whatever day it is, and I really do mean it.  Even in the case of Mondays.  Even when I get a case of the Mondays.  And even though I'm only Five, I do get a case of the Mondays, every so often.

The thing I really strive to do, though, is make friends out of my enemies, even.  I've always thought that allies are more powerful than enemies.  And I'm pretty sure there's a sciency thing to back me up, or maybe a strategery manual that would do the same.

Anyways, ya gotta change your mindset about Mondays.  Insteadda lettin' 'em get all up in your head with their Mondayness, think of Monday as an old friend ya don't get to see every day.  When ya wake up on Monday morning, insteadda grumblin' and sneerin' "Oh, it's YOU, Monday," instead, smile, and say "Why, hello, Monday, my old friend!" 

You might be surprised at the way this slight little change in your perception and your reaction could change the course of your day!  You might really end up genuinely likin' Monday after all!

Or.  Circumstances could conspire to make ya grateful that ya don't see your old Friend Monday every day.  Life is a lot like buyin' fruit- it's a gamble.

One thing you can be sure of, though, Big People, is that I love ya lots!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Happiness Is A Choice!

Happy people are strong people, Big People! Stay positive!

Friends, didja know that it takes less muscles to smile than it does to frown?  But the thing of it is, the frowny muscles have gravity on their side, so people just let their faces fall in what looks like a frown most of the time.  It's just comfortable!

So when ya smile, ya make a choice to smile, and those smilin' muscles get a workout.  And do ya know what happens when a muscle gets a workout?

It gets stronger!

So if ya think of bein' happy and positive like they're muscles, and every time you make the choice to be happy and positive, you're givin' 'em a workout, what you're really doin' is makin' yourself stronger, Friends.

Happiness is a choice.  Bein' positive is a choice.  Smilin' is a choice.  It might take less muscles to do and be these things, but those less muscles hafta work harder to do their job.  Ya have to decide to use 'em.  And every time you do, you get stronger, Friends! 

How the heck right about that?!

Hey.  I love ya, and I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Be Yourself...

...It's all that you can do!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Saturday to you!

Well, ya know, Friends, we all have choices on how we're gonna act, how we're gonna be, and WHO we're gonna be.  Every day.

And the thing I've learned is that even though people look similar (as compared to how a person looks in comparison to a giraffe or a humpback whale, for instance), we all see the world and react to it in a different way.  But I think we get a little confused, sometimes, because we figure that since we're all humans, and you look similar to me, and I look similar to you, that we're all gonna react to things the same way, or think the same thoughts about the same situation.

And it just isn't the way it is.  You and I, for instance, Friends, could look up at the sky and see a big, gray cloud.  It's the same big, gray cloud we're seein'.  And I could say "Wouldja look at that cloud up in the sky?!  I see a big castle in that cloud!  Wouldn't it be neat to live in a castle made outta clouds?"  And you could say "Dang it, Zoe!  There's a storm a-comin'!  We better get inside!"

We're both right.  We both agree that there's a cloud.  I experience that cloud in a whimsical fashion, while you experience the cloud from a practical standpoint.  We can discuss this at length over a hot cocoa, while we sit in the window and watch it rain, because you were right.  There was a storm a'comin' in that cloud.

See?  We just experience the world differently, Big People!  And the world needs both our experiences!  I think it's important that we each at least get to understand and respect one another's way of experiencing things, but I also think we should try not to expect everybody to conform to the same way of experiencing.  When somebody's brain is more actual-factual, they can appreciate whimsy, or at least acknowledge it, but they probably won't see the castle.  They'll just see the cloud.  And when somebody's brain is more whimsical, sometimes, they can get caught up in the whimsy and find themselves gettin' rained on.  If either one of those people tries to force themselves to be the other person, life will feel forced and hard. 

So, Friends, be yourself.  It's all you can do.  And let your friends be themselves.  It's all they can do. 

I love ya, Big People!  And you can visit my castle in the clouds, or in the trees, or under the gazebo ANY dang ol' time!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Spicy in Attitude Only

I have a spicy reputation, but it's my attitude that's spicy.

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Friday to you!

Well, ya know, I enjoy a good meal, but there's one thing I do NOT like to see on my plate, and that's food with spice in it.

Oh, sure, a little cinnamon here and there is fine.  That doesn't bother me.  A minty Tic-Tac once in a while?  Well, I like fruit-flavored ones better, but I don't mind a minty Tic-Tac once in a while.  They aren't really spicy.

It's extremely discouraging for me to find something like medium salsa in a bowl of chips, though.  And last night for supper, we had butter chicken.  Despite its benign name, it is NOT chicken slathered in delicious, delicious butter.  It's chicken bathed in spicy, tomato sauce, served over rice.  The sauce makes even the rice spicy. 

Spicy-ricey.  I don't likey. 

Friends, I know I have a reputation for bein' all spicy.  Spicy-n-sweet, I hope.  But I'm spicy in attitude only.  I can dish out the spicy, but I cannot eat the spicy.  No way.  And this is not a shortcoming in personality.  This is me recognizin' my own limits. 

How the heck right about that?!

Hey.  Stay cool, Friends!  I love ya lots, and I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Victory Is Mine!

I am the KiteMaster!  I have harnessed the power of the wind!

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Thursday to you!

Well, ya know, I was discouraged about my kites not flyin' on Tuesday, and I figured I was a kite-flyin' failure, but then you know what happened?!

Yesterday, there was a good breeze a-blowin', so I grabbed my dang ol' kite and went runnin' outside, and do you know what happened?

My kite caught the wind and had some serious air-time!  It was GREAT!  It didn't swoop and soar above the tree-tops, but it flew above my head and waggled its ribbony kite-tail for me!

It just goes to show, I can accomplish things and stuff if I don't give up before I get started!  How about that?!

Also, I guess I don't wanna be Two anymore.  I'll stick with Five and a Half.  It's a good age.  It's the age where I get to fly kites. 

Keep your chins up, Big People!  It gets better!  I'm here to tell ya! 

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

To Be Two Again!

Bein' Five is really hard, Friends.  I wanna go back to bein' Two.

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Wednesday to you!

Well, ya know yesterday, I built a kite outta vellum and straws and tape, with some yarn for the kite-string.  I used some markers to make the kite colorful and festive, and added a plastic-tape tail to it, because kites need tails.  I was lookin' forward to watchin' my kite soar high above the tree-tops!

In reality, there wasn't enough breeze.  And I thought you just decide you wanna fly a kite, and there you go, flyin' a kite.  No.  Ya hafta learn how tight to keep your kite string- here's a hint: pretty darn tight.  And the Kiwi Crate book said if there's no breeze, there's no worries.  You can just run and have the kite trail behind ya. 

No.  That isn't cool.  That isn't how they show it on television.  They show kids flyin' kites, blissfully standin' on the ground, watchin' their kites swoop and soar high above.  Maybe they hafta run at the very beginnin' of the flight, but not for the whole flight.

I am disenchanted, Friends, and if Mommy tells me one more time that anything worth doing is worth bein' lousy at, at first, and practicin' my way to bein' great at it, I'm pretty much gonna scream in her face.  I'm so tired of not bein' good at things.  I'm so tired of havin' to practice. 

Is this what it's like to be five and a half, Friends?!  Is it my lot in my life to be frusterated?  If it is, I wanna go back to when life was easy.  Like back when I was... maybe two.  Those were the dang ol' days, Big People.  Nobody expected me to be able to fly kites.  I just had to be cute.  Two year-olds don't know how great they have it!

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

Fun With Flight!

This is the face of a glad scientist!  Upward!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Tuesday to you! 

Well, ya know, yesterday, I got another Kiwi Crate in the mail, with my name on it, and EVERYTHING, and I opened it right the heck up, and guess what I'm gonna be buildin' this time! 

A kite and a rocket-launcher!  It's true!  All the pieces are there!  I get to decorate and build my own kite, which is really exciting for me, because I have wanted to fly a kite for a while now.  I see 'em all the time on television, but have never, ever flown one.  Now I can have a personalized kite of my very own!

And the rocket launcher!  I'll be buildin' rockets, and then the launcher has this bag I step on, that shoots air into the rocket and sends it up into the sky!  Or I guess the very near inner atmosphere, because apparently Kiwi Crate isn't gonna trust a five-year-old with rocket fuel and an ignition button, are they?

But I'll tell ya what.  This girl's gonna be dreamin' that not only am I the commander of the rocket I launch, but I'm also the mission chief at Mission Control.

This is what Kiwi Crate is all about, Friends!  It's like a rocket-launcher for my imagination, which is like a rocket.  Big explosions of imaginativity and creativity and all that today!

I can't wait to tell ya all about how it turns out, Big People!  I'm a glad scientist!  I love ya lots!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Remind the Week Who's Boss!

Monday isn't the one wearin' the rainbow tiara, Friends!

Hiya, Friends!  Well, ya know, it's Monday again. 

Mondays can definitely churn up anxieties in a kid and in a Big Person alike.  I get it.  Believe me, I get it!

But the thing of it is, you get to be the thermostat for the week, Friends.  You don't hafta be satisfied bein' the thermometer.  You can choose to set the temperature of the week.

Ya know, sometimes, it's okay to be fiery, but this week, I'm choosin' to be chill.  I'm gonna run this week.  This week isn't gonna run me.  I'm gonna remind the week who's boss, and here's the hint, Week, Monday... you aren't the ones wearin' the rainbow tiara, now, are you?

They aren't, Friends!  So let's roll!  Let's make this a great week! 

I love ya lots!  You can do it!  Muah!

Happy Mother's Day!

On behalf of all Little Kids in Little Kid-dom, Happy Mother's Day!

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Sunday to you!  Well, ya know, it's a holiday. 

It's Mother's Day, so I'm gonna keep today's post short-n-sweet, so all you mamas out there can do what you really wanna do, which is watch movies with your kids.  My suggestions of the day are any of the Harry Potter movies, most of the Star Wars movies and their attached animated shows, especially the ones involving Legos, Jumanji, Zathura, E.T., Elena and the Secrets of Avalor, and Moana.

I choose Moana from all the other Disney movies, because the character Moana has a mommy.  Other Disney movies cannot say the same thing for their main characters.  What's up with that, Disney?!

I chose all those other movies in my suggestions, because they're my current favorites, and as it's Mother's Day, the wonderful thing about bein' a mother is that you get to make your kids gosh-darn happy, and those movies make me happy, and I'm sure they'd make other Little Kids happy, too.

Anyways, have a great one, Mamas!  I love ya lots!  I'll see ya tomorrow!

Happy Mother's Day!

Muah!

Saturday the Thirteenth!

It doesn't get much crazier than this!

Hiya, Big People!

Well, ya know, this week, we experienced a full moon, and then today is Saturday the Thirteenth.  How about that?  People think Friday the Thirteenth is the crazy relative, but they have no idea about Saturday the Thirteenth, especially when that Saturday the Thirteenth comes at the end of a week that contains a full moon.

Even I don't know all the particulars, Big People, but I think you oughtta put all your loose possessions  in a locker, pin the locker key to a secure piece of clothing, make sure you're strapped in and your harness is securely secured, and hold on tight, because this roller-coaster of a week just became self-aware and is about to take you where they don't even NEED tracks for roller coasters! 

What would that even be- a roller coaster that goes flying through the air without any track?  A flying coaster-like train? 

A fighter jet?

Friends, we could be in for a doozy of a Saturday the Thirteenth.  You're gonna wanna hafta eat a good breakfast and stay hydrated and keep your wits about ya!  I love ya lots!  See ya tomorrow!  Or back at the station.  Wherever we wind up.  I'll see ya there!  Muah!

When I'm Queen of My Own Life!

This is my life's philosophy, Friends, encapsulated in a picture!

Hiya, Big People! 

Well, ya know, I'm Five, and one of the best things I can think of about bein' Five is that while there are a lot of things I cannot do the way I want, there are some other things I can definitely do the way I want, that you Big People are afraid to do.

One of those things is wear a red ballgown, rose-gold ballet flats, and a sparkly tiara to swing in on my swing set.  And you BET I go down my slide dressed like that!  You BET I do! 

Because YES! Friends!  I feel fabulous when I'm wearin' my red ballgown.  I love my rose-gold ballet flats.  I stand taller when I'm wearin' a sparkly tiara.  I am queen of my own life.  Or I guess I'm Crown Princess of my own life, since I do hafta consult my Grand Council on such matters as what I'm gonna eat, what I'm gonna do in a day, when I can go places and where I can go to them, and also when I hafta go to bed.  Someday, I will be queen of my own life.  Right now, I am Crown Princess.  I can accept that.

Because.  I can still get away with playin' on my swing, dressed in that ballgown, and those shoes, and that tiara.  And I can sing at the toppa my lungs while I'm playing, dressed like that.  It's okay if the neighbors see and hear me.  It's okay if somebody drivin' my sees and hears me.  It's okay!

I guess somewhere along the way on the Road of Life, on the way to bein' Kings and Queens of one's own life, people lose the ability, or the want, or maybe the permission they usedta give themselves to just Be Themselves.  They start to worry about what everybody else is thinkin' of 'em.  What would people think if they saw ya wearin' a tiara?  What would they think if they saw ya, out-n-about in a red ballgown?  Why is it a thing to be able to "pull off" a paira rose-gold ballet flats?!  They're just shoes!  Ya put 'em on your feet, and there ya go!  You're pullin' 'em off!

But I notice you Big People don't.  I notice most of ya praise Little Kids like me for bein' Individual and Singular, but the older ya get, the more you like to fit in with everybody else when it comes to a lotta things.  I don't see ya swinging on a swingset or ridin' down a slide, and I've noticed if people catch ya singin' at the toppa your lungs, you look embarrassed and even APOLOGIZE! for it!

Friends, I dress the way I do and play the way I do and sing the way I do because I'm just so happy to be here.  I hope I'm always so happy to be here that I just hafta live out loud with a song in my heart and a giggle on the breeze.  If I can pull that off, then I will truly be the Queen of my Own Life.

Be the King or Queen of Your Own Life, too, Big People.  Or maybe, let out your inner Crown Prince or Crown Princess.  I love the heck right outta ya, Friends!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

When the Red, Red Robin Builds a Nest Over Your Door

The sayin' SHOULD be, "Red Robin: YIKES!"  Not YUMMMMM!

Hiya, Big People!

Well, ya know, I love animals.  I love all kindsa animals.  I love dogs, and cats, and giraffes, and flamingos, and butterflies, and horses, and cows.

I don't really care for spiders, though, but that's not the focus of today's post.

Forget what I said about spiders.  I think most of us, given the chance, would prefer not to have spiders crawlin' on us, especially when we're sleepin' or tryin' to eat.  Let's all just agree that not wantin' spiders crawlin' on me doesn't mean that I hate spiders.  I respect their right to live.  I just don't want 'em near me while they exercise that right.

ANYWAY.  I believe I've established that I am a big fan of animals.  I'm a fanimal, if you will.  But every year for my whole life, although some years are more fraught with this than others, we've had a squadron of red, red robins station themselves on all the overhangs on my house.

And I live in a Victorian house, so they have all kindsa lotsa places upon which to build nests. 

Their favorite spots for nest-building, is right over the doors we come-n-go out of. 

People think red, red robins are so nice and sweet.  Everybody's so happy to see 'em in the springtime, and they say how wonderful it is to see the robins bop-bop-boppin' along.  Thing of it is, though, Big People, if a red, red robin builds a nest over your door, you're pretty much gonna get dive-bombed every time you leave your house, and every time you come home.  And they're gonna poop on your porch.  And your swingset.  And definitely on your car.

Red, red robins are bloodthirsty when they're defendin' their territory, Friends.  I was always too young to appreciate this reality, until this year.  Now I have serious anxiety whenever I hafta go somewheres!  I don't wanna get strafed by an angry robin!

My experience this spring with these robins has made me seriously reconsider the restaurant Red Robin's jingle of "Yummm!"  I still love their delicious, delicious burgers, but now when I see their mascot, I can't help but duck and cover my head!

Well, I love ya lots, Friends!  I'll see ya tomorrow, if I'm not attacked by a squadron of robins before then!  Muah!

I Choose Now!

It has its faults, but 2017 is MY TIME, and I LOVE IT!!!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Wednesday to you! 

Well, ya know, I am a kid who's very much of her time.  If I were given the power to live in any time in human history, and maybe including when the dinosaurs were around, I'd choose to live right now.

It just makes sense.  All my toys are here in 2017.  My big-girl bed is in 2017.  I finally learned how to use a potty and enjoy it.  Why on EARTH would I go live in a time when potties aren't a thing. 

Seriously, though, potties are where it's AT, am I right, Big People?

Anyways, I know 2017 has its faults, but think of all the great things we have in 2017 that we've never had in previous times in history.  Central heat.  Ipads.  Quality children's programming on public television.  Caller Identification.  Shoppin' on the Internet.  Amazon's Alexa.  Cars that practically drive themselves.  Cars that actually DO drive themselves.  Wonderful synthetic fabrics that wick away sweat and keep ya feelin' cool and dry in hot weather. 

I mean, Friends, that doesn't mean that I wouldn't wanna visit other times in history.  I'd love to go visit the dinosaurs.  I really would. Just so long as my time-machine Winnebago had a potty I could use. 

Friends, let's choose now!  This is our time!  Let's love it!  I love you!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

How to Make a Milk Shake

Strawberry's my favorite!

Hiya Big People!  Happy Tuesday to you!

Well, ya know,  love a good milk-shake.  There's a diner near my house called the Texas Hot in Downtown Wellsville, and if ya ask 'em to, they'll make ya a milkshake and bring it to ya in a big metal cup!  Never in my life do I feel like sucha big cheese as I do when I'm enjoyin' a milkshake at the dang ol' Texas Hot!

It got me to wonderin', Friends, just how one makes a milk shake.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know all about milkshake recipes and milkshake mixers and all that. 

I'm askin' how ya make a milk shake, though!

And the surprising answer is that there are lotsa ways to make a milk shake, and here I am, presenting them to you in a bulleted list!  Here goes:

• Take the Milk to a scary movie!
• Take the Milk on a ride in a rickety ol' jalopy on a curvy, hilly road that doesn't have guide-rails!
• Make the Milk spend the night in a hauntedy house!
• Tell the Milk it has a big test that's worth eleventy percent of its grade, and inform the Milk that the test is on nothing it studied for, or has even learned yet!  Yikes!
• Have Sasquatch sneak up on the Milk and roar at it!
• Scoop in some ice cream and have a milkshake mixer or blender whir it all up into creamy, cold goodness!

Because when ya think about it, milkshake mixers and blenders are pretty scary, if ya think of 'em in the context of bein' inside 'em, with all those sharp, spinning blades!  How about that?!

Now go have a milkshake on this Tuesday.  Tuesday needs a little sparkle, and a frozen dairy-based beverage is just the ticket!

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

Wear Your Sassy Pants Today!

Watch out, World!  I've got my Sassy Pants on today!

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Monday to you!

Well, ya know, Mondays can be pretty daunting to deal with, especially if you feel like you weren't quite ready for the weekend to be over with.  That's kind of how I'm feeling today.

Thing of it is, Monday comes, whether or not you're ready for it.  You can either let its inevitability roll right over you, which I've been known to do, just like you, Big Person Friend, or you can take charge of it and just show that week who's gonna be boss.

How do you do that?  How do you keep Monday from rollin' right over ya?

Sassy Pants, Friends!  Put on those Sassy Pants and put some swagger in your steps.  Put some snap in your fingers... bonus points for three snaps in a Z-shaped formation!  That's the sassiest snap of all!

Friends, it's all about attitude.  Or as I like to describe it, Att.  It.  Ude.  We are gonna be the bosses of this Monday.  We are gonna be the bosses of this week.  Not the other way around, Friends.  Not the other way around.

We got this! 

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

Limitless Places for Friends!

My tummy may have limited slots for food, but my heart has limitless slots for friends!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Sunday to you!

Well, ya know, when I eat and eat and eat and then stop and say I'm full, but Mommy mentions there's something delicious for dessert, I realize that I have lotsa slots in my tummy, so I could have dessert.  I can keep eatin' as long as there's slots available in my tummy!  Or until I get tired of eatin'! 

How about that?!

Even though my heart is a lot smaller than my tummy, physically, metaphysically, it's infinitely larger!  You see, my tummy has only a limited number of slots for food.  When they're all full, I'm full!  and I'm all done eatin'.  But when I have lotsa friends, and I meet a new friend, my heart makes a whole new slot for me to keep that friend in.  The more friends I have, the more slots my heart makes for itself. 

You could say that the more friends I accrue and the more people I love, the bigger my heart gets!  I love that!

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

I'm a Little Scientist by Nature, by Golly!

I will never stop askin' Why!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Saturday to you!

Well, ya know, my people, the Little Kids, are well-known for our staunch commitment to asking questions, especially "but why?"

We don't know a lot about the world, and the way to find out more about something you don't know a lot about is to ask "why," early and often.  It might get annoying to you Big People, but it's how we Little Kids learn.

You know, now that I think of it, sometimes, when we chase ya down a big hole of "Why?" until you don't know the answer, that's a good opportunity for us to learn something together, you know.  Big People, you have the Power of the Internet right in your hands.  There's a lot of dumb stuff on there, but there's also an infinite world of knowledge!

Anyway.  Do you know who else always asks questions and always learn?  Scientists.  So I guess in a way, every Little Kid who ever asked "But why?" is a scientist on a never-ending quest for Knowledge.  I think that's an amazing thing to be, Friends!

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

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

Have a Happy Fifth of May, Big People!

Hiya, Big People and Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Didja know that back when I was younger, I thought that this day was about ship called De Mayo that was sunken?  It's really funny to think about now, because I know there was never a ship called that.  I'm kinda glad, too, because I wouldn't want a ship like De Mayo to sink!  I bet it'd be magnificent, if there were sucha thing!

Now I understand that Cinco de Mayo means "Fifth of May," which is what today is, and it's a holiday that originated in Mexico, to commemorate the Battle of Puebla, in which the underdog Mexican army beat Napoleon the Third's army, which was pretty powerful in 1862!

It's a holiday celebrating a David beating a Goliath!

It's a good thing to know what the holiday we all like to celebrate is all about, Friends.  When you learn about all the different people in the world, the world doesn't seem like sucha big, unfriendly place!  That's really important to know, when you're a Little Kid like me, but also when you're a Big Person, too!  I know the world can seem big and scary when you're a Big Person, too!

I love ya lots, Big People!  Have a wonderful Cinco de Mayo.  I love ya lots!  Muah!

May the Fourth Be With You!

This is how a stylish Jedi dresses on Star Wars Day!

Hiya, Friends!  Today is Star Wars Day, because it's May the Fourth, and it sounds a lot like when they say "May the Force be with you!" on the Star Wars!

I love Star Wars, you know.  I'm an avid Star Wars Rebels watcher.  I love the Play Station game version of Star Wars, and I also get the biggest kick out of Lego Star Wars. 

So that Star Wars is being celebrated today just makes me beside myself with happiness.

You know, my Star Wars Day wish this year is to adopt an Ewok of my very own.  I LOVE those guys!  They're like little cuddly teddy bears with serious attitude!  And they can drive Speeders like nobody's business.  Seems like an Ewok around the house would be really, really smart!

I would say I'd like a Tauntaun, too, for companionship and transportation, and possibly even alpaca-like wool to spin into yarn and make blankets and shawls out of for profit, but Daddy says he's "allergic" to Tauntauns, so there ends my quest for a Tauntaun... for now.

Friends, I have a lot of celebratin' to do today, so I'm gonna letchya go.  May the Fourth be with you!  Muah!

A Home for My Hardworking Clothes!

My clothes work hard, keepin' me from bein' naked, so now they have a nice place to rest!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Wednesday to you!

Well, ya know, yesterday, I helped my Mommy clean out some clothes I've outgrown and worn out, so I can have lotsa room for the clothes I have that fit me and make me feel great when I wear 'em! 

It was time.

Friends, I had clothes all kinda shoved in my closet.  It was not a pleasurable experience to go spelunking in my closet.  My socks-n-undies were in a bin.  They were stacked nicely, but in a bin, nonetheless, because my dresser was fulla stuff left from when I was a baby.  I thought it was gonna be an awful job, so I avoided doing it.

But yesterday, Mommy said "Let's do this," and I figured I'd help.

And I'm glad I did.

Everything I have outgrown or worn out got put in a box.  Anything that's itchy, scratchy, or that has gotten patchy was also escorted from my drawers and closet bars.

Everything left was folded nicely.  My socks-n-undies now have a nice drawer in my dresser to rest in, after I wear 'em and they go through the wash.  They look comfortable in there!  Cozy, even, standing upright in neat rows in my drawer!  My jammies and sleep-shirts take up the bottom drawer in my dresser.  They stand up in rows in the drawer, so I can immediately see each thing I own, and I can select the jammies I want to wear on a particular night, and the rest will never fall out onto the floor.  They have a comfy place in that drawer!

My pants are one of my favorite things I'm especially proud of organizing.  They're folded so that they, too, can stand up in their drawer, and I arranged them according to colors.  I can tell at a glance which pants are available for me to choose to wear on a day, and what's in the hamper!

But my closet is what really got the biggest make-over.  I had a lotta clothes I just am too big for.  Dresses were hung next to shirts, and everything was all helter-skelter.  I couldn't see what I had!  I'd send Mommy in to pick my clothes for a day, because I just didn't wanna go in my closet, which is a shame, because Mommy says I have the nicest closet in the whole dang house! 

Well, it isn't perfect yet, but by golly, it's gettin' there!  Mommy and I sorted through all my hang-uppables, and we put all the sleeveless tops up front, then the short-sleeves, the long-sleeves, the sweaters and sweatshirts, and finally, the dresses.  Everything is arranged by color.  I had the most fun helping with all this!  But I have even more fun, standing in my closet and looking at how nice everything looks, in its place!  I feel like I'm at the mall!

Friends, this was a big job.  There's still some more to do, but now that I've gotten some of it under my belt, I'm rarin' to go on the rest of it.  So what I'm sayin' today is that if there's a big job YOU'VE been dreading and avoiding, I'm tellin' ya to just take the first step.  You might be surprised at what it motivates you to do! 

I love ya lots, Big People!  I'll see ya tomorrow, for May the Fourth!  Don't miss it!  Muah!

It's TUESDAY!

Who's gonna have a GREAT day?  THIS GIRL!

Hiya, Big People! 

Well, ya know, it's Tuesday, and I'm gonna just go ahead and celebrate the heck outta that fact.  Wanna hafta know why?

Because yesterday afternoon, the sky turned translucent green, and the trees started dancin' and I went and hid in the basement for a little while.  And the last time this happened, we ended up with a whole lotta trees fallen in our yard.

I was too little to understand what was goin' on that time, but this time, I was a little freaked out about the weather outside!  Mommy kept tellin' me I was gonna be okay, that it was all gonna be okay, and we were in the basement out of an abundance of caution, but I'll be honest with ya, Big People.  I was a little concerned that she was tellin' me it was an abundance of caution the way she told me gettin' my ears pierced wasn't gonna be a big deal, or the way she tells me the public toilets aren't gonna be too loud when they flush.  Lies.  All lies.  So you'll understand why I was dubious about just how "okay" everything was gonna be at the conclusion of yesterday's very bad storm.  *IF* there was gonna even be a conclusion of yesterday's very bad storm.

But what do you know?  For once, she wasn't just offerin' empty comfort and assurance.  For once, Mommy was right.  The storm passed, the sky turned from translucent green to opaque dove gray, and then gave a spectacular sunset, and all is well today. 

I am gonna have a GREAT day today!  I hope you will too, Friends!  I love ya lots!  Muah!

May-Day, May-Day, MAY!!! DAY!!!

Here's to ya, Rick, Brad, and Sabres fans!  It's May-Day!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Monday to you, and happy May Day to you, also!

Today's title, of course, is in reference to the famous "May-Day!" call by the unparalleled hockey play-by-play announcer Rick Jeanneret.   The May Day call is not in reference to today, but rather a Sabres playoff game that was played on April 24, 1993, ancient days of yore and lore to me, but to some of you, it was practically yesterday.

Anyways, Brad May got an amazing goal in an intense playoff game, and Rick Jeanneret was so excited about it, he made his May-Day call.  Give it a Goog, give it a listen.  That is what pure exhilaration sounds like.

That is why RJ is forever ensconced in the pantheon of great announcers.

So have a happy May Day!  Have a happy May-Day, May-Day, May-Day, too!  There are all kindsa things to celebrate today, so celebrate 'em all!

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