Wordless Wednesday

Part-Time Contributor Kelly

First Day of School

Stuffed Animal Names

Do your kids have "interesting" names for their stuffed animals? My nieces and nephews sure do.

Meet Planet:

And this is Sweet Terrance and Terrance.

Sweet Terrance recently had double pneumonia. Not sure where Brennan came up with that. 

The little beauty you see  below is Cut Baby. 

Cut baby is named for the run (or "cut") that runs along her face. She is not to be confused with her "sister" Uncut Baby. Unfortunately, Uncut Baby was lost years ago on a trip to the hospital.

This guy is Fred, or Frederick for short (I know).  He was acquired recently at Dave & Busters. He did have a sweater on, but he prefers being naked.

Below is Bark Bark. This is Harry's treasured stuffed dog. He was named when his father would ask him, "Harry, what does a dog say? It says bark, bark." Ummm, I think it says ruff, ruff or woof, woof but whatever.

I should also mention that my oldest niece had several dolls when she was little. They were all different dolls. Different shapes and sizes.  Each one was named Baby Sally.


How about your family? Any interesting stuffed animal names?

Conversations with Kids

Yesterday was one of those days where I wish I recorded my conversations with my 6 and 7 year old nephews. Here are some snippets of what was said:

Brennan (age 6): "Auntie Laura, was Grampy (my 74 year old father) on the Titanic?"

Me: "No."

Brennan: "Oh. Were you?"

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Harry (age 7): "Auntie Laura, did you put butter on this roll?"

Me: "Yes, I did."

Harry: "Mom doesn't put butter on our rolls."

Me: "Well, I guess that means that she doesn't love you."

Harry: "Yes she does. Mom said that she would love us even if we went to juvie."

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Me: "Guys, I have to leave a little early tonight. I have to go to an event in Boston."

Harry: "Why are you leaving early? You should have told them that you have to babysit us and that you'd be late."

The Bank

My 7-year-old nephew, Harry, is a bit of a money hoarder. If you give him a dollar he runs right to his room to put it in his wallet. His 6 -year-old brother, however, spends every dime that he gets.

Recently Kelly opened a bank account for Harry. Whenever we drive by the bank (which is near my parents house) he says, "there's the bank where my money is." He also wanted to let my dad know. Here's how that exchange went:

Harry: "Grampy, there's the bank where my money is."

Gramps: "Oh, that's great buddy."

Harry: "Gramps, since you live so close to the bank, can you keep an eye on my money?"

Gramps: "Sure. Good idea."

Well, yesterday the bank got robbed. No one was hurt, thank God. When Kelly found out, she immediately said, "don't tell Harry! He'll be devastated." That's all my dad needed to hear. He keeps saying that he's going to call Harry and tell him that the robbers left everyone else's money but got his. We're doing our best to keep Harry and Gramps apart.

Nelson Park

I heard about a great park recently. It's called Nelson Park and it's in Plymouth, MA.

It sits right on the ocean.

It has a great splash area for the kids. They love running through the spray.

There's also a playground.

Here's Kelly and her youngest, Sean.

We were fortunate enough to get a nice shady spot.

There's no physical address for the park (that I could find). For GPS purposes use 225 Water Street, Plymouth. This is an apartment (or condo) complex. The park is just after that but before the bend in the road. They have bathrooms and a snack bar where they sell hot dogs, soda and ice cream. We find that it's best to bring a picnic. We pack a cooler and spend a few hours there.

Your best bet is to get there early, the parking lot fills up fast. Oh, and it's totally free!

Happy Auntie's Day To Me

According to Savvy Auntie, yesterday was "Auntie's Day." I waited and waited and waited at home all day for calls and gifts and maybe a plane flying overhead professing undying love for me from my nieces and nephews. Sadly, nothing came.

I guess there's always next year. Sigh.

The 5 Year Old Philosopher

As you may know, my nephew comes up with some wild things. His 5 year old brain seems to be in overdrive sometimes. Lately I've been noticing that he's a pretty philosophical kid. Here are some of our recent conversations:

B: Auntie Laura, can you BUY friends?

Me: Well, no, because then you would never know if they liked you for you or if they just liked the money that you gave them.

B: Does it really matter?

Brief pause

B: Do ants like peas?

B: Auntie Laura, is there a ruler of the world?

Me: No, each country has their own ruler.

B: There IS a ruler of the world: God

Brief pause

B: Can I have another Hoodsie?

Gift Idea for Children

I have a birthday party for a two year old this weekend and I had absolutely no idea what to get her. I always seem to get kids books as gifts. I wanted to do something different (and inexpensive). I decided to put together a beach bucket for her.

I had quite a few errands to run today, so it was easy to pick up things for the bucket as I made my way through my day.

My first stop was Old Navy where I picked up a cute little bathing suit for 60% off. Next, I went to the Christmas Tree Shops. I knew I could find a beach bucket for $1 and I wasn't disappointed. I also love CTS for sunscreen. They have a great selection and great prices (note-always check the expiration dates on sunscreen, wherever you happen to buy it). I also picked up a bag of sea shells to put on top of the completed bucket. After those two stores, I had to run to Target to pick up a few household essentials. There, I was able to find a cute little pair of sunglasses, a Sesame Street book and a blue sandcastle thingy, all for $1 each. Score! I took a quick peak down the wrapping paper isle and found some brown "grass" for the top of the bucket.

Here's what it looks like completed:

I had my sister write the child's name on it (she has way nicer penmanship than I do). I added the shells on the top to make it look beachy.

Total cost: less than $15.

If you think that's creative, you should check out the bucket my friend Kelly did. Click here to see it.

Slipping Away

I've noticed a trend lately. One that I don't particularly like. When I get my nephews off the bus, no one is willing to hold my hand for the short walk home. This is what I see instead:

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. This time last year, the 6-year-old refused to hold my hand. He decided that he was too cool. I just never thought the redhead (age 5) would abandon me. That kid is always up in my grill. He still insists that I kiss him on the lips (it's pretty gross, if you ask me). I guess I just can't believe that the littlest child in our family is now 5 years old. It just doesn't seem possible. Sniff, sniff.