Unschooled Charlie

Scenes from a Birthday Party...

2010-11-21T14:12:00.000-08:00

Charlie's turning 6!

Playin' around

2010-08-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

The body of this robot is a flashlight (light shines from the top of his head) and his feet are matchbox cars so he can skate around.

One of the characters from Jem gets a new/classic look!

Robot Builder

2010-08-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

"Put these pictures on my blog!" says Charlie. So here you go. Pretty self-explanatory...

Five Minutes with Mom's Camera

2010-05-11T19:45:00.001-07:00

Spidey Tricks

2010-04-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

Spring!

2010-03-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

Charlie was enamored (enameled?) of this nontoxic paint and peel polish, so we got some. He says it has the magic to make his hand super-strong and his feet super-fast!

Fun at the park (right before the Big Haircut)

We always go to the beach on the first day of spring and today was no different--the unusual thing was the weather! Usually we go for about ten minutes and watch little ice floes bobbing around--this year we roamed Sand Dollar Beach for two hours and came home a little pink from the sun.

Charlie shows off his hammer arm.

Charlie gathered his hair from the haircut and used it as part of a robot.

Robot in his entirety

Our "Welcome Spring" cake--I think it's an organizational meeting for Easter. The chicks are the guards.

Recent Gems

2010-03-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

An excerpt from The Very First Gnome Story, as told by Charlie: "The mommy gnome had to pee really bad--there wasn't enough time to get to the bathroom. So she went outside without even a jacket on and peed on a stick. And to her surprise, she saw two lines on the stick! And that's how she knew she was pregnant. With gnomes."

"It's okay if you want to homeschool me, but when I'm old enough to go to potions class.. I'M GOING TO POTIONS CLASS."

Charlie woke up in the middle of the night and insisted that we choose our "scientist names" right then and there. We shall henceforth be known as Neutron and Dr. Mamacita.

Charlie, upon receiving a package with a He-Man figure in it: "Oh look, Tea Man! He drinks more tea than anyone in America!"

Proud Mama Moment: Charlie was working in a book of artistic prompts (like a coloring book but way funner) and came upon one with an empty bird cage. "Excellent!" he said. "I shall draw an EX-PARROT!"

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T06:21:00.000-08:00

Charlie turns FIVE!

2009-11-29T08:06:00.000-08:00

Field Trip!

2009-11-29T08:01:00.000-08:00

At a farm in the Valley--we went apple picking with the area homeschoolers...

Peace

2009-10-04T14:17:00.001-07:00

Charlie opened the Chronicle Herald this morning to a picture of the Dalai Lama. "Oh look," he said. "He's a GOOD guy." My heart warmed. "Yes, dear," I agreed. What a perspicacious, sensitive little soul I have!

"Hold on," he said. "I'm going to get a marker and make him evil."

Art, art, and more art

2009-10-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

We had a fairly quiet, at-home day today, and Charlie plundered the craft cabinet. This was my favorite of the pieces that emerged:

He described this to me as an abstract design for holiday wrapping paper. He let me hang it up, with the caveat that we'll take it down and copy it on the color copier to use for Christmas. Later, though, he said it was a three-mouthed dinosaur. So who knows.

The other day, he nagged me into providing technical assistance for a Wonder Woman outfit:

We're still looking for the right material to make a magic lasso. Maybe yellow yarn?

A Robot, Green Lantern, Babysitter Love, and Word Girl with Captain Huggyface

2009-09-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

Sculpture

2009-09-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

For the record, I am not an artistic-type mum. Or even a particularly patient one. So don't mistake these works of art for the products of loving guidance--they are 100% conceived of and realized by Charlie, usually while I'm busy messing around online in the next room.

Happy Guy on Ornate Surfboard
Froggie
Bridge (this entire structure is the size of my thumb)
Buoy
Crab and Seagull (because the buoy was lonely)
Robot
I haven't asked yet, but I'm sure they're something
Racecar (again, the size of my thumb--and if you look closely you can see minute blue start and stop buttons!)
Cakes (on the plane home from our big trip)

Family Visit 2009 Part V

2009-09-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

Family Visit 2009 Part IV

2009-09-03T06:33:00.000-07:00

Family Visit 2009 Part III

2009-09-03T06:24:00.000-07:00

Family Visit 2009 Part II

2009-09-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

Family Visit 2009 Part I

2009-09-03T06:07:00.000-07:00

Catch Up Post

2009-08-21T03:36:00.000-07:00

Charlie can sit down at my computer and get from any website to Youtube and successfully pull up Scooby Doo cartoons. Should I be impressed? Scared? Or just grateful that there's no Scooby Doo porn on Youtube? (Can't say the same for the Smurfs, unfortunately.)

In other news, I told him that he's only allowed to explore the power windows in the Jeep with adult supervision. "Don't worry!" he said. "I have SUPER vision!"

And finally.... a few weeks ago I woke up find Charlie standing above my head with a pot of eye shadow, murmuring, "this magic get-up powder should do the trick..." Got up in a hurry. The fun just never stops around here.

How We're Spending Our Summer

2009-08-18T19:26:00.001-07:00

Sorry to be so lax, faithful readers (okay, Sallea). I guess it's time to start blogging again.

Sand Dollar Beach

2009-06-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

Superman Makes Tea

2009-06-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Fresh peppermint and lemon balm! It got super-stirred. Photo posted at Charlie's request.

Cousins and Quotes

2009-06-04T15:38:00.000-07:00

Today's blog post features Olivia, Charlie's six year old cousin. Her mother told her she looked nice in her new running outfit, and she said, "Actually, Mom, I believe the word I'm looking for here is FABULOUS!!"

These kids. The fun never stops.

And tonight we were reading Green Eggs and Ham and Charlie got frustrated. He jumped up in the middle and yelled, "Dammit, Sam! He doesn't want them!"

Bwack!

2009-05-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

It's lunchtime. Charlie's eating slices of sandwich meat. He pauses, thoughtfully, then holds a slice up to show me.

Charlie: "This is chicken."

Me: "Yes."

Charlie: "This comes from a chicken."

Me (preparing for an oh-dear-God-we-eat-animals moment): "Yes."

Charlie, covering his arms with slices of meat at lightening speed: "I'm a chicken! Bwack! Bwack!"

In other news, today he took his sitter, Amy, into the back yard to show her some dump trucks that her nieces had filled with sand. "Look what your punks did to my sandbox!" he said.

Ross Farm

2009-05-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

Smack Talking

2009-05-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

"I'm going to salt you like Kraft Dinner!" he says, with appropriate sassy intonations. My little boy is growing up!

Oh, and he got his first Big Boy Bike today. It's name is Zippy.

Bathtub Improv

2009-05-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

Superman, he's a heeeerrrrooooo
Superman, he's the man of steeeeeeeeeel
He knows what to do
When the bad guys are here
He knows what to do
When things are tangled

Superman, he's the super maniest,
Superman, the man of steeeeeeeeeeel.

(original lyrics by Charlie)

The Bobbsey Twins

2009-04-26T18:54:00.001-07:00

Thinking Ahead

2009-04-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

"Mom, the next time we have spaghetti, can we make meatballs?"

"Sure, hon," I said, so pleased that he enjoys cooking with me.

"Great! And then can I have a small cannon?"

SuperFriends

2009-04-05T05:51:00.000-07:00

The whole gang enjoys a little Rolie Polie Olie...

A Sticky Situation

2009-03-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

Charlie, a burgeoning scientist, has a theory: if you put enough peanut butter on the soles of your shoes, you can walk up the walls and onto the ceiling. If it doesn't work, that means you haven't added enough peanut butter yet.

Perhaps I'd better get off the computer and hide all the peanut butter. Mommy's a slow learner sometimes.

End of Winter Cute Cuts

2009-03-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

The Final? Frosty

Charlie, reviewing his breakfast options. "Look, Mommy! Koala Crunch and Panda Puffs are made by the same author!"

Tooth Fairy

2009-03-06T06:11:00.000-08:00

Idiom Logic

2009-03-01T15:55:00.000-08:00

Charlie is watching his favorite cartoon, Krypto the Super Dog, when I sneak up behind him with the hairbrush and begin to gently untangle some knots.

"Cut it OUT, Mom!" he grumps at me. "I like my hair like this!"

"I know you do, honey," I reply. "But we need to get ready for Jonas' party." For some reason, he accepts without question that we brush our hair whenever we're going to see Jonas and his family. I plan to ride that train as far as it will take me.

"Oh, okay," he says, consideringly. "Cut it in, then." And turns back to the screen, allowing me to brush away.

February Projects

2009-02-17T17:38:00.000-08:00

Overheard

2009-02-09T15:34:00.000-08:00

"I'm a nice guy. I'm a good guy," offered Charlie today. Upon reflection, he elaborated further. "I'm good. Mommy is good. Daddy is good. Brown Dog is silly." He then went on to wish Brown Dog a Happy Brown Dog Day. (He heard us talking about Groundhog Day a week ago--clearly, we were a little confused.)

Playdate

Rocket Man

Gift for Mommy

Sweet Treats

2009-02-07T05:57:00.000-08:00

This is a drawing of a birthday cake Charlie made this week. According to him, it says, "Happy Birthday Lilly" on it.

Silly Boys Making Cupcakes

The Finished Product

Polka Dot Robot Dog

2009-01-28T18:50:00.000-08:00

Complete with on/off switch, food bowl, and doggie bed. A little hard to pick out in the photo. We've been making our own playdough and experimenting with color lately--this week it's Jungle and Lava.

Le Petit Artist

2009-01-22T07:04:00.000-08:00

Charlie spends at least as much of his time drawing and sculpting as he does playing with toys. His favorite medium these days is a set of pastels:

Messy, but worth it!

The other day we were at the pharmacy and Charlie discovered a set of letter and number stencils. For $2.99, I indulged him. He carefully recreated the alphabet while I made dinner:

It's NOT January

2009-01-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

"You're Santa. I'm an elf. Get me some wrapping paper," commanded Charlie, a little fuzzy on North Pole hierarchy. He's still mourning the end of the Christmas season.

So we played Santa's Workshop for a while, wrapping bits and bobs from the toybox in napkins and dishclothes and loading them onto a sleigh. "This is Frieda," announced Elf-boy, gesturing to Brown Dog. "Frieda is Santa's dog. Brown Dog is back in Lunenburg. Frieda likes to watch the elves make presents. Good boy, Frieda!"

From there we went to inspect the North Pole on the map. "The North Pole is here," said Charlie, pointing to somewhere in the middle of Manitoba (close enough). To get to Lunenburg, we go here, and here, and here, and here," demonstrating a haphazard route across Canada. "To Lunenburg. Hooray!"

Hooray indeed. Where are my cookies?

Jen Bailey Rocks

2009-01-11T07:20:00.000-08:00

We so appreciate the Superman-y presents! Charlie couldn't be more thrilled. He spent hours poring over the superhero book. "Look, this is the mask that Beeman wears! This is the sticker for The Flash!"

When the Hall of Justice card game came in the mail, he picked up the little Superman figurine and started playing with him immediately. That was around lunchtime. It was at least 7:30 before the thing left his hand. He's got a little Superman-shaped dent in his palm by now.

It's terrific to have loving friends. And family. And blog readers. And those special few folks who are all three. Thank you!

The First Photos of 2009

2009-01-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

Fireman Sleeping Bag

Tower of Spinach

Our New Year's Eve

2009-01-03T16:22:00.000-08:00

"I'm going to stay up alllll night," proclaimed Charlie.

"Okay! Sounds like fun," we said.

"I'm going to stay up alllll night," chirped Charlie.

"Hmmm, aren't you a little tired?" we asked, yawning.

"I'm going to stay up alllll night," reiterated Charlie.

"Mmhflagle," we mumbled.

"Is it morning?" asked Charlie.

"Yes! Let's go to bed," we said.

It was 10:30. But next year we're staying up until 11.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-28T06:38:00.000-08:00

Hot Unschooly Resource of the Week

2008-12-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

We are in love with The Way We Work by David Macauley. Love, love, love. Especially the picture of the enormous anus dumping poop into,um, dump trucks. Learning is fun! Big thanks to my big bro Clancy for the Amazon gift certificate so we could buy our own copy.

Frankly, we're nuts about everything by this guy. The New Way Things Work never gets put back on the shelf--even though the text in both books is waaaaaay over a four-year-old's head the illustrations aren't--nor, have I found, are the concepts. We now have a David Macauley-themed coffee table. And Black and White ain't too shabby either. Three cheers for David Macauley!

(The fact that the author was a good friend to my grandmother doesn't even influence how I feel about him. Okay, maybe a little.)

Quote of the Day

2008-12-16T11:28:00.000-08:00

"I must sit on the red and blue stool, Mommy. It is the Supermaniest, don't you see?"

Birdman's Song

2008-11-27T10:26:00.000-08:00

As I type, Charlie is singing an impromptu riff in the bathtub. It goes a little like this:

Mama is queen of the Congo
Hip Hip Hooray!
Happy Birthday to Meeeeeeeee!
Happy Magic to meeeeeeeeee!
And you are magic,
And you are magic,
Ooo eeee oooo eee ooo
Game over.

Aaaargh!

2008-11-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

Charlie's 4th birthday party:

Fashionisto

2008-11-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

Charlie's in his Superman costume, watching a documentary about the classic Superfriends cartoon series of the late 60's.

He sits rapt, beaming, while various experts of the comic world laud Superman. The greatest of the great.

Then the focus of the program moves to Batman and Robin. The commentators all agree that while Superman reigns supreme, "Batman and Robin have better costumes." Charlie is shocked. He looks down at his get-up, exclaiming,

"That's impossible! No one could ever beat me."

Upon further contemplation, he decides he'd make a better impression completely dressed. Hopping off the chair, he declares, "I better go put on my boots."

He walks out of the room, muttering to himself. "Great Scot! Where are my boots? Batman? Impossible!"

Super Everything

2008-11-17T13:16:00.000-08:00

Many children have an alter ego. Or two. Charlie, on the other hand, has--wait, how many people are there in the world? (Don't forget to include imaginary characters.)

"I'm Superman! No, I'm Plasticman! I'm Wonder Woman! I'm Santa Claus! I'm Superchicken!"

A typical conversation:
"Charlie, would you like some bubble bath?"
"I'm Becky."
"Becky, would you like some bubble bath?"
"I'm a baby."
"Are you baby Charlie or baby Becky?"
"I'm baby Superman."
"Baby Superman, would you like some bubble bath?"
"Oh yes, please. Baby Superman loves bubble bath."

On one hand, it can be a little difficult to keep current. On the other hand, I don't think the kid has ever been bored in his life.

Pieces of Halloween

2008-11-02T07:53:00.000-08:00

Halloween

2008-11-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

Look in the dictionary under "extrovert", and there's a picture of our Charlie.

Our trick-or-treating expedition started with a block-and-a-half run, full tilt down the hill towards a house with huge, lighted displays. "I must get there fast!" puffed Superman-encostumed Charlie, as we jogged along after him. "I'm the fastest! Nobody will get there before me!" Assurances that the display and candy would be there for hours fell on deaf ears.

Just as we reached the house, another kid walked up in a Spiderman costume. The boys went up to the door together. Spiderman put his hand on the doorknob. "Not so fast, Spiderman!" Charlie boomed in his Superman-iest voice. The other kid, twice Charlie's age, shrank back. As we left, a kid in a Batman costume happened along, "Hello, Superman!" yelled Batman. "Why hello, Batman!" responded Charlie. "We're friends in the league of justice!"

At every house, Charlie met people with delight. "Trick or treat! What are you watching on TV? Can I pet your cat? What's back there? Can I have two of these? This one is my favorite." In between houses, he ran, yelling, "I aaaammmmmm SUUUUUPERMAAAAAAAN! I'm the strongest!" until finally he stumbled to a walk, and then announced, "Superman is tired. Superman wants his mommy to carry him." Which I did, back home to inspect the haul and then drift off,full and content.

This morning his eyes popped open at six o'clock. "Is Halloween over? Yes? Awwwwww. How long until Easter?"

Back in Black

2008-10-31T06:41:00.000-07:00

We were painting clay bats for Halloween.

I poured black paint in a tray for Charlie. "Not that!" he cried in distress. "Bat colour."

"What's bat colour?" I enquired, just a touch testily. At nearly four, he's become quite particular about art.

"It's all colors mixed together except black," he explained.

I offered the opinion that all the colours mixed together would make... black, but he was adamant. So we did it.

"See? Bat colour," he said. And it was. Black, but an earthy, swirly, batty black. A murky black that held secrets. A black that suggested life. A black that soon came to decorate a large part of the dining room table.

Happy Halloween, everyone.

Global SuperBoy

2008-10-19T16:43:00.000-07:00

"I'd like to be a superhero," said Charlie, who was wearing his Superman halloween costume at the time. "I will wear a cape and fly up in the sky and do yoga."

"Sounds like fun," I responded.

"And I will eat the wind and it will taste like lemon and then I will shoot lemon out my fingertips and share it with all the people."

"Yum!" I said.

"Let's go to bed," he said. "And I will dream about it."

And so we did.

Love: Grandma, Grandpa, Jonas

2008-10-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

Sick Day

2008-09-13T07:47:00.001-07:00

Charlie's got a little cold right now, and he's unusually clingy. I fully admit to enjoying it--he's so on the go these days we don't sit and cuddle nearly as much as we used to. When he's sick, however, I feel justified in sitting with him on my lap for hours while we read and watch Curious George. "Make a circle, Mommy," he demands, and I obligingly sit cross-legged to make a chair of myself. He snuggles in, wipes his nose on my shirt, and sighs contentedly. We sit, quiet and warm, our hearts beating together.

There's nothing I want in the world more than for him to grow up, to become a healthy, autonomous, adventurous adult who doesn't "need" his Mommy.

But please, let the time crawl between now and then. Because there's nothing better than cradling a warm bundle of love and snot in my lap.

Charlie Runs

2008-09-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

What We're Reading Now

2008-09-07T06:48:00.001-07:00

Charlie's recent faves:

Ballerina by Peter Sis
Do You Want to Be My Friend? and Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle
Underground by David MacCaulay
The Peace Book by David Parr
Stella, Queen of the Snow by Marie-Louise Gay
and our own gnome stories that we write and illustrate, of course!

Mom's nightstand:

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut
Near a Thousand Tables: A History of Food by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto

And if, dear reader you want a bit of an idea why we are autodidactic, experiental, interest-based home learners here--check out this Ted talk!

Any Kind Of 'Cation

2008-08-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

We had a fun vacation on Prince Edwared Island. Fun, but tiring. As soon as we got home John and I started talking about taking a "staycation" next time--planning a few dedicated days off work to focus on spending our time together and having fun as a family.

A couple days later Charlie commandeered the cooler. He filled it to the brim with an intriguing variety of items, including but not limited to: five tennis balls, a set of blocks, a pasta maker, and two cans of root beer.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"Packing," he answered, a little tersely. I'm always asking him these obvious questions.

"Packing for what?" I enquired.

He stopped, sighed patiently, and turned to me. "Pretendcation," he said.

Sounds like fun to me.

Our Prince Edward Island Vacation

2008-08-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

Rules of the Game

2008-08-10T16:22:00.000-07:00

Mom: What did you do at Lala's house today?
Charlie: I played with her restaurant!
Dad: Lala has a restaurant?
Mom: It's a little plastic restauarant. It's a bone of contention between the two of them.
Dad: What food do they serve in the restaurant?
Charlie: (slightly condescendingly) No food, Daddy, it's not a real restaurant. It's just pretend.
Dad: Yes, but a pretend restaurant serves pretend food. What kind of pretend food do they serve?
Charlie: Pizza!
Daddy: Is it good pizza?
Charlie: Oh yes, Daddy. It's delicious.

Speaking of delicious, we had the most lovely little picnic brunch on the beach this morning. We went to Hirtles, where we built a marina, played with bivalves, and watched a girl surf with her grandparents. We're taking the bodyboard with us next time.

July Pics

2008-08-01T15:03:00.001-07:00

Growth Spurt

2008-07-27T05:58:00.000-07:00

"What's that say?" Charlie asks, pointing at a word in a book. "What's that say? What's that say?"

"Red," I reply. "Shoes". "Giraffe". But the thing is, he already knows. It's part of his learning pattern to say, "Hmmm, that looks like 'red'" in his head, then check with me for validation. Last week he took Green Hat, Blue Hat out of my hands and read it to me, pointing out where each word was while he did it. He's rediscovered that book along with his other board books, and now he's using them to step up to reading.

Where did my baby go? It's leaps and bounds all over the place these days. Fearless ones, too. We go to Sand Dollar beach and he runs out into the waves up to his chin. "Let's go out to sea, Mommy!" he says. "I want to walk to the lighthouse." We went to the Big Ex (like a county fair in the States) and he begged to ride every ride. Especially the big, scary ones. (He had to settle for the choo choo train and the busy bee.)

We're planning a camping vacation to PEI in a couple weeks. He's angling to go snorkeling at Seal Cove. I had to honey him off my laptop to write this post--he was busy navigating around Yahoo photos of seals. On his own. He's going to be better than me with a mouse in about a day and a half.

And I just put away another round of too-small clothes and mined the size 4 stash for new wardrobe selections. There are gaps of new, white skin in his hip joints and ankles, complete with stretch marks. Last week he jumped on a big boy bike (with training wheels) at the big box store and took right off. I think we'll wait until next year to buy one, but he's clearly ready.

Yay, my baby's growing up! and Waah! my baby's growing up.

PS May I once again extend a heartfelt thanks to Sandra Boynton for making toddler texts bearable, and to my aunt Sallea, who first introduced me to her. Thank you!

Freakin' HUZZAH

2008-07-23T05:56:00.001-07:00

100% out of diapers.

June in Pictures

2008-07-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

Zoo!

2008-07-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

It was hot. Most of the animals were just lying around--hot panthers, hot wallabies, hot zebras. The camels' humps were droopy. The gibbon nursed her new baby while swinging slowly from the,er, monkey bars.

Charlie went on his first pony ride. The second we entered the corral he zipped to the mounting post and was up and on the horse's back yelling, "go!" while we ran to catch up. Luckily that hot, tired pony was used to ignoring the dictates of three-year-olds.

We had a picnic of fried chicken, biscuits, and local strawberries before heading home over South Mountain. We were tired. It was good.

Almost TOO Nova Scotia

2008-07-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

John and Charlie went to the beach tonight. I stayed home to slice up a dozen quarts of local, no-spray strawberries and stick them in the freezer for winter.

Mise-en-scène: While they were building a sandcastle, a team of horses came along pulling a wooden wagon full of children. They trotted down the beach, then pulled the wagon along through the shallow water for a piece.

Charlie chased crows and danced in the surf. He threw rocks in the water. He scrambled over boulders. Then they came home to me, to strawberries and love.

I Think We Have a Theme Song

2008-06-29T16:20:00.001-07:00

What could be better suited to an unschooled trumpet afficionado than this?

Big, big thanks to Eggmama for the recommendation!

Extrovert

2008-06-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

Charlie and I have been enjoying Boohbah on the French channel (TV is pretty simple at our house; we get the 'French' channel and the 'English' channel). He asked if we could get it on DVD. "I don't know, we could ask at Blockbuster," I answered vaguely.

Fast forward a week. We go to Blockbuster. Charlie wanders around the kids section, searching the shelves. Then he marches up to the front counter. "Um, excuse me," he addressed the clerk, "do you have any Boohbah?"

Sadly, the answer was no. The clerk was taken aback by his behavior. "How old is he?" she demanded of me.

I've been getting that one a lot these days. Charlie's exploding verbal skills and fearless social nature, in conjunction with his slightly elfin size, knock a few people off kilter. It's fun.

Charlie Bird

2008-06-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

Charlie was pretending to play the trumpet today by blowing on his finger while making trumpety noises. He explained the music process to me.

"See?" he said. "The music comes from my heart (pointing at his chest) and it comes up here (pointing to his cheeks) and out my mouth. Then it goes in your ears and down into your tummy and then you have a heart, too."

And that's jazz, baby.

That's Our Boy

2008-06-16T15:00:00.001-07:00

Charlie: "Look Daddy, I'm drawing an airplane. See? Here's the propeller and this is the battery and this makes it go."

Daddy: "Oh? Who's providing security for the plane?"

Charlie: "The Man, Daddy."

What's in an Image?

2008-06-03T03:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday John and Charlie took a stroll down to the harbour to look at the ships, as they often do in nice weather. Unfortunately, the Bluenose was not in port. After having a look around at some of the other vessels, Charlie spotted a dime lying on the dock. "Look, here it is!" he exclaimed. "It got small and went on the dime!"

And yes, there is indeed an image of the Bluenose on the Canadian dime. There's no convincing Charlie that the ship on his "lucky" dime is anything but the original deal. Gotta love the magical, mystical world of three year olds--and there's no better place to nurture it than here.

Heroes and Rounds

2008-05-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

Today Charlie had me draw a button on his tummy with the letters "SC" underneath. He presses it to turn into Supercharlie. He has cool sound effects for the transformation, too.

He sings a lot these days. And composes. After a few rounds of "Rain, rain, go away" he made up the following song:

Rain, it's okay
You can stay
Because I love you

Baby Chef

2008-05-23T18:29:00.001-07:00

...as he wishes to be called.

New Cloud

2008-05-23T03:40:00.001-07:00

Gnome Stories

2008-05-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

One day, the three gnomes that live in the back of the Jeep were hungry. They snuck out of the Jeep and went to the back of King Charlie's house. There was a cake on the porch! King Charlie had made a cake for the gnomes to eat! And they ate it and then they were full. And they went back to the jeep and took a nap. And they were happy. The End.

--as told by Charlie,
late at night
in the dark.

Character

2008-05-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

Charlie wrapped a ribbon around his wrist and said, "Oh, no! Supercharlie is tangled up again."

This is the first we've heard of Supercharlie. I figured I'd better document it in case it became a thing.

Builder

2008-05-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

Charlie is into machines. Specifically, inventing them. Tonight we taped together various things from the kitchen--a pen, a rubber band, a yogurt container lid, a nozzle for piping icing. It featured both a button and a thing that went round and round, the two main elements of a successful machine. Charlie wrote a "boopint" on a post-it note...

Why do so many of our great moments feature post-it notes?

...and then we showed the whole contraption to Daddy before Charlie went up to drift off, snuggled up under our wedding ring quilt on a drizzly, foggy, Maritime evening.

Spring Shots

2008-04-30T12:01:00.000-07:00

Book Look

2008-04-23T11:01:00.001-07:00

I thought you all might appreciate an update on what we've been reading lately. (And by "you all" I really mean Egg Mama and my aunt Sallea, the only people I know for sure read this blog.)

Canadians go wild over Canadian artists, musicians, and authors. And I'm all for supporting our artists, but let me be the first to say that I've had it with Robert Munsch. Robert Munsch sucks. He is cutsie-poo in an 'epitome of bad art' kind of way. He's perfect for people who don't think real art is for kids, or vice versa.

Marie Louise Gay, on the other hand, is a genius. We've read every single book of hers our library has to offer, and have bought several that they don't. I have a soft spot for Fat Charlie's Circus (for obvious reasons), and I'm turning Caramba into a puppet show for an upcoming church service. And of course, all the Sam and Stella books are beyond compare.

We`ve also been reading everything we can get our hands on by David Shannon. Charlie clearly identifies with David. Heavily. I was, at first, taken aback by the harsh and rule-driven dynamic of David Goes To School... until I realized it was perfect for explaining to Charlie why he's not going to school! I'm sure that's not what David Shannon intended, but I appreciate the help anyway.

Patience

2008-04-17T11:20:00.001-07:00

So... John and Charlie were getting ready to go for a walk. Charlie was engrossed in his low rider (picture Santa and two reindeer with shades on in a red convertible sedan that bounces up and down while playing Low Rider. Thanks again, Sue Ann. No, really.)

And I was trying to get his jacket on him, interfering with his play. Both of us were getting frustrated. I started to explain why we needed to get his jacket on now, and and he turned to me, took a deep breath, and nicely but firmly said,

"Please calm down!"

I went and sat on the couch. He finished whatever scene he was producing in the neverending Charlie show, we put his jacket on, and everyone was happy.

Dinner Conversation

2008-03-29T08:30:00.001-07:00

Charlie: Is this my ketchup?

Mommy: Yes. It's our ketchup, it's your ketchup and my ketchup and Daddy's ketchup.

Charlie: It's our ketchup? And we keep it in the fridge.

Daddy: Yes. That's where our food goes.

Charlie: What's that? (pointing at a bottle of beer)

Mommy: That's my beer.

Charlie: Is it our beer?

Mommy: No, it's my beer. Beer is just for adults.

Charlie: No, it came from the fridge, so it's our beer. I want some of my beer.

(Note: He settled for apple juice. Same colour as beer, and also, satisfyingly, from the fridge.)

Ho Ha Hee

2008-03-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

And, of course, Easter eggs.

More Ho

2008-03-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

We ran out of cookies.

Luckily, Santa likes hot dogs, too.

Ho Ho Hooey

2008-03-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

The Santa craze continues.

It's March.

I thought we were past it, I really did. It's been weeks since Charlie has asked to make presents out of playdoh, or compelled me to play the part of Prancer, or even tried to climb up on the roof to search for evidence of a sleigh.

Yesterday, out of the blue, he said, "Where's Santa Claus? I miss him," with a heavy sigh. "Ah well, he's making presents at the North Pole. So it's okay. But I miss him."

Today he concocted a beverage for Santa, made from flour, water, and a healthy dose of Abuelita syrup (yes, it's our secret Nestle shame). He put it out with a plate of chocolate cookies, then wandered off in a deliberately casual manner. `Cause you never know.

I thought about disabusing him from his jolly notions, but who am I to go up against the Big Guy? And after all... the cookies were delicious.

Cloud

2008-02-21T05:28:00.000-08:00

Verbal

2008-02-18T12:40:00.000-08:00

"Can I move my chair?" asks Charlie in polite, winning tones. He wants to sit on top of the dishwasher to help me make playdough.

"Yes," I say.

"Oh, good. How convenient!" he answers with relief. "'Cause I'm making angel surprise cake with rasperry fluff icing. And frosting. Icing and frosting. For Grandma."

Seriously? Convenient? The kid started talking, like, last week. I just can't keep up.

Egg

2008-02-12T16:31:00.000-08:00

Charlie is 3. Quintessentially 3. It's an intense time. He's growing and changing in wild spurts, poking at the boundaries of his world, boomeranging out away from me and crashing back. He needs his Mom frequently, but like any good artist he tells his truth slant. It goes something like this.

He melts down into child's pose and says in a muffled voice, "I'm an egg. Pick me up and put me on the couch. No, the big couch." "My dear little egg," I reply, snuggling him closely. "How I love my egg! I love to hold my dear little egg and keep it warm. I can't wait until my egg hatches and I can see my little hatchling's face." I've learned not to say "Charlie" because he isn't always being Charlie. Sometimes it's Max or George.

Slowly, he emerges from behind his hands and uncurls his legs. "Hello, my hatchling!" I croon. "Welcome to the world."

We take a long, deep, quiet breath together.

I think, if I ever have Alzheimer's and live in fragments of the past... please let this be one. That would be OK.

Then zippity zap, he bounds off again. Usually to ride his tricycle (aka the zoopercar) madly around the house. Did you know that if you pour flour on the kitchen floor and ride a trike through it as many times as possible while Mom's taking a leak you can disseminate it nearly evenly throughout a 1200 square foot house? Science is fun!

Holiday

2008-02-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

Charlie has been experimenting with the concepts of regular days and "special" days. We have a cabinet full of unusual dishes that is designated the Holiday cabinet. He longs to open it. "Is today a holiday?" he'll ask, inching towards the cabinet, hand outstretched in hopeful anticipation. Unfortunately for him, the answer is hardly ever "yes".

So he's decided to make up his own. "Today is Climbing Day," he announced last week as he scaled the radiator behind my chair at dinner. "I can climb up here because it's Climbing Day today." My immediate retort of, "no, today is not Climbing Day," caused him to smile. Charlie knows that you win the argument by framing the argument.

Since then we have witnessed the declarations of TV Day, Naked Day, and Coke Day. Just as it was getting old, he shifted to a focus on the clock. "Six o'clock!" he announced this morning. "Time for chocolate!"

(well. just a little chocolate.)

Dinosaur

2008-01-30T05:48:00.000-08:00

Charlie, narrating conversations between two toy dinosaurs:

Dino 1: Do you want to play with me?
Dino 2: Yes! Let's go swimming!
Dino 1: OK! (both jump into a bowl of water).

Dino 1: Do you want to play with me?
Dino 2: No! I want to eat you.
Dino 1: Oh no, don't eat me!
Dino 2: Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you (these must be Canadian dinosaurs) Do you want to swim?
Dino 1: OK! (again with the water)

Moon

2008-01-18T04:54:00.000-08:00

Much cuteness abounds lately.

We're hearing opinions on music. "I like this pretty noise. This is a nice song," of Duke Ellington's Harlem Congo. "Turn it off. Turn it off now." of Kenna. (Sorry, Kenna. I like ya!)

He brought me a post-it. "Write, 'Speedy Gonzales, the fastest mouse in all Mexico'," he instructed me. Then he slapped it on his chest and ran around the house, shrieking in toddler cartoon Spanish.

The other night Charlie asked John for some cashews. He ate one and walked around with the other held above his head. "Look, Mommy, far away! It's the moon!"

Farm

2008-01-13T07:48:00.000-08:00

We all had a lovely afternoon at Ross Farm yesterday. Highlights included samples of home-made ice cream at the cooperage; watching the blacksmiths heat up a wagon rim in a bonfire and then fit it onto a wagon wheel; some scary geese; a purr factory of a tabby kitten in the horse barn; hot chocolate in the one-room schoolhouse (operational until 1959!); and a hilarious farty pig.

On our way out we stopped at the gift shop to look over some of the wooden things made on the farm. We considered wind chimes and a butter churn, then left with a nice tasting spoon for me and a little bank for Charlie. All morning he has been trading back and forth between "building words" with his alphabet cookie cutters and putting money in the bank. I think I'll go borrow a little of his work ethic.

Tortoises, Trikes, and "T"s

2008-01-06T04:55:00.000-08:00

Wow, lots of pics and not too many words lately! Time to change the trend.

After watching a few episods of Word World on PBS over the holidays, Charlie has plunged into a fascination with letters. Grandma gave him a beautiful puzzle with his name in wooden letters for Christmas which he's been playing with non-stop. I bought him a complete set of small wooden letters in addition. Yesterday the three of us went to Halifax to visit the Museum of Natural History again and while Charlie was excited to watch Gus the 85 year old tortoise walking through the halls, he was mostly thrilled by all the signs in the museum.

And of course, we're reading like gangbusters. Recent favorites include Harry the Dirty Dog and our new holiday classic, The Everything Seed: A Story of Beginnings.

Now we're off to try out his new trike outside, a Christmas gift from my much esteemed and much loved Aunt Sallea.

Christmas Morning

2008-01-04T08:03:00.000-08:00

Santa Baby

2007-12-28T06:53:00.000-08:00

First Haircut

2007-12-25T11:59:00.001-08:00

A Ha Ha

2007-12-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

We like the classics around here. Probably the all-around favorite cartoon in our home is is this episode of Speedy Gonzales.

We all watched it together last night. Afterwards, Charlie announced that he was Speedy Gonzales and that, furthermore, he was going to go get cheese. John and I sat upstairs and listened to him run around the house for twenty minutes escaping an imaginary Sylvester, shouting, "A ha ha!" (Arriba!)

He came back with some cheese sticks. We were impressed, and sang "La Cucaracha" in tribute.

Imagination

2007-12-03T17:17:00.000-08:00

Today Charlie:

1) Created Santa's village out of playdoh with his infinitely-more-artistic-than-Mom babysitter--and I mean elves and reindeer and the whole shebang. It took them almost 3 hours;

2) Disassembled a spinach pocket, stuffed all the spinach into an empty playdoh container (I found the playdoh under the radiator later on) and ate it out of the can like Popeye; and

3) bit a licorice stick into several sections and then arranged them criss-cross to create a "net", with which he pretended to catch a bird.

Three is a fun age.

Party Pics

2007-12-02T15:51:00.000-08:00