Special Needs Ryan Gosling Returns to Friday/Sunday!

Oh Ryan, How I've missed seeing you at Sunday's on Fridays. So happy to see you again!

Oh thank heaven. The meltdowns were getting awful.

Did he just say "allons-y" or was it "Geronimo"?

Hey Girl, want to enjoy a creative way to vent some stress and smile? Head on over to Sunday's site, grab the photo of the week, create, and share:

Magic Marker Monday: Giftalope

Q: What can you do for a birthday present for a Dad who doesn't want you to buy him something?

A: Give him a Giftalope!

Daddy's favourite breakfast fruit, all gussied up for his birthday!
Thanks to our daughter, who is incredibly gifted in so many ways.

The smile it produced = Priceless!

For more great masterpieces or to share some of your own, visit
 5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday.

                                
 

SNwRG: Best Meds

We're on the road, but I did not forget to pack my Special Needs with Ryan Gosling!

Yes. Yes, he is!

Heh.

Yeah, and SuperMom is worried about re-entry!

I love a man who gets Real.

Thanks again to Sunday over at Extreme Adventures in Parenthood and Ryan, for making me smile when the going gets tough. Head on over to see more Ryan and share your take on parenting, special style.

Heh, Heh, Heh ...

I am out in the back yard, hiding taking a break. Due to a hard week, both my husband and I are *really* tired, and tag-teaming who's "in charge."

Dad's come up with a winner: "Lets Test the Box o' Electronic Junk Gadgets I Just Bought at a Sale."

I am sitting here, laughing, because the screen door is open, and I can hear James testing a walkie-talkie with his Dad. "Hello? Daddy? .... Knock-knock .... Brain .... Eeeg-SACTly!"

Remember Snowball's stunning logic/knock-knock joke?

I concede him the crown. Heh.

April Foolin'

James' Big Sister and I were playing little April Fool's jokes on each other:

Me:  "Time to get ready for school ... April Fool's!"
She: "Mommy, guess what? I am going to eat only vegetables today. April Fool's!"

... etc. We were having fun.

Then ...

James: "Mommy, I am 8 years old!" and that *look* of happy expectation.
After getting over the shock, I prompted him by saying, "Good one, James! Now you say 'April Fool's!' "

James: "April Foooooool!"

Such a little thing. Such a big step. So proud of him!

Revelling in Roald Dahl

James' big sister is on a Roald Dahl streak. She discovered the animated version of "James and the Giant Peach" and loved it. I was looking for a new book to tempt her to a reading level higher than Junie B. Jones and brought out my copy of "Mathilda." She loved it. We spent several happy nights reading that together at bedtime. Then I found the movie in VHS format for $1, so both kids watched it many times, howling with laughter.

Knowing her interest in magic, witches, and irreverent humour, I next brought home "The Witches" from our local library. I didn't know if it might be too scary -- but no, she loved that one too, each and every night. Then she found my Tim Burton version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and had to watch it. She likes that plenty too.

James has been quietly absorbing this. There are nights when he's in bed but still awake when I start reading bedtime stories to his sister. He rarely lets me read to him, but he loves listening one room away to us reading together - go figure. He has enjoyed the movies and insisted on watching them.

By far his favourite is the Tim Burton movie, and allllll the Special Features. He's started to quote from the movie, hums the Agustus Gloop song, and dance around with the Oompa-Loompas. He introduces himself as Willie Wonka (and now wants to be him for Halloween) and will watch that film 5 times a day, if we didn't stop him. Today he got hold of my phone camera and took a picture while the movie was playing:

You should have seen the glee on his face!

Mr Burton, how young do you accept interns and apprentices? You have a huge fan boy here on the west coast. And thank you, Roald Dahl, for knowing and sharing.

P.S.: I can hardly wait to see how they like "Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator" somewhere down the road. Those vermicious knids are awesome. And they can spell, too.

Happy Fathers' Day!

James was feeling playful this morning. He stole his Daddy's hat off his head and ran away down the hall, laughing his fiendish little laugh. We could hear his bare feet pitter-pattering on the floor and it was like hearing more laughter.

So. Cute.

This year, James made his own Fathers' Day card and picture. Both featured his hand print. On his card, he traced a heart, and I helped him write his letters to say "Happy Fathers Day, love James." His picture used his hand print to create an elephant, and his SHAPE person helped him draw a jungle background.

His latest obsession is watching the Baby Galileo tape. We are getting him to watch it less and less. He is focussed, though. I tried distracting him this morning by prompting him to say "good morning, Mommy." He gave me a roguish Look and came right back with: "good morning ...... Galileo!" Hahahahahahaha!!

Thank yewwwww!

Hump Day Humour: Need Some Today

I had a wonderful night last night taking my daughter out with her friend to see Kung-Fu Panda last night. The movie was free, under the stars, and much better than I thought it would be. It was perfect for these two six year olds! But ... it ended late and this morning is also weekly garbage pick-up, which means a rushed morning on little sleep for me.

This morning bordered on ludicrous, and I felt I must share. I found this meme and I love it's theme, even if it's a bit outdated ... feel free to join along and share your Hump Day Humour stories!

The garbage truck & school bus arrived at the same time this morning. James ran out to greet the bus ... and the garbage truck scared him into a far corner of the garden and I had to get him out and then over to the bus. Meanwhile, the garbage truck was waiting in back of the school bus so it could move up and get our containers.

As I am taking James over to the bus, saying "it's okay, let's get on the bus," his 6 year-old sister comes flying out in her bare feet, carrying the phone: "Mommy, the phone is ringing!"

It would have been funnier if James had not been upset. He was not crying, but it was not his idea of a fun start to his day. Luckily, he loves riding the bus to school, so he still smiled and waved at me through the window. He definitely knows this is not part of his routine!

And the phone person did not leave a message.

I am recovering over coffee. Hot and strong. Mmmmmm!

What's your story?