A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned, But This Is What A Nickel Can Do

Or rather this is what a nickel can do if you're an incredibly industrious type of person whose apple didn't fall too far from the tree where it grew – and you happen to live in a part of the country that charges a deposit on pop-cans and refunds you 5 cents if you collect said pop-cans and return them to the depot.

Gamma Rita isn't a soda consumer, but she does an excellent job locating discarded pop-cans. Along the way she's recruited some excellent helpers also. By now, everyone in my mom's building knows she collects cans and other bottles that are refundable and will either drop them by or give her a call for pick-up. In turn, my mom has taken those cans and bottles in for collection (sometimes bags and bags of them, sometimes more than one run in a day), and every single one of those nickels goes into something she calls the "Pop Bottle Fund".

One and five and twenty-five cans at a time – this is the house that Gamma Rita built.

Just look at what a nickel (or 5000 of them) can do: 

– 'Dis our nickel fortress, everyone!

– Thank you Gamma Rita and everyone who help!
We give you nickel tour now, so to speak.

– First, 'dis thing has groovy climbing wall so we show you how that work.

– Also platform to levitate jump on.

– And handy spy scope to look out for cuties.

– Or to look at self.

– Is also great place to show off miraculous bebo.

– Or tease the cuties with promises of bebo.

– Did we mention it has secret bunker?

– We also get some fun new outdoor toys from Grandma Leslie
and 'dis is good place to hide them.

– Is also more spacious than it look. There's room for two...

– ... and some cuties too! I be on lookout in case any happen by.
If 'dis fortress had a sign I think it say "girls allowed".

– Fort and climbing is all kinds of fun, but 'dis thing also has slide.
Also I like to point at logo and say "Little Tikes!" sometimes before I slide.

– Slide also fun thing to climb up as it turn out.

– And top of slide is great meet-up place for some impromptu "FORE-STAINS!".

– At least until it isn't.

– Also we get ideas that manufacturer probably not intend.
Like sliding down climbing wall for example.

– As it turn out, 'dis not such a great idea but we both do it anyway a half dozen times
before we stop trying to make it work. At least for today.

• • • • • • • 

Unrelated to the nickel fortress, but this post wouldn't be complete without the following: 

This is Seth discovering a dandelion gone to seed. I was attempting to show him how to blow on it and trying to take pictures at the same time. It didn't go so well and he ended up with a mouthful of dandelion fluff. No pics of that unfortunately since I put the camera down to assist him. 

I did get this picture a few minutes later though:

– Something not right here, everyone.

... and even though I didn't know it at the time, that look on his face is because I missed one of those dandelion fluff-bits.

- L.

PS. Gamma Rita – you have no idea how much fun the boys have had playing in their nickel fortress, and I can't wait for you to come and see for yourself. Thank you for working so hard to give your grandsons something so wonderful, but mostly just thank you for being my Mommy. 10 more sleeps. Hope you enjoy the pics in the meantime.

And Just Like That, We Did Write Back!

After a bit of an unexpected absence at the OP due to technical difficulties, I thought it would be good to get things back on track with a nice messy post and a poll to boot.

My boys making some art for their Daddy on Father's Day...

– Oh, hi everyone. Is me, Seth. I is making art on paper and have
mastered technique of using both hands in paint pots.

– Oh, hi everyone also. Is me, Nate. I also master double-paint-pot technique,
but I make art on face as well as paper.
'Dis how having two hands really work to one's advantage sometimes. 

– I still lookin' pretty clean everyone!
Paint be (mostly) on paper and all is well!

– Er... no one explain 'dis paint-on-paper-ONLY policy to me,
and I is OK with that lack of information because...

– 'Dis! 

• • • • • • • 

So, here we are once again. For some reason, I have a feeling this isn't going to end well, but I leave the voting up to you on how art is best served. Poll is open for the next week in the left-hand column.

- L.

PS. The "art" mostly wiped off after things were all said and done, but since we used blues and greens Nate had an unfortunate sickly pallor for the rest of the day, which made me thankful that most of our activities took place around the house.

I Be Writin' Back!

We're having some technical difficulties at the OP, but as Nate would say "I be writin' back!".*

- L.

*Or as I would say, and often do (perhaps a little too often?), "I'll be right back".

And I will – and we will – and the show will go on. For now (unfortunately) it's an unexpected hiatus.

Good Times!

There's likely a much longer post coming regarding my boys and their skills at spelling and "big numbers!" at some point. In the meantime, all you really need to know to appreciate this dialog is that Seth is keen on spelling words right now far more than his brother is. 

• • • • • • •

Me: How do you spell "Seth"?

S: S!... E!... T!... H!

Me: Wow – that's great! You know how to spell your name! Nate, do you know how to spell your name? How do you spell "Nate"?

N: *thoughtful pause*... Good times!

• • • • • • • 

I laugh every time he says that, at least partly because it actually makes sense – "Good times!" would be a perfectly acceptable way to spell Nate if you know him even a little bit. 

- L. 

PS. Nate pretty much thinks every word spells "Nate" which will also make sense to you if you know him even a little bit.

Fore-Stains: The Video

It exists! My boys were a little short on declaring fore-stains last night, but I think it was mostly because they were busy doing fore-stains.

Our latest video presentation is brought to you by an impromptu cat-nap:

And a silly face: 

Both of which I'm sure were fuel for additional suppertime silliness in the form of fore-fore-fore-stains!

Enjoy!

- L.

PS. About the "teasing" business...

This one came about around the same time as the infamous "Fix the Nate!". Seth would often get into bed on the "wrong" side, Nate would get frustrated and Seth would end up asking me to "Fix the Nate!". Once I caught on I would say, "Stop teasing your brother - he doesn't like that".

When they get into bed now, Seth will still sometimes do a fake-out on stealing Nate's spot but then giggle and say "Teasing! Teasing brother!". Not sure how this one turned up in the video, but then again I'm still half in the dark over what a "fore-stain" is* aside from what I took a video of.

*Dipping one's toast in egg-yolk is also considered fore-stains. Really, I fully get Anasahnize and even though it took awhile to decode, I also know full well what a Tse-Tse is by now. Jury is still out on fore-stains if I were pressed to define it. At this point maybe it just implies something that covers something else?

*shrug*

Your guess is as good as mine.

Uh-Oh Mommy!

The day after this post, I once again felt the buttery soft hand of Seth tentatively pawing at my scaly elbow – and since I was in the middle of changing Nate's diaper at the time he more or less had free reign to do so.

I was fully expecting another "chewnits" comment, but instead got the following stated in a very concerned voice:

"Uh-oh Mommy.... is very dry!"

So thanks to my son, the budding dermatologist/concerned citizen we stopped in at the pharmacy to pick this up today: 

It promises "intense relief" and suggests it will "repair/restore" things in smaller print. Also it was on sale and came in a huge tub format which means it must be good, right? Let's hope it works. I'm not sure I can manage an entire summer feeling this self-conscious about my elbows and/or wearing long sleeved shirts to hide them from Seth's inquisitive/judging hands if it doesn't.

- L.

Make-Up

Although I'm mostly pointing the finger at everyone who voted in the infamous "Stalemate" poll and declared it a good thing, you all aren't entirely to blame.

95% to blame, yes – because as we all know the boys not only read this blog, but post polls in their spare time (polls that are easily swayed by readers who appreciate hijinks, I might add).

*ahem*

The other 5% I'll take credit for, as follows:

• My boys are aware that Mommy wears "make-up". 
• They are also aware that Mommy sometimes makes "hair-do". 
• They aren't especially aware of the difference between the two, but I'll admit I do encourage moments like these by taking pictures because it's too funny not to share. 

And now my boys putting on their "make-up" over dinner the other night...

While it's evident they were actually making "hair-do", they kept saying "Make-up! Make-up!" while giggling up a storm and any attempts to correct them were summarily ignored. Seth is looking rather proud of himself here, but he always was one for a bit of flair when it comes to "foodstuffs in the hair":

No, that's not a barrette by the way – it's a carrot.

Nate also had a fine time applying his "make-up!":

And since he has a lot more hair than his brother at this point, I nearly missed one of the tomatoes he had stuck in there:

Seth's hair was also pretty much a disaster zone by the time all was said and done:

I picked out what I could and did my best to wipe off the rest (the rest mainly being salad dressing) since it had been a long and weary day and I just didn't have the energy to throw them in the bath like I should have.*

I told them they both smelled like salad bar as I tucked them in to bed that night, which strangely enough pleased them to no end.**

And just in case you were wondering if a meal at the OP is ever complete without some of whatever this is:

... the answer is still a resounding "no".

We still love this game very, very much as it turns out. And yes, that would be Nate once again attempting the under-the-shirt feeding manoeuvre.

Equally popular? A good old-fashioned "Fore-stains!" of course:

"FORE-STAINS!"

I really wish those sippies hadn't been in the way while my boys were busy hamming it up, but I think you get the idea.

- L.

*No worries – a very thorough scrubbing ensued the next morning. 

**I figure if Seth can comment on my scabby elbows with such candor, the least I can do is return the favor occasionally.