Can We Do the Can Can?

PLAYTIME: It was bright blue skies sunny today and not too frigid, so we headed to Ella Bailey park before running errands today.

Above, CJ, is encouraging Annabelle to man up and slide headfirst. What a nice brother. ;) Truth be told, Annabelle has gone down the side headfirst hundreds more times than CJ ever has.

They also did a few loops on the spinning thingee (its official name, I'm sure).

They also did some swinging ... and some 'off road' exploring.

Good times. 

LIFE SKILLS: I decided to make the kids pizza for dinner. I also decided that they would help. And so, they helped with making the dough and the sauce. As we were about to make the sauce a horrible, terrible thought occurred to me. I realized that neither one of them had ever opened a tin can. Oh. My. God. Seriously, how lame sauce is that of me that I haven't taught them how to do it before now. 

But rather than lead with a tutorial, I first handed each kid a can and asked them if the knew how to open it. In both cases, they tried prying the lid off first. :/

After that didn't work, Annabelle said, "Wait! I have an idea!" And she fetched the can opener from the kitchen drawer. Then, she tried to figure out how that contraption could ever be used to crack a can. 

After a few minutes' struggle, I took the opener from them and gave a demonstration. Happy to report, they both know how to open a can now. Probably the best thing I did all day. 

DANCING DOGS: After the kids finished math (more angles), I decided they needed to do some writing, too. Out of the air, I pulled the writing prompt of "Debbie the Dancing Dog." I told them they could write anything they wanted using that title. 

A few minutes into work, CJ proclaimed his story was about how someone who is a slave could overcome. Pretty heady stuff for a story about a dancing dog. Here's how that turned out. ...

Debby the dog LOVED to dance. He would dance just about any kind of dance you can imagine. Of course, this would make him popular. He would be featured in newspapers, magazines, books, television shows, talk shows, and countless other products.

One day, Debby was “asked” to go to White Co. slavery for dogs and humans. ( He really wasn't asked. He was kidnapped by the master.) After this, Debby was in agony. He tried to dance his way off of the wall, only to nearly get whipped.

But one day, Debby woke up in the middle of the night. He found a bomb that read: “USE THIS BOMB TO KILL SLAVES IN DEATH CAMP.” Debby found out that it would actually destroy the entire building. Debby woke up all the other slaves, and told them to get out of the building. After this, Debby set off the bomb, and got out. After that, the building exploded. And Debby went home, and led all the now former slaves home.
MORAL: If you become a slave, don't let your ruler get the best of you.

LOL. Way to think outside the box, CJ. I also love the fact that Debby is a he.

Here's Annabelle's story. She said it was about safety. 

Debbie the dog loved to dance. She would dance all day! Debbie always makes sure she has room though, otherwise she could hit her elbow! Debbie also never “dances” towards some glass really fast. Debbie also watches where she's dancing, or she might trip! Debbie, when she crosses the street, looks both ways before dancing across. If Debbie runs into someone while dancing, she always says “Excuse me!” and, if they dropped something, helps them pick it back up. Debbie always dances safe. You should too!

Words to live by. ALWAYS look both ways before dancing across the street. And that's our public service announcement for the day.

MURAL MISTAKES: Still working on the My Little Pony mural. (I know, big surprise, right?) And today, because 28 different colors isn't enough, we had to go buy more paint. 

We went over the bridge to Miller Paint in Ballard, because on a trip there a few months back, we learned about this wonderful resource called the mistints book. In it, you can find swatches of other people's mistakes for cents on the dollar. A quart of paint is only $1.25. A gallon = $5. We love a bargain, :)

So, we came home with one gallon of dark green and three quarts (dark red, bright blue, and something else that escapes me now). 

Speaking of mistakes, have I mentioned that Annabelle is a stern taskmaster on this project? This afternoon she summoned me into her room and let me know there were two mistakes she wanted to discuss with me regarding her pony. (Yes, HER pony. She custom designed a pony to be included in the mural of the standard My Little Pony characters.) I took the criticism pretty well, and assured her I was already aware of my deficits and had plans to rectify the situation. That seemed to appease her - for now.