Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Fly Girl

Following a recent incident where we happened upon a certain dead something covered in flies (I was investigating a purely evil smell in the backyard), Oscar has had a fixation.  So...gross, but had to honor the request this morning.  For the record, I do not punk out when it comes to bugs.  Quite the contrary.  But flies...Jeff Goldblum remakes aside, not redeemable.  Makes you wonder how it became an 80's compliment (yes you J-LO) considering they are so...blech.  Well, let's see how the reviews come back from K-2.  Happy Tuesday!  xoxo

Friday, May 27, 2011

Slow & Steady

It's Friday!  It's a looooong holiday weekend!  Time to, eh, relax.  Well, the way we do anyway.  Oscar asked for a turtle today - I have no story to go along with it.  He just wanted one.  We are gearing up for summer fun now that the weather is cooperating, so a couple of sun-soaking, water-loving outdoor friends feels right.  These guys look like they're ready to mix it up & get down...no?  Well, hope you all do - I know we will!  Have an awesome weekend - Happy Friday!  xoxo

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

On a morning of indecision, we settle on a daily staple...the R train.  To get to this place this am was kinda like an MTA announcement...not really informative & a little late to be helpful.  Oh well!  I ask Oscar how he came to this as his request today & it boils down to ubiquity.  "Because, I love the R train.  We always take it everywhere."  Maybe we should do an advertisement?  I don't think I've ever heard such devotion for this line.  Keeping to our theme of deliberation, after I finish Oscar changes his mind.  "Maybe you should draw the N?  It goes on the bridge."  Um, yeah.  We're out of time...if we run late I'm not going to be "loving" any of the trains.  Happy Thursday!  xoxo

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Sheepish

Not an adjective to be applied to anyone in this house.  Even Saturday is pretty bold by guinea pig standards.  All week Oscar has opted to watch Shaun the Sheep during breakfast, so today's he's asked for a little rendering via snack bag.  Sure!  What's better than claymation paired with dry English humor?  Plus, they're so darn cute - I want to squeeze them.  (Psst, don't look for any profound revelations in today's post...we are talking about sheep after all.Happy Wednesday!  xoxo

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Where's Brooklyn At?

Happy Birthday Brooklyn Bridge!  Let's just start thereToday marks the 128th  anniversary of one of the most beautiful suspension bridges in the world...& one of the gateways to our beloved borough.  Not sure why I thought I could honor it with this 4.5 minute sharpie doodle? sigh...  Hey, Oscar is pretty happy with it.  He's even making a card for the bridge as I comprise the blog...no kidding.  "Are you going to make cupcakes mama?"  Um...hadn't planned on that actually.   Man, we sure do love Brooklyn (& Oscar loves cupcakes).  Happy Tuesday!  xoxo

Monday, May 23, 2011

Here Kitty Kitty

Yep, this couldn't be too far behind the dog request.  In fact, kitties are taking the lead here I think.  Oscar's favoritism leaning feline for sure, which is totally cool with me, as I feel quite the same.  Still, no dice on the pet materialization, at least for now.  Fortunately, we have lots of family & friends with cats for us to love on when we visit.  That and some doodles will have to be sufficient.  As we talk about it this morning, Oscar grabs the guinea pig from his cage and begins measuring his head with some string.  "What are you doing?"  I ask.  "I'm going to make Saturday a cat suit."  Super solution pumpkin...two pets in one.  Happy Monday!  xoxo

Friday, May 20, 2011

Dog Problems

Oscar had a play date with close friends of ours after school.  They have a dog...  I think a lot of the parents out there can relate to this, no?  Essentially, this means for the next few days, Oscar is going to bug me for a dog of his own.  Nothing new - he's been on that line for years.  Clearly my fish / rodent strategy hasn't been as effective as I'd like.  Oh well!  Hey, I love dogs, cats, all animals in fact.  If I could, I'd fill this place with furry friends.  What we need to make this work is more time in each day...we're already max capacity here.  Happy Friday!  xoxo

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Fight Club

If you don't already know, I box every Wednesday (sometimes Tuesday too).  Oscar hangs out at the gym with me for each of these hour + trainings, & he is eager to participate as soon as possible.  It helps that he shares a name with a famous boxer (de la Hoya of course) so he feels an extra link to the sport.  This morning he asked me to "draw boxing" followed with "why do I get so excited" after boxing.  Translation:  hot, sweaty & wired.  I explain the whole adrenaline piece in a cool biology-chemically way.   Harder to explain is the whole catharsis thing without making it seem like I just want to punch people...hard.  Which, I do, but with all the best of intentions (I love those guys).  Sigh, who knew boxing could be such a complicated subject.  "You know why I like it Oscar?  Because it's fun."  This is always a satisfying answer to everything & reminds me I promised we'd work on his left hook (which he expresses in a cute tightly fisted gesture).  Happy Thursday!  xoxo

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Zoo York

In the middle of this daily rainy weather cycle, Oscar's class trip is scheduled for the Prospect Park Zoo.  I'm one of the chaperons...if it was a quark warmer, I'd just wear my swimsuit.  Seems practical - I've been perpetually wet for days now.  Plus there's the moist animal smell to look forward to - haha, yeah.  Anyhow, the kids are super stoked.  Me too - I love the zoo, although Oscar has difficulty aligning the majesty of the Bronx zoo with our modest PP zoo in Brooklyn.  Kind of a borough throw down - Bronx wins this one I guess.  Stay dry, happy Wednesday!  xoxo

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Lost Levels & Super Mario Bros.

Officially stoked that Oscar has developed a fascination for SMB.  Also kind of adorable that he has a crush on Princess Peach, but this is to be expected.  There's a certain magic in leveling up, the discovery of new worlds, acquisition of coins and riding Yoshi through the blue skies of this pixelated landscape that brings back lots of memories for me.  Pretty cool to start over again like this, instead of, I don't know, restarting the game because you're pissed off you can't get the code to the secret places.  Just sayin'.  Happy Tuesday!  xoxo

Monday, May 16, 2011

X Marks the Spot

Pirates go with everything...that's our philosophy around here.  So on this grey Monday with the promise of torrential downpours, let's direct our minds to some adventure.  Oscar is really bummed the weekend is over - my treasure hunt distraction will only get us so far I'm afraid.  The part II here is that I have to make a "real" treasure map for the Mermaid Parade next month...to scale.  Hmmm, pretty limited in cartography, but always up for the challenge.  Not sure how I am going to make an actual treasure chest materialize but I'm open to suggestions.  Happy Monday!  xoxo

Friday, May 13, 2011

Friday the 13th...mwah ha ha ha

This is super duper late posting, but Blogger was a wanker today.  In the spirit of this spooktacular Friday, Oscar & I chatted about superstition, horror movies, & all around scary stuff over breakfast this morning.  "What's a horror movie?"  was his first response.  For real, Coraline is about as scary as we can get at 6, so I kept it to the B movie genre for easy digestion.  I mean, those movies are so damn ridiculous (and awesome) that even the kindergarten set can take it...at least let's hope so or I'm certain to get a note from the teacher today at pick up.  We settled on an homage to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes in case that was not clear in the doodle...haha.  Happy Creepy Friday!  xoxo

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Dream On

Oscar is such a dreamy kid...one of his most endearing & occasionally frustrating qualities.  His fascination with dandelion puffs is just too freaking cute.  On the flip, he would dart into oncoming traffic to pick one if it was growing in the middle of Broadway, no kidding.  His favorite facet of said weed is of course the wish feature, which he hands out generouslyThis spring I'm pretty sure I'm up to about 314 wishes...I do expect all of them to come true, btw.  While I'm watching everyone around me suffering miserably from their pollen-driven allergies, I'm picturing Oscar blowing those little puffy parachutes into the air all over the city.  Um, sorry guys?  But if it helps, Oscar can give you some dandelions to wish your allergic discomfort away.  Happy Thursday!  xoxo

The Fast & the Furious

Not really furious ever, but I am quick.  The most important take-away from today's blog is that I don't know S*@# about cars.  No kidding.  I mean, I know enough to doodle one, but here's where it begins & ends.  To wit, on the street walking home last night Oscar pointed out a parked car and asked me what kind it was.  My answer?  Economy.  Yep, I categorize by rental class.  Luckily our neighborhood is filled with fancy cars - the kind with flames & racing paraphernalia.  Oscar is forever enchanted with the parade of Vin Diesel cars he sees on the regular.  Maybe I should post some help wanted flyers to give my kid a tutorial?  He's definitely not going to get anything from me he couldn't read from the Enterprise website.  Happy Wednesday!  xoxo

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Frogger

Not sure how the guinea pig feels about this, but lately Oscar has been lobbying for some new pets.  His selection criteria has been, well, nontraditional.  This is to be expected I suppose.  This morning he reminds me that he really really wants a frog as a pet.  "Why do you want a frog?" I say.  "I don't know.  They jump."  Perfect! - added to the recent list of really reallys including a tarantula, a dung beetle, worms, and an octopus.  Sigh...it's our very own macabre Glass Menagerie.  And now that I think about it, pretty sure I've got the guinea pig's blessing (rest easy Saturday).  Happy Tuesday!  xoxo

Monday, May 9, 2011

Six Feet Under

Oscar was pretty bummed yesterday when he discovered his recently adopted pets didn't make it the full week in captivity.  By "pets" I am referring to some worms he dug up in my mom's backyard last weekend.  Seems they, eh, bit it.  Yep, left in a hot plastic container for a week without food has a way of making that happen.  Lesson learned.  He asked that I immortalize them pre-incarceration on the snack bag this morning - underground & all.  Sure!  His request took a toll on my fine point sharpie, but if this is my biggest challenge today, it's a win.  Happy Monday xoxo

Friday, May 6, 2011

Jackalope...Yep

I have to admit, I influenced this a bit this a.m. by telling Oscar about the conversation I had regarding the Jackalope yesterday.  I told him we were going on a discovery hunt to find one on our next trip to the southwest.  Telling a 6 year old about a pending hunt for a mythical creature in a far off landscape at 6:45 a.m. when he can't even get it together for breakfast was not the greatest move on my part...lesson learned.  So, snack bag doodle is the immediate fulfillment of this adventure, lame as it may be.  At least he can regale the kindergarten comrades with his forthcoming tall tales over yogurt & muffins.  Happy Friday!  xoxo

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Cinco de Mayo!

In honor of Mexico's super fantastic independence day, we decided a festive pinata was in order.  We've named him Jacques, since that seems like a really French-y name & a perfect allegory to celebrate the day.  No offense to any French fans...I happen to adore you.  We're just recapping some history here.  It's all good.  Of course, Oscar is not familiar with a traditional burro pinata...his birthday party experiences have exposed him to Nickelodeon/Disney versions, so he's seriously questioning how legit this is.  Sigh...I assure him there is in fact candy inside.  I guess whacking a donkey with a stick isn't as compelling as, say, Pikachu.  Hmmm.  Can't say I disagree really.  Enjoy the day friends - have some cerveza for me!  Happy Thursday!  xoxo

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Anchors Aweigh

Apologies in advance for the wack photo...this was not a very cooperative paper bag.  Anyway, today is a field trip day for Oscar's kindergarten class - ahoy!  They are going to the Coast Guard station.  I'm pretty jealous I must admit.  We are nautical freaks here as previously attested, so this seems like a super fun adventure for my little sailor.  Naturally it's all he can talk about this morning, and has already asked if he can wear something pirate-y.  "Afraid not"  I say.  "You have to wear your school uniform."  He's bummed, but I explain if he was a pirate, it would be the coast guards' duty to throw him in the brig.  "There's no Playstation there...or cookies."  Sometimes crime doesn't pay.  Happy Wednesday!  xoxo

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Twisted Sister

Yep, it's twisted Tuesday!  We just made that up this morning & aren't too sure what it means, but it feels right.  Oscar has had a fascination with tornadoes for quite some time now...ever since we experienced one here in Brooklyn in our very own neighborhood.  Good times!  I always thought this meteorological treat was reserved for our friends in the Midwest, but alas, not true.  Oscar really really wants to see one...from really really far away he tells me.  Like, on the television.  Ah, my little storm, eh, avoider.  Happy Tuesday!  xoxo

Monday, May 2, 2011

Monsters, Inc

Well, spring break is over & we're back to the daily grind.  Oscar is really not down; clearly he's not ready to give up the holiday hi-jinx of the past week.  This morning he asked for a monster on his bag...nbd.  He loves his monsters.  But today he wanted something different from his usual style.  Today = imposing, gigantic & resembling, well, this.  I think I've inadvertently captured Andre the Giant's cracked-out cousin out on work release with this one. Terrifying.  We worked in composite sketch mode - Oscar directing me by specifying the "angry eyebrows" and menacing "mouth like a jack-o-lantern."  "So darling," I say, "what's up with this guy?  Why do you want him on your bag?"  His response was pretty well defined.  "I want to scare all of the teachers.  I want them to think there is a giant monster in Brooklyn so we can close school."  Fair enough - can't wait to hear how this all turns out at pick up this evening.  Happy Monday!  xoxo