Wright or Wrong...

There are so many possibilities for a doodle request this morning based on our activity filled weekend.  We built a solar system mobile, worked on birthday party prep, took apart and rebuilt the shark anatomical model about 13 times while playing a game we like to call Shark Week CSI Brooklyn (Oscar is both the director and producer - I am the actress on the series).  We also went to the Guggenheim to see the Kandinsky exhibit.  So, when Oscar finally decided he wanted me to "draw the museum," I gasped at the idea of his choosing a painting for me to emulate.  I probed:  "Uh, what exactly do you want me to draw?  Which painting?"  His reply:  "No!  I want you to draw the museum!  You know, with the circles on the outside and the..."  It is here that he is making a gesture with his arms to indicated the spiraling ramps in the rotunda.  Say what? A <7 minute doodle of an architectural monument?  Sure, no sweat.  At this moment all I keep thinking is, I should just draw Jupiter and call it a day.  King of planets - has all of those moons - he won't care.  But then he starts talking about the museum, and what an excellent time he had there yesterday...sigh.  I'm a never say die kind of girl, and I'm sure FLW (and you dear readers) will forgive my hasty & woefully amateur sketch.  Happy Monday xoxo

An Ode to the Colossal Squid

Ah, what a great day it shall be.  Oscar requested an awesome doodle this morning...a majestic cephalopod so mystical he didn't think it was real despite the National Geographic documentary we watched together yesterday morning.  For those who aren't aware, the Colossal Squid differs from the more renown Giant Squid.  Colossal has swivel and three-point hooks on their tentacles, not just suckers with teeth.  It's the largest known invertebrate, so bow down people.  Oscar's second request in addition to the drawing is that we 1.  charter a ship  2. venture out to sea  3.  I put on some scuba gear and dive (he is very clear that only I am to do this because he thinks it is scary)  4. lure & catch one colossal squid and,  finally,  5. build a giant tank in the living room for him to be our pet.  Clearly I have a lot to do...happy Friday xoxo

Winter is a Punk

Easily the snowiest January I can remember, we have yet another day off of school.  Naturally, this means there is no snack bag doodle.  Rest assured, there will be lots of arts & crafts happening around the house today as always, and likely some snow sculpture action in the backyard.  Oscar has been requesting I build a "headless" snowman (kids today!)...perhaps this is the day I make good on that request despite it seeming too abstract to really translate.  I know plenty of my neighbors are sick of this weather based on their unabashed comments on facebook, and trust me I would rather be on the beach frolicking in summer awesomeness, but hey, it's temporary...look to the benefits & try to enjoy everyone :)  xoxo

Feed Me Seymor!

I am a lover of plants.  I am a lover of all living creatures, really.  I have difficulty killing anything, and as a rule prefer catch and release over annihilation any day.  With one exception...feeding the venus flytrap.  This morning Oscar asked for a punchy doodle of our carnivorous friend to which I happily obliged.  Ah, what an awesome flora you are venus flytrap - producing chlorophyll and providing pest control.  One of Oscar's favorite summer past times is watching me catch fruit flies Miyagi style with tweezers and balancing them precipitously above the eager lush leaves for feeding.  The moment when the leaf snatches and closes around the juicy little insect always incites an "AHHHH" from him - it's that primeval and thrilling.   I imagine Oscar talking about this at snack time today, likely grossing out all of the girls with accounts of his mom handling bugs and shoving them into the maw of monstrous vegetation.  Hey, we think it's cool.  Happy Wednesday xoxo

Carrion & Other Breakfast Foods

Hoping this isn't foreboding, as my morning entails a continuation of a very unpleasant set of circumstances nearly at a close (all digits crossed so as not to jinx myself) but Oscar asked for...a buzzard this morning.  Huh?  I have no idea where this image originated - certainly not something I have seen recently.  I did immediately think of the old Looney Tunes episode with the baby buzzard that was from some soviet block nation, and I wondered if through osmosis Oscar had this image as we are planning a trip to LA in a few months to visit my brother.  Among other adventures, he is dying to go to Universal Studios after seeing a picture of me getting soaked under a giant bucket in the Nickelodeon part of the park.  Um, I'm grasping I know.  Way better to think this way than the metaphor I have in mind...ok! shaking that off and focusing on drawing a buzzard I go ahead and get started.  I figure I have time for a little probing.  "So Oscar, what do you know about buzzards?"  "Um, nothing.  They're birds."  "That's true.  They're scavengers." I reply. "I know that word!"  he exclaims excitedly.  "They clean up after litterbugs."  OMG, that is cute.  To soften the ominous look on my aviary friend, I add a couple of babies.  Oscar is pretty happy - not sure how he will translate the doodle at school, but that should make for some interesting conversation tonight at dinner.

Warm & Fuzzy Family, Er, Values

Maybe it was the weekend spent at Grandma's with the whole family, including the nursing home visit with Great-Grandma...hanging out with cats and babies and geriatrics.  A wholesome and relaxing time indeed.  This morning Oscar had more familial affection on his mind when I asked what the doodle would be today.  Super quick response, "Draw Saturday!"  That's the guinea pig, our one and only pet.  A docile creature whose dietary preferences always surprise me (he won't eat cucumbers?) and penchant for pooping is unmatched by any animal I've ever met.  I'm pleased with this request as it seems tender and intimate, until Oscar grabs Saturday to be my model.  We already have limited time and the uncaged state will surely lead to lots of excrement for me to clean up before we leave for school.  Also, and I can only hope this is not misunderstood by any PETA members that may happen upon this blog, but Oscar's handling of the guinea pig is sometimes a bit, um, playful.  He is an excited 6 year old; Saturday is a nervous rodent.  We love animals, and I think it is important for a kid to learn the responsibilities of caring for another creature.  Having said that, as great as a pet he is, he is really not into any role or game play.  Oscar seems unwilling to accept this fact and this morning's modeling set up is a perfect example.  While Oscar was trying to create an entire "scene" for me to replicate, Saturday was pooping and desperately trying to get himself in a corner so he wouldn't be bothered.  Sigh...I think I captured his true spirit, even if I couldn't quite capture the look of terror in his eyes.  We love you Saturday xoxo

Kafka, Titles and Keeping It Real

I realize the name of this blog is 365 Doodle, which is a misnomer, as I only create doodles on school days (summer camp snack bags too) and there are only roughly 180 school days / year.  Oh, and my son attends Catholic school, so make that like 27 (all those feast days add up).  In any case, not the same cache, so hopefully no one gets caught up in the details.  This is the first weekend of this blog's existence, so I thought I would throw out a Saturday edition as attrition.  And to be honest, I couldn't wait until Monday based on my conversation with Oscar this morning...a continuation of his ongoing fascination with Kafka.  You read that correctly.  He stumbled upon my copy of The Metamorphosis and became enthralled with the cover art.  Understandable - it's Gregor already in beetle state scaring the crap out of the house tenants.  Cool, no doubt, to anyone, but to a 6 year old this is extra super cool.  Also extra super hard to explain the plot line and reasons why this cannot be his bedtime story.  Compromise?  I will draw the cover on your snack bag.  Response?  Right now!  Uh, ok.  I take Oscar with me to the gym every Saturday morning, so I figure I will throw his snacks in this bag today to legitimize the whole experience.  But we are not done with the interrogation.  "Why is he a beetle?  Why are those people scared if he is really just a man?  Is he a monster?  What about his family?  Does he have a job?"  Whoa - existentialism does not translate to the kindergarten set, I assure you, even if they are very sensitive and perceptive.  Best to keep this one on a cartoon-plane and explain in his terms.  Solution? I remembered an episode from Extreme Ghostbusters (think may have lived a few seasons, circa 1997...no need to call out that I am a nerd because I am aware) where an ectoplasmic beetle was actually called Gregor Samsa.  The details of the episode are fuzzy, but seriously, how much information do I really need to fill in the blanks here?  I have since promised to find a copy of the show on DVD for him to see.  For now, immediate satisfaction will have to be had with my animated version, a promise of his summer reading list when he is 15, and this doodle.  Have a great weekend xoxo.