Rollin' Out the Welcome Mat

My parents are coming to visit this weekend. Since it's also Valentine's Day weekend, I added a few extras to my usual Preparation for Visiting Parents Checklist:

• Heart-shaped watermelon slices? Check.
• Dyed red spiral noodles? Check.
• Naturally red spaghetti sauce? Check.
• Cherry 7-Up? Check.
• Heart-shaped cherry Jello Jigglers? Check.
• Frozen broccoli? Check. (What? I can't make the entire dinner red. I need some contrast for visual interest...)

And what, you may ask, is on my usual Preparation for Visiting Parents Checklist? 

Just this:

*If you're new to Bugs and Bunnies, and you have no earthly idea why I've invested in a Tower of TP just because my parents are visiting, click here to get up to speed. Then you can come back to this post, and gaze at the Tower of TP, and sigh, "Ahhh. Now I get it."

In the Name of Motherly Love

This is what my hands looked like earlier this evening. Note the lovely (?) green tint staining my fingers and caked beneath my fingernails:

Why would she do this? You may wonder. 

Is she an Elphaba wannabe?

Nope. (Full disclosure: I am going to see Wicked this weekend - finally! - but I'm not so much of a fan that I would dye myself green. Although... ...nah.)

Aaaanyway, my now emerald green digits got that way in the process of making this dinner, at the earnest request of Handsome Boy:

The ear-to-ear grin that greeted me at dinnertime made it all worthwhile.

And ten points to anyone who can correctly identify the artificially colored foods.

February 11th is Be Electrific Day!

No, I did not make that up. But I know who did, and that someone started Be Electrific Day back in 1998. She is professional speaker Carolyn Finch, and she defines electrific as:

"an abbreviation for an electrification project - which means to put light where light has not been before."

Now, one could take this definition as the genteel version of that old admonition, "put it where the sun don't shine," but it actually has a much more positive intent. 

See, February 11th is the birthday of Thomas Alva Edison: "The Wizard of Menlo Park," holder of 1090+ U.S. Patents, inventor and businessman, and founder of General Electric, among many other impressive accomplishments too numerous to list here. And, Mr. Edison brought light where light had not been before - electrically speaking, of course. Therefore, we have Be Electrific Day, so that we can celebrate not only this prolific inventor's birthday, but also - as Ms Finch's program suggests - "the electricity within each of us."

Well. I don't know about you, but most of the electricity within me lately is of the static variety. My family is more than a little annoyed. Shocked, really. But I don't see the problem. I'm just celebrating this Little-Known, twelve-year old holiday, you know? 

If I can do it, so can you. Go ahead! Get in the holiday spirit: scoot your stockinged feet across the carpet, scope out someone who looks a little energy depleted, and share your electricity within. 

But then you might wanna get ready to run...

Sources:

Thomas Edison - Wikipedia

Welcome to Edison's Homepage

* Edit 2/12/2013 The following two links originally posted with this article appear to no longer work. Sorry about any inconvenience:

12th Annual Be Electrific Day

BornOnThisDay.Info

 

February 10th is Plimsoll Day!

So, what's a Plimsoll? I had the same question, so I looked it up, and found far more than I bargained for. First of all, I was asking the wrong question, initially. Plimsoll isn't a what. He's a who. Or at least he was a who, back in the 1800's. (Not the Seussian variety Who - upper case. Just the part of speech variety who - lower case.) He looked like this: 

Plimsoll Day is set aside to remember Samuel Plimsoll, a member of the English Parliament back in the day who championed sailors' safety while traveling the world's waterways in crammed-full ships. He was instrumental in the amendment of Britain's Merchant Shipping Act, which came about in response to the then-national problem of dangerously overloaded ships. Plimsoll's bill, dubbed the Unseaworthy Ships Bill, passed in 1876, and required that a mark be present on a ship's hull to indicate the waterline at which maximum cargo capacity was reached for the vessel.

Ah, but politics is a wily profession, is it not? For the law merely required that said line - which came to be known as the Plimsoll Line, or the Plimsoll Mark, - be painted on the boat. It did not say the line had to be an accurate representation of the safe waterline position for the ship's cargo load. That little stipulation didn't make it's way into law until 1894.

Today, the Plimsoll Line is universally recognized, and is actually several lines - each one indicating the safe waterline mark in relation to both cargo type and water type (salinity, temperature, ocean region, and season):

Now, back to my initial question: What's a Plimsoll? It's a shoe with a canvas upper and a rubber sole. Modern Plimsoll shoes - aka sneakers - look similar to this:

But which came first: the sneaker or the man? Hmmm. You tell me. See, the sneaker in question was originally called a "sand shoe," invented for beachwear by the Liverpool Rubber Company in the 1830's. It wasn't until sometime after the Plimsoll Line was created in 1876 that the distinctive footwear came to be known as a Plimsoll Shoe (since the rubber band between the upper part of the shoe and its sole resembled the Plimsoll Line on a ship's hull). So one could logically conclude that the shoe came first. But, add to the mix that Samuel Plimsoll was born in 1824, which predates both the shoe and the legislation, and you're back to the whole chicken vs. egg conundrum all over again. 

Well. I learned something today. How about you?

Sources:

Plimsoll shoe - Wikipedia

Ships, Seafarers & Life at Sea

Plimsoll Day, February 10th

Book Review: Enigma: A Magical Mystery, by Graeme Base

Young Bertie Badger's Grandpa was a conjurer of note,

With magic spells and magic wand and magic hat and coat.

A Master of Illusion, an Ambassador of Fate,

The famous, one and only, world-renowned Gadzooks the Great.

Summary:

Bertie Badger has great fun visiting his grandpa at the Retirement Home for Elderly Magicians, and watching him do his magic tricks. But one day, Grandpa greets him at the door with terrible news: someone has stolen his special magical props. In fact, the thief has stolen everyone's magical props. And worse still, Grandpa's beloved magic bunny rabbit is missing, too. Bertie is determined to get to the bottom of things. Will he find all the missing props? And who is behind this disappearing act?

For Teachers and Librarians:

Little guys love magic, and Enigma: A Magical Mystery will be great fun for them. Older kids thrill in trying to solve mysteries, and Enigma is full of clues, hints, mystery, and code. As is usual in a Graeme Base book, have your students look closely at the colorful and detailed pictures for the hidden clues and interesting goings-on shoehorned into each and every page. 

This is a great book to use with a mystery unit: have kids identify the components of a mystery story; let them keep detective booklets to keep track of all the possible clues they find within, both in text and pictures; have them create a list of questions to ask the theft victims, then let them play parts and act out their questioning; create a class chart to keep track of the clues they find on their own, discussing how they think the clues will or won't help solve the mystery; have them come up with possible solutions to the mystery and back up their positions. Use the letter at the end of the book to crack the code and discover the hiding places of each item.

You can use this book to fit curriculum in a variety of ways: reading genre (mystery), analytical thinking, math (code), deductive reasoning (figuring out the clues), poetry (the story is in verse), rhyming pairs and phonics, art appreciation (color schemes used in each scene, pictures hidden in the illustrations), components of magic shows (the various methods of magic performers employ)...and so much more.

But most of all, use this book to let your kids have fun with a story, and enjoy reading or having it read to them.

For Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers:

Enigma: A Magical Mystery is the perfect book to get you and your kiddos involved in a sweet story, and have fun activities to do, as well. The story portrays a great example of how a kid can be helpful, shows a positive family relationship, provides a priceless opportunity for you and the kids to bend heads over the book and eagerly search for hidden pictures and clues, and will get you working together to break a code and solve a mystery. With beautiful illustrations, a fun story told in rhyme, and an opportunity for family togetherness, what's not to like?

For the Kids:

Do you love finding clues and solving mysteries? Do you think it's fun to find hidden pictures and solve codes? Do you think magic is totally cool? If so, then Enigma: A Magical Mystery is the book for you! Bertie Badger's grandpa is a retired magician, but he still does shows for Bertie. One day, Grandpa's magical props go missing - and so does his magical bunny rabbit. Will Bertie be able to find them? Can he figure out who took everything? You will find clues in the pictures, and can help find the missing props by solving a secret code. The author and illustrator, Graeme Base, has even hidden little pictures within each big picture for you to have fun searching and finding! What are you waiting for? Go find this book!

Wrapping Up:

Enigma: A Magical Mystery is a warm and fuzzy story packed with magic, mystery, hidden pictures, and a secret code. It's a book sure to be a favorite with the kids, and a great addition to anyone's Graeme Base book collection.

Note: To find out more about author and illustrator Graeme base, click here: Author Spotlight: Graeme Base

To read my review of another Graeme Base title, click here: Book Review: The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery

Title: Enigma: A Magical Mystery

Author and Illustrator: Graeme Base

Pages: 48

Reading Level: Ages 4-8

Publisher and Date: Abrams Books for Young Readers, September 1, 2008

Edition: 1st

Language: English

Published In: United States

Price: $19.95

ISBN-10: 081097245X

ISBN-13: 978-0810972452

Philosophy for the Traveling Masses

One of my favorite things to do on long car rides is read bumper stickers. So lately, when I see a funny one, I scribble it down (only if I'm a passenger, of course). Here's my List of Vehicular Words of Wisdom so far: 

 I'm only speeding 'cause I really have to poop.

Not so close! I'm not that kind of car.

Well. That was fun. But short. 

So I turned to the web to see if I could find a few more to add to my collection (until our next road trip), and it did not disappoint: 

Isn't a smoking area in a restaurant like a peeing area in a swimming pool?

It's not how you pick your nose but where you put the booger.

If at first you do succeed, try not to look astonished.

Why is "abbreviation" such a long word?

Cannibals won't eat clowns...They taste funny.

"Reintarnation:" Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

Come to the dark side. We have cookies!

When the chips are down, the buffalo is empty.

I child-proofed my house but they still get in.

When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

What I really need are minions.

And there it is - my fledgling List of Vehicular Words of Wisdom. If you've come across any bumper stickers that gave you a chuckle - and remember, family show here - drop me a comment and tell me all about it, so I can add it to the collection.

I Will Not Go Gentle Into My Goodnight

I have made it no secret that I plan to be mildly difficult and candidly outspoken in my old age. And I plan to smile evilly as I do so, and giggle as I provoke the appropriate levels of exasperation in my loved ones. I have told my husband and children to be prepared for it, and at times I even get in a little practice. (So far, the kiddos are delighted. My husband...not so much.)

Well. I thought that just saying whatever I want and possibly bringing the occasional shock value to the conversation as I journey through my Golden Years would be fun. (And it will be. Oh yes.) I also thought that would be the extent of my mischief.

But then I read this article on MSN.com: 4 Body Quirks, Solved. It's all about four inevitabilities of aging that many view as, well, not necessarily plusses. And I agree that three of the four are none too desirable. But the fourth one...oh, the fourth one:

Digestion typically slows with age, giving bacteria extra time to transform your meals into hydrogen and methane. The gas itself may not behave as discreetly as it once did, either; in an older person, it tends to build up in the lower colon before making a sometimes rapid and noisy escape, says Karen Hall, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor of medicine at the University of Michigan who specializes in geriatrics and gastroenterology. "There isn't necessarily more gas," she says, "but there's a higher potential for embarrassment."

Notice the article doesn't say whose embarrassment. 

Oooh! This is gonna be fun!