all those kids!

I saw a bumper sticker the other day. i've *got* to find one for myself, now.


"I child-proofed my house, but they keep getting in!"

Why I love Sandra Boynton

okay... Sandra Boynton is quick becoming my favorite children's author. (it's a pretty tight race with David Shannon) But just the other day, i discovered that she does MUSIC as well!!! after hearing this *great* song the other day, & had to go & research it. Turns out, Sandra Boynton made a bunch of books/cd's. So i bought one (Blue Moo), & got it in the mail yesterday. Her lyrics are just so fun!!! -maybe even as good as Shel Silverstein! here are a few of my favorite songs:

The Uninvited Parade:


We're On Parade! We're on Parade!
We are Marching Marching through your living room!
A swell Brigade!
We're on Parade!
And the Big Bass Drum goes boom boom boom!
And the big bass drum goes boom!
We are marching up the stairs.
We are marching down the hall
We will have to turn around because your hallway is too small.
Parade!
We're on Parade!
We are marching through your closet, unafraid!
We are marching down the stairs.
We are marching out the door.
We will sing our noble ending just like every time before:
We're the uninvited loud precision band!
It's the best intruding band in all the land!

Return of the Uninvited Parade:


We are marching through your kitchen, for we need a little snack.
Now we organize your cupboards, and we exit out the back.
We're the uninvited loud precision band!
It's the best intruding band in all the land!

Loud!/Quiet:


One Shoe Blues: (sung by B.B King!!)


Well, I woke up this morning
Couldn't find my shoe
Yes, I woke up this morning and i couldn't find my shoe.
Although the right one is here, I need the left one too
(Yes, I do)
I can hear my mama calling.
She says it's time to go.
Yes, I can hear my mama calling.
She says:
REALLY now, it's time to go.
I say:
Mama, I can't find one of my shoes!
And she says, Oh now. Not again.
I've got the one shoe blues
it seems they're never gonna stop.
yes, those one shoe blues.
Oh, they might never ever stop.
Mama says,
just come along now!
one shoe.
do you expect me to hop?
Did you look in the close and under the bed?
yes, i did
did you look CAREFULLY in the closet and under the bed?
yes, yes i did.
try and think where you left it.
that's what my mama said.
Last night i left it right here next to my other shoe.
I KNOW I put it right here next to my other shoe.
I think somebody took it.
Bud i don't know who.
No, I don't.
I've got the
one shoe blues.
that's why I'm singing this song.
I've got the
one shoe blues!
And so I'm singing this sad song.
You know it's been
at least twenty minutes
that i 've been looking in every POSSIBLE place
for that...
huh.
There it i.
I guess it was on my foot all along.
Okay, i'm ready to go now.
Anybody seen my coat?

With You: (Sung by Bobby Vee!)

so sweet!

Rabbit Tango: (Sung by Patti LuPone)


If there's a rabbit,
then you should grab it.
then you should grab it,
gently nab it by the paws.
And then sincerely
you hold it nearly
as you await the sudden hush,
and then applause.
now with that rabbit
as if by habit
you begin that thrilling dance across the floor,
while in the hot light
of your own spotlight
there's a magic that you never knew before.
for bingo - bango!
it is a TANGO!
you hear the violins above
and bass beneath
it is dramatic.
it's so dramatic,
as the bunny holds a rose between its teeth
if! there's! a...rabbit,
then you should grab it.
then you should grab it,
gently nab it, as it were.
but if there's not one,
you haven't got one,
and so the tango
that we spoke of
won't occur.

When a Hippo Can Dance:


really funny. no time to type out all the lyrics, but you should listen carefully all the way to the end. :)

Your Personal Penguin: (sung by Davy Jones from The Monkees!)


The Uninvited Parade Strikes Again:

We're on Parade!
We're on Parade!
We are Marching , Marching through the grocery store!
A swell brigade!
We're on Parade! and the big bass drum goes boom some more!
and the drum goes boom some more!
We are marching up row A. We are marching down row B...
Parade! We're on Parade!
We admire how your produce is displayed!
We have marched through every aisle of this crowded supermart.
We are marching through the checkout lane with nothing in our cart!
We're the uninvited loud precision band!
It's the best intruding band in all the land!


There are lots more great songs (and singers) , but i din't want to give away the whole thing. :)

please excuse all the type-o's. it's late, & i'm in a hurry to get this done before chris gets home. :)

Back!

i'm back!... finally! don't know how much i'm going to be posting anymore... my days are just SO FULL!! but... whenever i have free time (like this evening, i plan to pop in for a quick little update. :) ) my visit with my family was WONDERFUL!! it was so great to have them in my home. .. someday, maybe i'll post some pictures. :)



now, on to more exciting posts....

oh what a night

As some of you already know, Santa Barbara doesn't have seasons like the rest of the world. Ours are quite different. Here, we have Flood, Fog, Fire, and Fiesta. At this moment, we're enjoying the lovely Fire season. You may remember a post from right around this time last year. We had a huge fire that lasted *forever* and dumped tons of ash all over our house. It was so bad on some days, that the kids couldn't go outside. This was by far, the worst case of ash I've ever seen in the area. We've only just gotten free of the effects w/in the last few months. Finally! no more ash all over the back porch!

...until now. Now we have another fire. Last year, the fire was behind the mountains of Santa Barbara. We could see the smoke & ash, but it was highly unlikely that it would actually reach the main city homes, etc. This time, it's on our side of the mountains.


Last night, we had a sitter come over so Chris & I could have a little time alone before people come over. Our sitter's family rents a house from us a few miles north, in Goleta, just at the foot of the mountains. She told us that she and her family have packed up a bunch of their things, just in case they have to evacuate. I started to think, "wow. that would be so sad to have your house burn down." & then it occurred to me: "Wait a second... that's *our* house!!"


Anyway... for our date, chris & i went to a restaurant in Goleta for Dinner. Shortly after getting our drinks, the power went out. While we were waiting for the lights to come back on, the man at the table next to us said it was out all the way down to Carpinteria. (to see a map of our area & where the fire is, click here.) So we left, & drove about 45 minutes south to Ventura, where we had dinner at a fast food place, and then went to a movie (Hancock). Just as the previews were playing, our sitter called & asked us to come home. She was sitting in our house, in the dark (the power was still off), watching the hillside burn from our window. She was anxious that her family would be evacuated, & she wouldn't know what was going on. So we left the movie & went home.

After she left, we lit a million candles, watched the fire burn for a few minutes, then went to bed (i was exhausted, since i had been up with Evy til 2:30am the night before) . Around 2 or 3 in the morning, the electricity came back on --and all the lights & radios that had been on in the evening came back on. Before I woke up, Evelyn (who's 2) got up, made herself breakfast (dumping half the cereal on the floor), let Shasta out of her crate & tried to feed the dog by dumping all of her treats on the floor. The dog, who wasn't let outside, promptly peed on the carpet. *sigh*


And now begins a new day with an eerie orange sun and great flakes of ash falling from the sky.

Things to Come

well, as some of you have already guessed, having a puppy has taken up all of my blogging time. Between her and the kids, I just don't see the blog working anymore. So I'm sorry to say that this is officially my last post. No more blogging for me. :(


just kidding. i wouldn't do that to my faithful readers! (all two of them) :)

what's actually been happening is that my very best friend from Texas came to visit, and i just had too much fun enjoying her company to be thinking about the blog. :) This Saturday, my brother, Erik will be coming into town, and then my sister, Heidi, on Sun.

But i've got lots to talk about! Shasta has doubled in size, in the last 2 weeks, (weighing a whopping 12 pounds); Evelyn got a ball stuck in her nose yesterday; our refrigerator is broken; and Chris is an amazing husband. I've read some great books, taken some fun pictures, and started an exercise program for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE!! so... i can't wait to tell you all about it... In a week or two. :)

Until then, I hope you have a great fourth of July. And if you're especially bored, check out the website I mentioned in the previous post. That should keep you busy for awhile. ;)