Are You My Mother?
 

YMMV, but I think you might be able to buy it on Amazon. I'm not sure if people actually read it after the purchase.

You lack appreciation for the finer things. "Moo Baa La La La" rawks. So does "But Not the Hippopotamus." At least one of Boynton's books requires actually knowing the song that goes with it; "Snuggle Puppy" sucked until I learned the song.

Ecch. I hate them less than I used to, but I think I'm just getting worn down. Actually, the only one I actively dislike now is Doggies, which takes forever, and all my little one wants to hear is "woof," anyway.

Doggies is indeed godawful (though popular) -- the only book I quietly took out of the rotation. I like all of the other Boynton books I've read (which is most of them).

S_A_M

P.S. In Hippos Go Berserk, there is an exterior shot of the house during the wild party. The face that appears in the small window in the upper left -- which is undoubtedly a bathroom window, certainly appears to be that of a hippo taking a leak.

And you should see what she put in "Hippos With Low Self Esteem." Talk about Easter eggs!

Are You My Mother?
 

Are you kidding me? MM and the Steam Shovel is extremely popular in my house (with the younger set, anyway). The Little House is a favorite as well.

Are You My Mother?
 

Ahem. I think it can be called a tractor (as opposed to rubber-tired) because of the way it moves (on those tractor thingies instead of wheels).

It is a front-end loader with bucket (not, however, a clamshell bucket).

Are You My Mother?
 

Are you suggesting this should be added to the reading list?

http://www.nnbh.com/base/53/images/0764568353.jpg

Are You My Mother?
 

I was also thinking front-end loader, but I think Spookyfish is right about "steam shovel" The resemblance is remarkable.

However, I don't agree that any machine moving on tracks can really be called a "tractor". The actual tractors that I ahev seen all have wheels with tires. Your argument would apply equally well to TANKS.

S_A_M

[Looking around to see if he shows up]

Are You My Mother?
 

DTB probably has this site as her son's homepage, but:

http://www.cat.com/cda/layout?m=37840&x=7

And, as your intuition tells you, tractors usually have wheels, not treads.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=tractor

Even caterpillar makes clear this customary layout, as it has a "track-type tractor" DTB will no doubt confirm the compound adjective would be surplussage were it otherwise.

Are You My Mother?
 

Yes. At least it was about 4 years ago. Wonk Monster read it to death.

Curious George and the Nazis
 

Are You My Mother?
 

Also known as a Digger.

For tractor fans everywhere, I bought this book recently - it is adorable.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/08...CLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Curious George and the Nazis
 

By the by, the Man in the Yellow Hat is an easy Halloween costume if anyone's stuck for ideas. Kids and adults will think it inspired.

Curious George and the Nazis
 

Why not just go as Cecil Rhodes? Too subtle?

Curious George and the Nazis
 

But where will I find a monkey?

Curious George and the Nazis
 

RT's got Flinty's number. Don't ask why. Just accept the fact that you've got your monkey.

Curious George and the Nazis
 

You are welcome to babysit either of mine.

Curious George and the Nazis
 

Um thanks. I need one monkey. I've got two of my own, and they get pissed when only one gets to dress up.

I need to have my head examined.
 

In a fit of poor judgement, I ordered this for the Brazenette.

I am a bad, bad mommy.

http://s7ondemand1.scene7.com/is/ima...8951?$250x188$

I need to have my head examined.
 

Oh, my older one wants one of those desperately.

I need to have my head examined.
 

It's nice that there's a bar to hold onto. And to bash your head into as you jump on it. Conveniently made of metal too. At least it's white so you can see the blood.

I need to have my head examined.
 

Nah, they're okay. There's one at our preschool, and any bloody preschoolers have apparently been ushered out the back quietly, so the rest of us are comfortable it's safe.

Confidential to nononono
 

Confidential to nononono
 

I did realize that....

Confidential to nononono
 

I never joke about child safety. An injured child's production level drops dramatically. I have a business to run, you know.

Kids' Art Supplies
 

Has anyone bought wholesale (or wholesale-ish) art supplies for kids online? Google brings up a ton, and I'm hoping not to have to do extensive price comparisons of bags of beads.

Kids' Art Supplies
 

Yeah. linky Note that this is not an implied approval of the term "Oriental", you imperialist pigs.

Kids' Art Supplies
 

Oh, the mother lode! Thank you.

(What kind of masochist buys this (that's 26000 beads)):
http://image.orientaltrading.com/otcimg/57_85810.jpg

Kids' Art Supplies
 

Not masochist. OCD with central vac.

Kids' Art Supplies
 

You won't get any credit for this, but this is some of your best work - seriously.

Kids' Art Supplies
 

Ouch.

L'Shana Tova
 

Warning! This post will only be interesting to people with small children, and will also only be interesting to people who happen to be jews. You have been warned.


So, earlier today, I'm changing the Brazenette to get her ready for her nap. She picks up a medicine dropper lying on her changing table and puts it in her mouth and starts blowing on the end of it. Then she takes it out of her mouth, puffs up her chest, and at the top of her lungs sings out "T'Kyah!!!!" When I started to laugh, she gave me one of those don't-be-stupid looks and said "It's my Shofar, Mommy."

L'Shana Tova
 

If I had any clue what that meant, no doubt I'd think it was really cute.

L'Shana Tova
 

It's like a ram's horn (or some kind of animal horn) that is blown (not that kind of blowing, the kind that is sort of instrumental and makes noise) as some part of Jewish religious ceremonies or something.

L'Shana Tova
 

Confirm this with BRC, but I think she was telling you to fuck off.

My 3yo niece tells us when she has banged her keppele.

L'Shana Tova
 

What, you've never heard about how well Jews treat the hired help?

Halloween
 

What, you only love me for my Klingon? Well, ToQe' would be "you have acquiesced", sort of, which could be insulting (depending on what you acquiesced to). "taHQeQ" means liar. Neither is anywhere close to the curses my nephew has learned.

Question - I love Halloween. I am a suburban child of the '70s and have a decade's worth of fond memories of running around with a bunch of other people in costumes all night and eating sugar 'til I puked.

But now I live on a street in a neighborhood now that has no Halloween. (Our last place had some kids come trick or treating, and everyone else in my building would come out and hang on the steps and we'd drink grog and rate costumes, but now there are no steps and no kiddies trick or treat along the industrial strip where we can now afford rent.) This will not do.

Therefore, I am planning to have a Halloween party (the Sat before), and am looking for groovy stuff for little kids (who will of course be invited - what else is the point?). Question is: any suggestions for munchies, activities or decor, given that a bunch of the guests will range in age from about 2 to about 7?

So far, I have enlisted one friend to make her famous gelatin shrimp dip (which comes out a noxious salmon pink) in a brain-shaped mold, and I have several dozen chocolate eyeballs (Kosher!) on order. I'm figuring cider, mulled wine, beer, hot chocolate, maybe some apple bobbing for those looking to drown their kids. I have, Halloween geek that I am, a collection of rubber spiders, ravens, etc. from prior years that I can probably figure out how to stick on things to create "atmosphere." I will, without doubt, pull out my chalk collection and turn the sidewalk in front of our building into old-fashioned horizontal tomb covers (which the insurance co. in the ground floor shop will probably appreciate).

Since we now live up several flights of stairs, I was thinking of getting some blood-spatter sticky things to lead from the front door to our door, but I was wondering if that was too scary for little kids (or maybe I'm just being a ninny). I was also considering an old girl scout game I remember, where we'd turn out the lights and pass gross stuff around while someone told a scary story (e.g.: passing peeled grapes and telling a story about the eyeball killer). But maybe that's too scary for the age group. Or requires too much attention (from both the kids and parents trying to keep them from eating peeled food that's been handled by 15 people). I was considering buying a bunch of small pumpkins and letting everyone carve some to take home for Halloween proper, but I do value my rugs and 3 year olds with handfulls of pumpkin-guts-slime is probably not such a great idea, nevermind 3 year olds with knives.

Maybe I should just pull out the copper pots and the big spoons and let them make a ruckus while getting their parents suitably tanked?

Halloween
 

Uhhh, we're busy that night.

On our block I think the weedlet was the only trick-or-treater anyone saw all night last Halloween. Kind of sad, but she had quite a haul.

Halloween
 

See, that's just not OK. We were even glad to see the highschoolers dressed for school who, when asked what they were said "uh - a rapper!" in years past. (Then again, I remember a few years when I was about 10 or 11 when all the girls wanted to be either punks or hookers, and I imagine a lot of the adults couldn't distinguish that from our everyday clothes, either.)

I am horrified at the idea that an entire generation of children might grow up here never having tee-peed a house, soaped windows, snuck out after dark to have a seance in front of the local old coot's unkempt house. It's just not right.