Wednesday, May 27, 2009

KIDS WILL SELL YOU OUT Part One

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Yesterday at the Berkeley Farmer's Market, after a missed nap, a belly full of chicken, brown rice, strawberries and other foodstuff I am forgetting, Phoenix was exhausted. I got on line to pay for some sugar snap peas, and left my mom to man the stroller. When he caught sight of me (I had been pushing him for some time, and thereby out of his view) his eyes rolled back in his head and he exclaimed "DORA!" Except he didn't pronounce it Dora, but DOYA! as in GOYA, OH BOYA, and all drawn out. Over and over "DOYA!"

This has become one of the universal Phoenixisms for "HOLY GOD, WHY AM I STILL AWAKE?", along with a request for "boos coos" (Blue's Clue's) and "i peam" (ice cream).
So, it was not like I had never heard it before. Nevertheless, it was startling. Immediately, the implication, to my mind, was "BAD PARENT! BAD PARENT!"

Guy on line in front of me: "Dora, huh?"
Me with head in hands: "Um, yeah."
Guy: "I really like the Backyardigans"
Me: "Oh yes, me too. And Jack's Big Music Show isn't bad either. Oh, and Wonder Pets...
AAAHHHHHHH, wait a damn..., oh crap.....
Sellout.

Part aversion to pre-packaged templates of fun, part fear of being hanged at the organic mecca which is the Berkeley Farmer's Market, and part irritation that he has become hooked on the show so easily and requests it daily, we have scaled back the Dora watching.
Dude, that bitch mispronounces words. We realized this after he started calling the beach "the beak." Not cool.

It was fun for a while. On our daily adventures, Phoenix got a kick out of calling me Dora, and I called him Boots.
We even entertained the idea of Halloween costumes where Phoenix was Boots, I was Dora, Kevin was (well, not really, but ok, maybe) Diego.
You know, cause of Phoenix. Right.
Forget it.
Down with Dora.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

good morning starshine

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Uber-destructive lately. Ripped pages out of four different books in two days, one of which was a photo album of his first birthday. After discovering the first two books were ripped (The Very Hungry Caterpillar and GALLOP!) and explaining why this was unacceptable (books are for READING!), it was time for a diaper change and he was not havin it.
Don't know why, but the lyrics for Good Morning Starshine came to me (a memento from 5th grade chorus class), and I sang it to him. He was entranced: "MORE! MORE! MORE!" and did not want to get off the changing table when he was done. Usually, he tries to jump or climb off.

Here are the lyrics, for those challenging diaper changes or your own personal amusement:

Good morning starshine
The earth says hello
You twinkle above us
We twinkle below

Good morning starshine
You lead us along
My love and me as we sing
Our early morning singing song

Gliddy glub gloopy
Nibby nabby noopy
La la la lo lo
Sabba sibby sabba
Nooby abba nabba
Le le lo lo
Tooby ooby walla
Nooby abba naba
Early morning singing song

Good morning starshine
The earth says hello
You twinkle above us
We twinkle below

Good morning starshine
You lead us along
My love and me as we sing
Our early morning singing song

Gliddy glub gloopy
Nibby nabby noopy
La la la lo lo
Sabba sibby sabba
Nooby abba nabba
Le le lo lo
Tooby ooby walla
Nooby abba naba
Early morning singing song

Singing a song
Humming a song
Singing a song
Loving a song
Laughing a song
Singing a song
Sing the song
Song song song sing
Sing sing sing sing song



Sunday, May 24, 2009

bookdevilworm

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Oatmeal for breakfast.
As soon as I got up from sitting at the table with Phoenix to go pour coffee in the kitchen, he dumped his bowl over and made it into a drum. Gypsy (our cat) ate some of what fell on the carpet. I cleaned him up, went back to the kitchen. He climbed back into his high chair, knocked his giant thermos of milk onto the carpet, climbed down and danced in the puddle.
Two minutes later, he asked if he could go "in his room and read a book."

"I READ I READ I READ!"

Saturday, May 23, 2009

SUN


phoenix::sun


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"the heads are yellow"

Friday, May 22, 2009

jesus lives in my kid's painting

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I see things in things. I think the term is pareidolia.
Wait, just a sec... Ah, here.

I like to think of this as though things that touch other things leave their imprint somewhere; perhaps beneath a layer or four; sometimes deep under the palimpsest, sometimes hanging out on top to be observed. I like finding these images and shapes; it helps me connect the particles of the multiverse, and sometimes lends meaning to seemingly random multitudes of fucked-up-ness. However, my ability to see these shapes is not unique (as can be seen from the definition) and does not come from a place of desire. It is also not a wish to anthropomorphise or shape a preexisting thing. It's my mind, tells me this belongs with this, and that has touched this.

Sometimes it's a person, sometimes it's a ghost or a witch, and right now it's a man who looks like a Catholic version of Jesus. I know, WTF.
I AM Italian and was raised Catholic, but I do not currently practice any particular religion, nor do I necessarily believe in Jesus or even God for that matter. I do think though that if Jesus does exist, he might just live in a kid's painting.
Shit. I mean, I would.



Wednesday, May 20, 2009

vocab word for today - MOONTNS

Welcome to the Daily Phoenix, a space where I will post adventures, challenges, sillies and the growing lexicon of my son Phoenix, age 2. He is in fact 27 months old to be exact, but I would prefer to stop referring to his age in months. Where does one draw the line with this, anyway? I'm hoping for at least age 3.


On to today's vocab word. For the last two weeks, he has been saying a new word, for which my husband Kevin has decided is most likely spelled: MOONTNS. Periodically, during this time, Kevin and I have paused mid-unrelated-conversation to ask "MOONTNS, what is a MOONTNS?" Sometimes even while talking with coworkers and greeting guests. Needless to say, it has perplexed us muchly.
Well today, we have a fair idea of what a MOONTNS is. According to Phoenix, it is a "mountain of bubbles." Which I can only surmise was said bemusedly to Kevin as in "What, you didn't know that?" So there you have it.

Our first vocab word on the Daily Phoenix:

MOONTNS - a mountain of bubbles