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Friday, April 30, 2010

The Whimsy of a child

WHIMSY - extravagant, fanciful, or excessively playful expression; an odd or fanciful notion. [Whimsy week begins here. Read this delightful guest post or click here for some Bliss Initiatives to increase your experience of Whimsy]


Yesterday I went on a whimsy search. Hopping all over the internet for inspiration. It was a total blast. The truth of the matter, however, is that I do not need to go so far for my whimsical inspiration. My three year old is a walking (actually more usually running) talking (possibly shrieking) breathing (laughing, happy, fun) Whimsy Machine! 


Case in point photo!


Today as I was thinking about what to write about, little J came in and said, "My fairy dust isn't working! This sheep won't fly." She had doused her stuffed sheep with white rice (thankfully uncooked) and was very disappointed in the results. Earlier in the week the white rice had served well as the shaky filling to a paper plate tambourine. This is the norm for her, finding new whimsical uses for everyday items. I never know when chopsticks will become wands, cans will become drums, hats or shoes or any number of regular housewares will morph into pirate booty, shopping treasures, banquet offerings or bricks for princess "towders" (One of her dwindling number of baby speak words.) 


If you are a friend of mine on Facebook you are treated regularly to my J-girl-isms, the totally delightful "obserbations" (the positively x-rated baby speak word she otherwise uses correctly) and points of view from the girl herself. What, even you regular Facebook readers, may not realize is that this banter and movement s NON-STOP!! I am honestly thinking about installing motion sensitive cameras around my home to catch all the action. I gather what I can and even occasionally post something in her memory blog but I know I'm missing a lot. So, just for posterity's sake I thought I'd share some tidbits from an average day:


A first request of the morning. "Mommy can I have a chocolate?" I'm sorry J, not for breakfast. "But when you are little I let you have chocolate!" J regularly refers to the wonderful things she does when it is her turn to be the mommy!

"Let's go shopping mom!" (This does not require leaving the house. Some type of shopping bag is all that is required and any toy bin, clothes drawer, or pantry shelf serves as stores.) "I'll drive! You be the little kid." (We sit in the bed car and make the requisite driving noises) "We're here! Lets look at the map." (Once we took a mall brochure that had a small grid with the local streets, J referred to that map for weeks -- "Let me show you where we are. Can we get there from here? Yep, going home is an option!!" -- that brochure is lost so a piece of newspaper serves as a substitute.) We find some bags and use a small push cart and following our map find our way to buying books and other assorted items.  "OK lets go on a trip now." Back into our car we go. What trip J? Where are we going? I ask. "A place like Disneyland only closer." (I guess the six hour drive was more then J would like to repeat!).... and oh the place we go...



"OK you are the little kid and I am the mommy. I am a Pirate mommy. You are a 'egular little kid, you wear wings NOT a pirate hat."

"Lets do a project now mommy. We need EVERYTHING!" Everything consist of dumping the craft contents of a very large plastic bin on the dining room table. "I'm making this for you! Do you like it?!" Of course I do! Everyone loves a paper plate plastered with tape glue and sticks.

"Hurry! I need my 'noculars! It is wind-ing very hard outside."

"There is Max!! Mommy can we go see him!!" Max, the neighbor's cat, does not share her enthusiasm and disappears behind the garage across the street.

Undaunted, j looks for other friends. "Look! Snails!! They will be my friend! Snails love me mommy." A full hour of gathering and convincing the snails that they would be happier under a bush in the backyard results in only one little guy losing a shell due to rough handling. "Mommy, we can save him. I  will feed him leaves! He will grow his shell back!" We move the wounded snail into a plastic container filled with the leaves J has collected and hope for the best. Research on the internet tells us that he could actually grow his shell back if he wasn't too big when he lost it. Not sure what "too big" is but 4 hours later the little guy is still moving around in the container. We'll leave him under a bush and tomorrow I'm sure (no matter the real outcome) he will be better and off slithering around with his friends again!!

"Let's play Candy Land!! Come on mommy, you will LOVE it!  Kitty will be blue and you can be yellow. I am red." We commence with a game, which starts out normally until Jessie decides "I am the orange getter. Orange is my favorite. You can have purple." At this point J only moves after finding an orange card (flipping through the deck until getting to one) If I try to move on anything but purple I am told "NO you are the purple goer! Kitty can have that one." Game is over when Jessie says, "I done. Let's play Hide and Seek."

Hide and Seek is J's absolutely FAVORITE game and she pleads and begs to play often. I actually have no problem with playing the game but her version can get pretty monotonous. "OK mommy you count. I will hide here." Jessie if you tell me where you are I can find you. "I want you to find me mommy." OK count now. I count and "try to find" J. When the 3 seconds I have expended becomes too long for her she shouts, "I'm right here mommy!" Squeals of delight when I say "I got you!" follow.  When it is my turn to hide I am told "You hide here and I will count!" This can go on for hours... ok really not, I only last about three rounds and thankfully direct her back to another project!!

"It is a cele-great-ion  mommy!" (instead of celebration! I thought that was pretty good!!) "We are happiness mommy! Let's sing!"

We are happiness indeed! And so it goes... books are read, animals go on adventures, every second as whimsical and silly as the next. Oh, and that white rice, it is now being used as kitty food because "Kitty's get really hungry you know."  I am certainly the luckiest mommy on the planet!

Next Post: Whimsy Whimsy and more whimsy!


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12 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness Kathy - I LOVE THIS! So much on which to comment...J is absolutely ADORABLE. I tried to blog about those cute little moments, if only to keep track, but that blog got lost amidst the other things that seem to just slip away.

    I love the rice - when he was younger, our son took my husband's medicated foot powder and sprinkled it ALL over our room and his. Apparently, it was monster powder (to keep them away). I'm not sure if it kept away the monsters, but it sure kept our vacuum busy. ;)

    So many adorable comments (my daughter uses "binoculars" too!)...thank you so so much for sharing! I LOVE this tour of whimsy!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest :)
    Just dropped by but have had to follow - I'm so curious! Will have to come back and look around properly one day

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your daughter is a delight! Love the tutu, love the broken fairy dust and all the other funny sayings. What a blessing she must be to you!

    Happy SITS Saturday!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is so sweet. I love this stage where they just keep coming out with things that make you laugh (or widen your eyes in shock!). I keep a little notebook where I try and stay on track of my son's expressions. I wrote a post called How Kids Think a while back which captured one of his many 'obserbations'. Enjoyed this post a lot!

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  5. She's adorable. I got tired just reading about a typical day. Oy!

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  6. I do full time day care for my two preschool grandsons and THIS time around I'm really focusing on the joys and wonders of childhood as seen thru their eyes. I did when I was mothering my two children, too, but there's such a vast difference between raising our own and then having a hand in raising grandchildren. My oldest gradson Dylan who's 4 has got the most remarkable, mind-boggling imagination. Each day it's so much fun to see what he'll dream up this time around. I loved this post, and what a darling little girl! Like I say about any cutie pie, I'll put her in my pocket and take her home with me! :)

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  7. What a fun post! Love the picture.Stopping from SITS!

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  8. Oh, that picture is too cute for words...makes me want to be a little girl again! I like how she told you that her fairy dust wasn't working. I also play hide n seek with my toddler and he laughs when he's hiding, which of course is the best sound in the world! I make noise when I hide, too so he can find me :)
    Visiting from SITS - have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What an adorable post -- and blog! My "little princess" is 13 now, and as you saw from my latest post, is a little less whimsical than she used to be! ;0) This too shall pass ...

    Enjoy every moment of your sweet, whimsical girl ... you'll blink and she'll be a teenager! ;0)

    Thanks so much for stopping by my blog this week! Following you now ... on FB, too! My blog, Coming Clean, is on FB, too!

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  10. How sweet was this post? It is beautiful to see whimsy through a child's eyes - and that's what we have to remember always. They are our models! :) Theresa

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  11. She is adorable. How cute- her fairy dust is not working...

    Stopping by from SITS!

    Have a great weekend. Hop over and check out my Uncommonly Cute Tee/Onesie giveaway!

    http://www.crystalandcomp.com/2010/04/uncommonly-cute-coolest-t-shirts-for.html

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Ben Franklin's 13 Virtues

  • 1. TEMPERANCE - Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
  • 2. SILENCE - Speak not what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
  • 3. ORDER - Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
  • 4. RESOLUTION - Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
  • 5. FRUGALITY - Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e. waste nothing.
  • 6. INDUSTRY - Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
  • 7. SINCERITY - Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and if you speak, speak accordingly.
  • 8. JUSTICE - Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
  • 9. MODERATION - Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
  • 10. CLEANLINESS - Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths or habitation.
  • 11. TRANQUILITY - Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
  • 12. CHASTITY - Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or to the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
  • 13. HUMILITY - Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

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