right now i'm sitting in my backyard watching a crow eat some raisins i laid out on the fence. i did the same thing yesterday, only i used a chopstick and some peanut butter to lure some squirrels. there's a family of about four or five squirrels that live in the backyard of house backing mine. i've noticed that everyday in the afternoon a few of them will sit out on the drain pipe of the house and take shade under the area where the roof overlaps the side of the house. once in a while they'll all get on there and there won't be enough room and one will fall or end up dangling from, what looks like, it's toe nail. so that's what's in my back yard - a thriving ecosystem of hungry little critters. this particular family reminds me of this popular squirrel family play set my neighbor matt had when we were younger. if you don't remember it, it was this tree stump house that had these little squirrel puppets that squeaked when you sqeezed them. the house had velcroe on the outside so you could open and for some reason the "mom" squirrel had on an apren. that, to me, seems like an odd stereotype to push on young kids but i guess for some reason hasbro felt it was a necessary move. i think they were called woodsies. june will be a slow month for your dearest lions as a couple of use are off to see more of the continent. todd is headed west and i'm headed east, with a touch of south. the good news is, come august we'll be hitting the road, and headed east on a little tour for one last brouhaha of the summer. look for us in edmonton, calgary, penticton, duncan and more...we'll also be recording another full length, as we have been writing lots since the release of the contest. were hoping that this new record will be longer, more versatile, and in your stereo as soon as possible.

Photo of Tomy's Screwball Scramble game, taken from TV Cream Toys www.tvcreamtoys.co.uk - more photos, plus write ups, at the web site.

Tally and teddy. This is the teddy bought for Talia by my brother when she was first born and they are still firm friends almost 4 years later.

IFunny is fun of your life. Images, GIFs and videos featured seven times a day. Your anaconda definitely wants some. Fun fact: we deliver faster than Amazon.

After so much celebrating of Christmas and Birthdays lately, I can't help but give myself over to fits of nostalgia when it comes to the toys I loved most as a kid. Even now my heart skips a few beats just thinking of the joy I felt when playing with...

Today as I was thinking about Christmas time from my childhood, I reminisced about all the awesome toys we had back in the 80s. Best Vintage 1980s Toy? Enter: The Lite Brite There was nothing more I wanted than a Lite Brite. I am pretty sure I begged my mom, grandmother, aunt, and anyone who would listen for one for at least 2 years before my dream came true. I played my Lite Brite ALL. THE. TIME. Then I saved up my money and bought refill pages whenever I could. Fast forward 25 years, and I think it would be so cool to

Looking for books like The Boxcar Children? Below are five great mystery chapter book recommendations by parents!

My own hardback copy of the book, "Misty of Chincoteague," inscribed by my first grade teacher, Mrs. Winchester to me as a gift when I was in the 3rd grade and my parents moved from the tiny town of Flora, IL to Venezuela. I adored all of Margaret Henry's books and have all my copies, as well some I've acquired along the way. The first book by Henry I ever received was "The Album of Horses," also illustrated by the talented Wesley Dennis. I was first and always a horse lover!

Kylan has been struggling with reading for the past couple of years and we've tried all different kinds of curriculum's like My Father's World, Saxon Phonics, Hooked on Phonics and just practice, practice and more practice and he still was just not "getting" it until I told him about The Boxcar Children books and I told him that he was going to read the first one to me. He did NOT like that idea and he cried and cried and said he couldn't do it but I insisted and told him I would help him out if he needed help with words and then I told that it was an adventure book because these kids get to live on their own in an old train boxcar and he wanted to know where the parents were so I said we just have to read the book and find out. He started in on the book and I quickly realized that he can read and he can read VERY well! I'm guessing that he just wasn't motivated before now or not interested or something but he finished the book and we are moving on to book #2 Surprise Island and he can't wait to see what the surprise is. We are in the middle of making a diorama of the boxcar and the children with the stream and everything. I will post when it's finished. Kylan wants to have a boxcar in our back yard but I told him we couldn't have an actual boxcar so we are going to put the tent up in the spring and him and Kenzie are going to "play" boxcar children. If you have any fun ideas regarding the boxcar series please leave comment! I found some great printables on edHelper.com, they have a whole book report and comprehension questions for each boxcar book so it's well worth the $20 they charge for their service!

525 points

Explore key developmental skills for preschoolers and discover supportive activities that foster growth in cognitive, physical, and social domains.

Am I the only one that hates to hear my kids are bored? I care if my kids are hungry or sick or sad, but bored does nothing for me. I think that boredom is good for kids. Here are 5 reasons you might want to let your kids be bored.

Let's play a game, "Two Lies and a Truth." I'll go first. I want a cookie. I deserve a cookie. I need a cookie. Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever Can you spot the truth? There are two glaring lies I tell myself all the time about what I need, and what I deserve. The real truth is I deserve to be healthy and strong, and what I need is some self-control. I can want a cookie all day long, for all the good that will do me. Why do I bake these little temptresses, you may wonder. Well, I am married to a wonderful man who exercises extreme self-restraint when it comes to desserts, and really, any carbohydrate. He is the one who DESERVES the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever. When we go to a restaurant for breakfast, he orders a meat skillet, biscuits, and sausage gravy, and the smallest number of pancakes allowable on the menu. He eats all of the meat, a half of the biscuit, most of the skillet, and then, to finish his meal, he spreads the dollop of creamy butter on one little portion of one single pancake, drizzles a bit of syrup on it, and eats a bite or two, and then pushes back the plates, and declares his breakfast perfect. When I bake these delightful chocolate chip cookies, he takes two or three to work each week, and nibbles at them to make them last all five work days. There is always a baggie with a chocolate chip cookie waiting for him on the counter. After dinner each night, he breaks a cookie in two, and joyously eats his half a cookie to finish off his meal with a sweet. A half a cookie? I know, right? Who DOES that? Chuck does that. It happens all the time. Then there's me. Once I start to eat a sweet, I eat it until it's gone. I can eat desserts; let me tell you. I know there are recommended serving sizes on packages. I'm with those who believe Oreo cookies are consumed by the sleeve. So today, I sent Chuck a picture on his phone of the cookies that had just come out of the oven for him. Our texting went like this: "I still haven't had a cookie. I'm thinking there should be some sort of prize for that. Do you think Her Royal Highness would knight me? "And if the Queen won't knight me, will you at least pretend to bow down to my exquisite self-control today? "A little ooh-ing and ah-ing would be much appreciated." "I will bow down for my queen, and her splendid self-control," he responded. I continued, "I never know how long these moments will last. I'm trying so hard to follow your lead, but I don't think you know what it's like for your mouth to crave sweet, crunchy, chewy things all day long." He suggested I have ONE, then lock the rest in a time-release cookie jar, a cute little gadget we'd recently seen on Facebook. Time-Released Cookie Jar "If only; the battle is hard for me." "Be strong, Stuart." (His new mouse name for me.) "Even in Little Mouse there is much strength." So, here I am, waiting the last hour before my sweet husband will begin his long commute home to me. I still haven't had a cookie. I'm still wanting one. But knowing he thinks I'm strong made me feel as though I were today. The cookies will be there later...in the freezer...for when I really think I'm ready to eat JUST one. Until then, I just better wait. This Little Mouse has much to learn about self-control.

“[Fred Rogers] is the only human being on TV to whom you would entrust the future of the world.” –Gloria Steinem When it came to understanding and communicating with people of all ages, Fred Rogers was a genius. Fred Rogers knew what really made people tick. First, he was a life-long student of human development. Indeed, he studied under some of the best child psychologists and psychiatrists of his time.

Ah, the memories… So who remembers any of these: Merlin! There were several games on this one and I remember the sounds and red lights. High tech at its best! I think everyone had Simon ̵…

Bovril crisps were fab. My grandma used to buy us Bovril flavour crisps. I think they came in a white bag and tasted very, very beefy!...

c1970 Kohner Pluto Push Puppet - Maxi size.