Are You Smarter Than an Almost-3-Year-Old?

Observations from babysitting Odin, which is a brand new experience every time. My understanding is that some of the rules which I have documented here are fairly consistent, while others change depending on the babysitter... or the weather... or the moment... :o)


ODIN’S RULES for SATURDAY, MAY 16th*

*Rules are subject to change at Odin’s sole discretion, with or without prior notice.


1. Toy trucks shall be called “roaries.” Any vehicle that is not actually a truck may also be categorized as a “roarie” at Odin’s discretion.

2. Lisa’s suggestion that hot rods and sports cars should be called “vrooms” instead of “roaries” shall be ignored.

3. Cranes are required construction when playing with building blocks. Furthermore, cranes must be constructed of either red or blue blocks. Green and orange cranes shall not be tolerated.

4. Wide bases to prevent tipping shall not be added to any new or existing cranes. This is not aesthetically pleasing to Odin and will not be tolerated.

5. Trains running on Odin’s track shall consist of one engine and one box car, neither more nor less. Multi-car trains are an abomination and must be eliminated.

6. The elimination of multi-car trains should involve spectacular derailings and much carnage.

7. Sometimes trucks and trains take precedence over silly things… like dinner.

8. Odin shall have the latitude to leave the dinner table to fetch “roaries” or Play-Doh at his whim. Tables are overrated anyhow.

9. When Lisa makes an unreasonable request, such as returning to the dinner table, Odin shall use the baby gate to lock himself out of the kitchen, thus providing a solid excuse for not being able to return to the table.

10. Odin shall periodically and arbitrarily change his mind on all manner of subjects, to make sure he always “wins” and to keep Lisa on her toes.

11. Baths are a welcome event, but shampoo is for sissies.

12. Odin shall retain control of any cup used to pour water over his head, prior to or following shampooing.

13. Feet are the only body part which shall allowed to be washed with soap. Soap is for sissies… but clean feet are next to (Norse) godliness.

14. Following the bath, hair combing is acceptable, provided that Odin retains control of the comb.

15. Bedtime stories must be read on the couch. Period.

16. If Lisa manages to trick Odin into his crib under the guise of scooping him up for a bear hug, Odin shall be allowed to retain his dignity by pretending to have been aware of Lisa’s intentions all along.

28 Days Later (And I'm not talking about zombies...)

In case you were wondering about the prodigious growth rate of the goslings in my previous post, here's a little comparison to enlighten and entertain. The oldest goslings were about 2 weeks old in the photos I took on April 17. The new photos here are from today, a mere 4 weeks later.

This little, fluffy family...


...with the most darling faces...



...is now a ragtag gaggle of gawky teenagers...


...with down coming out in tufts, quills sticking out everywhere, and a general appearance comparable to mangy featherdusters...


Of course, when you grow to 2/3 your parents' size in only 6 weeks of life, there must be some growing pains involved...


...and a lot of sleep is required. (Seriously, is this one even breathing? It looks more like roadkill than Sleeping Beauty.)


Well, at least they don't have to go through it alone...


There's comfort in numbers. And their awkward teen phase is only a few weeks long, as opposed to a decade or more for humans. Heck, I'm not sure I ever got through mine. ;o)

Extreme Sheep LED Art

Ha! It's 'Sheep Pong'! That'll do pig... that'll do. :o)