Day 148 & 149: Creativity, YouTube, and Mouse the First

The kids have been watching some pretty bizarre stuff on YouTube lately. Normally I try to keep them occupied with PBS Kids shows or quality movies, but Taiya discovered the toy advertisement shows, and then it was game on. 

(As an aside, Taiya made a brilliant observation the other day. She said, "Mama, are advertisements kind of like fishing? Like they're fishing for me?" And I said "YES! What a brilliant metaphor!" Isn't that so great? Future poet.) 

Some of the genres we've discovered on YouTube are hamster mazes, stop motion toy videos (our favorite is a channel that combines Paw Patrol, Thomas the Train, Peppa Pig, Funlings (whatever those are), and various super heroes in their plot lines), and people building forts out of boxes. It's very, very strange what you can find on YouTube. 

The unexpected outcome of these strange and what seem to me to be mind-numbing shows is that the kids have gotten all kinds of new ideas for ways to play with their toys and new ways to make things. Taiya has always been a creative multi-media artist, but she has gotten even more ideas of things to make. In the past two days she's made a doctor's office complete with x-ray and tools, and a stage complete with microphone, guitar, backdrop, and curtains, both for her stuffed animal dog Copper. She also made cute bunnies out of aluminum foil, cotton balls, and tape. 

In other news, we made an astounding discovery while looking for something else. William's original favorite snuggle toy that we gave up for lost a couple years ago and replaced was unearthed from behind Jeremy's dresser: Mouse the First, also known as Grandpa Mouse, also known as Winter Mouse. 

William got Mouse the First at a birthday party when he was around one year old. We lost him at some point, and got another Mouse to take his place, which we call Mouse. You can see her in the picture below with a little bow Taiya made from yarn for her. This is William's dearest snuggle toy, and we have spent countless hours searching for Mouse before bedtime or before going anywhere. Mice are very good at hiding, you see. 

Mouse the First was very dusty when we rediscovered him, so I started a load of laundry and threw him in it. William was so anxious to be able to snuggle with the rediscovered friend that he and I sat in front of the washing machine, a front-loader with a clear window in the door, with a flashlight, watching him get his bath. We watched for twenty minutes at least. It was kind of fun, actually, watching it go round and round through the rinse cycle, occasionally catching a glimpse of his sparkly blue eyes. 

So, now we have Mouse and Winter Mouse that we have to locate every night before bedtime. But William is a happy boy, so I guess all that time looking under blankets, pillows, and in the cracks of furniture is worth it. 

On Day 149, I made another batch of sushi. One roll had local oyster mushrooms and home-grown bell pepper, and one roll with spicy sweet potatoes. I bought wasabi last time I went to the natural foods store, so we got to add some zing to the meal. I'm getting the hang of this sushi-making business! 

In story-related news, Taiya and I finished The Silver Chair, the penultimate book in the Narnia series. I had forgotten almost all of it except for the hilarious character of Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle. We just got the third Anne of Green Gables book in the mail, so we're going to switch to that before we read The Last Battle. William still asks for his Coral Reef books almost daily, and while I encourage his interest in all-things-ocean-related, it's nice for some variety. So, we have added some Steven Kellogg, Ashley Wolff, and Mo Willems books this week. I have been reading a chapter here and there in my Right to Write book, and am getting good ideas and motivation for my writing, which is always welcome.