Category Archives: children

we shouldn’t teach great books; we should teach a love of reading. – b. f. skinner

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the teatime reader

loved

walking around

the neighborhood

on this cool fall day

and seeing

a young child

sitting all alone

under a tree

reading

a book

aloud

happily lost

in the  

magical world

of her

imagination

he that loves reading has everything within his reach. 

– william godwin

 

“now let it work. mischief, thou art afoot. take thou what course thou wilt.” ― william shakespeare

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someone stopped by

for a bit of mischief

fairy dust

roses

glue

glitter paint

not a clue

who could have done this

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luckily

these three

baby r, baby v, nacho the cat

all had gone inside

the cottage

just

minutes before

i wonder

if they saw anyone

or

know anything

“they were becoming like a little mafia. if one committed a mischief, the others would not tell.”
– franco diligenti

in summer, the song sings itself. ~ william carlos williams

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climbing the apple trees

flying kites

chasing fireflies

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sending messages in a bottle

wandering through the library

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playing big games

losing shoes

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baking cupcakes

reading books

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so many surprises

walking everywhere

finding clues

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making costumes

singing made-up songs

talking into the sewer to invite the ninja turtles to a party

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meeting the people all around

making up and telling stories

robots and legos

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dancing like centipedes

playing in and out and around the water

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sand in your pants

 tunnels and giant ants

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making a palace for the fairies to move into

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big, big messes

cardboard forts

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cousins, cats, dogs, goats, bunnies, lobsters, frogs, fish

and more family of all kinds

and becoming part of the art

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you are six shooting stars on a shining summer’s day.

 —

yeah we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun. –
john lennon

dedicated with love to all of the little stars who make my life so big

and all of my seasons so bright –

peaches 

until we meet again.

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nobody’s free until everybody’s free. – fannie lou hammer

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found these two down the street

guess the price was too high

even with

that stripy, ratty love seat

thrown in as a bonus.

he who loves, flies, runs, and rejoices; he is free and nothing holds him back.

– henri matisse 

little boys should never be sent to bed. they always wake up a day older. – peter pan

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spending the weekend with grand baby joeys, f and m,

(who have a look of mischief in their eyes like the vintage lads above)

while their mom is away with friends

and it’s so very different

from time spent with our girl babies

yet every moment is equally exciting

in its very own way

where going swimming in a pool

counts as a bath

and waking up in bathing suits

makes us ready

for another day’s adventure

and it’s all about

perpetual motion

and peeing

and rocks

and bugs

and ghost tales

and staying up late

and everything is sticky

and wet

and dirty

and it is a delight.

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boys are found everywhere – on top of, underneath, inside of,
 climbing on, 

swinging from, 
running around, or jumping to.

– alan marshall beck

image credits: everything vintagesteff.com, pinterest.com

love of beauty is taste. the creation of beauty is art. – ralph waldo emerson

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it is art fair time once again

and we start out strong

babies v and r bouncing along

and hoping all our wishes come true

wandering through the streets

seeing all the colors

and people

and dogs with hats

and statues that move

and twirly

and painty

and beautiful

shiny things

and dancers

swaying and bending

and smelling

the spicy kabobs

and licking

the sugar

off

the elephant ears

and

hearing

 drums booming

and

touching

all kinds of everything.

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and then

it is time for a break

on the diag

a quiet oasis

right in the middle of it all

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with a bottle and a blanket and a weary smile

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and with the hug of a tree

much bigger than me

and then

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and you find

your very own

secret and happy place

and

your hopeful wish

is

to go home

once again.

timing has a lot to do with art.

– ll cool j

 artist credit- bruce reinfield

once upon a time…..

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redbubble.com“if you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales.

if you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”

― albert einstein

sometimes, bad days are there to remind you that you have good ones to look forward to. – author unknown

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IMG_0121like the day

you stood on the upside-down water table

with your beloved blankie and pacifiier all dirty

a bandaid on your scraped-up foot

mosquito bites itching

an empty bug net

and a turtle with a snapped-off tail nearby

 you can’t find your shoes

your diaper is wet

 you’re tired

and your shorts are all twisted-up.

and then –

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 suddenly

it is the next day

and the sun is shining

and

you have a fancy cocktail

right in front of you

with

floating fruit cut in shapes

a special bendy straw

and you are standing

at a table just your size

with your fancy red shirt on

and your smile

is as big as the universe

and

in an instant

all is well with the world

once again.

here’s to you, baby j, as you continue to persevere

and find your way through the world, even after the tough days.

you are a model for all of us.

 

a child can ask questions that a wise man cannot answer. ~author unknown

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how many minnows are in there?

what’s that thing?

is that place far away?

how many different colors are in there?

where did the sun go?

why is that bigger than my head?

who’s turn is it?

sittin’ on a dock on a bay…..

address:

on glen lake up north in michigan