The Daily Dish

I took the ladies to the Academy of Natural Sciences last week, and one of our very favorite exhibits there is called BUTTERFLIES! I like it almost as much as the stuffed bird room on the third floor, and the super sweet Cowbird in the Children’s room who absolutely loves my older daughter and always talks to her when we visit. Cowie, Cowie, he calls, and puts his head down for a scratch. ANYWAY. At the Buttterflies! exhibit, we spoke w/ a friendly & highly knowledgeable staff person who explained to us the difference between moths & butterflies, something I had always wondered about but never quite knew.

Three easy ways of identifying a MOTH vs. BUTTERFLY:

1) Moths are mostly nocturnal, i.e., they’re active at night and rest during the day. Butterflies are the opposite - awake during the day, at rest during the night.

2) Moths, when they rest, spread their wings out to each side, wide open. Butterflies, on the other hand, close their wings together & keep them upright. They may gently beat them up and down while feeding, but mostly keep them closed rather than spread to each side.

3) Moths have short, feathery antennae, while butterflies have long, thin antennae w/ a “club” (bent looking part) at the tip.

Some other interesting facts (excerpted from National Geographic Kids magazine):

Atlas Moths are the largest moths in the world, some w/ a wingspan of 12 inches. But they live for only three days. Sad.

Monarch Butterflies eat poisonous milkweed plants, rendering them toxic to other animals. Other types of Butterflies, such as the Viceroy, mimic the Monarchs coloring to fool predators into avoiding them as well.

Butterflies have sensory organs on their legs which act as tastebuds — so they can literally “taste” how ripe fruit is just by landing on it. PRETTY COOL.

When butterflies emerge from their chrysalis cocoons, their wings are crumpled and wet. If they don’t unfurl them properly and let them dry, their wings will stay wrinkled and they won’t be able to fly.

Caterpillars are eating machines. Some may grow to 100 times their original size.

Click HERE to read about the Four Stages of Butterfly & Moth Metamorphosis: Egg, Larva (Caterpillar), Pupa and Adult.

Lastly, my younger daughter & I very much enjoyed a picture book about Butterflies called Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope & Sue Riddle. I dare you to read it and NOT have the catchline stuck in your head for weeks.

Once upon a time, in a village far away, there lived a carpenter. This carpenter made lots of things, but his true passion was crafting beautiful wooden birdhouses.

The carpenter was successful, but lately had become very, very poor. For, you see, all of his neighbors already had birdhouses. Delightfully charming birdhouses. They had birdhouses in their front yards, they had birdhouses in their backyards, they even had birdhouses inside their own houses. They just didn’t need any more! And did I mention that this carpenter had SIXTEEN CHILDREN to feed?? Not easy when birdhouse demand has dwindled.

One day a stranger came to the village, and asked where he might find some birdhouses. WHY, the villagers cried, right down the road! They were thrilled to see someone who might be able to help the carpenter. And they sent him on his way. Shortly, the stranger arrived at the home of the carpenter, and knocked on the door. His slightly disheveled wife answered, surrounded by a mob of screaming children, and pointed the stranger to the shed at the back of the house. The carpenter was thrilled when the stranger explained he was in need of some birdhouses. And how many will you be needing? 1000. The wide-eyed carpenter blinked several times, and then asked, And by when? Tomorrow.

After the carpenter regained consciousness, he set to work, calling all of his children, as well as his wife into the workshop to help. All day they worked, and into the night. But by midnight, they’d only made 580 birdhouses. The carpenter explained they would have to all forgo sleep, in order to fill the stranger’s order. And work, they did. All night long and into the morning they slaved away, sawing and carving, nailing and painting. And even the littlest of the children did their share. Finally, by dawn, they were finished. Not just 1000 birdhouses, but 1004.

The family, exhausted, waited all morning for the stranger to return. When he hadn’t arrived by lunchtime, the carpenter began to worry, but waited still. All through the afternoon and into the evening, he waited patiently, until finally, the stranger reappeared on his doorstep. Looking over the heaping stacks of birdhouses, the stranger marveled at them all. The level of quality was unsurpassed. He counted each of them, and once reaching 1000, he could not believe there were 4 to spare. “Kind sir,” he praised, “You have surely exceeded my every expectation. I have come directly from the King, who created this challenge to find the best carpenter in all the land. You, sir, have won. I hereby offer you the post of Royal Birdhouse Maker, forevermore.”

The carpenter, overjoyed, accepted. And never again did his family know want.

What do you mean, Where the hell have I been?? I don’t get to go to the bathroom alone anymore, let alone blog about it. Yes, I know I have not been blogging. I am sorry. I do care about you all, but refereeing between my daughters has to take precedence. To be blunt. These kids is driving me CRAZY! The fact that we haven’t had a car in 2 weeks b/c the auto body shoppe is holding ours hostage has only compounded matters. I love walking. A damn good thing. B/c now I am accustomed to walking long distances w/out rest, whilst pushing a shopping cart, holding 2 hands & balancing my sanity on a dime.

I’m hot. I’m thirsty. I’m hungry. I have to pee. I’m tired of walking. My stomach hurts. Mommy, why do people fart?

Yes, of course I explained about flatulence. But that only took so long. Leaving me plenty of time to devise a few diversionary tactics to keep my kids entertained while we hike across town.

1) Make up games. Your kids will LOVE THIS.

Our favorite is the super duper ANIMAL GAME.

It’s easy. One person starts. They think of an animal, and say “I’m thinking of an animal that…” and then you offer a single clue. Location, type, color, starts w/ a certain letter. You catch my drift.

I’m thinking of an animal that lives in Africa.

Each person gets a turn guessing. Zebra. Elephant. Lion.

If no one has guessed it, then you offer a second clue. Another round of guesses. And so on. The person who guesses the animal first gets to go next.

This is my daughters favorite game EVERRRRRRR. And when you get tired of animals, you can change it to anything. I like Food. I’m thinking of a food that used to be alive. And so on. But you can do anything. Trust me, this game keeps them entertained for AGES> THANK GOD.

2) Make up stories.

I have a million stories rolling round in my head, so I just pull one out. But even if you aren’t one of the Bros Grimm, you can still come up w/ SOMETHING. Where are you? Look around and make something up. My daughters fixate on animals. They give these animals funny names and make them do stuff. My older daughter told a really good one today about Bob & Phil the fat fish who went into a “Shrimp & Pancakes” restaurant and were being scoped out by the eel cook as potential dinner. My younger daughter came up w/ Bob the Hedgehog likes to eat poop. Just go w/ it. I tell you, when I make up a story, whatever it’s about, my ladies hang onto every word. They become so engrossed in the moment, they totally forget about how tired/bored/hungry/irritable they were.

3) Tell them true stories.

Think about things you have read, and talk about it. Or better yet, tell them about things you did when you were little. Tell them about things THEY DID when they were little. My girls cannot get enough of this. Daddy, tell us about when your foot got run over. Mommy, tell us how that crazy squirrel got into your apartment. It never gets old. My younger daughter loves to regale us about “That one time I peed in my bed.” YES SHE IS REALLY INTO BODILY FUNCTIONS RIGHT NOW. But.. As long as it’s about you - or them - or something remotely interesting - they will be happy. And so will you.

4) Sing songs.

One word: BINGO. Old MacDonald. The farmer in the dell. Three Blind Mice. CMON PEOPLE, You have to know at least a few. And when you tire of those (b/c you know you will), do like we do and make them up. We came up w/ a great song last week about a dead rat we saw in the street, it was called Flat Rat. That song lasted us at least half a mile. Perhaps the greatest children’s song ever.

For this week’s JUST SAY NO!, I would like to address a commonplace children’s toy which irks me beyond measure.

For those of you w/out daughters or who are otherwise happily living in oblivion, BRATZ are the scourge of wholesome mothers everywhere. These plastic pint-sized dolls, A little like Barbie, but even less cerebral, ARE the certified tramps of the toy aisle. All sass, no class. These “little girl” dolls wear more makeup and less clothing than many of the hookers regularly using my block as a meet-up.

Don’t get me wrong, I am no big fan of ANY of these sexed-up trollop dolls sold to little girls as fantasy material. But at least Mattel’s Baby Doctor Barbie looks vaguely realistic, wearing scrubs instead of a go-go dress.

Behold Cloe (Like CHLOE but w/out the confusing H), one of the Bratz clique.

You can see that Cloe is all dolled up and ready to go, hanging out w/ her cat. I also am an animal lover, so you might think I would like sweet little Cloe and want to buy her for my daughters. But I am not sure about Cloe’s outfit, which brings to mind transvestite street walker - or (let’s not mince words) CHEAP WHORE. I think if I came out of the house in this get-up to feed my cats, my neighbors would stand open-mouthed in shock, wondering whether I’d lost my mind.

It’s great to have your own sense of style. Go crazy. but when you’re spackling on makeup like Bozo the clown and sporting a sequined dress a size too small for a toddler, let’s face facts. You look bad. Not sexy. Not alluring. Just plain floozy. That’s not good. No one should aspire to look like a stripper. Even classy strippers don’t like looking that way. Neither should you. And you reaallllllllllyy reeeaaaaaallllllllllllllyyy shouldn’t be promoting this kind of thing to your minor children. Handing them a BRATZ doll is as good as saying HEY PUMPKIN, SHAKE IT.

We need to inspire our future women to be leaders, to be intelligent and scholarly, creative, inspiring. NOT JUST SULTRY. SURE, you can be sexy. There are PLENTY of attractive, vivacious executives, artists, business tycoons. They have brains AND beauty. The two are not mutually exclusive. Some of these women are also other things. Like Humble. Decent. Modest. Virtues I hope to inculcate in my daughters - things I do NOT SEE IN THE BRATZ CLAN.

It’s the presumptive attitude of entitlement put forth in Bratz that makes me want to retch. The Diva Mentality.  Women do not need to flaunt themselves to be fulfilled. They do not need to be eye candy to Be Someone. When we set this sort of example for our girls, they come to believe that the sexualization of children is not just normal, but indeed, acceptable. Much like the Ass Shorts I spoke about recently, these dolls are just plain WRONG.

Makeup is fine. Clothes are great. But if all you ever ponder is your hairdo, you will be a shallow as your vacant stare. Our daughters need some real role models. Marie Curie. Mother Theresa. J.K. Rowling. Feed the minds of future women. Inspire them to have substance. Aspire to greatness yourself.

JUST SAY NO! to Bratz.

HELLO WORLD!!! Time once again for………. WINE WINE GLORIOUS WINE!
I know I haven’t been bragging blogging about my drinking lately, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been keeping my liver on HIGH ALERT, Oh no! It’s soooooooo hard to believe another 3 months has passed Oh So Quickly, but here we are - July. WOW. How’s things w/ you? Yep, me too. So now that’s out of the way, let’s talk turkey. Or in this case, WINE. B/c THAT’s what I like drinking when I am not drinking water, seltzer, the occasional pepsi, beer (of course), and sometimes tea. YEP. WINE. It’s what’s for dinner.

3 months ago, I gave you a glimpse into my newfound calling as wino extraordinaire (a la my 2008 Wine Challenge: First Quarter Summary). That FIRST summary featured some of the best and brightest wines I’d encountered since the first of the year. NOW. I am pleased to share w/ you all (YOU LUCKY PEOPLE!!) the most scrumptiously deliciously delectable wines I have been enjoying all SPRING. YAY!

Last quarter I sampled 34 new wines. During this second quarter, I sampled yet another 34. I AM SO GREAT!

21 rated A or B. A or B = STAMP OF APPROVAL.

13 rated C or lower. C or lower means YOU DRINKIN HOOCH. Sucka.

As a review, all WINE for my 2008 challenge was selected strictly on the basis of PRICE. B/c I am poor discriminating, $10 or less per bottle. This quarter I sampled wines from around the globe: Italy, France, Spain, the US, Argentina, Australia, Chile… and I just have to say. ITALY KNOWS WINE. By far, the Italian reds & whites I have sampled have been the most consistently superior in both taste & value. A good thing to remember when you are scanning unfamiliar labels at the liquor store. BUY THE BOOT!

2nd QUARTER RECOMMENDATIONS (in no particular order):

CORVO
Vendemmia 2006
ITALY
11.5 % alc/vol, 750 mL

Very pale white wine w/ faint bouquet.
Crisp, clean, light. UNBELIEVABLY easy to drink; goes down like water.
A- / B+

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MONTECILLO
2005 Rioja
SPAIN
12.5% alc/vol, 750 mL

Clear golden color, subtle aroma.
Crisp clean taste of fruit - tart apple, pear notes.
Low acidity, very little aftertaste. YUM.
SERVE COLD.
A- / B+

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GABBIANO
2006 Chianti
ITALY
12.5% alc/vol, 750 mL

Deep purplish-red color, strong cherry nose and distinctly cherry flavor.
VERY DELICIOUS.
Slightly dry, full bodied, well-balanced.
Would definitely drink again.
A- / B+

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FRESCOBALDI
Remole Toscana Rosso 2006
ITALY
12.5% alc/vol, 750 mL

Mix of Sangiovese (85%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%).
Deep garnet color, no noticeable bouquet.
Very pleasant fruit flavor, bright ripe cherry, faint hint of plum.
Well-balanced, slightly dry. A very yummy, easy-drinking wine.
A- / B+

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JUMILLA
2005 Mad Dogs & Englishmen
SPAIN
14% alc/vol, 750 mL

50% Monastrell / 30% Cabernet / 20% Shiraz
Darkest red color - almost tinged w/ black.
Cherry bouquet.
Fruit flavors: ripe berries, cherries w/ a hint of spice.
Dry & DELICIOUS. This wine left my lips tingling.
Highly recommended.
A-

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SMOKING LOON
2006 Pinot Noir
CALIFORNIA
13.5% alc/vol, 750 mL

Ripe berry/cherry flavor - YUMMY!
Ever-so-slightly sweet and dry w/ very little acidity.
I sampled two other wines from SMOKING LOON: 2006 Chardonnay and 2006 Merlot.
SKIP THE CHARDONNAY & MERLOT.
GO FOR THE PINOT.
A- / B+

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FAT CAT
2007 Pinot Noir
CALIFORNIA
12.5% alc/vol, 750 mL

Dark garnet color.
Pronounced cherry flavor. Slight dryness/acidity.
A really nice wine - especially for the price. Fun, fruity & delicious!
A-

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JACOB’S CREEK
2006 Shiraz
AUSTRALIA
13.5% alc/vol, 750 mL

Deepest darkest garnet color.
Forward fruit flavors - ripe cherry, plum, hint of pepper.
Low acidity. Soft, lingering finish.
A medium-bodied, young, energetic wine! Yummy & zippy.
Recommended.
A- / B+

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BANFI
Col di Sasso 2006
ITALY
13% alc/vol, 750 mL

Combination of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese.
Darkest cherry color.
DELICIOUS! fruit flavors of ripe berries & cherries.
Tingly on the tongue - feels almost effervescent.
Good body. Soft finish w/ no aftertaste.
Excellent wine.
A- / B+

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CAVIT Collection
Pinot Grigio 2007
ITALY
12% alc/vol, 750 mL

Palest gold color.
Light & DELICIOUS!
Flavors of citrus, tropical fruit, peach. MMMmmmm.
Very low acidity & aftertaste.
A fabulous wine at a fabulous price.
RECOMMENDED.
A-

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CECCHI
2006 Bonizio
Sangiovese de Maremma
ITALY
12.5% alc/vol, 750 mL

Deliciously light, especially for a red wine.
Dark color, good body & very little acidity.
A lovely, slightly dry red. RECOMMENDED.
A- / B+