Mebbe.

What you see here is, of course, Johnny Quest scrunching down low. And the posterior of my other ginger kid Gregory Twinklebear, who, as you may have noticed, is lacking a tail. Yup, GT is a Manx. A “rumpy” Manx, to be specific. And the world’s suckiest, sweetest kitty. Saying he is good-natured doesn’t do him justice. Dang it all, he’s a poopum. And he puts up with Kitty Season like a real Trooper.

In the meantime, for my friends who are feeling crafty, as one might in the winter, I would like to put in a plug for Studioloo and Manspun.

What does Studioloo not do? It’s unclear. She seems to do it all. Jewelery, hats, clocks, maybe a coral reef? Why not?

Manspun. What could that be? Well, the earth spins, doth not Man? Feel that spinning and other yarnly things are solely within the domain of womanhood? Think again. The Captain will set you straight. Get in touch with your inner dudeness and buy some manly yarn.

Things to know: children don’t play in the snow anymore. Well, maybe they do, but not where we were. Four degrees and sunny, and nary a child to be see. The park was untouched. Very sad. It was a gorgeous perfect day.

As you can see, Johnny Quest was dressed for it. He had lost his mittens so was wearing mine. Good for making snow folk.

Mmm carbs. God’s way of saying “I love you”.

I hate winter. People keep suggesting ‘fun’ things to do with my uber-active 20 month-old. Drag him behind me on the sidewalks in a sled. Hmmm. There is not enough duct-tape to keep this kid on a sled. Another fun thing? Take him to the park to run in the snow. First of all, that means I have to be in the snow too. And I’ll already been worn out from pushing his stroller through the unshovelled sidewalks. Then he’ll tear his boots off as he always does. And we’ll both freeze. And I’ll win Bad Mummy of the Year Award. Again.

No, best to stay in bed and watch Dragon.

Yes, this is Johnny Quest, eating an orange. I was going to write about the latest Conservative Budget courtesy of Stephen Harper. But I’ll show this instead. Ah, the first bite of an orange. Makes your eyes go all squidgy.

JQ is 20 months old today. Which means I haven’t slept for 20 months. Rocket Scientist has slept somewhat better, but not much. Overall, it is worth it.

And the budget? Well, it all seems so trivial doesn’t it? Anyone here ever had to be on EI? Or UI? No? Then you don’t know what ‘pain in the aspen’ really means.

Happy almost-third anniversary, by the way, to Stevie. I’ll likely forget by February 6th. So here are your kisses now: smoooooch. Maybe Iggy will slip you some tongue.

Oh, please, by the way, stop calling Michael Ignatieff “Iggy”. It’s an affront to all the real Iggies of the world. Or, at least one. Iggy Pop.

But his shows suck. Most of them, at least. Sure, he will have the always wonderful Dragon (by Dav Pilkey), or Pocoyo, Toopy and Binoo. But he’ll also have Franklin. Could anything be more pathetic than sad sack Franklin who spends most of the episodes whining and complaining? Too easily swayed by the opinions of others?

Were kids shows always moral tales? Perhaps they were. But now, it seems, more than ever. Which is ironic considering the obvious decline in attitudes and behaviours of kids today. I guess it’s not working, these smarmy moral tales. But we keep stuffing them down the kids’ collective throats. I wouldn’t be the first to observe that a lot of child-rearing has been offloaded to television and teachers. Funny we don’t want them to watch TV, but we’ve made it our moral leader for children.

What I wouldn’t give to find more real educational material on television. Some spelling shows. Numbers. Sure, there are a few (Numberjacks, Martha Speaks, Between the Lions). But not many. No, it’s mostly behavioural modification. Makes me sad.

I am glad we have fun shows like Dragon, Toopy and Binoo, and Pocoyo. Our kids need some whimsy without having to have some ‘lesson’ drilled into their heads. But when it comes to lessons, I’d rather a show that reinforces literacy and numeracy, rather than moral preachy crap. Turn all our kids into wide-eyed automatons, sucking the life right out of them. But then, I guess, they’ll be ready for school.

Reminds me why we’re homeschooling.

But I need to write, maaaan! And I’ve hardly written a word since last LAST August when JQwas 3 months old. So this is my first of many false starts. But better a false start, than to sit about whining. I hope.