Inspired by books: Her own personal Narnia

My 10 year old has been reading this book called "Mandy" by Julie Andrews Edwards. (Yes, that's the same as the Mary Poppins actress) It's about an orphan that finds an abandoned cottage and works to fix it up as her own little get-away haven.



We are lucky to have my parents nearby. They only live about 15 minutes away so the kids get to see them often. They have this fabulous yard, the kind that beggs for kids to be as they really are; adventurers, warriors, race car drivers, wizards and creators.

They have this plant in the yard (as seen in the picture) I don't know what it's called but they look like cat tails on steroids.







Since my daughter has been reading MANDY she has been taking care of this patch of vegetation and making it her own "Narnia" as she calls it.





She has woven mats out of blades from the plant.




she has even made some chairs (held together by tape) Don't they look like something straight out of Fairytopia?

The best part is that there is an open circle inside the plant. This is what she has REALLY been working on. It's her own fort. The place where she will put her chairs, mats and other decorations. She has spent hours on it already and she's still going strong.





But this is just the beginning! There are so many great books she has yet to discover. I can't wait to see what she'll come up with next.

It takes me back to my childhood. I loved making my own forts, hiding places and other worldly places.

What about you? Did you have your own world or . . . how were you inspired by books as a kid (or heck, even now?)

Random spouts of memory: online it's normal, face to face would be a little creepy

Picture this: You're sitting in a restaurant or coffee house when a total stranger leans over to you and says "You know what? I just remembered the time when I first heard the phrase "the check is in the mail."

Betcha you'd be weirded out, huh?

But here, in Blogland, it's OK. A lot of people who come here know me now, but some of you may be strangers. And I'm about to tell you about the first time I heard the phrase "The check is in the mail." And it's not so strange. Is it? I luv that! :0)

I have no idea why , but I just remembered when I was in Gym class. I forget what grade, Maybe 1st or 2nd. I helped the teacher put away the dodge balls and he said "Thanks! The check is in the mail." OMG! I was so excited. I really thought I was getting paid for helping out! And was very disappointed when the check never came. ;0P

That's it. nothing more. Just a memory of wide-eyed innocence.

What about you? Any memories of the first time you heard a phrase and misunderstood it or took it too literally?

My hubby told me about one of his friends who thought the laugh track on the t.v. was really the sound of all the children around the world watching the same show. So when he laughed, he laughed as loud as he could into the t.v. screen so all the other kids in the world could hear him.

Seeing Through the Eyes of a Child: Object and Word Association

As parents or adults, we love to hear the cute ways kids use words in unusual ways. They use words in the way that they understand them. They have yet to learn appropriate context. As writers this gives us opportunity to relearn our world. Break out of the box of appropriate context.

Some recent examples from my house:

My 4 year old uses the word "timber" in place of "fall". ie: "I timbered off the chair."
No, we are not a family of lumber jacks. I have no idea where she got this.


My 2 year old calls polka dots "bubbles"
When I pull out a polka dot dress or shirt she gushes "Oohhhh! I like bubbles!" When I try to tell her they are polka dots, she adamantly exclaims, "No! Bubbles!"

And the other night my 4 year old prayed that her older sister would get 100 percent on her spelling test. Instead it came out "Dear God, please help my sister get 100 tents on her spelling test."


So, here's your creative challenge for the day. Try to think about the words and objects that you encounter throughout your day. How could a child precieve them?

Or please! Share some of your "cute" kid association stories to help get us in a creative frame of mind.