the OTHER mother

2016

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2014

Carrie Makes Movies

Carrie has continued to blog at K-9 Kid Rescue.

Stars of the one-minute short video, Super Dog

In her most recent post, a 1 minute video, she and Cody play the super heroes, and they rescue some hikers (played by Pearl and Scout). Fasten your virtural seat belt. This story is a real cliff hanger!

Why We Are Home-Schooling

This is a story book that Pearl made when she was six (2010). She made it on her own without any assignment or prodding or suggestion from anyone. It shows the education of the dragon, phase by phase, starting with birth. The last picture is a mural that the group of young dragons have created together at their art school. For me, it explains why we are home schooling. But it would not have to happen at one's home--it could also be a treatise on good schooling. 

Dragon Born

A little dragon finally opens its eyes. She looks out at the world. She is ready to learn.

 

Dragon Nursery

They learn by their selves in the dragon nursery. There are no teachers. It is fun day and night.

 

Art School

Dragons learn how to respect their master and defend for their selves. They paint special dragons before them.

 

Maze

Dragons love mazes. They don't mind being lost. They love a good adventure.

 

In the World

Dragons can see things differently.

 

Dragons (A Mural)

Chanukkah 2012

 

 

 

 

Carrie's K-9 Police Party

Carrie has been planning her own birthday parties for several years now. For those of us who believed she'd never top the Chinese pony party, well, we were wrong. 

Christine, who trains police dogs, came to do a demonstration for the kids.

HPD Officer brought K-9 Gunner to meet everyone. He answered dozens of questions (from kids and adults) and even brought the birthday girl a Houston Police K-9 tee shirt!

There were puppies to play with -- courtesy of the Pup Squad Rescue group, the organization who helped us adopt both Cody and Scout.

 Pretty wow, right? Happy 7th birthday, Carrie!

R.I.P. Little Ghost Boy

Last weekend while we were out of town, our cat Caspar disappeared. The petsitter thought nothing of it, but we knew something was up. He vanishes on a regular basis, but he never stays away for very long. It was dark by the time we got home so I searched only in our yard and our neighbors' yards on either side. After a lousy night's sleep, I went looking further. I found him dead in the yard behind our house. He'd been hit by a car and was stretched out in the grass beside the curb. I've never picked up a dead body before. It was reality's slap in the face.

We miss Caspar very much. He and Finn, our other cat, are brothers. Finn still goes out every night in search of his brother, his very best friend.

 

 

Scenes from the Home Schooling Front

The Family that Blogs Together....

Pearl and Carrie have started their own blog. It's about their many adventures with dogs. Check out K-9 Kid Rescue!

Pup Squad's Pups: A Report by Carrie

At Saturday afternoon my whole family was in our car. My mom Marcia was driving us to Pup Squad. We arrived there. I went inside Pup Squad's adoption center. After looking at Pup Squad's puppies, I got to talk to Fran. I asked Fran how old was Pup Squad. She said 4 years old.  Also Fran told me how she loved dogs.

 

I'm talking to Fran, the Pup Squad leader.

 Fran is the person who helped us adopt our two dogs, Cody and Scout.

Christy was very nice.

After I stopped talking to Fran about Pup Squad, I talked to another volunteer named Christy. She joined Pup Squad in January 2009. At home Christy has a mama dog that is sick is going to get healthy.

Then when I finally finished interviewing Christy, I went to go look at these dogs. How fantastic they were! 

Oh but this dog looks like our dog Scout. Except for the purple shirt!

I looked over to a window and there I saw another puppy. It was off to the side, almost in a corner maybe. I walked over to the strange dog, but I liked it a lot.

I walked over as quickly as I could. I asked Christy if I could play with this dog. She said the puppy might want to sit on the couch with you.

 

I think she liked me too!

 

A Pup Squad puppy waits to be adopted.

 The end.

By Carrie, age 6

Calling All Ninjas

by Carrie

Did you know that there’s a Ninja Class in Texas?

You might think this is a joke, but it’s a True Story! A girl that is 6 years old named Carrie started a Ninja Camp.

Now you might think that an adult is the leader of the camp, but you guys read half of the note and you know that the person doing it is 6. She knows how to be a Ninja.

She can walk quietly like in the olden days. She can spy on her moms. She is good at climbing trees. She can stand as still as a tree. She can balance as good as a cup.

If you want to learn Ninja skills, come to Carrie Chamberlain Reagler. Her phone number is 713-x82-78x9.

If your son or daughter wants to be like a Ninja, then you can come to Carrie’s house and celebrate your holiday here.

by Carrie, 

Runaway Cody: A Birthday V-Card for our Valentine

Marcia's birthday is on Valentine's Day. Pearl, Carrie, and Cody (with a special cameo by Finn) made this video in honor of the special occasion. Happy Birthday, sweetheart!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

On Thankfulness

Carrie and Pearl made these books over the Thanksgiving weekend. I chose a few pages from each book. The first four are Carrie's, and the last four are Pearl's.

I'm thankful for Ninjas spying.

I'm thankful for friendly dolphins.

 I'm thankful for rocks everywhere.

 I'm thankful for my sister.

 

A few pages from Pearl...

I'm thankful for my loco cats and screw-loose dog.

I'm thankful for amazing climbing trees.

I'm thankful for watermelon.

I'm thankful for homeschooling. 

Pearl Has a Guardian Angel

Transcription: 

I have an Angel

with a song. She has a

butterfly. She trails thunder.

Panthers dart around

her. A velvet mask is

in her hand. Silver breezes

whisper around her. Inchworms

and lemons are swirling

around her too! Her skin is like

the moon shining above her.

Then she fainted! Crash!!!!

 

P.S. She hit the flower pot.

by Pearl, age 7

Black Cat and Green Sprite Go A'Haunting

Halloween 2011

The New Season Brings Soccer

This fall Pearl and Carrie are excited about soccer. Although they both have lime green Seattle jerseys in the pictures, they are on different teams because of their age difference. I guess they're on sister teams.

Carrie has this to say about the sport:

What I like about soccer is that I get to play front field. That means I get to kick the ball and score lots of goals for my team. But the kids follow you wherever you go! That's all of my report.

Lately she has me read books about Mia Hamm to her at bedtime. And when she wakes up the next morning, guess what Carrie's been dreaming about?

Pearl and Carrie Have a Deal for You

Pearl and Carrie are selling magazines with their Girl Scout troop. Here's their video sales pitch (time 1:30). If you'd like to make a purchase, click here please.

Babysitting the Bunnies

This month we have been babysitting two huge bunnies for some friends. Here are a few things we have learned from this experience. According to Carrie and Pearl:

• They're very messy.
• They sit in their poo poo.
• They stomp.
• They scream.

Baba can a few more details.

• When you are told that bunnies are litter box trained, your follow-up question should be to request a percentage.
• When told that bunnies are large, you should ask if they attack cats and dogs.
• Remember the stories about goats eating anything and everything? Well, bunnies are similar. Bye, bye, cowboy hats. Bye, bye, wicker baskets.
• Baba and Pearl are allergic to bunnies. Or hay. Or both.
• Achoo!

Behind the Scenes

Last weekend we had a fun dinner with our cousins, Erin and Abner. Afterwards we got to watch a movie being made. It was about the Pony Express. It was a production by the one and only HorseyWorks Studios. Is everybodoy ready? Lights, Camera, Action!

Note to longterm readers: you may recognize these actors.

 

 

My Chapbook "Dear Red Airplane" is Out!

Copies of my chapbook "Dear Red Airplane" arrived in today's mail. The book is published by Seven Kitchens Press. I say the chapbook is out--which is true--however it is already sold out. Seven Kitchens is a micro-press, and they specialize in publishing artful booklets in very small print runs. All the copies sold during the pre-order phase. If you'd like to encourage the editors to do a reprint, you can contact them here. 

Arkansas Visit

The Crazy Cousins

 

 Marcia likes hiking.

There's nothing like a creek.

Our guide to Garvan Gardens reads her map.

 

 

Father's Day and the Two-Mom Family

Pearl and Carrie are going to writing camp this summer, and Carrie's class did a Father's Day project. Since she doesn't have a dad, this could be tricky or awkward, but she is fortunate to have two wonderful teachers.  They know that there are all kinds of families and that Carrie has two moms, also known as Mama and Baba. And so the teachers invited Carrie--all the kids, really--to write about a guy, whether it's a dad, grandparent, cousin, or family friend.

In the past Carrie (age 5) has always chosen to make cards for Pop and Papa, her grandfathers, but this year the lucky winner is... Uncle Russell. Since the girls were infants, Russell has been vying for favorite uncle status. He would whisper in their little ears:

Who's your favorite uncle?

Uncle Russell!

Uncle Russell!

Pearl, Carrie, and Russell have their very own WWF wrestling program, which Carrie mentions in her poem.  They have special fighting monikers. It's always Pearl and Carrie versus Russell the Muscle.  It's pretend wrestling, of course. Unfortunately, the line about Uncle Russell living in Costa Rica is pretend too (if only!).  Carrie's poem and portrait appear below.  Happy Father's Day, Russell. We love you!

Art Cars 2011

Each year we look forward to the Houston art car parade. This rabbit was both Pearl and Carrie's favorite. Carrie liked the Easter eggs and stuffed animals on the hood and hub caps. Pearl liked the eyelashes, the heart-shaped nose, and the evil teeth.

 

Our neighbors made the Pee Wee Herman art car. It is completely covered with Peeps, the Easter candies. 

I liked the cardboard box car, a throwback to all the boxes that our childhood imaginations brought to life.

Cousins, or A Care Package for Sarah

 
Carrie adores all her cousins, but she has an extra special love for her cousin Sarah. Carrie has the same birthday as Sarah which is perhaps why Carrie perceives a heightened connection between them. She oftens tells her stories that are her *memories* (fantasies, actually) of their many adventures together. In reality Sarah is 14 and Carrie, 5. In these tales, however, Carrie is 6 and Sarah is 5. Fancy that! 

This post is a e-care package for Sarah from Carrie. 

Carrie made three drawings for Sarah. They are rolled up like a scroll and tied with a "bow," a pastel tie-dyed string that reminds me of dental floss.

 
Carrie and Pearl did rescue a baby bird last week. Carrie and Marcia took it to an animal rescue center where it is being nursed back to health. In the picture, however, the heroes are Carrie and Sarah. The sign between the girls and the tree has one of those DON'T symbols on it. Nothing pleases Carrie more than doing things she's NOT supposed to do.

 

I was not given any explanation on this picture so I'm not sure what to say. Feel free to take a stab at it. 

Carrie is trying to learn to draw more skillfully so she models pictures after Pearl's. I love that the sky has both a sun and a moon in it.

So, Sarah, I hope you enjoy these. We miss you!

 

 

Pearl is 7

Yes, Mama and Baba are reeling in disbelief. Today Pearl is seven years old!

At school part of the birthday ritual is All About Me Day. So Pearl brought in a few photos of herself. I thought that I'd share them with you.    

 

Officers of the Heart

There can never be too much happiness, right? This year Pearl and Carrie made their gingerbread house a Joy Office. A Joy Office sounds like a pretty great place to me. I think the government should definitely be taking notes!

Carrie Turns 5

You may recall that it was Carrie who planned my birthday party this year so you might assume that her own birthday would receive even greater enthusiasm. And you'd be right!

Carrie's party theme was... interesting. As in, very. Have you ever been to a Chinese horse party? This five-year-old loves horses, and she's learning Chinese (or at least she thinks she is). So in addition to the trusty steed pictured below, she had the bakers draw a picture of a horse with the Chinese symbol for horse beside it. We gave chopsticks, Chinese candy, and fortune cookies for party favors. Carrie help choose everything for the great occasion. 

There are many more photos of the Chinese lanterns, petting zoo, and birthday cake on Marcia's facebook page. 

 

Pearl's Groove

Pearl is in first grade this year. She's doing well in school and can read chapter books on her own. She likes Junie B. Jones, the A-to-Z mysteries, the Magic Treehouse series, and any true story about animals. Pearl joined a soccer team at the Y this year. Her team is improving, but they still haven't scored a point. She's pretty good though. I've been impressed with her athleticism.

Pearl's very favorite activity is still acting out stories that she makes up. Home is for acts, as far as she's concerned. Her favorite tv show is Avatar: The Last Airbender, and her favorite character is Aang whose job, although he's just a child, is to save the world. She wants to be Aang for Halloween.

In her acts, she combines characters from Avatar with characters from other stories that she and Carrie like--Scooby Doo, The Lion King, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame--with characters from their original stories--a baby named Baby, dog brothers Alex and Johnny, and Pearl and Carrie are always characters in the stories too.

Pearl still loves to draw. Her drawings are like comic books, often done in the format of sequenced squares. She loves to make them funny by placing the characters in unlikely places--kings in cages, cats hanging upside-down from trees. She still loves animals. They love her too. As do we, Mama and Baba, so very very much!

Vision + Quest, Grrrlville Style

Adventure with Dragons and Treasure by Pearl

Fairy Tale by Carrie