Flora and Dora

I must confess that I was slightly anti-Dora before I really got to know her.
Dora the Explorer is a cartoon about a bilingual little girl who goes on various adventures with her best friend, Boots (a monkey). Flora LOVES Dora. When Dora says "Wiggle," Flora wiggles. When Dora says, "Jump," Flora jumps. When Dora is not giving specific instructions, Flora usually looks like this:

Or if Dora is being particularly amusing, Flora might look like this:

And if Flora is at a friend's house, she watches Dora like this:

She would probably watch Dora all day if I let her. I try to limit her to one Dora per day . . . sometimes two. I'm okay with Dora now that I've seen how much Flora learns from her Dora shows. For example, I discovered a few days ago that Flora can count to seven in Spanish. She skips the number four, but I don't correct her. She IS counting in Spanish, after all.

However, my FAVORITE Dora story happened last week when Flora grabbed her little purse, went to the door, and said, "Vamonos Mommy! Let's go!"

A Well-Timed Sucker

We went to get Flora's and Scout's second and final H1N1 shot on Thursday . . .
*cue dramatic, ominous music*

The vaccine is so abundant now that most people are getting it at their doctor's office, but 1) I'm cheap and didn't want to pay the $30 copay (x2) for office visits, and 2) I didn't want to wait for the free H1N1 vaccine clinic our doc is offering on December 31st. So, I packed snacks, books and an extra shirt and hoped for a shorter wait this time.

***Remember, last time we waited 3 hours and then Flora threw up on me after getting her shot. Fun times. So, I was not looking forward to this trip, but I was excited about finally being done with it all.

What a difference four weeks makes!! When we got to the clinic site, there was NO wait!! We filled out our paperwork and went right in to see the nurse. Since most of the "target groups" have been vaccinated, Chris and I were given the option to get the vaccine too. So, Flora and Scout rolled up their sleeves and Chris and I pulled down our pants . . . . wait, reverse that . . . . Chris and I rolled up our sleeves and Flora and Scout pulled down their pants and we all got tiny little dead viruses injected into our bodies. The immune system is such a weird, cool thing.

A well-timed sucker resulted in a VERY short crying spell and we all left the building smiling and amazed at how easy this trip was.

And, WHEW, we're DONE!! This has been the season of the flu shot for the Borkert family. Poor Scout has taken the brunt of it. He leads the family with 4 flu shots, Flora is right behind with 3 shots, and Chris and I are tied with 1 shot each. I'm sure all the anti-vaccine people are gasping in horror . . . but I'm okay with that. Have a sucker . . . it will make you feel better.

Right Now

Right now, Flora is sitting on the couch, wearing only her diaper (because she can), eating a chocolate chip cookie, sipping on her milk, and staring into space. Occasionally she will look around and comment on whatever Scout or I am doing. Toby just whined from his crate and now Flora is fiddling with the crate door. "Toby outside," she tells me. She's a bossy little thing.


Right now, Scout is alternating between taunting Toby at the door of his crate and irritating Flora by nibbling on her bare toes. When these activities don't provide enough of a thrill for him, he will balance precariously on top of a laundry basket or walk back and forth on the hearth . . . just because he can. He's a joker and a daredevil who has already had more bumps on his head in his one year of life than Flora has had in her two years. Of course, Flora has provided some of those bumps for him . . .


Right now, there are two humidifiers in the kitchen and it is still too dry in here. My lips are chapped, Flora's hair is standing straight up with static, and Scout gives a shock every time he touches us. There are several inches of snow on the ground outside and a layer of dust inside. I think I just heard a chunk of ice fall off our window . . .

Later, we will clean, eat, get dressed, and go get our FINAL flu shots of the season, but right now, I am enjoying this calm before the storm!

Mommy's Helpers

The Christmas Tree Elves Strike Again!!

Two doggies and a snowman......why didn't I think of that???