What's SHAKin'?

Monkey has had a busy day at Shaker Heights Middle School! He had to sign in at the main office as an official visitor. Then he went over to admire the trophy Mrs. P's competitive writing team won at Regionals, prominently displayed by the secretary's desk.

On to class. He enjoyed hanging out in the room, but he didn't do a lot of work. He was more interested in people-watching and checking out all of Mrs. P's stuff!

Just when I thought he was taking it seriously....

He decided he'd rather pick up chicks!!!!!

More to come tomorrow...here's a shot of me & Monkey chilling out in the Latin room. Peace!

Monkeying Around?

While we are waiting to see what Monkey's been up to lately.... How cute is this door hanger? Available at Kitson.

What's High in the Middle and Round on Both Ends....?

O....HI....O!!!!!! Yuk yuk yuk yuk.....



Monkey has arrived on the sunny southern shores of Lake Erie! He will be getting his introductory tour of the Black Squirrel City, Kent, Ohio, where men are men and students are targets! Yeah, that was a crude Kent State quip. We make fun of ourselves here. Makes it less enjoyable for others to do it.

Monkey will be a guest student at the fabulous Shaker Heights Middle School tomorrow. He is so psyched to mingle, to learn, and to meet cute girls. He will be going to bed early tonight in preparation for his long day! Saturday he will be helping me operate a yard sale (I promise, he will not be sold!) Sunday will be his last day of touring the local hot spots before embarking on the next leg of his journey Monday.

A message from Leesie

First of all, Thank you to everyone for their patience and understanding. I knew when I started this project that I would have to rely on others and place my trust in them that things would go smoothly. But what is life if not peppered with a few bumps in the road?

Secondly, thanks to K for her interlude post yesterday. I'm sure we all felt a sense of calm seeing Monkey again.

I have been told that he should be arriving at his next destination in Ohio today. Please join in with me in a group movement of "fingers crossed" that this actually happens. Let's put the positive energy of the people to work.

Monkey is a resilient little fella, so I'm sure he'll be fine once he gets out of his traveling case and on to his next adventure.

. . .

A monkey interlude

Since Monkey is frolicking in Michigan (my second favorite state shaped like a hand) right now and I'm sure everyone else is as eager for an update as I am, I thought I'd post some pictures from my final day with Monkey. I just realized I hadn't posted them yet!

I had Monkey for his second Minnesota stop, where he got some book learning in the law library, got his hair done, tried to purify himself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka, and worked hard in the Legal Services Clinic. Monkey was practically a lawyer by the time we were done, and on our last day he decided to go test out his skills in court!

The first thing we did was discuss our upcoming clients for the day. I guess you could say Monkey was a deputy public defender? Lucky for Monkey, his hair doesn't react to the rain quite like mine - which was straight when I left my house, I swear!


After that we went into court to face the music...or the jury box!



Monkey was so confident, he decided he could just do the judge's work for her. There was actually a male judge who will not be named in this courtroom, but he switched out the nameplates for Monkey's debut.


These nice people were doing a survey on our courthouse experience downstairs in the lobby. Monkey and I both agreed that the state needed to add more public defenders. Monkey also felt that there should be an attorney's lounge with bananas.

After all, he was the judge!

Monkey wanted a photo of himself at the first courthouse he appeared in so he could hang it in his new office at Monkey & Associates.


While we were leaving, we were stopped by the police! They wanted to see Monkey's tourist visa! Luckily, his time in the Immigration Clinic paid off and he wasn't detained.


After that, we swung by the office to do some research for the attorneys. Monkey wasn't very impressed by the workspace law clerks get, but he did find somewhere to hang out.


After that, it was bon voyage, Monkey! We took one last photo before going to visit the UPS store to send him off.

I loved having Monkey visit me in Minnesota - it was a really fun way to spend my last days there! I hope we get some more updates on Monkey soon!

KMM

P.S. If you liked the pajamas I got Lisagh, you can find them at Target. They are on clearance now so they'll be a good deal! If you can't find those, there are some new sock monkey pajamas that you can order online!

Monkey is in Michigan!!

The Monkey has landed. He is safe and sound, just a bit tired from his travels. Tomorrow we will have a lazy day so he can recover. Then this weekend we will have quality Monkey time in Michigan!!

Monkeys here, monkeys there

I know there's probably a technical term for this phenomenon, but you know how when you have a certain something in your life you suddenly start seeing that thing everywhere? Like when I had a Volvo, I started seeing Volvos everywhere (granted, we live in Berkeley, and before the advent of Toyota Prius, the Volvo was the official car of Berkeley). Now I have a Honda CRV (so much more me), and guess what? CRVs everywhere.

Lately Sophie and I have had Monkey on the brain. Whenever the computer is on, Sophie asks to check up on him. She's planning sleeping arrangements (the doll cradle or bunk beds?), wardrobe (will he fit in the American Girl clothes?), and of course activities (she thinks he will like a lot of the really fun places she likes—you think?).

And so what do you think we saw on our trip to the toy store yesterday?

That's right. A REALLY BIG ONE. "Take a picture for Crafty MacDrafty," Sophie instructed.

And then on the way out . . .


. . . a little bitty one! Popping out of a box.

And so she asked me for the zillionth time "WHEN IS HE COMING???" Seriously, this is right up there with Christmas in terms of anticipation. In the meantime, we know Monkey is having a great trip, and we're loving reading about his adventures.

Psychic Monkey?

So last night as I was getting the boys ready for bed, The Manimal said to me "Where Monkey?" I told him that Monkey had to move on and was on his way to Michigan.

He was quiet for a minute, and then calmly looked at me and said "Monkey good."

Maybe all monkeys, regardless of actual species, maintain some sort of telepathic connection?

I Have Learned...

...NEVER to send a husband to do a wife's job! On Friday, I sent Monkey, all packed up and ready for the trip to Michigan, with my hubby with instructions that this was a V.I.P. (very important package) and to please ship it.

Yesterday he (innocently) says to me, "Now, when exactly did you need that package shipped?"

Aaarrggghh!

Today, Monkey is back in my possession and will be making a lunchtime trip to the UPS Store.

Let this be a lesson to all of you still waiting for Monkey...

Where's my Monkey?!!!
Updates, peeps... we need updates.

When We Last Left Our Hero...

...he was headed off to school with SS#1. He had a great time teaching all of the second graders how to spell his hometown and teaching them all about Canada. He also enjoyed a school lunch of a ham sandwich, baby carrots and some cake as a snack.

After school, we took a trip to the park. Monkey was thrilled to hear there would be monkey bars.

Unfortunately, this isn't the kind of hanging around the monkey bars that he had in mind.

Fortunately, his buddy jumped in and gave him a little ride in the stroller.

The rest of the evening was pretty quiet,but Monkey enjoyed some authentic homemade Mexican food. He wished that fried plantains were on the menu, but gnoshed on chicken tacos, red rice and refried beans. Yum!

Thursday dawned bright and early and Monkey accompanied me to work. Our monkey grew up so quickly. It seems like only yesterday he was in second grade and now he's off to...COLLEGE!

Yes, that's right, Monkey decided to check out the campus life. He was really the B.M.O.C. (Big Monkey on Campus) as he checked out the bookstore.

Unfortunately, Monkey-sized clothing was in short supply. Then he saw a business opportunity.

Fortunately a few kind coeds told Monkey exactly how much money those pricey college texts will get you.

If you look carefully, you'll see the little wings on Monkey's chest. He was so excited to be made an honorary Flyer, that he wondered if he'd be able to fly this to his next stop in Michigan.

He was disappointed to discover that this particular aircraft was grounded and only used for class instruction.

He decided that he'd attend class on his next Monkey Tour.

After all that touring, Monkey needed a break, so he grabbed a seat outside and caught up on campus news.

Today, his last day in town, was no less packed with activities. Monkey had his first visit to the dentist. He was a little nervous, but the friendly hygienist Tina really made him feel comfortable. She showed him how to brush carefully and told him to keep up the good work as he travelled.

Monkey did so well at the dentist that we decided to take a little drive. Monkey got to see the official state flower of Illinois...

The construction barrel! He was surprised to see so many of them as he "got his kicks".

That's right. It winds from Chicago to L.A., and right through Romeoville--Historic Route 66! Monkey was so excited to travel down this road, and even more excited to see Jake and Ellwood!
We took a break from our drive to check out a roadside attraction in nearby Joliet.

Monkey's excited to move on to his next stop, but not before a relaxing dinner tonight and good night's sleep. Stay tuned for the next installment of the Tour!

Friday Follies

Monkey is having an absolute blast with the Diva Family. The Manimal and SS#1 have regular arguments over who gets to entertain their guest. Stay tuned later today to hear his escapades of the last two days, including authentic Mexican food, a trip to the dentist, his ride down Historic Route 66 and how Monkey became an honorary Flyer! :)

He's Here! He's Here!

Our favorite Canadian Simian arrived safely at the Diva Household yesterday and didn't seem too much the worse for wear. After some acclimation, he went straight for the bananas. He was thrilled to see that we'd prepared well for his visit.

The Manimal immediately claimed Monkey as his own.
Unfortunately, he was very perplexed as to where the rest of Monkey's socks were. He felt that the other appendages must be cold, since they didn't have the nice warm fuzzy socks.
After his trip, Monkey was content to watch a bit of after-school television with The Manimal (especially since other animals were the subject!).

Later we discovered that Monkey had a knack for spelling, as he helped Sweet Son #1 with his homework. Of course, anyone who can spell W-I-N-N-I-P-E-G, M-A-N-I-T-O-B-A is sure to be a spelling bee champion.

Monkey was thrilled to find out that he'd be enjoying some "local cuisine" for dinner, as we introduced him to the Chicago Hot Dog. No ketchup on this dog, thankyouverymuch. Just mustard, chopped tomatoes and a bit of celery salt. Monkey enjoyed his hot dog dinner immensely.
After a long day of travel, Monkey was pretty exhausted. We'd set up the guest room for him, but he chose to bunk with his new best bud and some other friends he'd made. We had our story and it was time to snuggle down for the night.

Sweet Dreams!

Next....Monkey is headed off to second grade with SS#1, and because of his academic prowess, will head right to college!

He's Coming! He's Coming!

Heard from Meg that Monkey has safely (and sadly) left The Little Cottage and is on his way to the Diva Household. Woo-hoo! Don't worry, Monkey, you'll have fun here! :)