Monday, September 12, 2011

Real friends help friends...babysit?

by Cassondra Murray
With two very special guests


I’m just cleaning up the bar—the center for parties and activity in the lair—putting the last glasses away as the huge grandfather clock in the front room begins to chime. I’ve been burning the late-night oil the past few nights, coming up with a new signature cocktail for the lair.

Okay, truth. I’m stuck on my latest story and when I’m stuck, this is what I do. I clean. I decorate. I mix drinks. Anything but sit and stare at that blank page.

The clock finishes its chiming.

Midnight.


Well, almost midnight. The darn thing is always running ten minutes fast. I suppose I could fix that. Use up a little more of the time I’m NOT writing on my uncooperative story.

I go out to the oversized front foyer and stare up at the clock face, two feet higher than I can reach. Where’s one of Joanie's gladiators when you need one?

I turn to get a ladder when my phone bleeps with a text. Probably Jeanne in the writing caves, asking where the heck I am and why the heck I’m not down there, staring at my going-nowhere story and typing words. Can’t fix a blank page. I can just hear her saying it. *sigh* I won’t be able to hide forever. I pull the phone out of my pocket.

Not Jeanne. It’s Dianna Love.

Where r u? it reads.

In the lair. Goofing off. I type. Where r u? I hit send and head for the closet in the kitchen.

Bleeeeep. At the front door. Let us in.

What? Dianna is at the door to the lair—this late? She’s the one who gets up at 4:00 in the morning—about the time I’m usually heading to bed. And who is “us”?

I glance at the time on my phone to make sure I haven’t fallen through some time portal. Yup. Eight minutes to 12.

I lift the heavy bar, flip the big metal deadbolts and swing open the door to see Dianna on the front porch. “What's going on? Why didn’t you knock or ring the bell?”

“I didn’t want to wake up everybody else,” she says, glancing around with a nervous look. “Where are those gladiators?”

“Not to worry,” I say. “Ermingarde’s asleep.”

“What ith ermmy-gah?”

I look down toward the source of the gruff little voice. “Oh, hi Feenix!”

I can’t help but grin at the leathery little guy. Feenix is a two-foot-tall gargoyle with big yellow-orange eyes and EVL TOO printed on his shirt. His shirt says that because he belongs to someone who rides a GSX-R —or Jixxer, for short-- and has EVL ONE on her motorcycle tag. He grins back, showing off his two fangs. I explain, “Ermingarde is the lair’s dragon.”

“What ith dwagon?” This question also from Feenix.

Dianna breaks in as she steps over the lair’s threshold and Feenix follows, thumping along on his fat, four-toed feet. She tells him, “A dragon is something you don’t want to meet right now, Feenix.”

I glance at the grandfather clock, then at my phone again. Something is definitely off here. “Uh, Dianna, it’s almost midnight. You don’t do midnight.”

“No kidding, “she says. “But you do. That’s why I’m here. I need you to help me babysit¸ remember?”

I squint at Dianna as though she has three heads. “You’re serious? Now? First off, I don’t have a maternal bone in my body….and second…I thought last month when you mentioned babysitting Feenix, that it meant a couple of hours maybe. This afternoon...outside.”

“As if I inherited any mothering genes?” Dianna gives me a wry grin. “ I have fish and motorcycles. And yeah, I thought this would be day gig, too, but Evalle came over in a panic an hour ago. She was out taking Feenix for a ride near my house when she got a RED V 2 text and had to take off for VIPER headquarters. She had no time to take Feenix home, so she swung by my house, and reminded me that Feenix is my responsibility, too, sort of like a godparent I guess."

Evalle Kincaid is an Alterant—half Belador, half unknown. VIPER is a multinational coalition of all types of unusual beings and powerful entities created to protect the world from supernatural predators.

As one of the Belador warriors who support VIPER, Evalle works in the southeastern region—more specifically in Atlanta-- protecting humans. Dianna became fascinated by this secret group about seven years ago when she realized most humans don’t know they exist, and she decided to chronicle their activities. Since then, she teamed up with #1 NYT best selling author Sherrilyn Kenyon to co-write what is believed to be a fictitious series on the Beladors.

The first Belador novel, BLOOD TRINITY, came out in 2010 and debuted on the New York Times list. If only people knew the truth behind this series…

Then again… better that they think it’s fiction. Otherwise there could be widespread panic.


Evalle is one of three main characters in the series. The other two are Evalle’s best friends, Tzader Burke and Vladimir Quinn. All three keep Dianna and Sherrilyn busy documenting Belador activities.

The text Evalle received tonight—RED V 2— was a Code Red to drop whatever she was doing and go straight to VIPER headquarters in the north Georgia mountains, and that’s how Dianna—a definite daywalker—has ended up on a midnight ride all the way to the lair for babysitting help from an admitted vampire like me.

“Looks like we’ll be up for a bit,” I say as I turn down the lights in the front foyer. “A bunch of Bandits are down in the writing caves, on deadlines, so I bet Sven has coffee going in the kitchen.”

I ask Dianna, “what’s up with the VIPER team? Some kind of emergency?”

“Apparently there’s been an increase in demon activity in downtown Atlanta. Evalle couldn’t say much. Just that she wasn’t able to ask Tzader or Quinn to take Feenix home because they were called out, too.” Tzader is the North American Belador Maistir (translation – head Belador badass) and Quinn has a rare gift—he can mind lock--plus he’s the investment genius who oversees Belador finances.

I glance behind Dianna as I shut the door, to find her vermillion BMW F-650-GS motorcycle parked just at the bottom of the flight of steps leading to the front porch.
“You’re on the bike?”

“Yeah. Feenix rides all the time with Evalle, so I figured it would be easier and more familiar for him than riding in a car. And I thought this way I might actually keep my leather car upholstery intact.” She casts a look at the sharp claws on Feenix’s short fingers.

“What ith upothery?” Feenix blinks up at both of us, looking from one to the other. I grin as I shut the door and Dianna tries to describe a car seat to someone who has only recently learned how to count to ten. Evalle rescued Feenix from a demented sorcerer and the little guy is just learning to talk.

I turn back around just as a gladiator walks into the room on his regular midnight security patrol through the lair. He stops in his tracks, holding a silver-colored training shield at his side.

Feenix starts to flap his wings and dances from side to side on his pudgy little feet. “Peetha!”

Dianna takes one look at the gorgeous man and grabs Feenix’s four-fingered hand. “Ah, shoot. The shield,” she says. Feenix is stronger than he looks, and tugs Dianna forward, heading toward the metal-clad warrior, saying, “Peetha. Peetha. Peetha.”

“No, Feenix,” Dianna says, struggling to hold him back. “That’s not a pizza. You can’t eat the shield.”

“Bran,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm, “you and the other gladiators might want to lose the metal shields and armor just for tonight.” Bran frowns at me. “Oh, and if you could grab one of the other guys, y’all should hide that suit of armor at the door to the back hallway.” Bran’s frown deepens, and I explain. “Feenix loves anything silver…he eats metal. He thinks your shield is a silver pizza.”

Dianna is trying to distract Feenix when a streak of yellow feathers darts into the room. The rooster takes one look at Feenix and starts to flap and sqwawk.

Feenix beats his bat-like wings in the air wildly, lifting off the floor, and makes a honking cry sound. His eyes glow bright orange and smoke curls from his nose. Dianna tells him, “Calm down, Feenix. The Golden Rooster won’t hurt anyone. Promise.”

“That crazy rooster was at Jane’s place in New York until a few minutes ago,” Bran says. “I don't know how he got back in here without my knowing it.” Bran takes off up the curving staircase after the GR, and Feenix finally settles back to the floor, eyes rounded in worry. “Roother?”

“Yes,” Dianna soothes. “Nice rooster.”

Well, that “nice” part is debatable, but Feenix has managed to not blow fire out his nose and burn down the lair or make rooster crispies, so with the little gargoyle calmed down, we make our way to the kitchen. I can smell the coffee as soon as we open the door.

As we walk in, Sven is coming through the back with a small stainless steel bucket full of shiny, silver-colored lug nuts. He glances up, taking in Dianna and Feenix. “They’re here already?”

He sets the bucket on the table and grins at Feenix. It’s hard not to grin at Feenix if you’ve read BLOOD TRINITY, the first book in the Belador series, and I’d given Sven a copy last October when the book was released. Sven nudges the bucket forward. “I got him some treats.”

“Sven, this is why we love you,” I say. Sven tosses one of the lug nuts to me, but before I can catch it, Feenix leaps up, flapping, and snags it out of the air with his tongue.

“Yeah, but I had an ulterior motive,” Sven says, and runs his hand lovingly across the giant Viking commercial range—all silver-toned stainless steel. “My appliances are sacred. I also got him a bean bag chair.” Sven points toward the corner of the kitchen at an enormous, bright green bean bag.

“Wow,” I say. “That’s ugly.”

“Yeah,” Dianna says, “but Feenix will love it.” As if to prove her right, Feenix toddles over to the bean bag and pokes at it. Then he drags it across the room toward us.

“Nathcar,” he says.

“Coming right up,” Sven says, and reaches for the remote. He clicks the tv above the refrigerator to the appropriate channel. He obviously paid attention when he read BLOOD TRINITY.

“So,” I say, and raise one eyebrow at Dianna, “what does one do when one babysits?”

Dianna frowns at me. “Don’t ask me. I like to fish and ride motorcycles. You never babysat?”

“Twice,” I say. “In emergency situations like this one. I promised to keep them alive, and that’s what I did. I did not promise fun, and we didn’t have much. All my children have fur or feathers. I have no clue what to do with a ba—uh….a two-foot gargoyle”

“He seems to be doing just fine,” Sven says, and nods toward Feenix, who is happily cuddling his stuffed alligator, watching NASCAR® and sucking on the steel lug nut like a lifesaver candy. “Hey, Feenix, I thought you had an art contest going on. Got the finalists yet?”

Feenix looks at Sven, then around at Dianna, “Where’th my picthur?”

Dianna sighs. “I would have thought Evalle had explained this to him by now. The finalists will be announced on September 19th at www.MyFeenix.com.

“That’s next week,” I explain, when Feenix looks confused. He makes a happy grunting noise and goes back to his NASCAR® show.

I pull up one of the old kitchen chairs around the heavy wooden table. Dianna chooses another chair as Sven sets out human snacks and pours coffee for himself and the two of us. Clearly, he recognizes two incompetent gargoyle-sitters when he sees them, and plans to stand guard over his beloved appliances. “Hey," I say to Dianna, "Why don’t you tell everybody how this has turned into The Year of Feenix?

“It really has,” Dianna says, and grabs a carrot stick from Sven’s tray. “And I wish I'd planned it, but it was all fate. I’d intended to draw Feenix last winter, then hit on the idea of the art contest, because of having been an artist before I started writing. We set it up so that high school and adult artists could create images of Feenix for prizes—money, art supplies, and books for the artists and for school art departments and libraries. And we scheduled the announcement of finalists for September 19th.”

Feenix makes happy sounds and flutters his leathery wings as the cars in the pre-recorded race scream around the track. Dianna keeps one eye on Feenix and smiles as she sips black coffee.

“But then the next book release got moved up, right?” I munch broccoli spears with Sven's homemade ranch dressing, and watch Sven refill cups and start another pot of coffee.

“Yeah,” Dianna continues around a bite of carrot. “ALTERANT, book 2 in the Belador series, was originally scheduled to be released in November, but Pocket (the publisher) changed the date. They set it for September 27, just two weeks after the My Feenix™ Art Contest Finalists are announced. And ALTERANT starts with Feenix—so that was a really cool kind of kharma we couldn’t have planned if we’d thought of it.”

“And,” I say as I point at Dianna with a piece of celery. “You’ve got a Belador story coming out as a free e-book in the next couple of days, right?”

“Right. This week, we’ll release the free story FIRE BOUND—and Feenix has a big role in that too.” Feenix looks over at Dianna and grins. “So this is definitely your year, isn’t it, Feenix?”

“Yeth, dammit!"

"Feenix!" Dianna and I say at the same time. Sven turns toward the sink and snorts back a laugh. Evalle accidentally cursed in front of Feenix just once, and he picked right up on it. She's been trying to undo that ever since.

Feenix blinks his yellow eyes and shifts around on his bean bag. "What ith year?” He flutters his wings and Dianna rolls her eyes.

“I’ll announce the release of the free story this week on my facebook page,” Dianna says. So everybody be watching for that. Also, you can check my website for the news, too. It’s www.AuthorDiannaLove.com. And, you can read an excerpt of ALTERANT there as well."

“Looks like we’ve got a long night ahead of us,” I say. “Sven, keep the coffee coming, and make it strong.”

Here's the blurb for ALTERANT.

In this expl
osive new world of betrayals and shaky alliances, the only Alterant not incarcerated faces an impossible task -- recapture three dangerous, escaped creatures before they slaughter more humans…or her.

The way Evalle Kincaid sees it, saving mankind from total destruction should have cleared her name. But when words uttered in the heat of combat are twisted against her, she's blamed for the prison break of three dangerous Alterants. She has one chance to clear the cloud of suspicion hanging over her…for good. All she has to do is recapture the escapees. But deals with gods and goddesses are tricky at best, and now the lives of all Beladors, and the safety of innocent humans, rides on Evalle's success. The only person she can ask for help wants to see her dead.



So, Bandits and Buddies….have you ever had to babysit?

A lot of you are moms and dads, but before that, what was your first experience caring for a little one?

Did you babysit for money, or was it your younger brothers and sisters you had to care for?

Are you like Dianna and me? Did you have to work at the whole “caregiver to kids” thing? Or did it come naturally to you?

We’re going to need lots of help tonight, cuz we’re both clueless about babysitting a two-foot-tall gargoyle who can fly and breathe fire. At least Sven has lots of treats on hand. So tell us, what would you do to entertain Feenix?
(And no, letting him barbecue the Golden Rooster is not an option.)

Give us your best babysitting tips and advice, for a chance at a free book Dianna will give away as her thanks to you for staying up with us and helping babysit Feenix.


Dianna is expecting her early copies of ALTERANT any day now. So she’ll give away a copy to one person who helps us out tonight and tomorrow.

Sven, your free copy is already set aside.

95 comments:

Sheree said...

I've been taking care of little kids since I was 5.

Sheree said...

Initially, it was just my younger siblings, and then there were a lot of cousins. Thankfully, I didn't have to take care of a baby until I was 11.

In babysitting, as long as the kid is alive and in the same state of health as when the parents left, it is a success. Fun and my sanity are pluses.

Cassondra said...

Wooot! Sheree, you got the GR!

Take him someplace far away from the lair's kitchen, will you? It will avoid a serious catastrophe.

Cassondra said...

Sheree said:

I've been taking care of little kids since I was 5.

Uh...I think of age 5 as a little kid. That's really amazing. I was a "mature" little kid, but taking care of other little kids at that age...that's a whole nuther ball o' wax right there.

In babysitting, as long as the kid is alive and in the same state of health as when the parents left, it is a success. Fun and my sanity are pluses.

Ha! Precisely my philosophy. *looks smug*

Mary Preston said...

I used to babysit years ago, but since I also worked with young children I knew what to expect.

My best advice would be to keep a fire extinguisher handy & emergency services on speed dial.

Unknown said...

well done Sheree... do you need any advice babysitting GR.. just give him tim tams

Sorry can't really give you baby sitting advice as there was only 14months between me and my 2 brothers so we needed baby sitters LOL I didn't baby sit til I had my own children and we used to share with our friends to get a night out

Helen said...

Well done Sheree maybe it is a good idea taking him away from Feenix incase he roast him LOL

Dianna and Cassondra

Great post loved it

I used to babysit my sisters and also my younger cousins and we would colour in and do crafty things play games and yes watch TV to keep everyone busy so as they didn't get into too much mischef LOL.

I still baby sit a lot these days as well but these are my grandchildren and I have lots of kids DVDs and we play ball in the yard and go for walks.

I suggest some good DVDs to watch Sven has been a great help with the food to keep him occupied and maybe read him a story or two.

Have Fun
Helen

Dianna Love said...

Sheree - Congrats on getting the GR and, like Cassondra said, keep him away from the lair until we can hand Feenix back to Evalle.

you said...In babysitting, as long as the kid is alive and in the same state of health as when the parents left, it is a success.

That's what my husband and I figured the first time we kept our nieces for a few days (they were old enough to talk).

thanks for stopping by

Dianna Love said...

A big thanks to Cassondra for helping me babysit and getting this all put together. :)

Dianna Love said...

Marybelle said...
My best advice would be to keep a fire extinguisher handy & emergency services on speed dial.

LOL - I think that covers what i first think about with any babysitting - have emergency services on speed dial.

thanks for stopping by

Dianna Love said...

Barb -

We had five kids in our family so we never thought of watching each other as babysitting - just part of our duties. I bet Feenix would love tim-tams, too!

thanks for visiting today

Dianna Love said...

Hi Helen -
Ah, grandkids sound like fun babysitting. I was at a wedding this weekend of one niece and had so much fun watching all the little kids running around. They're hilarious, but it was easy to enjoy since all the parents were there to oversee them.

thanks for stopping by today

Diane said...

I used to take the kids to the park and let them wear themselves out! I don't know if that will work for a gargoyle

Dianna Love said...

Diane said...
I used to take the kids to the park and let them wear themselves out! I don't know if that will work for a gargoyle

We did something like that when we had west coast nephews visiting us on the east coast. They were something like 5 and 7 years old so we took them to the last showing (late) of the Lion King since that worked not their body clocks. I'm sure Feenix would get a hoot out of a playground...but he might eat the slide.

thanks for visiting today

Cassondra said...

Hi everyone. I'm out of the coffin, and I see the lair is still here.

Marybelle said:My best advice would be to keep a fire extinguisher handy & emergency services on speed dial.

I think that's really good advice. We did have the fire extinguishers all charged up.

hrdwrkdmom aka Dianna said...

I think you ladies need to enlist the services of Ermingarde, I think she would be able to handle Feenix quite well. He breathes fire just like she does, though she is a tad antisocial that would really work in your favor. Her cave is fire proofed and the GR won't go near it. She does have the mother instinct for protecting her eggs and all. Perhaps you could ask Nancy to speak with her since she seems to be the liason between Ermie and the world as we know it.

catslady said...

My family didn't believe much in babysitting. You watched your own kind of mentaility. My sister wouldn't let me babysit hers and she refused to help me. What is really ironic is she always said she wouldn't ever babysit and her daughter went on to have 7 kids and guess what she is doing ALL the time! Whereas I couldn't wait to be a grandmother and the plan was I was to be taking over babysitting duties for my daughter but instead of the planned on kids, she got divorced and my other daughter says she doesn't want any and is devoting her time to her art! So I take care of lots of cats including ferals and strays lol.

Cassondra said...

barb said:

Sorry can't really give you baby sitting advice as there was only 14months between me and my 2 brothers so we needed baby sitters LOL I didn't baby sit til I had my own children and we used to share with our friends to get a night out

Ha! I'm not the only one who did not babysit as a young woman. YOu did have kids of your own though, and I think parents get on the job training about taking care of little ones. No instruction manual and all that.

Cassondra said...

Helen said:

I used to babysit my sisters and also my younger cousins and we would colour in and do crafty things play games and yes watch TV to keep everyone busy so as they didn't get into too much mischef LOL.

I still baby sit a lot these days as well but these are my grandchildren and I have lots of kids DVDs and we play ball in the yard and go for walks.

I suggest some good DVDs to watch Sven has been a great help with the food to keep him occupied and maybe read him a story or two.


Oh, that's a great idea, Helen! A story! *Cassondra smacks own head* Why would I not think of a story. We have a whole library here. Hmmmm. I'm sure we've got some kids' books up there too. He'd like those, I'm guessing. Maybe Corduroy or The Velveteen Rabbit. Then again, Feenix came from rough beginnings. You think he'll still like those? Heck, I still like those stories, so why not?

Cassondra said...

aka Dianna said:

I think you ladies need to enlist the services of Ermingarde, I think she would be able to handle Feenix quite well. He breathes fire just like she does, though she is a tad antisocial that would really work in your favor. Her cave is fire proofed and the GR won't go near it. She does have the mother instinct for protecting her eggs and all. Perhaps you could ask Nancy to speak with her since she seems to be the liason between Ermie and the world as we know it.

Well, I thought about that. I really do think Ermingarde and Feenix might get along great. There is the risk, though, that if she's mislaid her glasses again, she'll see him all blurry and think he's a snack.

Or...she could see him WITH her glasses and decide he's a snack.

Either one would not be good.

I guess I could take Feenix up there with some treats to feed her. Hmmmmm.

Dianna Love said...

aka Dianna said...
...enlist the services of Ermingarde, I think she would be able to handle Feenix quite well. He breathes fire just like she does

Feenix might enjoy someone he could breathe fire around, but he'd probably do something to make her toast him.

thanks for coming by to visit

Cassondra said...

catslady said:

My family didn't believe much in babysitting. You watched your own kind of mentaility. My sister wouldn't let me babysit hers and she refused to help me. What is really ironic is she always said she wouldn't ever babysit and her daughter went on to have 7 kids and guess what she is doing ALL the time! Whereas I couldn't wait to be a grandmother and the plan was I was to be taking over babysitting duties for my daughter but instead of the planned on kids, she got divorced and my other daughter says she doesn't want any and is devoting her time to her art! So I take care of lots of cats including ferals and strays lol.

Life takes the craziest turns, doesn't it? The weird thing is that with four kids in my family, none of us has had children. So my mom has no grandchildren. I don't think that's bothered her too much though. Steve's family has asked us to babysit our two nephews only a couple of times--both times were on Valentine's Day and we had plans so we couldn't do it. (I'm like, this is what happens when you get married on Valentine's Day--you can never get a babysitter for your anniversary. What were they thinking?). We are everyone's last resort. It's kind of sad, how they just "know" we haven't a clue about taking care of little kids. We must give off a clueless vibe. :0/

At least Dianna had nieces she brought to visit, so she's a little better experienced than I am.

Dianna Love said...

catslady said...
My family didn't believe much in babysitting. You watched your own kind of mentality.

Mine, too. We grew up around families who didn't really "go out" without their kids so babysitting really didn't come up. Later on, I would take my nieces and nephews out to do something fun but I didn't look at that as babysitting so much as getting a day to see the kids.

thanks for visiting today

Donna MacMeans said...

LOL - fun post, Cassondra -

I'm the middle of five kids, so yeah - I learned how to change diapers and entertain little kids at a young age. Guess that's why I was a sought out babysitter in my teen years. My favorite trick - making fortune tellers out of squares of paper. You fold the square sheet in a certain way that yields places for four fingers to open and shut the fortune teller, exposing eight possible selections for fortunes. Fun to make and play with.

However with Feenix, I'd go with s'mores. I know Sven keeps a stash of marshmellows, chocolate and graham crackers. Feenix might not like them, but we cave-dwellers on deadline will appreciate the treat (grin).

Trubble said...

I've been babysitting since I was 8, & now have 5 grown kids & 5 grandkids under the age of 5. None have been gargoyles, though....
My advice would be to keep his treats coming, & if he gets tired of Nascar, I think I know of a movie he just might fall in love with: "Wall-E" !
Good luck! XD

-Diana/Trubble

Heather said...

Being the oldest of 5, and having a lot of younger cousins, I did alot of babysitting. Right before I turned 16 I was babysitting 3 boys (cousins). They had been drinking red kool aid all day. The youngest cried until he made himself sick....3 times! Then, the middle one ended up throwing up too! STAY AWAY FROM THE RED KOOL-AID! It doesn't clean up easily.

It was such a terrible experience, I didn't babysit again until about 10 years later, when I had my very well behaved nephew. This time the dog decided to go to the bathroom in the living room, which she never does. I had to try to take the dog outside, while wrangling a walking 1 year old, who was trying to get to the squishy fun on the floor. Being that the dog is a mastiff mix, there was plenty of fun to be had....haha! The 10 years worth of child care rust didn't stop me though.

Everyone survived! My advice, embrace the use of the television and food :) and take it all one step at a time. I have learned the hard way, expect the unexpected to happen, and expect it in multiples while babysitting.

Good Luck! Loved the post! Can't wait for more Beladors!

Cathy P said...

I started babysitting at the age of 7 when my brother was born. I did babysitting to get extra money from the age of 10 on. Never had children of my own, but have taken care of nieces, nephews, and friends children.

Cathy P said...

PS: Forgot to give babysitting advice. Make sure you watch the young ones every minute (even with eyes in the back of your head). Always play/read/color with/to them and make sure they are having a good time.

CJSnyderwriter said...

Find an old copy of Pete's Dragon :) Load up on the lugnuts and motor oil. don't let him stick his toes into the electrical sockets. Be firm and insistent when it comes to bedtime. You'll be fine :) Good luck!

Susan Sey said...

Hey, Cassondra!

Babysitting, eh? Good luck! I only like sitting my own kids because I don't have to honor anybody's rules but my own regarding what flies & what doesn't in this house. :-)

However, just in case you're desperate, here's a time honored babysitter trick: Fill the sink with warm sudsy water. Seriously. That's it. Let your little Feenix play/bathe/make a mess. No matter what gets splashed, it's only with warm sudsy water. It'll be cleaner after than before, plus you'll get half an hour to yourself.

You're welcome. :-)

Nancy said...

Sheree, congrats on the bird!

Dianna, and Feenix, welcome! Yes, Cassondra, I babysat for money. There weren't a lot of jobs available in my small hometown, and I had a regular weekly babysitting gig for a couple of years.

Can't wait to see what happens with Evalle in Alterant and Firestorm! The books are more than worth the money, but free is always nice. :-)

Nancy said...

Oh, forgot hints for keeping Feenix busy. Dragonheart with Dennisi Quaid and Sean Connery (as the dragon) might appeal to him. Or you could read him Anne McCaffrey's wonderful Dragonflight (censoring the romantic consummation if it's not appropriate for him).

He might like The Hobbit bits about Smaug, up until the point where Bard the Bowman . . . you know, never mind on that. It always makes Ermingarde huffy, and that leads to singed walls.

The boy had a wonderful book called Dragonology and a terrific picture book about why dragons left the earth (but I don't remember the name).

He might like Naomi Novik's Temeraire series about dragons during the Napoleonic Wars.

Good luck . . .

Dianna Love said...

Donna said...
However with Feenix, I'd go with s'mores. I know Sven keeps a stash of marshmellows, chocolate and graham crackers. Feenix might not like them, but we cave-dwellers on deadline will appreciate the treat (grin)

Ha! Feenix would love those, but Evalle doesn't like to give him chocolate because it gives him bad gas. ;) I love the trick about using paper to do the fortune telling. Clever.

thanks for visiting today

Na said...

Distracting kids is so important in babysitting. Their attention span is very short and before you know it theyre inching along looking for trouble. Colouring books/blank sheets of papers and crayons are a great way to keep them occupied, sitting in one sport, while allowing their creative juices to flow. Doubly helpful is to have a great movie playing.

~Na

Dianna Love said...

Trubble said...
My advice would be to keep his treats coming, & if he gets tired of Nascar, I think I know of a movie he just might fall in love with: "Wall-E" !

Good idea, Trubble! I didn't think about a movie. We have plenty of NASCAR to keep him busy for a while, but after that it'll be anything shiny and silver.

thanks for the suggestion

Dianna Love said...

Heather said...
Then, the middle one ended up throwing up too! STAY AWAY FROM THE RED KOOL-AID! It doesn't clean up easily.
It was such a terrible experience, I didn't babysit again until about 10 years later, when I had my very well behaved nephew. This time the dog decided to go to the bathroom in the living room, which she never does. I had to try to take the dog outside, while wrangling a walking 1 year old, who was trying to get to the squishy fun on the floor. Being that the dog is a mastiff mix, there was plenty of fun to be had....haha! The 10 years worth of child care rust didn't stop me though.


wow, Heather - that would be enough to scare me off of babysitting as a kid. You must have the patience of Job to get through all that. Thanks for good wishes on the Beladors and for stopping by today.

Dianna Love said...

Cathy P said...
I started babysitting at the age of 7 when my brother was born. I did babysitting to get extra money from the age of 10 on. Never had children of my own, but have taken care of nieces, nephews, and friends children.

We didn't have kids either, Cathy, which is why I think most of the family decided to wait until the kids could talk in full sentences before leaving them with us. I was next to the oldest of five so I had plenty of 'watching over the other kids' time while growing up too.

thanks for stopping by today

Dianna Love said...

CJSnyderwriter said...
Find an old copy of Pete's Dragon :) Load up on the lugnuts and motor oil. don't let him stick his toes into the electrical sockets. Be firm and insistent when it comes to bedtime. You'll be fine :) Good luck!

I'll have to ask Evalle what she reads to Feenix - good suggestion about Pete's Dragon. Good thing Sven has us stocked up on lugnuts today - but then I can understand Sven's motivation in protecting this beautiful kitchen that's covered in stainless steel.

thanks for coming out to visit

Dianna Love said...

Susan Sey said...
However, just in case you're desperate, here's a time honored babysitter trick: Fill the sink with warm sudsy water. Seriously. That's it. Let your little Feenix play/bathe/make a mess. No matter what gets splashed, it's only with warm sudsy water. It'll be cleaner after than before, plus you'll get half an hour to yourself.

That might be very entertaining, Susan, and a good safety back up in case Feenix gets excited and blows fire through his nose. Good point about it being easier to clean up later...always a consideration with a gargoyle. I wonder if Evalle has any floaty toys or just the stuffed alligator for him.

thanks for coming by today

Dianna Love said...

Nancy said...
Dragonheart with Dennisi Quaid and Sean Connery (as the dragon) might appeal to him. Or you could read him Anne McCaffrey's wonderful Dragonflight (censoring the romantic consummation if it's not appropriate for him).

I didn't think about that one, Nancy. I wouldn't mind watching that one with him. We'll just put our hands over his eyes when the sexy part comes along. I leave Evalle to figure out how to explain all that to a gargoyle.

Thanks for the good wishes on the books and for stopping by (yes, free is good - FIRE BOUND will be out this week).

Dianna Love said...

Na said...
Distracting kids is so important in babysitting. Their attention span is very short and before you know it theyre inching along looking for trouble.

You're so right, Na. We can't turn our backs on Feenix for fear of what he'll get into. Evalle came home one day and found him in the kitchen...eating the last of her new pots and pans. The lair would lose every piece of armor and a bunch of the shields if we didn't keep him close. :)

thanks for visiting today

Nancy said...

Dianna wrote: I leave Evalle to figure out how to explain all that to a gargoyle.

I always prefer letting someone else explain that!

Kaelin said...

I have been taking care of kids all of my life and babysitting since I was 11. The best things to do are: Keep them entertained, (if Feenix likes NASCAR and it goes off - try monster trucks or tractor pulls. They both are big metal vehicles. ^_^); ALWAYS keep your eyes on them; Monitor what they eat and drink - too much of a good thing leads to stomache aches and worst. You do not want to clean up after a sick gargoyle!; Be prepared to answer all questions if possible, because at some point they will always want to talk to you, (they have a built in "Let's see if I can drive the adult crazy with every question I can think of! And if that doesn't work then I'll ask 'why' after everything they say!"); AND NEVER EVER LOSE their favorite "Must Have" object - in Feenix's case, his stuffed alligator.

Now for your own piece of mind: Remember - they are NOT yours! They will go back to their parents &/or owners at some point!!! When you hit that point of wanting to strangle the child keep repeating: "It's only for a little while - I CAN do this!!!"

Oh, also, after the child is gone - feel free to bring out the alochol and celebrate that the child is not yours! ^_^

Now have fun!!!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Okay, I've babysat for some little demons in my time, but none quite like Feenix, you two! LOL

The nuts and bolts reminds me of how my parents used to babysit my son.

Eric is a talker, always has been. He loves to talk to people, even when he was younger. And he's the rare kind of talker who actually LOVES to listen to people. But that's a skill he developed when he was a little older than when this story takes place.

He was 3 or 4 and got to spend the day with Nan and Grandpa Charlie, (my mom and dad). Grandpa Charlie had a wood working shop on one side of the basement. On the other side was Nan's ironing central. (The woman loves to iron and work out the problems of the world!)

So Eric and Grandpa Charlie went down to the wood working shop, while Nan was ironing. Grandpa Charlie helped Eric onto the high barstool at the counter and gave him his first job to do. He had a mason jar full of nuts and bolts all screwed together. Eric had to unscrew the nuts and bolts and put the nuts in another jar and the bolts in a third jar.

The whole time he's doing this, he's just talking away. Grandpa Charlie, who was busy working on a piece of furniture close by would nod or say "you don't say" at intervals. (He'd turned his hearing aid off!)

Nan was ironing and chuckling as the hour passed.

Then Eric had a secon job. He had to sand a piece of wood with a piece of sand paper. More talking and nodding insued.

Finally, when their "jobs" were finished, they'd have lunch then go play ball in the back yard.

Now here's the best part. As soon as I'd pick up Eric, Grandpa Charlie would go back down to the workshop and rescrew all those bolts and nuts together. All ready for Eric's next "work day".

Isn't that great?

Cassondra said...

Diane said:

I used to take the kids to the park and let them wear themselves out! I don't know if that will work for a gargoyle

That's a really good idea, actually. We could probably try that after dark, when people couldn't see him so well. In the daylight...maybe not. *grin*

Cassondra said...

Donna MacMeans said:

However with Feenix, I'd go with s'mores. I know Sven keeps a stash of marshmellows, chocolate and graham crackers. Feenix might not like them, but we cave-dwellers on deadline will appreciate the treat (grin).

Ha! I sense an ulterior motive here. And chocolate and Feenix...those don't mix. Chocolate causes...well...I'll let you read the book to figure it out rather than say it out loud here, but it's not pleasant when Feenix has chocolate.

Cassondra said...

Trubble said:

I've been babysitting since I was 8, & now have 5 grown kids & 5 grandkids under the age of 5. None have been gargoyles, though....
My advice would be to keep his treats coming, & if he gets tired of Nascar, I think I know of a movie he just might fall in love with: "Wall-E" !


Wow, you do have babysitting experience! Yes, we'll make sure we keep the treats handy. Hmmm. I've never heard Evalle mention movies, but I bet Feenix would like that one.

Cassondra said...

Heather said:

Being the oldest of 5, and having a lot of younger cousins, I did alot of babysitting. Right before I turned 16 I was babysitting 3 boys (cousins). They had been drinking red kool aid all day. The youngest cried until he made himself sick....3 times! Then, the middle one ended up throwing up too! STAY AWAY FROM THE RED KOOL-AID! It doesn't clean up easily.

Okay, noted. No red Koolaid for Feenix. And that sounds really awful. Blech.



Everyone survived! My advice, embrace the use of the television and food :) and take it all one step at a time. I have learned the hard way, expect the unexpected to happen, and expect it in multiples while babysitting.



Okey dokey then. I plan heavy television use throughout the day (although he dozed off a little while ago). As to the unexpected..hmmmm. Maybe we should call in extra gladiators?

Cassondra said...

Cathy P said:

I started babysitting at the age of 7 when my brother was born. I did babysitting to get extra money from the age of 10 on. Never had children of my own, but have taken care of nieces, nephews, and friends children.

Now see there? People seem to know a "kid" person when they see one coming...and as for me...they know better without even having to ask. Not sure why I give off "I don't babysit" vibes...maybe it's my coffin-sleeping tendencies. And here Dianna is, a daywalker, and SHE is the one writing paranormal fiction. That all seems a little backwards, doesn't it? *raises eyebrow*

Cassondra said...

Cathy P said:

PS: Forgot to give babysitting advice. Make sure you watch the young ones every minute (even with eyes in the back of your head). Always play/read/color with/to them and make sure they are having a good time.

I will watch them every minute, as the two experiences in my past have taught me that if you turn your back for two seconds, they go straight for whatever will kill them the quickest--like the power strip full of extension cords. (ask me how I know THAT one--and no, the kid did not make it to the power srip).

However, I guarantee no fun. That's not in my contract. *grin*

Cassondra said...

CJ Snyderwriter said:

...Be firm and insistent when it comes to bedtime. You'll be fine :) Good luck!

What is it with kids and bedtime...it seems universal. They don't wanna go, no matter how tired they are.

Cassondra said...

Susan Sey said:

However, just in case you're desperate, here's a time honored babysitter trick: Fill the sink with warm sudsy water. Seriously. That's it. Let your little Feenix play/bathe/make a mess. No matter what gets splashed, it's only with warm sudsy water. It'll be cleaner after than before, plus you'll get half an hour to yourself.


Ohhhhh! THAT is a good idea! I can see that working. When I was a kid, I loved to splash in the bubbles more than anything.

Thanks!

Cassondra said...

Nancy said:



He might like The Hobbit bits about Smaug, up until the point where Bard the Bowman . . . you know, never mind on that. It always makes Ermingarde huffy, and that leads to singed walls.


Ha! Yeah, probably not that story.

The boy had a wonderful book called Dragonology and a terrific picture book about why dragons left the earth (but I don't remember the name).

He might like Naomi Novik's Temeraire series about dragons during the Napoleonic Wars.

Good luck . . .


Thanks! So far so good, but I don't hold out hope that we'll get through the rest of the day without incident. It's a little better since Sheree has the GR out of here. Less temptation.

Cassondra said...

Na said:

Distracting kids is so important in babysitting. Their attention span is very short and before you know it theyre inching along looking for trouble. Colouring books/blank sheets of papers and crayons are a great way to keep them occupied, sitting in one sport, while allowing their creative juices to flow. Doubly helpful is to have a great movie playing.

What is it about that...looking for trouble...that's the thing with kids and dogs. You look away and they're going for the worst possible thing. I've never figured that out.

Nancy said...

Suz, your Grandpa Charlie was a genius!

Cassondra said...

Kaelin said:

I have been taking care of kids all of my life and babysitting since I was 11. The best things to do are: Keep them entertained, (if Feenix likes NASCAR and it goes off - try monster trucks or tractor pulls. They both are big metal vehicles. ^_^);

Oh! I bet Evalle hasn't let Feenix watch trucks and tractors! Ha! We'll get him addicted to a new show. She'll kill us. *grin*

You do not want to clean up after a sick gargoyle!;

Oh, you are SO right about that.

... AND NEVER EVER LOSE their favorite "Must Have" object - in Feenix's case, his stuffed alligator.

Absolutely not. The alligator cannot be misplaced. Got it.

Now for your own piece of mind: Remember - they are NOT yours! They will go back to their parents &/or owners at some point!!! When you hit that point of wanting to strangle the child keep repeating: "It's only for a little while - I CAN do this!!!"

Okay, got it. Although I do really like Feenix a lot...I can see that sleep would be necessary at some point.

Oh, also, after the child is gone - feel free to bring out the alochol and celebrate that the child is not yours! ^_^

Amen, sistah! AMEN!

Cassondra said...

Suzanne Ferrell said:

Now here's the best part. As soon as I'd pick up Eric, Grandpa Charlie would go back down to the workshop and rescrew all those bolts and nuts together. All ready for Eric's next "work day".

Isn't that great?


Omygosh, that's PERFECT! Clearly Grandpa Charlie understood kids and how to maintain patience with the constant chatter. No wonder you turned out so well!

Dianna Love said...

Kaelin said...
The best things to do are: Keep them entertained, (if Feenix likes NASCAR and it goes off - try monster trucks or tractor pulls. They both are big metal vehicles.

Oh, I bet Feenix would love that. I'll have to pass that along to Evalle. :)

Kaelin also said...
Oh, also, after the child is gone - feel free to bring out the alochol and celebrate that the child is not yours! ^_^

Actually, Cassondra and I will be enjoying wine after I drop Feenix off with Evalle. ;)

thanks for coming by

Dianna Love said...

Suzanne F said...
Finally, when their "jobs" were finished, they'd have lunch then go play ball in the back yard.
Now here's the best part. As soon as I'd pick up Eric, Grandpa Charlie would go back down to the workshop and rescrew all those bolts and nuts together. All ready for Eric's next "work day".

LOL - you're Grandpa was brilliant, Suzanne. I need to remember that in the future. It probably wouldn't work with a gargoyle that eats lug nuts, but we can apply that same logic to something else... just have to figure what. :)

thanks for stopping by

jo robertson said...

Hilarious post, Cassondra! Welcome, Dianna!

Ironically, cause I have so many kids, I never babysat before I had my own children!

I'm so exhausted from watching you two harness Feenix, I think I'll go have some peetha!

Nancy said...

Hrdwrkdmom Dianna said I think you ladies need to enlist the services of Ermingarde, I think she would be able to handle Feenix quite well. He breathes fire just like she does, though she is a tad antisocial that would really work in your favor. Her cave is fire proofed and the GR won't go near it. She does have the mother instinct for protecting her eggs and all. Perhaps you could ask Nancy to speak with her since she seems to be the liason between Ermie and the world as we know it.

Dianna, these are all excellent points. I think Ermingarde has improved lately, at least enough to talk, instead of just grunt or spurt flame, at almost everyone in the Lair. Not Paolo, though. Poor guy.

But Ermingarde could keep Feenix in line.

Maybe. :-)

sxyldy said...

I used to babysit my cousins as I was growing up. I was about 12 and they were very much younger than me. One was a baby.... I loved it. 3 boys (ok 2) could get in lots of trouble. Just keep him busy and tire him out, so you can still get in some rest time....LOL You are definately going to need it!!!

Dianna Love said...

Jo said...
I'm so exhausted from watching you two harness Feenix, I think I'll go have some peetha!

Actually, I dont' think you could pick two people who know less about kids. ;)

thanks for stopping by

Dianna Love said...

sxyldy...
Just keep him busy and tire him out, so you can still get in some rest time....LOL You are definately going to need it!!!

ha! I think we're the ones who are getting worn down by him. Feenix is nonstop energy. ;)

thanks for coming out to visit.

Dianna Love said...

I'm jumping off for a bit to go grab dinner with the hubby. If I don't get back here tonight I'll swing by very early in the morning...when Feenix is back with Evalle.

thanks a bunch for helping today, Cassiondra! and thanks to all of you who came out with suggestions. So nice to know there's a support team for this kind of thing.

Oh, and Sven, hugs and kisses...as always, you're wonderful. :)

Pat Cochran said...

Have I ever! I began helping with my
sibs at age 5 and continued until HS graduation. I entered nursing school
where I trained for professional care-
giving. From there, it was hospitals
with more caregiving. I married in my
20s and we started our family early.
It was then into caring for our four
plus, through the schools, 25 years
of caring for other parent's kids.
Next step was caring for our mothers
seguing into daycare for our grandkids as they came along. (a total of 10) It
has moved onto occasional babysitting
with the grandkids over the past few
years. It has been approximately 60+
years in caregiving experiences!

I'd entertain Feenix by pairing him
with youngest (3 y/o) grandson Jude.
Jude is an avid Nascar fan who dearly
loves his "Junior" cars! (Dale Jr.,
that is!)

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Hey, Cassondra! Hey Dianna! Hey Feenix! Grins.

I've been doing a lot of babysitting, for a long time. Grins.

Had to LOL Sheree about your statement: In babysitting, as long as the kid is alive and in the same state of health as when the parents left, it is a success. Fun and my sanity are pluses

Snork! That's too funny.

Congrats on nabbing that infernal rooster, btw.

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Marybelle said: My best advice would be to keep a fire extinguisher handy & emergency services on speed dial.

OMGOsh! I really must have good kids. I don't think my babysitters feel the need for a fire extinguisher.

That might be really, REALLY handy for Feenix though.

*looks thoughtful* Cassondra, I'm pretty sure that Sven has several extinguishers around here...

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Dianna said: I'm sure Feenix would get a hoot out of a playground...but he might eat the slide.

Take him with my kids. They'll keep him too busy. Besides, they'll love that stuffed alligator. My youngest has one a lot like it. They could compare notes. (They're equally adept at getting into mischief too.)

Cassondra said...

sxyldy said:

Just keep him busy and tire him out, so you can still get in some rest time....LOL You are definately going to need it!!!

You are so right! I'm already worn out and ready for wine and a bubble bath.

Cassondra said...

Jo said:

Ironically, cause I have so many kids, I never babysat before I had my own children!

In other words, you had no clue what you were getting into! Ha! *grin*

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Cassondra said: Maybe Corduroy or The Velveteen Rabbit. Then again, Feenix came from rough beginnings. You think he'll still like those? Heck, I still like those stories, so why not?

Ummm, maybe some Brothers Grimm instead? Or would that rile him up too much....he'd recognize some of those folks a littttttle too clearly.

Cassondra said...

Pat Cochran said:

I'd entertain Feenix by pairing him
with youngest (3 y/o) grandson Jude.
Jude is an avid Nascar fan who dearly
loves his "Junior" cars! (Dale Jr.,
that is!)


Oh, now what a GREAT idea! I never even thought of hitting up the grandmothers in the lair, to see if Feenix could play with their kids. I'd get a little worried if they startled him though...the whole breathing fire thing...

Cassondra said...

Jeanne said:

Had to LOL Sheree about your statement: In babysitting, as long as the kid is alive and in the same state of health as when the parents left, it is a success. Fun and my sanity are pluses

Snork! That's too funny.


What? I don't find that particularly funny. That seems totally practical to me, and is, in fact, my precise philosophy. *looks alternately smug and sheepish*

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Donna said: However with Feenix, I'd go with s'mores. I know Sven keeps a stash of marshmellows, chocolate and graham crackers. Feenix might not like them, but we cave-dwellers on deadline will appreciate the treat (grin).

Ohhh, GREAT idea, Donna! *sniffs appreciatively* I think he heard you.

How does he DO that???

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Trubble, I'm snorking about the red Kool-Aid - but in sympathy. If they're younger than 5, don't feed 'em anything red if they're feeling bad. Bleeeech.

And Heather, total *wince* on the squishy stuff. eeek!

CJSnyder, I LOVED Pete's Dragon! Wonderful story. Bet Feenix would like it too.

Tami Brothers said...

Wow! You definitely have your hands full. My best babysitting tip is to play games. This will wear YOU flat out, so I also suggest recruiting the neighborhood kids. Then again, with Feenix, you might want to make sure the neighborhood kids don't corrupt him. :)

I think this series is awesome! Really looking forward to the free read and the new release.


Great job Dianna and Sherri on the books and great job Cassondra on a fun story that stopped me dead when I was browsing the long list of blogs via my Google Reader.

Tami

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Susan Sey said: Fill the sink with warm sudsy water. Seriously. That's it. Let your little Feenix play/bathe/make a mess. No matter what gets splashed, it's only with warm sudsy water. It'll be cleaner after than before, plus you'll get half an hour to yourself.

You're welcome. :-)


Oh, that's a good one, Susan. This also works really well with the bathtub, although you do have to be careful once they learn how to turn on the taps by themselves. Grins.

Can you say Overflow Drain?

Grins.

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Nancy said: He might like The Hobbit bits about Smaug, up until the point where Bard the Bowman . . . you know, never mind on that. It always makes Ermingarde huffy, and that leads to singed walls.

Ahhhhh! Okay, I wondered why she did that. Nice patterns where she smoked that set of spears (disentigrating the poles, of course), but still....hard to clean.

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Kaelin said: Oh, also, after the child is gone - feel free to bring out the alcohol and celebrate that the child is not yours! ^_^


Hahahah!

OMGosh, I'm snorking Diet Coke. Sorry.

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Jo said: I'm so exhausted from watching you two harness Feenix, I think I'll go have some peetha!


SNORK!! *thinks about it* Actually, that's not a bad idea. And since those wonderful S'mores cookies Sven made won't be going to Feenix....yeah, DESERT!!! WOOT!

(I'm thinking we really do NOT want a gaseous gargoyle running amok in the Lair - or getting anywhere near the torches, or Ermingarde.)

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Cassondra said: What? I don't find that particularly funny. That seems totally practical to me, and is, in fact, my precise philosophy. *looks alternately smug and sheepish*

Hahaha! See, this is the Parent's Big Secret.

Most of us are pretty much flyin' by the seat of our pants when it comes to the kids, and really, if nobody bleeds, and nothing's on fire, you count yourself lucky.

If you can manage several days, weeks or months of that, you begin to congratulate yourself on being a fairly decent parent.

Unless you're at the ER for something besides blood or fire. Grins.

Unless, like Pat and Sheree and several others, and you started with lots of sibs and cousins, you got NO CLUE.

Seriously. (We just try to look all-knowing and wise about parenting, but we're fakin' the whollllle thing.)

And that Dirty Jobs program might interest Feenix too! Or American Chopper - altho that might give him too many ideas about how to disassemble things...

Cassondra said...

Tami Brothers said:

Wow! You definitely have your hands full. My best babysitting tip is to play games. This will wear YOU flat out, so I also suggest recruiting the neighborhood kids. Then again, with Feenix, you might want to make sure the neighborhood kids don't corrupt him. :)

I think this series is awesome! Really looking forward to the free read and the new release.


Great job Dianna and Sherri on the books and great job Cassondra on a fun story that stopped me dead when I was browsing the long list of blogs via my Google Reader.


Aw, thanks! I'm so glad you stopped by...and as to the neighborhood kids..yeah, I'm guessing a bunch of kids and Feenix could get into serious trouble. They'd find out he could fly and breathe fire, and they'd start planning all kinds of things to get him into. Then they'd run and let poor little Feenix take the blame!

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Cassondra said: They'd find out he could fly and breathe fire, and they'd start planning all kinds of things to get him into. Then they'd run and let poor little Feenix take the blame!

Hahaha! Or be smart enough to figure out how to use all that stuff for fun and NOT get caught.

C'mon, you and I would have had SO much fun with Feenix if we were kids, and we would NEVER have gotten caught....snork!

Cassondra said...

Jeanne said:

C'mon, you and I would have had SO much fun with Feenix if we were kids, and we would NEVER have gotten caught....snork!

I wish! I wasn't the type to do mean stuff. I would have more likely taken the fall for Feenix if I'd known he got in trouble and didn't mean to. Actually I've always wished I'd been a little less of a "pleaser" (I was the good girl) and more of a 'screw it let's go for it" kind of girl--I think life might be a little easier now in the creative work--and a whole lot more fun THEN. *grin*

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Cassondra: I wish! I wasn't the type to do mean stuff.

Neither wass I. I wasn't talking about mean stuff. I was talking about fun stuff. I mean...he can fly.

Grins.

LilMissMolly said...

I was 12 when I first babysat. I use to love to read them to sleep and put them to bed early. :)

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cassondra said...

LilMIssMolly said:

I was 12 when I first babysat. I use to love to read them to sleep and put them to bed early. :)

Putting them to bed early sounds like a good idea.

It's almost time to send Feenix home! Honestly, he's been very sweet, and we've had a good time with him.

Cassondra said...

Thank you to everyone for your ideas and for helping us babysit Feenix today!

And huge thanks to Dianna for spending her day with us in the lair.

See y'all tomorrow. Time for Feenix to go back to Evalle soon.

Dianna Love said...

Pat said...
I'd entertain Feenix by pairing him
with youngest (3 y/o) grandson Jude.
Jude is an avid Nascar fan who dearly
loves his "Junior" cars! (Dale Jr.,
that is!)

I passed that along to Evalle when I dropped off Feenix. She gave me a look like "you think I want TWO little people to keep up with?" ;) Evalle has about as many mothering genes as me and Cassondra, but woe to the person who harms Feenix.

thanks for visiting the blog

Dianna Love said...

Jeanne said...
Take him with my kids. They'll keep him too busy. Besides, they'll love that stuffed alligator. My youngest has one a lot like it. They could compare notes. (They're equally adept at getting into mischief too.)

(waving at you!) We really need you down here to help out, Jeanne. You never seem frazzled with all the kid stuff you have going on...even while writing great books. :) thanks for hanging out with us. Sorry I had to jump off before you got here last night.

Dianna Love said...

Tami said...
Great job Dianna and Sherri on the books and great job Cassondra on a fun story that stopped me dead when I was browsing the long list of blogs via my Google Reader.


Thanks, Tami. :) Cassondra is so creative it's scary, in a good way. For those who don't know, Tami is part of the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales blog that I visit in addition to stopping by the lair any time I can.

thanks for coming by

Dianna Love said...

LilMissMolly said...
I was 12 when I first babysat. I use to love to read them to sleep and put them to bed early. :)

You sound like someone who was good at it, LilMissMolly. If we'd had more notice with Feenix we could have called in some recruits from here like you. :)

thanks for stopping by

Dianna Love said...

I so love visiting the lair and Cassondra is always ready to help even when I stop by with a pet gargoyle. Feenix had a great time at the lair and wants to come back. He loved the bucket of lug nuts Sven brought in. Evalle appreciated the Banditos taking such good care of him (I think she was glad that I went for help since she knows I'm pretty clueless on this).

thanks a bunch and have a great week!