A CNN Breaking News Story

We interrupt this blog to bring you breaking news from Charlotte's Noteworthy News:

Stay tuned for more information!!!

A Lesson In Dutch Culture

Last month, Mommy and I invited Amy, Big Jim, Avery and Evan to visit Dutch Wonderland with us. It is a great local amusement park with lots of rides for little kids like us. I was SO excited for a day of rides, food and fun.

Little did I know that Professor Big Jim would take the opportunity to teach us all about Dutch culture.

He had so much fun telling us about the Netherlands that we didn't mention to him that the Pennsylvania Dutch are actually descendants of German immigrants. He was having too much fun 'educating' us about the other kind of Dutch!!!


When we first arrived, we stood at the measuring post to see what rides we were tall enough for - Big Jim said that this kind of measuring tool is very common in Holland, and that they appear on every street corner.












We drove fun boats - Big Jim informed us that boats are a main form of transportation for the Dutch since their country borders the North Sea.



Big Jim and Evan had fun driving their very own Dutch boat shaped like a log.


Monster trucks are very popular in the Netherlands. They are used to drive between the windmills.


Holland is famous for its cheese, so of course milking the cow to get their special Dutch milk is an important job.


For those families who can't afford a monster truck, a horse and buggy is the next best thing!!!



We worked up quite the appetite learning about the Dutch, so Big Jim and Mommy stood in a loooong line for the yummy Dutch cuisine of pizza, sandwiches and macaroni bites!


Since the Netherlands is a very flat country, they build slides all over the country to give kids the chance to experience the fun of a hill.

I chose not to experience this part of Dutch culture. Mommy was not upset with my choice.


You thought Venice was the place to go for a gondola ride? You're wrong!!! The Netherlands is the place to go!!

Notice the orange seats. Big Jim had a very fun nugget of info - he asked if we knew why Dutch athletes many times wear orange when there is no orange in their flag? He told us that originally the flag did have orange, for William of Orange, but the orange dye turned red when left outside, so it was eventually changed to red. Sorry about that, William of Orange!! At least the athletes still pay tribute to you!!


Next we were off to Duke's Lagoon. Duke is a very famous dragon in Dutch legend. He would leave little gifts for children when they left out their clogs at night. They were usually gifts that involved water.


More slides to entertain the mountain-challenged citizens.


I'm not sure if this is a traditional Dutch pose, but it sure did make me laugh!!


Learning about Dutch culture is VERY tiring!!


















As always, we had a BLAST with Professor Big Jim, Amy, Avery and Evan (who is my knight in shining armor!!)

***While Professor Big Jim did share lots of educational stories about the Netherlands with us, some of the stories told in this blog entry might have been embellished a bit. After all, this trip was over a month ago, and we might not have paid as close attention as we should have. We love you, Professor Big Jim :)

Dancey Dancey School

This morning I went to my very first "dancey dancey" class!

I was so excited that I didn't even hold it against Mommy when she dressed me in a leotard, tights and ballet shoes that were just TOO big for me (she swears that she looked everywhere for smaller sizes, but I'm sure she could have searched a little bit longer...)



After getting over the shock of having elephant ankles and knees, we drove through the deluge known as Tropical Storm Hanna to get to the studio. We were informed that the first part of class would be tap, so I had to change into my brand new "loud" shoes.









Like a good dancer, I got onto my mat in the circle and listened to the teacher as she tried to teach us to tap our sticks to the beat of the music.

(That's me to the left of the girl in the blue - I made sure that Mommy knew that Jules wasn't following the rule of wearing a black leotard and pink tights to class. I may be a graceful ballerina now, but that doesn't mean I am stepping down as policegirl of the preschool world.)


I didn't want to make too much noise (contrary to my singing philosophy) - notice that I am the only dancer still on my mat.


Miss Melanie finally convinced me to tap onto the loud floor - of course I only agreed when she told me I could hold her hand and lead the girls one way around the circle.



Whew!! Loud tap time is over, hand me my "dancey dancey" ballet shoes!!

Simba who?? I got to wear the lovely lion mask during our animal dance. Of course everyone thought I was just a regular lion - little did they know I was a lady Nittany Lion!!


Policegirl Charlotte here again, making sure all the girls stayed in line while waiting to do our animal crawls.


Have you ever seen a better monkey crawl in your life?? Quick - throw me a banana!


Class ended with my favorite - the scarf dance. I twirled and twirled until I couldn't twirl anymore...

I had a blast at my first "dancey dancey" class. I can't wait to go back next week!!

After class we went home, had lunch, then left for the York Fair to see the Doodlebops Live!! I didn't even notice the tropical storm falling all around us at the outdoor event...Mommy says she is still recovering from the day, so she'll post the Doodlebop pictures another time. Stay tuned!

Back To School - Honey Bear Style

Today was a big day at our house!

I started school in the Honey Bear room - no more Pooh Bears for me!! I strapped on my trusty backpack (one that is MUCH cooler than Dora's!!) and made my way to school with Mommy. Mommy is teaching two middle school classes this year, so I get to spend a few hours with my boys in the Honey Bear room. That's right - I'm the only girl once again, which means that I am the Queen Honey Bear :)


When Mommy picked me up, I was fast asleep on my mat. I had forgotten how tiring it is being at school! While I was snoozing, my new teacher Maia said that I had a WONDERFUL day. I even got a special sticker for being such a good helper during clean-up time. I had fun playing dress up and participating in art time, I ate all my lunch, and I made sure that Maia knew when the boys weren't following the rules. In all, it was a very successful inaugural Honey Bear day!

PS - If you like reminiscing (like my Mommy does), check out the blog entry about my first day of school last year. You can see how much I've grown in a year! Just click the link below:

http://charlottesweblink.blogspot.com/2007/08/first-day-of-school.html