Goldfish, Fireflies, and Kittens, Oh My!

It's been a fun filled week for NBO.

Earlier this week, a neighbor kindly asked if we wanted to come over and see their new kittens. NBO were thrilled. The kittens were adorable. The neighbors, who have a beautiful, immaculate, antique filled home, were terrified.

Oh, sure, they can deal with kittens.

But kittens stay in their little box in the bathroom.

NBO do not.

Once our neighbors had locked us in the bathroom with the kittens, set us up for our little visit, B asked where the baby kittens came from. And how they got there. And how they got out. And I thanked God for our neighbor, who taught small children for many years and has the whole I'm-making-you-think-I'm-answering-your-question-but-I'm-really-not thing down to an exact science.

I think I'm going to ask her to give me lessons.

20 minutes and many "Be carefuls", "Watch out for thats", and Please don't touch that honeys" later, we left.

And I'm pretty sure I heard the door lock behind us.



This morning, I looked into our fish tank and saw something...amiss. We have had fish for a year and a half. N feeds them. Jimmy helps clean the filter. I try to make sure that my involvement is limited to a daily check to make sure the fish are still alive, so that if they are not, I can offer them a respectful burial down the toilet at sea, before going to the pet store to buy replacement fish of the same size and color. Jimmy and B also have frequent conversations about eating the goldfish for dinner, and while I think they're joking, you can really never be sure around here, so it's a good idea to check. So this morning, it appeared that one fish had been impaled by what a thought was a small plastic sword--as odd as they may sound, it is definitely within the realm of possibility in our house. But as I looked closer, I realized that the object wasn't a sword. And whatever "it" was appeared to have little pearl like objects on it. The goldfish appeared to be laying eggs. Of course, I had to Google what goldfish ovulation actually entails to see if that's what was really happening, and Google confirmed it for me. I marveled that such an amazing and absolutely disgusting process was taking place in our very own fish tank.

Google also told me to be on the look-out for a "milky white substance", since the eggs still need to be fertilized to turn into actual babies.  What kind of mother would I be if I didn't use this wonderful teaching opportunity to explain to my children how goldfish eggs are fertilized? I'll tell you what kind. The kind that keeps my sanity. No talk of milky white substances here. "Look kids! Eggs! Maybe they'll be babies. And maybe they won't. Speaking of eggs, it's time for breakfast!"

I should tell you that I believe that life continues to present the same lesson over and over again until we learn it. I should also tell you that sometimes this really pisses me off. I mean, if I didn't want to learn it the first or second time, why would I want to learn it the third time? Kind of like high school geometry.

Anyway, tonight we were playing outside and watching the fireflies. We caught a few, and let them go, and then I stumbled upon one in the grass and picked it up. I noticed it because it was lighting up alot. And then I realized, as N stared at it, that it wasn't one firefly. It was two. In fact they were both lighting up a lot. I don't know much about fireflies. But if I had to guess, I would say that they light up when they're really, really, happy. Or, maybe they light up the same time some people do--just after they've been very very happy.

N looked at them and said "Look mom! Two! Cool!"

"Wow!" I agreed that was really cool. "Who knew fireflies gave each other piggy back rides?"

She looked at me and rolled her eyes.

"I think they're probably mating, mom. I've heard that when some animals mate, they actually get on top of each other. Isn't that funny?"

I try to ignore the fact that my seven-year-old is talking to me about mating fireflies. Why couldn't she have just humored me and gone with my piggy back ride scenario?

N is looking at the fire flies more closely.

"Wow mom! There aren't two! Look, there are three! Cool!"

Sure enough, there are three.

"Mom, I wonder why three are together like that?"

Well, honey, I guess because some fireflies just have an adventurous streak.

Wow, look at those little lights go.