Today is Family Day

Chance  (left) and Frankie (centre) and me (Charles) love to play Snakes and Ladders.

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! Oh. Wait! Frankie lives with us, too!

Know what? Today is a holiday. It's Family Day. I know what a family is. It's us! Our family is me and Chance and Frankie and Grandpa James. We all live together in a nice house on Sparkle Road. That's in Olde Sandwich Towne. Olde Sandwich Towne is in Windsor. I know where Windsor is. Windsor is in O Canada.

We got aunties and uncles and nanas and gramps, too!

I don't have to go to the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre today. We get to stay home and play! We play Snakes & Ladders. Frankie rolled a five. He's gonna move his marker five spaces. I help him count to five. That's easy! One! Two! Three! Four! Five! I have to help Chance count and move his marker for him. Chance is so newborn he tries to lick his yellow marker. I have to say, "My son! Take that out of your mouth! You can't eat yellow markers, my son! Yellow markers aren't in Canada's Food Guide."

Know what's in Canada's Food Guide? Gingerbread persons. We're gonna bake some gingerbread persons today.  I love to bake them. I love to eat them, too! I'm a very good cook. Grandpa James says I'm the Minister of Stirring. Chance is too newborn to help but he thinks he's helping. Grandpa James says Chance is the Deputy Mini-Stir of Stirring. Frankie is a good helper. Frankie is the Bearon of Baking, you know.

 Chance has red mittens. He wears them his red mittens all day long. He wears his red mittens at night when he sleeps, too. Chance is so newborn he thinks if he wears red mittens it will snow. I have red mittens, you know. I only wear my  mittens when I go outside to play in the snow. Frankie has red mittens, too.

Sometimes Chance gets his games mixed up. Look at Chance. Chance climbed into the Snakes and Ladders box. Chance wants to play Hide & Seek. Chance thinks we can't see him when he closes his eyes. Grandpa James says all newborn cubs think they're invisible when they close their eyes. I have to say, "My son! Come out of the Snakes & Ladders box this instance!" Chance can't get out. He makes little squawky noises. I have to help him. Chance is a handful.

We bake gingerbread persons on Family Day. We love to make gingerbread persons but it's more fun to eat them all up! Gingerbread persons are yummy and that's one of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide.

 Did you hear that?  Grandpa James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario?" That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! Oh, wait! Grandpa James is hollering for Frankie, too! "Where's Frankie? Where's my Knight of Knewfoundland and my Lord of Labrador?"

We gotta go find Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Do fun stuff with your family today. Then you can bake gingerbread persons and have a tea party and eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can play Snakes & Ladders! We can have a tea party, too! Okay! Over and out!"

It's Christmas Morning!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? It's Christmas morning! I've got to wake up Chance! I've got to wake up James! I have to wake up Lulu and Lily, too! We've got presents under the tree, you know. Oh, no! Chance climbed up in the tree! "Come down from there this instant, my son!"

First we have to eat breakfast. Breakfast is special on Christmas morning. We get to eat pancakes with Smarties in them. I l-o-v-e Smarties. I l-o-v-e pancakes, too! I like to put peanut butter and maple syrup on my pancakes. What do you like to put on yours?

Now we get to open our presents. Santa put lots of presents under the tree. Know what? He at the cookies we left for him last night.

 Know what Chance and me got? We got Snakes and Ladders! It's the funnest game, you know. It's a really big game. The board is a metre square! We play it on the floor.

Okay, this is how you play Snakes and Ladders. You roll the dice and move your marker that many spaces. You go up the ladders and slide down the snakes. The first cub to get to square 100 is the winner. Chance can't count, so I help him. Sometimes he wins! He makes little squeaky noises when he wins. That means he's happy. He's a good little brother. When we play in French, we play Serpentes et Echelles. C'est bien le fun!

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be good all year long.Then you can have Christmas with us. You can eat Smarties pancakes with us. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can play Snakes & Ladders  together! Okay! Over and out!"

Christmas Eve

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? Chance and me are busy today. This is Christmas Eve, you know. That's the day before Christmas. That means there's only one more day until Merry Christmas comes to our house.

We got a big job to do. We're wrapping presents for our buddies and friends. It's hard work 'cuz bear cubs don't have thumbs, you know. We sing Christmas carols while we wrap. I'm a pretty good singer. Chance is too little to sing but he makes squeaky noises 'cuz he's happy.



We have a special present to wrap for Lily and Lulu. We got them Snakes and Ladders. It's our favourite game. We l-o-v-e to play Snakes and Ladders, don't you? It's the funnest game, honest!

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Get ready for Merry Christmas. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer and eat Christmas cookies. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can wrap presents together! Okay! Over and out!"

Our Trip to Toronto

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! 

Know what? We're going to T.O. We have to get ready. We put things we will need in our suitcase. There are diapers for Chance and condensed owls' milk, too. I put my Cat-in-the-Hat sox in the suitcase.

Toronto is pretty far from our house. It takes a long time to get there. That's because O Canada is very big. Oh! I got an idea! One time James washed my favourite sweater in hot water and it shrank so much it only fit Chance. We could wash O Canada in the Inglis and then it would be smaller and then it wouldn't take so long to go places!

We go to Toronto on the train. I l-o-v-e VIA Rail. We use our best manners and we talk with our inside voices. There are lots of things to do on the train. We get to drink chocolate milk that the nice person has on the cart. I know where chocolate milk comes from. It comes from brown cows. Know what? Whole milk comes from whole cows. We play games on the train. We play  Snakes and Ladders. That's my favouritest game of all.

Oh! Look! Look at Chance! He climbed inside of a paper bag. I know what that means. It means he wants a bottle of warm, condensed owls' milk and then he will take a nap. Chance takes lots of naps. James says it's 'cuz he's just a wee little cubby and napping is good for him. Naps help make bear cubs bigger and stronger and healthier, too!

We get to eat a meal on the train. The food is yummy and yummy is one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide.

I will tell you more about our trip to Toronto the next time we blog. I'm sleepy and I need a nap.



Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to your friends and neighbours. Do good deeds.  Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house. We can go to Toronto together. We can ride on VIA Rail all day Okay! Over and out!"

Play Time with Cassidy and Angus

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. Chance had a birthday on Hallowe'en. He's a year old, now. He's a handful!

Sometimes we go to play with Cassidy and Angus at their house. They are our friends. They live with Jay and Shaun. Cassidy has his own room with lettuce and carrot wallpaper.

We go to Cassidy and Angus' house on the 1C Transway bus.  I like to ride the bus. I say 'hello' to everyone. James says riding the bus makes our carbon footprints smaller. I don't know what that means but I'm a five-year old bear cub and my feet keep growing bigger!

Know what? Miss Jackie, my teacher at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre taught us a song about the bus. Ready? It goes like this--

The wheels on the bus go round and round,
round and round,
round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round, 
In Olde Sandwich Towne.

We get off the bus at the corner of Janette and University. Cassidy is a bunny rabbit. Angus is a kitty cat. Cassidy only eats carrots and bananas and hay. He doesn't eat meat at all. He's a vegetabletarian. Angus doesn't like carrots. He likes to eat mice and birds. Angus eats lots of things. He's an meatatarian. Chance and me are bear cubs. We eat wallermelons and Smarties. Well, I do. Chance doesn't have any teeth, yet. He's too little. he just drinks condensed owls' milk out of his bottle.

 Cassidy and Angus are fun to play with. We know lots of games. We play hide-and-seek . We play 1-2-3 British Bulldog , too. On rainy days and snowy days we play indoors. We like to build a tent or a fort in the living room with blankets. We crawl inside with our flashlights and play Snakes and Ladders. It's an exciting game to play, you know. We have to watch Chance when we play. He doesn't really know how. He takes the little markers off the board and tries to eat them. He's too little to know you can't eat the markers!


Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Do good deeds and play nicely. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can have fun together! Okay! Over and out!"

Our New Afhan

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! 

Know what? Chance and me got a new toy to play with. It's an afghan. It's a present. I know what an afghan is. It's a very soft blankie. Auntie Susan J knitted the afghan for us. It's my very favouritest colour, too. It's green. It's very soft. Auntie Susan J is very nice, you know. Chance likes to lick the afghan. He's silly. We don't eat afghans, they're not in the Canada Food Guide, you know.

We have loads of fun with our afghan. It makes a nice tent in the living room. We  eat peanut butter and licorice sandwiches in the afghan tent and play Snakes and Ladders. We nap in the afghan, too. It's nice to fall asleep on a soft blankie. Can you say Afghanistan banana stand ten times, real fast? That's a tongue twister. It's hard to say!

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Do good deeds and help your friends, neighbours and buddies. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can get under the afghan and play Snakes and Ladders! Okay! Over and out!"

Happy Birthday Canada! Happy Birthday to Me, Too!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? Today is July 1st. It's a special day 'cuz it's Canada Day. Canada is 143 years old. There's a big 'ole party in Dieppe Park. The birthday cake is for 5,000 people. That's a really big cake. The cake is red and white. It looks like the Canada flag. It sure is yummy and that's one of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide. 

Know what?  Canada is way older than me. Today is my birthday, too! Queen Elizabeth is in Ottawa, today. I sure wish she would come to our house. We would eat birthday wallermelon and climb the sugar maple in the back yard. I would show Her Majesty how to make Smarties tattoos on her face.

I got Play-Doh for my birthday. I l-o-v-e Play-Doh. It's fun to make things out of Play-Doh. I got four different colours--red, yellow, blue and green! Chance gave it to me. I will have to watch him, he might try to eat it!

 Grandpa James gave me a Slinky. Is it ever fun! The Slinky walks down the stairs all by itself!

 Cassidy the bunny rabbit gave me Snakes and Ladders. That's a really fun board game to play, especially on rainy days when we have to stay inside.

 Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? Grandpa James is hollering, "Where is my birthday bear cub? Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario?

That's me! Charles!  I'm a birthday bear cub! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Have fun on Canada Day! Eat wallermelon and watch the fireworks. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and celebrate Canada Day with us! Happy Canada Day! Happy birthday! Over and out!"

One More Day Till My Birthday and Canada's Birthday Too!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! 

Know what? Tomorrow is Canada Day. It's my birthday, too! I can hardly wait. Canada is way older than me. Canada will be 143 years old. That's almost as old as James.

On birthdays we get gifts. Chance and me are looking for my presents. I'm pretty sure James hid them somewhere in the house. I don't know what I might get but we're going to find out. When everyone sings Happy Birthday, I'll act surprised, you know.  I'm a very good actor. I bet he hid the presents in the freezer. That's a good place to hid things.

I wonder if I'll get finger paints.  I l-o-v-e to paint. I'm an artist, you know. Maybe I'll get a Canada flag to put on my blue bike. No! Wait! Maybe I'll get a horn for my blue bike so I can make a lot of noise when I ride up and down the sidewalk. Maybe I'll get Snakes and Ladders. That's a fun game. I hope I get Smarties and gummy worms.

We get to wear hats and we have balloons when it's birthday time. We get to eat wallermelon and drink root beer, too. We play games. Birthdays are fun.

James says he's going to bake a sauerkraut and broccoli cake. I know he's just teasing me. Sauerkrauts and broccolis are nasty and I don't like them at all. I hold my nose and eat two bites so I can set a good example for Chance. He's too little to eat food. He just drinks condensed owls' milk out of his bottle but one day he'll have to eat what I eat. I want to send sauerkrauts and broccolis to all those starving children in Belgium.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. If you find your birthday presents before your birthday party remember to act surprised.  Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can look for presents together! Okay! Over and out!"