Fun at Big Pita

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. He's my 'dopted baby brother. Is he ever a handful! He climbs way high on things and can't get down. I have to say, "My son! Come down from there this instant!" Chance makes little squawky noises 'cuz he's afraid. I have to climb up and get him. James says, "Charles to the rescue!"

Know what? We're at Big Pita. It's a restaurant on Sandwich Street right by our house. I l-o-v-e to eat there. The food is taste-o-liscious. They got shawarma and French fries, too. I always put ketchup on my French fries. Ketchup comes from Heinz in Leamington. That's out in the county. Ketchup is our friend.

I'm going to order some food for us to eat. Know what? The bestest food at Big Pita is baklava. Did you ever eat baklava?

Look at Chance. He climbed right up on top of the baklava! He's not supposed to be up there. "Chance! Come down from there this instant!" He wants baklava but he doesn't know he's sitting on the lid. He can't have any if he's on top of the lid!  Chance is a real handful. He doesn't have any teeth 'cuz he's a newborn cubby. He just licks the honey off the baklava. Chance licks everything.

Baklava is a dessert. It's yummy, sweet and sticky. That's three of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide, you know. Baklava is full of honey and nuts.

James says baklava comes from the Middle East. I don't know exactly where that is but it's far away from our house. I can't go there on my blue bike. I don't think it's in Quebec. That's where the Eastern Townships are. I went to Cub Camp there last summer. Good thing baklava can come here!

Baklava is a special dessert for holidays like Christmas and New Year's Day and Ramadan. Know what? I would eat baklava every day if James would let me.

James says I don't need to eat baklava every day. He says I'm sweet enough. Chance must think so. Last night he licked my ear. That tickles, you know.

 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. Oh. He might have to wash our faces and paws. We're pretty sticky 'cuz we got baklava all over ourselves.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Do kind deeds for your neighbours and friends. Then you can eat baklava and drink root beer.

Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can go to Big Pita together and eat lots and lots of baklava! Okay! Over and out!"

Family Day

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? Today is Family Day. Family Day is a holiday for everybody who lives in Ontario. That includes Chance and me. We live in Ontario. I know where Ontario is. Ontario is in O Canada, our home and native land. Know what? Chance and me are Princes of Ontario. James always reminds us when he wakes us up every morning. He says we're sons of Windsor, too.

I know what a family is. Families live together in a home. Families love each other. I love Chance and I love James, too. They're my family. They love me. We look after each other and help. That's what families do. Know what James tells us? Home is where they have to let you in. He thinks that's funny but it's true, you know. I'm sure glad we have a home. James says, "Houses are made of brick and stone but homes are made of love alone." He's pretty smart, you know.

Love is lots and lots of things. James always says he loves us 44 litres. That's a bushel and a peck. I know how much that is. It's baskets and baskets of love. Know what? That's a lot of love!

Love is when we cook peanut butter and licorice sandwiches together  in the kitchen. Love is when we help make chocolate pudding and get to lick the spoon. Oh! Wait! Love is bath time when we splash and make bubbles with our purple bubble bath soap and drive our fire trucks in the tub, too! Love is bendy straws for our Canada Dry when we're sick. Love is  bedtime stories, and bedtime prayers and hugs and kisses and Smarties and good-night dreams. Best of all, love is surprises. As long as there are surprises there will always be love.

Love is even when I have to sit on the Time Out Chair and think about what I did. I hate the Time Out Chair. I hate to think. Thinking hurts. I don't go there very often but when I do, I know James wants me to be a better cub.

Love is when we all curl up together in the comfy green chair and sing silly songs and say silly poems. Love is when we watch Caillou on Radio-Canada. Oh! Wait! Love is playing Hide and Seek and riding our bicycles up and down Sparkle Road. Love is cocoa with newborn baby marshmallows in it. Love is laughing when we're happy and great big hugs when we're sad and our hearts hurt real bad. 

Know what? We're really lucky. We got more family. We got Uncle D and Auntie A and Lulu and Lily. They're all part of our family even though they live far away. We take VIA Rail to visit them.

They live way past Toronto. That's really far. Their house is farther away than the moon. I can see the moon when I look out the window at night but I can't look out the window and see Toronto.


Good thing we can love near AND far! We love them all a lot. Love is hugs and tea parties, you know. It's when we paint pictures together and make tattoos with Smarties. Love is when we ice skate together on the lake.  I'm glad I got a family to love. I'd be a really lonely bear cub if I didn't have a family. Then I'd be sad.

 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. Love your family. Share your Smarties and your root beer.  Okay! Over and out!"

We Visit Dr. Greg and Miss Lana on St. Valentine's Day

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. I think the angels left him there. He came wrapped up in a little green blankie and he had a bottle and a note that read, "Please look after me."  He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance. He's a handful!

Know what? Chance and me are at the dentist's office.We go there every six months. Miss Lana is a dental high genius. She checks our teeth. Miss Lana is very pretty and very nice. I think she might be a princess, you know. I could be a dental high genius when I grow up. I would say, "Sit up straight, my son. Open wider, my son." Then I would clean some teeth.

I have strong, healthy teeth. That's 'cuz I brush and frost after I eat. I hate cavities. Cavities hurt. Bear cubs who don't brush and frost get cavities. Cavities are holes. They're not nice at all. Cavities are not our friends.

Chance is too little to have teeth. That's 'cuz he's a newborn cubby. When Miss Lana brought out the little mirror to look in Chance's mouth, he tried to eat it. We don't eat mirrors, you know. Miss Lana says Chance has healthy gums. One day he will have healthy teeth and he can eat Smarties. I'll share my Smarties with Chance. Smarties are taste-O-liscious.

This is how to brush your teeth.

Back and forth like a choo-choo train
And up and down like an aeroplane!

That is how the toothbrush goes. I have a Ninja toothbrush and Spiderman toothpaste.

Oh! Dr. Greg is nice. He's the bestest dentist every. He gave me and Chance a St. Valentine's toy because we were so good. I got a Cecil the Sea Serpent toothbrush. It folds up really small so I can carry it in my suitcase when we go on VIA Rail/. Chance got a coin purse with a BIG smile on it. He can keep loonies and toonies in there. Thank you, Dr. Greg! Thank you, Miss Lana!"

 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. Brush and frost your teeth every day. Be true to your teeth or they will be false to you! Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can brush and frost together! Okay! Happy St. Valentine's Day. Over and out!"