oooh, baby, it's a wild world

I'll never tell which member of the Team asked--confidentiality is a big deal around Chez Green Girl--but they saw the words on a banner ad on my computer while I was reading blogs. They'd come in to ask me about something and the ad was right there: Brazilian Wax! It totally wasn't the blogger's fault--but it was a good reminder of why I'll keep things ad-free in my zone.

What did I tell him? I explained that we're mammals and grow all kinds of hair everywhere, including (how does a mama put this delicately?) "down there." Heh. Yes, I pointed. "So during swimsuit season, people like to remove some of that extra insulation. Waxing is when you pour hot wax on your skin and when it cools, you rip it off and the hair comes with it." (Interesting to note, that's the point during my explanation that totally freaked out the Unnamed Team Member.) "Why 'Brazilian'?" I continued to explain, "in southern climates, people bare more skin. The swimsuits are cut higher, hence the name of a more extensive wax job." This seemed like a satisfactory amount of information and we then discussed some other important stuff, like what I'd put in the oven for dinner and were we doing anything special this weekend.

Unnamed Team Member left the room a few minutes later. I finished drinking my Road Slush (which was incredible, never had one before) that I'd opened before he asked about Brazilian Waxing (and after a whole day with 3rd grade, blesstheirhearts) and yes, dear reader, I did stop after just one delicious oatmeal stout.

Speaking of mammals, it's all about animals around these parts. Team Testosterone is WILD about animals.
This book is permanently on the kitchen table--we read it every day and discuss the fun facts. "Who would win--a mountain lion or a black bear?" (Inevitably I get smart and ask, "Who would win--a hamster or a sparrow?" and things start to get silly.) My kids cannot get enough of this book.

They've always been fans of nonfiction, but to have PREDATORS "versing" each other is the pinnacle of literary awesomeness. (Yes, "vs." is a verb that means "to compete" or "battle", as in "I'll vs. you in Bey Blades.")
The pictures have something to do with this book's awesomeness, I'm sure. All those TEETH.


And every week day at 4:30 we're tuned in to watch:

I kid you not. They watch this as religiously as Mr. D watches the NFL and that's saying something. I confess, it pleases me to see those crazy Kratt brothers back in action. Years ago we loved Zoboomafoo. Team Testosterone absorbs this show and then they even play it out afterwards.

And when Wild Kratts isn't on TV, they switch over to Animal Planet to watch programs about insect infestations, cheetahs, crocodiles, goats and gazelles. They're constantly discussing the plight of tigers, how much gorillas weigh, where you can find a snowy owl and what fire ants eat. My head spins with the glorious facts. "Did you know that a whale's heart beats 10-15 times a minute?" "Did you know that coyotes only killed 13,000 deer last year in Wisconsin, but hunters killed 226,000?"

Wild love, creature fascination, whatever you want to call it, I think it's great to live in a house where the natural world is all the rage.