Author Archives: Jenn Rian
Celebrate Your Name Week: Muppet
March 6-12 is Celebrate Your Name Week!
Today I’ll tell you how Muppet got his name.
Muppet (right) shortly after we brought him home. (Don’t mind my hair, I once was an 8 year old boy.)
Muppet was 4 months old when we brought him home in August 2004. He was a fluffy white ball of shaggy fur that looked a little crazy and wild like Einstein or Doc Brown from Back to the Future. Back to the Future is my absolute favorite movie of all time so we considered naming him Doc. It didn’t take me long to change my mind. Despite his wild white hair he still had a “baby face” and the name Doc just seemed too old for him.
Muppet December 2004 (8 months old)
Sticking with the BTTF theme we thought we’d try “Marty” which was definitely more youthful. My husband spent an entire day taking care of the puppy and calling him Marty. All day long I thought about how he almost didn’t look real (the dog, not my husband). He looked like a stuffed animal or a puppet. In fact, he looked like a Muppet. He looked as if Jim Henson had created him and he had a fun, sweet personality that made you believe he could start talking to you at any moment. I’ve always been a big fan of The Muppets and the name seemed to fit him perfectly. When Cool Daddy came home with the puppy that day I said, “His name is Muppet.” “I’ve been calling him Marty all day!” he said, but he agreed with me. It would already be embarrassing enough to have a giant 6’3 man walking a tiny white dog that would look like a living cotton ball on a string…why not name him Muppet too?! (At least I didn’t want to name him “Smooches”.) And that was that. We got him registered with the official name of Muppet Puppet (plus our last name). People mishear us when we say his name (do we lack annunciation?!) and often think his name is Muffin, Muffet, or Moppet. Umm, no. He’s acquired many nicknames over the years including Mr. Muppet, Muppety-Mupp, Muppy Puppy, Bubba, Bubbaloo, and Mupp. Quite often we just call him “buddy”.
When we got Muppet we were told that he was a full bred Maltese (he had “papers” and everything) but as his fur grew in it didn’t look like Maltese fur. It was long and white like it should be, but it was fluffier, not as silky, and it just wouldn’t lay down…if puffed up and out. Grooming him became an impossible task and we started getting him shaved. Now his signature “Muppet” fur that inspired his name is all gone. I can still see the Muppet in him, in his eyes and in the way he cocks his head to one side.
Muppet throughout the years during various stages of furriness
While writing about how my Muppet got his name I was curious to find out how The Muppets got their name. Here’s what Wikipedia had to say:
The word “Muppet” itself first appeared in 1956, and was said by Henson to have been created by combining the words “Marionette” and “puppet”. However, Henson was also known to have stated that it was just something he liked the sound of, and he made up the “marionette/puppet” story while talking to a journalist because it sounded plausible.
More information about the word’s origin can be found here.
Here are some dog Muppets I found on muppet.wikia.com
Rufus, Dermot, Foo Foo, Muppy, Barkley, Dog and Foo Foo.
Dog Muppets (All photos can be found through links on this page http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Dogs)
How did you choose your pet’s name?
Tell me your story in the comments!
Other “Celebrate Your Name Week” Posts:
+How Muppet got his name
+How Adaline got her name
+The meaning of Adaline’s name and why I spell it wrong
A Splendiferous Dr. Seuss Breakfast
When my sister and I were young our mother used to make us green eggs and ham and we thought it was the coolest thing ever. It wasn’t for Dr. Seuss’ birthday…I’m pretty sure no one thought to celebrate it back then since he was still alive at the time. It was just a random green eggs and ham breakfast…and we loved it!
Dr. Seuss’s Birthday was on Wednesday March 02 and we celebrated with a splendiferous Green Eggs and Ham breakfast.
We had green scrambled eggs and green vegetarian bacon (which we call “facon”) colored with food coloring. We had our bread butterside up and drank Moose Juice (orange juice) all foods that I mentioned here.
I set out place cards that read “Here”, “There”, and “Anywhere” that I printed out on cardstock using the Grinched font.
I put down a red tablecloth and polka dot birthday hats that I got at Target. I found the white and blue plates at Target in their Easter dinnerware section (available in store only). The lines are sort of squiggly and right away they reminded me of Thing 1 and Thing 2, so I thought they’d be perfect for our Seuss breakfast. I got the cute little Cat In The Hat cup for Adaline on Amazon using my Swagbucks so it was free 🙂
Adaline seemed to really enjoy her Seuss breakfast. She kept calling the eggs “broccoli-dot”, which is how she says “broccoli”…I’m not sure why she adds the “dot” to the end. Dot or not, she ate her green eggs 🙂 During breakfast she kept pointing to the book and saying “Ham!” and “Sammy-Sam” (Sam I Am). She seemed pretty excited about it.
The hats were actually left over from Adaline’s birthday party. I had bought them for the adults to wear, but nobody did…partypoopers 😦 Adaline didn’t leave her hat on for too long, but definitely longer than I expected!
Have you ever had Green Eggs and Ham?
Let me know in the comments!
*Links to Amazon products are Associate links and I may receive a very small payment if you purchase certain items through my link.
RELATED POSTS:
*FREE Dr. Seuss Fonts (Links)
*10 Easy Dr. Seuss Snacks
*A Splendiferous Dr. Seuss Breakfast
*Celebrating Seuss 2011
*Seuss Fails 2011
*Dr. Seuss Celebration at the Library 2011
*Dr. Seuss Storytime at Target 2011
*Read Across America with Dr. Seuss 2011
This post is linked to…
The Ultimate Dr. Seuss Linky Party 2012
@ Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas, Ready. Set. Read!, Reading Confetti, Montessori Tidbits, Make, Do & Friend, Putti Prapancha, Kitchen Counter Chronicles, Living at the Whitehead’s Zoo, Mama Mia’s Heart2Heart, Living Montessori Now, Kindergarten for Teachers and Parents, Toddler Approved, Creativity My Passion, Rainbows Within Reach, PreK & K Sharing
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Wordless Wednesday: Oscar Night
Watching the Oscars…
What?! Isn’t this how everyone watches the Oscars?
Hmmm, weird…
10 Easy Dr. Seuss Snacks
Here are ten quick and easy snacks that you likely already eat all of the time. Now you can make mealtime more fun by giving your foods Seuss names and linking them to different Dr. Seuss books. Making these snacks and reading the books is sure to be a hit with your kids!
10 EASY DR. SEUSS SNACKS
(Click on book images to enlarge them.)
Book: Green Eggs and Ham
1. Snack – Green Eggs and Ham: This popular dish is easy to make. Just add green food coloring to your eggs and ham (you can brush it onto the ham but best results come from soaking it in green colored water). There are so many options with the eggs, scrambled would be the easiest but you can also try fried, deviled eggs, or egg salad. For healthier green options try adding green foods like spinach or pesto to the eggs instead of food coloring.
Book: Oh Say Can You Say and
The Butter Battle Book
2. Snack – Bread and Butter: Oh Say Can You Say has a tongue-twister about Bed Spreaders and Bread Spreaders while the The Butter Battle Book is all about whether you like your bread butter side up or butter side down. Eat your bread/toast and butter with your green eggs and ham!
Book: Ten Apples Up On Top!
3. Snack – Red Apples: Yep, that’s it 😉
Book: Yertle the Turtle
4. Snack – Blueberries: Yertle the Turtle says, “I’m king of a blueberry bush and a cat!”…so try some of Yertle’s blueberries 🙂
Book: Hop on Pop
5. Snack – Eat a snack with Brown and Black: The snack that Brown in Black are pictured eating is sandwiches, green apples, bananas, and glasses of milk or water, there also appears to be a bowl of sausage links or hot dogs.
Book: Fox in Socks
6. Snack – Cheese Trees: Cheese sticks will work as cheese trees. You could put cheese cubes on toothpicks and stick them in Styrofoam to make a “forest” of cheese trees.
7. Snack – Blue Goo: Blue jello can be Blue Goo. You could also color other gooey foods blue such as yogurt, pudding, or even mashed potatoes.
8. Snack – Poodles eating noodles: Any noodles will do…macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, etc. Bonus points if you have a stuffed poodle that can sit on the table as you eat or print pictures of poodles to color while eating.
Book: Oh the Thinks You Can Think
9. Snack – Schlopp (with a cherry on top): I’ve seen some more “complicated” recipes for Schlopp online, but the easiest way to make Schlopp is simply to stick a cherry on top of ice cream, pudding, or yogurt.
Book: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
10. Snack – Fish shaped snacks:
Gummy fish or Goldfish crackers
Make red and blue jello and use a fish-shaped cookie cutter. Or make blue jello and add different colored gummy fish to it before it sets…now you have fish in water!
Cut up different colored fruits and veggies and then display them in the shape of a fish.
And as a bonus…
SEUSS BEVERAGES
Book: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
11. Yink’s Pink Ink Drink: Any pink drink will do from something simple like pink lemonade or strawberry milk to more involved things like strawberry milkshakes or smoothies. Milk would have the most ink-like consistency while the lemonade would look more like the illustration in the book.
Book: Sleep Book
12. Moose Juice (Orange) and Goose Juice (Green): Moose Juice is orange and Goose Juice is green, so any orange/green beverage will do (Kool-Aid, soda, tinted drinks), or you could simply serve orange juice with your green eggs and ham and call it Moose Juice!
SEUSS DINNERS
Book: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
13. Who Roast Beast: Having roast for dinner? Call it Who Roast Beast. Maybe serve it with some blue “Blue Goo” mashed potatoes 😉
Book: Oh Say Can You Say
14. Potato chips and pork chops: If you’re having pork chops for dinner, add some chips just they way they serve them at Skipper Zipp’s Clipper Ship Chip Chop Shop.
Do you have a favorite Dr. Seuss snack?
Let me know in the comments!
10 Easy Dr. Seuss Snacks / A Splendiferous Dr. Seuss Breakfast / Celebrating Seuss 2011
Dr. Seuss Celebration at the Library 2011 / Dr. Seuss Storytime at Target 2011 / Read Across America 2011
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This post is linked to…
@ Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas, Ready. Set. Read!, Reading Confetti, Montessori Tidbits, Make, Do & Friend, Putti Prapancha, Kitchen Counter Chronicles, Living at the Whitehead’s Zoo, Mama Mia’s Heart2Heart, Living Montessori Now, Kindergarten for Teachers and Parents, Toddler Approved, Creativity My Passion, Rainbows Within Reach, PreK and K Sharing
Free Dr. Seuss Fonts (links)
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If you’ve been looking for a FREE Dr. Seuss font to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday (Read Across America Day)…look no further! The following FREE fonts are perfect for any Dr. Seuss project, craft, printable, birthday party, baby shower, or school classroom.
Below are the links to 10 free Dr. Seuss-like fonts 🙂
The top line of each sample contains the name of the font in caps and lower case, the second line is all lower case, the last line is all upper case.
I did not create these fonts I only linked to them. To download the fonts you must click the links to go the various font websites. I have downloaded all of these fonts myself with no issues, but please be cautious when downloading anything on the internet. I am not responsible if you accidentally download a computer virus, download at your own risk. Many of the sites linked to below have several “download” buttons, but only one of them is for the actual font. Please read carefully before downloading.
Dr Seuss
As far as I know these are all the same font, but I included all of the links in case you had trouble downloading one of them.
@ SearchFreeFonts.com*@ FreePremiumFonts.com
Capital letters are all dingbats
Dr. Eve L
Not as “Seuss-y” as others, but saw it recommended in a
few places around the web so I decided to include it.
Fishbowl
This one isn’t as “Seuss-y” as the others, but I thought it might work in particular with “fish” themes such as One Fish Two Fish or the goldfish from The Cat in the Hat.
NOTE: You can not download the fonts here on my blog (I did not create the fonts, I only linked to them). You must click through the links to download the fonts and then install them on your computer. Read my comment below about how I installed these fonts to my Windows 7 computer. Please do an internet search for “how to install fonts” if this isn’t helpful to you. I have downloaded all of these fonts myself with no issues, but please be cautious when downloading anything on the internet. I am not responsible if you accidentally download a computer virus, download at your own risk. Many of the sites linked to above have several “download” buttons, but only one of them is for the actual font. Please read carefully before downloading.
How do you plan on using these free Dr. Seuss fonts?
Let me know in the comments!
FREE Ladybug Fonts / 10 Easy Dr. Seuss Snacks / A Splendiferous Dr. Seuss Breakfast
Celebrating Seuss 2011 / Dr. Seuss Celebration at the Library 2011 / Dr. Seuss Storytime at Target 2011 / Read Across America 2011
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This post is linked to…
@ Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas, Ready. Set. Read!, Reading Confetti, Montessori Tidbits, Make, Do & Friend, Putti Prapancha, Kitchen Counter Chronicles, Living at the Whitehead’s Zoo, Mama Mia’s Heart2Heart, Living Montessori Now, Kindergarten for Teachers and Parents, Toddler Approved, Creativity My Passion, Rainbows Within Reach, PreK & K Sharing
The One That Got Away
Monday was Valentine’s Day and I just couldn’t help getting a little reminiscent about “the one that got away” and how things might have been if we were still together. This is the post where all of the ex-boyfriends on Facebook will click over to see if I’m talking about them. Get over yourself, conceited, I’m not talking about you.
Many years back, I fell in love. I fell in love quick and I fell in love hard. It was truly love at first sight and I just knew that we were meant to be together forever. I wanted to spend all of my time with my love. I would spend any amount of money that it would take to be with my love as much as I could as often as I could. And then my love left me. Without warning, without reason, just…gone. I was confused and heartbroken. Was it something I did? Something I said? Was I coming on too strong? I guess I’ll never know.
Sometimes I go awhile without thinking about my love. Sometimes I miss my love so much it hurts. Why did things have to happen this way? Why can’t we still be together?
I haven’t seen my love since 2006. Here are the last photos I have of the two of us together. We look so happy 😦
Oh, Godiva Chocolate Raspberry Truffle ice cream…return to me! I already forgive you and I wait for you with open arms and a ready spoon.
I will always love you.
Jenn
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Fun and Dysfunction 