Little Blog’s big sister, Sunshine, has discovered chemistry. She found the periodic table in one of her books, and a friend has been explaining to her about the elements and their names.

“O is Oxygen and H is Hydrogen and when you put two Hydrogens with one Oxygen, you get H2O and that is really water,” she explains over supper to Little Blog, who pretends to absorb every word.

Dad decides to show how clever he is: “And H2SO4 is Hydrochloric Acid, which destroys everything it touches.” He hastens to add that he only knows this because of a rhyme he memorised in high school. Before anyone can stop him, he recites it:

“Little Johnny has gone to heaven,
and will be seen no more,
For what he took for H2O,
was H2SO4.”

Little Blog instantly declares: “He was lucky.”

Sunshine is horrified: “Why, Little Blog?!”

Little Blog: “Well, then he wouldn’t have to eat his vegetables, would he?”

It’s dinner time, and mom has dished up Little Blog’s food.

Little Blog: “What meat is this, mommy?”

Mom: “It’s dinosaur, Little Blog.”

Little Blog cautiously tastes it.

Then she eats it more eagerly, and finally finishes her food.

Mom: “Did you enjoy the Dinosaur meat, Little Blog?”

Little Blog: “Yes, Mommy, it was delicious!”

Then she turns to her big sister, Sunshine, and whispers in her ear: “I don’t want to spoil Mommy’s fun, but actually it was chicken…”

It’s crisis time. Little Blog’s big sister, Sunshine, found a wishbone in her chicken piece earlier today, and got to make a wish. To make matters worse, she broke the wishbone as part of her wish! Little Blog does not stop complaining about this terrible waste of a wish.
Even while she’s digging into a bag of potato chips, she does not stop.
And then she suddenly goes silent. News crews are alerted: Little Blog has come up with an idea.
After a deep, meaningful silence, she turns to Mom.
“Mommy, do I have to use a wishbone if I want to make a wish?”
Mom: “No, of course not, Little Blog.”
Little Blog: “Can I use a chip that’s folded over?”
Mom: “Sure, if you want to, Little Blog.”
Little Blog’s face lights up with one of her big, beautiful smiles.
Mom: “Why are you so happy about that, Little Blog?”
Little Blog: “Because look! I’ve got a bag full of wishing chips!”

Little Blog believes economics is for the birds. Or at least, that birds do have a productive role to play in our financial system.
“Sunshine, I worked out how birds make money,” she tells her big sister after breakfast one morning.
Sunshine is more interested in the science of it than the economics: “How did you work that out, Little Blog?” she asks.
Little Blog: “It’s easy. I watched Dad throw out the bread crumbs for the birds.”
Dad is baffled: “So how do birds make money, Little Blog?”
Little Blog: “Well, they don’t always make money from it.”
Dad: “When do they make money from it, Little Blog?”
Little Blog: “It’s when the bread crumbs are hard.”
Dad: “What happens when the bread crumbs are hard?”
Little Blog: “Then the birds eat the crumbs, and it breaks their teeth. Then the bird fairy comes and gives them money for their teeth. That’s how they get money to buy things.”

Little Blog is thinking about Women’s Day, which is being celebrated in South Africa on Thursday.

“What,” she wants to know, “are we going to do for Mommy?”

Then she has a bright idea.

Little Blog: “Daddy, do you know how to make fish fingers?”
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