a peek inside the fishbowl

23 May, 2008

new addition(s) to the family!

Posted by andrea tomkins in: Easy ways to make kids happy|Oh! Things!

It's .....Duodecaplets!* Maybe more!

Emma’s Sea Monkeys hatched. I was so thrilled I was handing out cigars in the school parking lot yesterday.

As a kid I longed for a family of my own Sea Monkeys. The lure of the Sea Monkey family was irresistable. I always saw them in comic books ads… always depicted with toothy grins and wearing crowns. Remember the bodacious sea monkey mamma and her frolickly children? (Here’s an old illo! Ha.)

Somehow I had the idea that they could learn tricks and understand human language.

I never knew that a Sea Monkey was really a type of brine shrimp, which I suspect my parents knew all along. I never received a Sea Monkey. But now, finally, I see exactly what I’ve been missing.

And it’s very cool.

This morning I have been clicking around the interwebs, researching Sea Monkeys and even watching videos on http://www.seamonkeyworship.com/. If you’re really keen you can even check out the Sea Monkey poetry people have submitted:

sacred monkey of the sea
eternal friend of me
a little fish you are not

monkey you are!
oh, how i yearn to be your pal
never leave me, little gal
keep me in your heart and soul
ever swimming in your bowl (tank)
yippiee!

I just checked on our little brood. They seem to be doing fine: flitting around in the water, laughing, chatting, dancing. They’re still tiny, even smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. 

I wonder if we should put a toy in their tank? Something to keep them happy?

So what about you? Were you one of those lucky kids who had Sea Monkeys? Or if you didn’t, and still feel sad about it, consider this an official invitation to write your own Sea Monkey haiku or sonnet and add it here. Who knows, it might even be therapeutic.

* a birth of twelve ;)


7 Responses to "new addition(s) to the family!"

1 | porter

May 23rd, 2008 at 8:43 am

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didn’t have them but remember wishing i did.

btw i quickly looked at the links you provided for the recipes and didn’t see the ceasar salad one….i’m dying to try it….can you please please email me the recipe if you can’t link it? when you have time……

2 | Marla

May 23rd, 2008 at 8:46 am

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I had them…until my mother changed the water and they all died.

They will do tricks like following a flashlight. They do not, however, wear little crowns.

3 | andrea

May 23rd, 2008 at 8:53 am

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I’ve been doing it just from memory. This is the best I can recall.

1) Take a head of romaine and wash it, leaving it connected at the stump (the bottom).

2) Slice it in half vertically, right down the middle.

3) Brush the flat sides of the romaine with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4) Remove the leaves that look like they’re going to fall off. Grill the romaine on the flat sides only, about 3 minutes total. The edges will wilt slightly, and a faint grillmark will appear, but the core of the romaine will still remain cool. The grilling adds a great smokey flavour to the salad.

5) Once it’s grilled, chop it all up and throw in a large bowl.

6) Dressing: add in a blender, olive oil, red wine vinegar, roasted garlic, one raw egg yolk, salt and pepper. Whirl it around. Taste and adjust as necessary. (I also added a squirt of lemon juice)

7) Add dressing to grilled romaine. Top with shaved parm (it’s gotta be the good stuff) and bits of bacon. On the show they also added some homemade croutons (grilled crostini brushed with olive oil). This was a great touch and really finished it off.

4 | Nicol

May 23rd, 2008 at 9:34 am

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I was one of the lucky! I had sea-monkeys that I received for my birthday one year. I remember the red container and I remember watching them swim. i loved them until my brother knocked the tank over.

5 | a peek inside the fish bowl

May 23rd, 2008 at 10:05 am

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[…] The Grilled Caesar was a total revelation to me and I’m a total convert to the joys of grilled romaine with authentic raw egg/garlic/olive oil dressing. We’ve made it twice since Sunday. It’s delish. […]

6 | porter

May 23rd, 2008 at 2:08 pm

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i am craving the salad so came to check to see how to make it…might make it for dinner….yummmmmmm

7 | porter

May 23rd, 2008 at 2:08 pm

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oh and thanks

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My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

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