Building Mazes for Hamsters

Nope, notta lofty post, this.

After a chapter of incidents over the last year culminating over the last few weeks in this home, we’re looking at a purging of…. baggage. The Big Clean. Nothing quite compares to throwing stuff out, or ……..rediscovering long lost treasurers.

These two are up early (very unusual on Rockstar’s part) to build domino mazes out of their old building blocks. The aim of this game is for Gemma to ring that bell. A lot of the time she just crashes off through the walls.

Gemma doesn’t comply easily – which brings me to the hamster. This animal is seriously lucky, classified as a “street stray” upon detainment at the SPCA rescued from wandering the street. She then goes about life and the kids’ weird forms of entertainment in assembling and redecorating cages for her (we now have 3), finding new and interesting foods, with an “Oh, You’re Doin This For Moi? Cool.” attitude.

Gemma chews the bars when she wants something. If you forget to refill her drinking water, or if she just wants another biscuit. If, at 4am, you figure out what this spunky little thing wants, you’re good to go. If you can’t tell what she wants, just snap at her to stop it. Sometimes it works.

Gemma fills her running ball with sunflower seed shells. It would appear she likes the swishing sound, while running. Empty that out, and you get a look from the rodent. One time I woke to the sound of carrot biscuits rattling around in there. It was too much baggage. So I took the cage apart and shook all the noisy bits out of the ball.

It’s our most recent metaphor of life. Just shake the hard bits out of your training ball when they make too much noise.

Then Run, Forrest, Run. Have a good week ahead, dears 🙂

ps: Queen E’s birthday is in early June ok, but I only just finally cleared one of their play areas enough to put her dressup carousel stuffed animal high-rise birthday gift in its rightful place… But oh what a pretty place, now…

(Those are recycled Ikea photo frames – threw out the glass (breaks too easily and I’m never having glass in the kids’ rooms again!))