With Love From
Mommy
April 25, 1999

The rain fell against the house on Tamarack Drive.  "We can't play outside; it's just too wet," sighed Marie.  "It's too wet and gray for April, Karen and Mike to come over."  A rhyme came to mind, and this gave Marie an idea for a new game.

Rain, rain go away,
come again some other day.
For Marie, April, Karen and Mike, it's just too wet to play today.

"This is fun!" Marie said.  She quickly tried another rhyme.

Hey, diddle, diddle!
Marie played the fiddle.
April, jumped over the moon.
Marie laughed to see such a sport, and April ran away with the spoon.

"That was pretty good," Marie said.  "Here's another one."

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man.
Bake Marie a cake and a gingerbread man.
Put it in the oven, so fluffy and light,
then serve it to Marie, April, Karen and Mike tonight.

Marie laughed out loud when she thought of this one.

Marie saw an old woman
who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children,
she didn't know what to do.
She gave Marie some broth
and some cinnamon bread,
and kissed her, hugged her,
and put her to bed.

Marie wondered what she could do with "Jack be nimble."

Marie Be Nimble, Marie be quick,
Marie jumped over the candlestick.
Marie jumped so high
she touched the sky,
and didn't get back
'til the Fourth of July.

Marie remembered she had heard this one in school one day.

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep
and doesn't know where to find them.
"Leave them alone," Marie said
on the phone,
"and I'll travel close behind them."

Jack and Jill went up the hill
to fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
and Jill came tumbling after.
Up Jack got and off did trot,
careful not to stray.
But there sat Jill so sad and still,
so then Marie said, "Let's play!"

What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice and everything nice.
That's what little girls are made of.

Marie giggled when she thought of this one.

What are little boys made of?
Snakes and snails and
puppy dog tails.
That's what little boys are made of.

Marie really giggled when she thought of this one.

Thirty days have September, April,
 June, and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,
excepting February alone;
Marie sees twenty-eight days there,
and Marie sees twenty-nine
 each leap year.

"This is getting too easy," said Marie.
"I'll try a harder one."

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet
eating her curds and whey.
Before a big spider could sit down
beside her, Marie stood bold
with a big stick to hold,
and she frightened the spider away.

It only took a moment for Marie to come up with a new rhyme.

Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's
men, couldn't put Humpty together again.
Then along came Marie with
 her tape, and her glue,
and put back the pieces as good as new.

Hickory, dickory, dock!
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
the mouse ran down,
and followed Marie into town.
Hickory, dickory, dock!

Marie had trouble with the next rhyme.  "Try adding your name to this one," Marie said.

Peter Piper picked a peck
of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers
Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled
peppers, where's the peck of pickled
peppers Peter Piper picked?
Oh, well, Marie doesn't like to eat
pickled peppers anyway.

Marie thought of this clever rhyme for "Three Men in a Tub."

Rub-a-dub dub,
three men in a tub.
Who do you think they could be?
The barber, the baker, and the candlestick
maker, all floating in the sea.
April couldn't believe all of the fish that they retrieved,
until Marie pulled out three.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
how Marie wonders where you are.
Up above Marie's world so high,
like a diamond in the sky.
Your bright and shining little spark,
makes Marie happy as a lark.
Glowing brightly near and far,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.