A Good Turn

Jolena came into the workroom, where the dolls like to hang out. 
"We have a problem!" she cried. 
All the dolls looked up from what they were doing.

"What is it?" Mandy asked.
"The Writer has to stay in bed for a few days," Jolena said. "She's sick!"
"People get sick sometimes," Veronika said. "Don't worry. I'm sure she will be well soon."

"Yes, I know, and it isn't serious, but the stories!" Jolena exclaimed. "How can she write this week's story with all the housework that has to come first?"
"I could write it if I were good enough," sighed Mariah.
"I could take the photos," added Billy, "unless I have to be in them."

"Why don't we think about the housework first?" suggested Charlotte. "Then we can see how much help is needed with the stories."
"Yes, we can help with the housework," said Veronika. "In fact, we can even do the housework if we work together."
The dolls made a list of everything that needed doing while The Writer was sick. They started with the things most important to people. Mariah can write quickly, so she wrote the list, while everyone suggested what to put on it.

Here's what the list looked like.

Cooking
Making tea
Feeding the dogs
Washing dishes
Laundry
Groceries
Making the beds
Dusting
Vacuuming
Cleaning the bathrooms
Taking out the trash

Then the dolls worked together to assign each of the jobs to a pair of dolls. They would work in pairs, because they are small, and it's easier to do things if they work together.

Jolena was put in charge of the cooking, including making the tea and buying the groceries. Billy agreed to help. He would be her assistant. When they were done with the food, they could do as much of the dusting and vacuuming that they had time for.
Charlotte and Mandy agreed to do the laundry and clean the bathrooms. Mariah and Veronika teamed up to put the clean sheets on the beds and take all the trash out to the street for pickup. Then they would help anyone who hadn't finished. They went off in pairs to do their jobs.

Jolena and Billy went to the kitchen. They checked the pantry and then the refrigerator to see what foods were running low. Billy held the door so it wouldn't close while Jolena was in there, because it's very dangerous to be inside a refrigerator and not be able to get out, even if you're made of vinyl!

Billy helped Jolena pull out some things from the pantry that she thought would be good together. She looked at her recipes on the iPad to find something she could make with what she had found in the pantry and in the refrigerator. She decided on a stew with black-eyed peas with potatoes and cabbage.

While she was doing that, Billy put down some fresh dog food and water for the real dogs that lived in the house.

Next Jolena and Billy made a grocery list. They wrote down all the food the family needed from the store to get them through the next few days. None of the dolls could drive, so Billy found a grocery delivery service online, and Jolena called to order the food they needed. The person at the other end of the phone call wanted a credit card, so they went to ask The Writer if it was OK to use her credit card. It was. They climbed into The Writer's purse to find it. Billy held the flashlight while Jolena looked through The Writer's wallet.

After the groceries were ordered, Jolena made tea to take to The Writer. She put the teapot, a cup and saucer, a spoon, a pitcher of milk and a little plate of cookies on a tray. Jolena explained to Billy that The Writer doesn't need sugar in her tea, because she is already sweet enough.

Jolena and Billy carried the tray together carefully up to the bedroom. They worked together to get the tray up the stairs without spilling anything.
Then Jolena started some bread in the bread machine. She checked it after just a few minutes to make sure the dough wasn't too dry or too wet, while she could still add water or flour.

The dough looked good, so Jolena and Billy carefully cut up the vegetables and put them into the slow cooker with some black-eyed peas, water, some spices and a can of tomatoes. It would cook for several hours. Then they had time to do something else until it was time to bake the bread and then finish fixing supper.

While Jolena and Billy were working on the food, Mandy changed into some casual clothes, and she and Charlotte worked together to start the laundry. They put clothes, sheets and towels into the washing machine with some detergent. Then they turned it on.

While the clothes were washing, Mandy and Charlotte got ready to clean the bathrooms. First they put on their wellies.

They would need these boots when they cleaned the toilet. They are small, so it's easier if they work together.

While they worked, Mandy and Charlotte listened for the buzzer that told them the washer was done. When they heard it, they went back to the laundry room and put the wet clothes into the dryer.

While they were doing all that, Mariah and Veronika worked together to put clean sheets on the beds. Mariah got on one side to pull the sheets and blankets up and tuck them in.

Veronika helped from the other side.

It took a long time, because they are very small, and the beds are very big, but they could do it, because they worked together.

Meanwhile, Billy and Jolena did the dusting. Mandy had explained to them that they should do the dusting before they ran the vacuum, because when you dust, most of the dust falls onto the floor, where the vacuum can pick it up. 

"This would go much faster," Billy suggested, "if we didn't have so many little things to dust. Then I could even do it by myself."
"That may be true," agreed Jolena, "but what if we needed one of these little things for a story? Like this rock that I'm dusting, maybe, for a story about geology. That's the study of the earth. It includes learning about rocks."
While Billy thought that over, the two dolls worked together to do the vacuuming. The vacuum is heavy, but Billy and Jolena are very strong when they work together, and they are close to the floor, so they can see tiny things that need to be picked up.

When Mariah and Veronika had finished with the beds, they collected all the trash from the house and put it into the big trash bag that was in the kitchen.

They took the kitchen trash bag out to the big trash can outdoors. Then they moved the big trash can to the street, because it would be picked up tomorrow. It's very big and heavy, so they had to push hard. They could do it because they are stronger together.

Then they took a turn helping with the vacuuming, because there is a lot of floor to clean.

Jolena and Billy finished the bread by putting the dough into a pan and baking it in the oven. They had to be very careful around the stove, because it can be very hot. They didn't want their vinyl to melt. The bread turned out nicely and no one was hurt.

When it was time for supper, Jolena and Billy put a dish with the stew onto a tray to take upstairs to The Writer.

After they delivered supper, Jolena and Billy found the other dolls waiting for them on the stairs.
"She's feeling better!" Billy exclaimed.
"Yes," agreed Jolena. "Spending the day in bed was just what she needed."

"The Writer said to tell everyone thank you very much," said Billy. "Not only did we take care of the housework, but we also helped write this week's story!" 
"It's going to be all about what we did today," Jolena added.

Just then, the dryer buzzer went off. "Bzzzzzzz!" it said. Mandy and Charlotte jumped up and brought the clean, dry laundry into the workroom, where Veronika and Mariah helped them fold it. They told Billy and Jolena to go sit down and rest, because they still had the dishwasher to load in a little while.

Billy and Jolena did sit down to rest, but they knew they could load the dishwasher quickly, because they could work together.

"This has been fun," said Billy after he put the last dish into the dishwasher. "Let's do it again sometime!"

The other dolls agreed with Billy. It was fun to work together to do things that none of them could do alone.



Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz or Classic Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to a charity that supports pediatric cancer, such as CURE Childhood Cancer or St. Baldrick's Foundation
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 2:00 PM Pacific Time.

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Copyright © 2019 by Peggy Stuart

Need a Hobby?

"Veronika, are you busy?" Charlotte asked.

Veronika looked up from the fabrics she was getting ready to cut. "Do you need something, Charlotte?" she asked. "I was just getting ready to cut some fabrics. I have to fix this rotary cutter first, because it's set for dolls who are right-handed, but I can take a break and chat, if you like."

"I do have a question," Charlotte replied. "Can you explain what a hobby is?"

"It's something you do for fun," Veronika said. "Like people, dolls usually have at least one hobby. It isn't something you do because you have to but because you like it."
"You mean like how you like to quilt?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes," Veronika agreed. We all have hobbies. "Mandy likes to knit, for instance."

"She's good at it, too," Charlotte agreed.
"That's part of why she thinks it's fun," Veronika explained, "although when she finds a mistake, she is unhappy."

"But she fixes her mistake, and then she's happy again," Veronika went on. "It's fun to solve problems, and it's fun to work at something that might be hard to do and then get it right."

"Jolena likes to ski," Charlotte said. "I guess that's her hobby."

"Yes," Veronika agreed. She skis and does tricks on her skis, but she also likes to dance, and that helps her with the tricks she does."
"I've seen Jolena practicing dance," Charlotte said.

"Then there's Mariah," Veronika went on. "She likes to write."

"Yes," agreed Charlotte. "She wrote me that lovely poem for my birthday."

"She spent a lot of time thinking about it, too," Veronika said.

"Now Billy has found something he likes to do for fun," Veronika said. "He likes to take photos."

"Then he likes to use the computer to make the photos look better," Charlotte agreed, "and I've seen him watching lessons on the computer to learn how to take better photos. His photos are very nice to look at."

"I remember," Charlotte continued, "when I first started trying to play the violin, everyone said it hurt their ears, and they wanted me to stop."

"I remember that," Veronika said. "You were discouraged at first, but then you got better, and now you even make up your own music to play."

"So if a hobby is something you do because you think it's fun," Charlotte said, "I wonder why Tanya doesn't like to practice. Tanya is in my violin class. She told me she doesn't practice, because playing the violin is just a hobby. You can never make money at it. She says it's a hobby, but she doesn't seem to like it much."

Veronika thought for a moment. "Why would someone say that they didn't want to practice because it's just a hobby?" she asked. "A hobby is something you do because you like to do it."

"I wonder," Charlotte said, "if it's just an excuse for not practicing. Maybe playing the violin isn't her hobby at all," she suggested. "Maybe it's someone else's idea of what she should be learning."

"That's too bad," Veronika said. "If she practiced, she might find out that it's fun. Children should try different things for hobbies. That way, they find out what they like to do, and sometimes it leads them to a job they like when they grow up, or it starts them on a hobby that will make them happy in their free time."

"Children are usually too busy playing," said Charlotte.
"Charlotte, for children, play is their work," Veronika explained. "Play is learning and practicing what they will need to be able do when they grow up, but it's also fun. If children enjoy doing something when they play, they may also enjoy doing it when they grow up. If it's something they have to do, it's wonderful if they still enjoy it. Grownups need to have fun, too."

"What kinds of hobbies do grownup people like?" Charlotte asked.
"Grownups like the same kinds of things that children like to do for fun," Veronika said. "They play cards or board games. They play sports or dance. Maybe they build things. They might draw or paint or knit or sew. Many adults like to collect something, like plates or stamps or even...dolls!"
The dolls found that shocking to think about.

"One more thing you should know, Charlotte," Veronika added. "This is something you can tell Tanya. Some grownups even make money playing the violin, but they have to practice and be very good at it."

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz or Classic Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to a charity that supports pediatric cancer, such as CURE Childhood Cancer or St. Baldrick's Foundation
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 2:00 PM Pacific Time.

<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19832501/?claim=j3fj3mbb8kt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Copyright © 2019 by Peggy Stuart

What Dreams May Come

Veronika looked up from the book she was reading in bed to see Billy at the door to the room where she sleeps.
"Veronika, may I come in?" Billy asked.

"Sure, Billy," Veronika replied, "you can come in, but I thought you were asleep."

"I was asleep," Billy said, climbing up on the bed with Veronika. "I had a bad dream. I don't think I dare go back to sleep again."

Veronika closed her book and patted the bed to invite Billy to sit next to her.
"Do you remember your dream, Billy?" she asked.
"Yes, I do," he replied. "That's why I'm afraid to go to sleep."

"Maybe it will help you if you tell me about your dream," Veronika suggested.

"Well," Billy began, "in the dream a monster came out of the computer and chased me around. I ran and ran, but it kept getting closer. Then I was falling. Falling doesn't usually scare me, because I know my vinyl is sturdy, but I kept falling and never hit the floor. Then I woke up. I was afraid the monster would be hiding somewhere in the bedroom."

"You know dreams aren't real, don't you Billy?" Veronika asked. "It's just something your doll brain does when you're asleep."
"This sure seemed real," he said. "I remember it as if it really happened."
"Well," said Veronika, "people who study how people's brains work have been trying for a long time to understand dreams. They think there is a purpose to them, because if you are learning lots of new things during the day, you will dream a lot more at night. Maybe it's the brain's way to organize and store what it has taken in all day."

Billy thought about that. "I guess I am learning a lot now," he said. "Before I came out of my box, I dreamed, but I don't remember much of what I dreamed about, just that it was sometimes interesting and never scary."

"Dolls sleep all the time that they are in their boxes, so they have lots of dreams," Veronika explained. "That dreaming is what dolls do to get ready for the lives they will lead when they come out of their boxes. It helps teach them how to be companions to the children they will belong to. A companion is like a friend who is always there for you, who keeps you company. We dolls do that."
"But this dream was scary," Billy said.

"It's called a nightmare," Veronika explained. "It's normal to dream. Even dogs and cats dream. Sometimes you can see their legs move as if they are chasing something or running from something."
"I have seen Freckles and Pierre do that," Billy agreed. "Does that mean they are having scary dreams? Nightmares?"

"I don't know for sure," Veronika replied. "It probably means they are dreaming, but it could be a happy dream. The people who study dreams haven't figured out what dreams are for, only that there must be some purpose for them. If there is, it seems to be something animals need, too, so they dream."
"So that means sometimes children have nightmares?" Billy asked.
"Yes, they do," Veronika said, "and because children have nightmares, we have to understand what it's like, so we can comfort them."

"Children and dolls can have nightmares," Veronika went on, "especially after something scares them, like a scary movie. Maybe something happened that scared you, Billy." Then she remembered how Billy said that the dream monster came out of the computer. "Did something on the computer scare you?" she asked.
Billy thought for a long time. Then he seemed to have an idea. "I was playing a game on the computer and having a good time in the afternoon," he said.

"A picture of a strange person came on the screen," Billy went on. "Well, it looked almost like a person, but not quite. It was like a monster person. This thing told me I had to do what it told me to do, or it would hurt me. It was never there when I played that game before." Billy shivered as he talked about it. "It really scared me!"

Veronika considered what Billy had told her.

"I think there's a good chance that your brain was working through that fright," she suggested. "There are some bad people in the world who want to use our computers to hurt us, but they can't hurt us if we don't tell them who we are or where we live, and they can't make you do something you don't want to do."

"I think I knew that. It sure scared me, though," Billy said.
"If it happens again, come and get one of us older dolls," Veronika told him. "Maybe we can fix the computer so the bad person can't get through to your game."
Billy got up. "Thanks, Veronika," he said. "I think I can go to sleep now."
"I'm glad to help," Veronika replied. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Billy said.

Billy went back to the bedroom where he sleeps. He looked into the closet. There was some stuff there, but no monster.

He looked under the bed. There was some stuff there, but no monster.

He checked the whole room. There was no monster anywhere. With a sigh he climbed into bed and turned out the light. "Make me do something I don't want to do! I don't think so!" he said to himself. 

Then Billy pulled on his sleep mask and went to sleep. This time he had a happy dream. In this dream he was using the computer to make his photos better. It was fun. Billy smiled in his sleep.

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz or Classic Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to a charity that supports pediatric cancer, such as CURE Childhood Cancer or St. Baldrick's Foundation
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 2:00 PM Pacific Time.

<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19832501/?claim=j3fj3mbb8kt">Follow The Doll's Storybook with Bloglovin</a>

Copyright © 2019 by Peggy Stuart