Wimzie's House

When Jonas drops a bag of his special dirt because it's too heavy, he has to admit how out of shape he is. He goes on an exercise program and Wimzie becomes his personal trainer. He learns the importance of exercise and healthy living.

Jonas is in a very bad mood this morning. One more word from Loulou and the unthinkable happens, he hits her. Two time-outs are not enough to let Jonas-the-volcano simmer down, later he socks Horace on the arm and then, it's Wimzie's turn. Yaya steps in and gives Jonas a few tricks to help him deal with his anger. Rousso, who just happens to be struggling with a frustrating problem (a little piece that won't come off a toy plane he's assembling) gives Jonas a convincing show-and-tell demonstration of his own method for dealing with a bout of bad mood. Jonas soon gets the opportunity to test the tricks he just learned from Rousso and Yaya. He succeeds and manages to change his hits into hugs.

Understanding trust and how it can be lost and earned is the basis of this story. The children have a contest in which they can't watch TV for twenty-four hours. The winner will get a prize, which Jonas wants very much. Meanwhile, Yaya tries to explain trust by playing the "trust game" in which a friend falls backwards and trusts you to catch him. Jonas says he'll catch Wimzie but is distracted at the moment of catching her. Wimzie falls down. Later Jonas lies about having watched TV and is viewed by the others with suspicion. He earns back everyone's trust by playing the trust game, but this time he's the "faller" and Wimzie's the catcher.

Jonas has run out of places to keep his dirt and has used various spots in Wimzie's house to store it. He's made a map of the hiding places, but has lost it. No problem, except it's spring cleaning day and he's afraid that others will find the stashes of dirt and toss them out. Loulou has found the list, but a previous tiff between her and Jonas causes her to keep it. Meanwhile, Yaya, Graziella and Rousso are finding very unusual things; like dirt ice cubes and coffee that tastes like dirt...

Missing her mom and dad, Wimzie wishes they didn't have jobs. Graziella is then laid off. Then, Rousso has a couple of easy days at work, leading Wimzie to think that there'll be no need for firemen and Rousso will soon be out of a job. Wimzie starts thinking that her wishing is making these bad things happen. Since she feels the situation is all her fault, she takes it upon herself to turn things around and calls the neighbors to tell them her family soon won't have enough food. After the living room is filled with neighborly casseroles, Wimzie learns that she's not responsible for things that happen to adults, although her parents love her for trying to help them.

Bossiness rears it's ugly head when Jonas is made the leader of building a group spaceship because he's the acknowledged expert. Jonas orders them each to do different tasks, but kids each want to do other ones. Jonas is insistent and his bossiness causes a mutiny. Loulou, Wimzie, Horace and Bo decide to build their own spaceship. Jonas continues alone and fails. The others complete theirs but it's hardly worthy of the name "spaceship". Rousso finally steps in, gets everyone together and explains to Jonas the difference between being a leader and being a boss. And he tells the others that if they pick a leader, they have a responsibility to try to do what he thinks is best and not what they feel like doing. They finally build a third spaceship cooperatively.

Loulou overhears Graziella talking about a beloved neighbor moving. She mistakenly thinks it's Wimzie who's moving, especially when Rousso says something about "not telling Wimzie yet". Loulou reports what she overheard to Horace and Jonas. Horace says that he's heard somewhere that people move because they can't pay their "morbage" ("mortgage"...), whatever that is. So, the kids decide to sell their favorite possessions to help Wimzie pay the "morbage", but since they can't tell Wimzie, they say it's for a mutual friend, Mitzi. Wimzie joins in to help them. When she tells Graziella about Mitzi moving because they can't pay the "morbage", whatever that is, the truth comes out and the value of asking about things and not jumping to conclusion is impressed upon Loulou. However the adults applaud the children for all trying to help their friends.

Wimzie has to resist peer pressure when everyone wants to play Mighty Monster Power Piggies. She tries to invent new games to play but the power of the Mighty Monster Power Piggies is great. While inadvertently doing Tai Chi with Yaya, the kids see the allure of doing something else and Piggies are gone for the moment at least.

The children are making masks for a contest at a zoo and Wimzie is beset by a scary dream about a "mask monster". She refuses to go to sleep, causing her to zonk out while at the zoo, missing out on all the fun. Yaya gives her an "anti-nightmare" trick she teaches her to "giggle" at the mask monster. Later on, at night, when Wimzie has the scary dream again, she remembers to giggle instead of being scared and the "mask monster" stops being a frightening experience.

All the kids except Wimzie are in a lazy mood and don't feel like doing much of anything. Wimzie attempts to get her friends to do something but with rain coming, there is no convincing them. Graziella tells Wimzie that when she was little, she used to make a tent in the yard and watch the rain from inside. Wimzie loves the idea but can't convince the others to play along. Nevertheless, she decides to put the tent up herself and still has fun! In the meantime, Graziella makes a growing wall for the children to document how much they have grown since coming to day-care. After much work and patience Wimzie succeeds in building her tent. The others would love to join her but Wimzie doesn't really think they deserve it. After all, she did all the work. Graziella explains that Wimzie has the right to decide what she wants to do with the tent she built. Eventually, Wimzie invites them in and they all have a warm, dry and fun time in the rain.

While preparing to celebrate Friendship Day, the kids agree that it's easy to be friends. They then get into a series of misunderstandings and arguments that make them so mad they don't want to make up. Yaya helps them realize that friendship is hard work and that best friends can like different things, and can even make you angry or hurt you, but they can still be your best friends - if you work at it.

A dead baby bird is found one morning and the kids are very sad. Rousso and Yaya give it a nice burial and the children set out to protect the other birds in the nest, because they think a neighbor's cat may have been responsible. Rousso and Yaya help the children understand the chain of life, and learn not to hate the cat for doing what a cat's supposed to do. (The cat didn't do it, by the way. The bird just fell out accidentally). Wimzie and her friends see how all life is connected.

Wimzie and the kids get a lesson in privacy when they accidentally hear the beginning of a story on one of Yaya's diary tapes. Later, their curiosity getting the better of them, they sneak in to try and hear to the rest of the story, without Yaya's permission. Yaya discovers this and makes a special tape designed to teach them a lesson. Meanwhile, Wimzie is outraged that Graziella, who was merely putting clean clothes away, has invaded her privacy and found a stash of candy bars hidden in her drawer. Privacy cuts all ways.

Rousso has his arm in a cast after a minor accident while saving someone's life during a fire. When the cast is removed, Wimzie doesn't want Rousso to return to work for fear of another accident. Despite assurances from her dad, Yaya and Graziella, Wimzie withdraws into a shell under the blankets on her bed. Yaya and the kids are taking care of a friend's turtle for a week and the little animal won't come out of its shell. When its head does appear, a ball accidentally drops on it and the little turtle retreats inside. Wimzie tries to explain to the turtle that accidents happen, not yet understanding the connection to what happened with her dad. When a letter comes to the house from a little boy, thanking Rousso for saving his dad's life in the same accident that injured Rousso's arm, Wimzie realizes the importance of her dad's work. Thanks to him, this little boy has his father to play with all his life. And the turtle's head finally emerges.

Bo is feeling his oats - walking, climbing, getting into mischief and trouble. His friskiness means that Yaya will have to watch him full time and that she can't make the special puppets she promised the kids. Disappointed, they offer to look after Bo while Yaya finishes the puppets. Yaya agrees and the children are genuinely responsible with Bo, keeping an eye out for him and playing with him. But toddlers move even faster than the best intentioned kid and they lose track of him for a minute or so. Even though the kids did their best, Yaya resumes watching Bo. But the little guy climbs out of his crib at nap time and makes a lot of mischief, including turning on the tub water. When it drips down to the living room, Yaya has to clean the mess. That's when Bo grabs a pair of her scissors, which the kids wisely take from him, causing him to cry. Yaya thinks his tears are a result of the kids' carelessness, but when they tell her what happened, she realizes that they understand very well the importance of watching younger siblings. The children also realize that they shouldn't underestimate Bo. He can be gone in the blink of an eye.

Because he has trouble asking for what he wants and standing up for himself, Horace has been innocently and inadvertently taken advantage of in game playing and other kid decisions. In a rare "dual" role, Horace's cousin Morris, visits for a day. Morris is nice, funny, but very outspoken and assertive. When he speaks, people listen. Horace tries to emulate Morris and goes overboard, until he finally learns how to speak up for what he wants and how he feels as himself and not someone else.

Loulou is anxious to tell her friends about her new sweater, handed down to her from Jonas. Her excitement is overshadowed by Jonas' because he has just gotten a brand new sweater while shopping with their mom. Loulou comes to feel that her sweater isn't special because it's not new, so she throws it in the trash. In the meantime, Rousso is cleaning out the garage and deciding what things are still useful. Wimzie, Jonas and Horace find alternate uses for these things and learn the importance of recycling at the same time. When Loulou learns from Yaya that old things can be just as special - or even more special - than new things, she is sad because she has already thrown her sweater away. But then, she learns that Wimzie has rescued her sweater from the trash! Loulou is thrilled to have her comfy and warm sweater back.

Wimzie needs to practice throwing and catching the Blizzer-Ball for a contest on Saturday. But since it's raining outside, she practices with Jonas in the house, which Yaya has told her not to do. Rousso enters the room and ducks the incoming Blizzer-Ball, slips and bonks his head. When he comes to, he doesn't know who he is. In fact, he thinks he's Cecil, a five year old. The kids can't tell Yaya what happened because she would find out they were playing Blizzer-Ball in the house. So they try to remind Rousso of who he is by showing him familiar things, while keeping his "new" identity from Yaya. Yaya eventually figures out what's happened and chides them for not telling her when someone is hurt. That's when Rousso bonks his head again and his memory returns. The children learn that they should always report an accident to a grown-up even though it means they might get in trouble.

Graziella is about to be tested in a new model plane that is replacing her old familiar one. Though she's practiced with the complicated controls very well, she becomes too scared to take the test and ends up languishing at home for a week. Meanwhile, Horace refuses to play a harmless spinning game because it looks scary. Seeing her mom's sadness, Wimzie asks Horace to play the game to inspire her mom to test fly her new plane, surprising Horace that grown-ups get scared of things, too. Horace starts to play the game, but chickens out. Then at story time, Rousso asks Graziella to tell one of her flying stories. While it's a funny story, it also reveals her past bravery. Her exploit inspires Horace to overcome his fear and play the spinning game. Horace's bravery inspires Graziella to overcome her own fears and she leaves to test fly her plane. As she passes over the house, she tips her wings in tribute to Horace.

Jonas tells Rousso about his experiences and feelings on the day Wimzie called him a stuke-a-piddley, a name whose meaning no one really knows. Nevertheless, the sting of knowing a name has been flung at him bothers Jonas. Wimzie will eventually understand that calling anyone a name, even a silly sounding one, can be hurtful.

The Tooth Fairy didn't show up for Horace. Yaya, who happens to be a personal friend of the Fairy, tries to assuage his disappointment. Her excuse is that since the Tooth Fairy is overworked, she may have given the job to the Nap Fairy, who comes to most of the daycare kids. Horace is disappointed but nevertheless refuses to fall asleep, so anxious is he to meet the Tooth Fairy. But later, when he can't resist anymore and starts dozing off on the sofa, Jonas, Loulou, Wimzie and Graziella dress up in gauzy clothes and pretend to be the Tooth Fairy so they can put quarters under Horace's pillow at nap time. Their plan will work... but not quite in the way they expected and not without the help of the real Tooth Fairy!

Wimzie is being slow and late for everything, causing the other kids to miss out on cookies, stories, etc. She just can't seem to do things on time. Rousso tells the children he's taking them on a ferry boat ride the next day, but they have to leave by 8 a.m. sharp or the ferry will go without them. The kids are excited and the next day, they're all waiting to leave at the appointed time... except Wimzie. She dawdles around in her room while the others are calling for her to hurry up. It's getting late, and Rousso and the others have to leave without her. Wimzie is upset and thinks it isn't fair. Yaya tries to explain to her that it would not have been fair if her lateness had caused the others to make them miss the trip. Very disappointed, she's even more so when her dad and her friends return and tell about the wonderful things they've seen. But everyone say they've missed her and to prove it they give her a present they've bought during their outing a sailing ship. And on the other side of the ship is... an alarm clock, so Wimzie won't be late again.

That Bo! He just can't leave other people's things alone. Unbeknownst to the all, he's been taking the kids' things and leaving them in Jonas' dirt box. Meanwhile, Wimzie's special cookie disappears. She suspects Jonas, who had wanted the cookie himself... or Horace, who loves to eat cookies... or Loulou who was alone in the same room with the cookie. Wimzie wants to look in her friends' backpacks and personal belongings to see if the cookie is there. But Yaya says she has to have permission to look in people's property. Wimzie asks permission but Jonas and Horace refuse. Wimzie then sneaks a look in Jonas' dirt box and sees some of the other kids' things that Bo had put there! However, she can't tell anyone she's found them because she'd have to admit she looked without permission. All is settled when Loulou sees Bo absconding with another object. They all follow him and see that he's the culprit. But what about the cookie? Rousso then comes eating it! No one had told him it belonged to anyone in particular, so he took it. Wimzie learns a lesson in accusing people without proof and in not believing her friends.

Wimzie's been invited to an expensive, overnight trip to Dragon Park by her friend Mitzi's mom and dad. Rousso and Graziella give her permission to go. Wimzie becomes obsessed with Dragon Park, incessantly talking about it much to the annoyance of the others. To include them, Yaya suggests they plan a going-away party for Wimzie's overnight trip. Just as the party's ready to begin, Mitzi's mom calls to say Mitzi is very sick, and that the trip is off. Wimzie's very disappointed and refuses to come down to the party. How can she go to a going-away party when she's not even going away? The others trick her into coming downstairs, where they've changed the party theme to a not-going-away party, making her feel better about her disappointment.

After a visit to the museum, Wimzie wants to become an archaeologist. She can't say the word properly but that doesn't stop her from excavating the garden and unearthing what could be a dinosaur bone. After a couple of mishaps (the bone is put in the soup, given to the neighbour's dog, etc.), Rousso gives it to an archaeologist for testing. The news of a "kid archaeologist" spread quickly and the media want to interview Wimzie. Even if she still can't pronounce the word, the young archaeologist is ecstatic. Soon however, the tests reveal that the bone is only a horse bone. Wimzie is discouraged and gives up her budding archaeological career. Her parents speak to her of perseverance and of the pleasure derived from attaining a goal after much work. Not convinced, Wimzie goes back to play with her friends and suddenly, in conversation, manages to say the word "archaeologist" perfectly. She sees that her efforts and perseverance are paying off and her passion for archaeology is rekindled. This time, the kids will dig to discover... a pirate's treasure.

The children play a game where "no" means "yes", "hello" means "good-bye", "good" means "bad", etc. Graziella and Yaya tell the kids not to take the game too far. Everyone is having a great time except for Rousso, who is not playing "Backwards Day", doesn't know what the kids are playing... and is looking for his calculator because he has bills to pay. He asks the children if they've seen his calculator and Wimzie answers "no", meaning "yes". A frustrated Rousso goes to the store to buy another calculator. Wimzie finds out about this and realizes that she has pushed the game too far. But Rousso then comes back without a calculator, having remembered something Yaya said about the Backwards Day Game. The children are relieved and learn the lesson of carrying things too far.

Graziella is sick with stomach flu and can't get any sleep because the well-intentioned Wimzie is driving her crazy by waiting on her hand and foot. Though touched by Wimzie's efforts and concern, Graziella tells Rousso to keep her out of the room so she can sleep. Meanwhile, Yaya is making some special feel-better soup, the kind that's for "rubbing" not drinking. Unbeknownst to Yaya, Wimzie brings the feel-better soup to Graziella who eats it. Wimzie didn't know that the soup was for rubbing, not eating. That's when Rousso tells her not to bother her mother. Wimzie takes this as a warning that Graziella is getting worse and she becomes worried. Furthermore, when she learns that the soup she gave her mom was for rubbing not drinking, she thinks that everything's her fault. Eventually, the whole situation is cleared up, and Wimzie learns that while it's good to help the sick, sometimes they just have to be left alone to get better themselves.

Wimzie is tired of going to bed early and doing kid things. She thinks it would be so much better to be a grown-up. Yaya tells her "Okay tomorrow you can do just that. You can be my assistant grown-up." Wimzie is thrilled until she realizes that she can't join the others in the fun things they're doing because she has to be the assistant grown-up and help her grandma with the chores and responsibilities grown-ups have to do. Meanwhile, her friends are having a great time playing detective and investigating something that's gone missing. Wimzie watches from the sidelines, doing grown-up stuff. She eventually realizes that it's good to be a kid when you're a kid, just as it's good to be a grown-up, when you're a grown-up.