When the seasons change, we look forward to many things. Warmer weather. Sunny skies. Chirping birds. Not having to wear gloves, or scarves, or socks, or legwarmers (unless, of course, you're off to Jazzercise class).

One thing the LaReau Sisters DON'T look forward to: Seasonal migraines, prompted by a combination of pollen and dramatic changes in air pressure (like when it's 60 degrees and sunny one day, hailing and snowing the next, aka typical New England weather).

Kara and Jenna have been "enjoying" these splitting headaches for days now, which accounts for the lack of blogging. We're still not out of the woods yet, but it is a good sign that we can type without tossing our cookies (which isn't really accurate, because we've been so nauseous we haven't been able to eat cookies — or much of anything, really). Thankfully, we've had some ginger ale, and migraine medication, and toast.

When will this vise-like grip on our heads subside? As soon as Mother Nature lets up, we'll let you know.

These are for you, Karen!

1. What was your first job?
For Kara, summer camp counselor (she is an EXPERT at s'mores-making and eating). For Jenna, landscaper (her boss was an eccentric fellow who kept rehabilitated wildlife in his house, including an owl named Who-Who, a blind duck, and an orphaned faun named Small Brown Dog).

2. What was your first car?
The first car Kara owned was given to her by her parents as a graduation "gift" back in 1992. It was a 1979 Toyota Corona, and unfortunately, it had a problem with starting. And running. And signaling. Jenna smartly opted out of receiving an automotive graduation gift. She has never owned a car, but she would definitely be open to receiving a Vespa (hint-hint).

3. Whats your favorite guilty pleasure?
Watching true crime marathons on A&E and CourtTV, eating black-and-white cookies or Carvel ice cream cake, sitting around in our pajamas.

4. Do you have any other siblings?
Not that we know about.

5. What do you never leave home without? Dont say American Express.
Jenna says, "pants." Kara says, "a list."

Okay, folks, it's back to the mushroom house for us. Thanks for playing!

Miss Cecil, these go out to you!

1. Who always wins?
Depends on what game you're talking about. If it's a ping-pong tournament, it's Jenna. If it's Trivial Pursuit: Super Nerd Edition, it's Kara. If it's a hot dog or pie-eating contest, nobody wins, really.

2. What is your favorite thing the other one owns?
Our brains.

3. Sweet or Sour?
Sweet, though it must be immediately followed by or combined with salty. Examples: popcorn and M&Ms, dark chocolate-covered pretzels, French fries dipped in a vanilla shake.

4. Who has the better singing voice?
We'll never know about Jenna; she's been hiding her light under a bushel for some time now. So Kara wins by default.

5. What song do you sing for karaoke?
For Kara, "Cry Me a River" (the Julie London version, not the Justin Timberlake version). For Jenna, she's never tried, but Kara's sure she'd do a mean "Bad Reputation."

These are for you, Julia (for the purposes of this blog, we will nickname you COOLIA)...

Do you have nicknames for each other? If yes, please spill the beans. If no, I don't believe you.
Believe it or not, we don't really have nicknames for each other. We waste all of our energy coming up with nicknames for our cats. However, we do share innumerable inside jokes, and we have silly voices we only use with each other...and sometimes, telemarketers.


And over to you, Jo!

1. How many smurfs figures do you own?
Sadly, we were never allowed or given any Smurfs as children, as they were deemed too "trendy," though we did watch the Saturday morning cartoon, religiously ogled the Smurf display case at our local Bradlees, and coveted the ones our friends owned. Perhaps that's why we regard them with so much fondness and reverence today. Recently, Kara bought herself two: one is Brainy (purchased at the insistence of Jenna, who claims it bears a resemblance to Kara), and one is a generic Smurf holding a stack of books (Editor Smurf?).

Jenna does not own any Smurfs, currently. She knows that if she started collecting, she would not stop until she possessed the whole village.

2. Do you have the mushroom house?
The Holy Grail of Smurfdom? Not yet. Editor Smurf DOES need an office, though. Hmm...

Lisa, this one's for you!

1. What are your favorite books from your childhood?
Assorted Little Golden Books (especially by Richard Scarry); anything with scratch n sniff; Harold and the Purple Crayon; Ferdinand; Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm; Ed Emberley's drawing books; anything by Judy Blume, Paula Danziger, Norma Fox Mazer, Robert Cormier, and Beverly Cleary; the Choose Your Own Adventure series; the Encyclopedia Brown series; and assorted comic books our grandparents stockpiled for us at their beach cottage.

2. What did you fight most about when you were kids? Do you ever fight now, and if so, about what?
As kids, we fought about EVERYTHING; you might say it was bloodsport for us. It's good we got it out of our system, because we don't really tussle anymore. It was good self-defense training, though.

3. If you could each invite one famous person, living or dead, to dinner, who would you invite?
Jenna would invite Abraham Lincoln, and if he's busy, Bea Arthur. Kara would invite Amy Sedaris (hopefully she'd bring some of her cupcakes, and perhaps a cheeseball).

4. Favorite kind of cake?
CUPCAKES!

5. Can you each give one piece of advice (besides read, which everyone says) to aspiring children's writers?
Watch your back! Just kidding...sort of. Also, don't consider BEING PUBLISHED your one and only goal; that's just the icing on the cupcake. Honing your craft, whether you're a writer or illustrator, is what it's all about. Oh, and paying the bills.

Dear Curious Friends,

Thanks SO much for your questions! We've received so many, we've decided to answer a few each day, in the order they were received. Without further ado...Andrea B, these go out to you!

1. Which of you steals the other's clothes more?
To be honest, we don't steal each other's clothes at all, because we can't. Jenna is three inches taller than Kara, so there's a length issue. Also, their styles are very different: Jenna is a tomboy, and Kara is, as Jenna defines it, a "fancypants."

2. Did you ever disguise your voices on the phone to trick callers as to which of you was really talking?
No, but we do very much enjoy using funny voices to trick telemarketers; recently, Jenna employed what can only be described as her Cookie Monster Voice to tell a phone solicitor she wasn't home. Also, we like to mess with our mother. Once we changed the outgoing message on her answering machine to sound like a very enthusiastic person with a very severe speech impediment. She still hasn't forgiven us.

3. What's the process of working together like for you?
After we get through our stretching and tumbling warmups, we're good to go. From there on in, it's all about sharing. And coffee. And a cookie or three. Kara gets Jenna's input on the texts, and Jenna gets Kara's input on the art. Also, Kara models for Jenna. Stop laughing. Really, it's true. If you look at the book Top Secret (illustrated by Jenna, written by Paul B. Janeczko), you'll see a pair of gloved hands on the jacket. Those hands belong to Kara — or as she likes to be called, The Gloved One.

4. What's next from the LaReau team?
We're embarking on a new adventure, literally. Kara is working on fine-tuning the text right now. Well, not really RIGHT NOW. Right now she's answering your very intriguing questions with Jenna while eating Haagen-Daazs Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle ice cream. (Don't bother trying to find it in your local supermarket freezer, kids; it's a new flavor that hasn't been released yet. Clearly, we have friends in VERY high places.)

5. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
Are we both licking it at once? If so, ew. We'll leave that mystery up to Mr. Owl.

It's true: The LaReau Sisters have an air of mystery about them. Much like the Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster, and the Smurfs, they live in peaceful reclusion, surfacing once in a great while to tantalize the curious (and of course, to buy groceries).

This week, we offer a very rare opportunity — Kara and Jenna will come out of hiding to answer your questions. Tell the LaReau Sisters what you'd like to know about them, and they'll collect all the queries and respond on Thursday.

And yes, feel free to ask more than one question. We're sure there's a lot you'll want to know before we return to our natural smurfy habitat.

Kara and Jenna have wanted to blog this week, but they've been waiting for their anger about a certain situation to subside. Unfortunately, it hasn't, so get ready for some tough talk.

Evidently a group called National Action Against Obesity is organizing a boycott against Girl Scout Cookies, because they're "high-calorie, high-sugar, high in saturated fat and nearly devoid of nutrition," and because they don't like the idea of "young females identifying themselves with baked goods."

Okay. Fasten your seatbelts, friends.

First? You do NOT harsh on the Girl Scouts. We can't think of a more esteemed organization for young people with cuter uniforms. As a Girl Scout alumna, Kara has experienced this first hand (shout-out to Troop 144!) as she can STILL recite the Girl Scout Oath from memory and is an avid collector or vintage Scouting memorabilia. She WILL throw down for her Girls.

Second, if you are interested in a more nutritional alternative, they offer Cartwheels (low fat) and Little Brownies (sugar free) cookies. Third, the cookies now feature zero transfats. Fourth, the boxes are recyclable, and the bakers they use are American labor union members using American-grown agricultural products and American-made packaging materials.

And fifth, here's a hot tip — instead of banning nutritionally-bereft snacks altogether, why doesn't this National Action Against Obesity group organize a campaign to educate children of all ages about serving sizes? Because, yes, maybe it's NOT a good idea to eat an entire sleeve of Thin Mints in one sitting. Maybe some of us had to learn that the hard way, and wish we had been schooled by someone in the nutritional know.

Sixth, young girls (and in fact, all females) should be able to identify with whatever they want, whether it's baking or sports or fashion or science or art. Is it right to deny girls the opportunity to pursue whatever we don't think corresponds to our personal feminine and feminist ideal?

And finally, Girl Scout cookies are a special treat, and are meant to be enjoyed accordingly. They only come around once a year, and seeing those brightly-colored boxes in the dead of winter fills us with joy on many levels; most people (like us) buy a box or two of their favorites, savor them with a cup of tea or a mug of coffee or a glass of milk over a week or two, and then say goodbye until next season. Shortly after that, we enjoy eating our one Cadbury Creme Egg of the year, and then we blow up a few Marshmallow Peeps in the microwave. (But that's another story.)

So what's wrong with a little guilty pleasure, if it's enjoyed in moderation — especially if it benefits a legion of girls in green uniforms with matching berets? If you agree with us, please be sure to visit the Girl Scouts website and find out where cookies are being sold near you. Buy some of your favorites (and some for your friends), and let the little ladies in green know you care.

Our favorites are the Samoas, by the way. How about you?