Puppets and Pool Talk

Last night, while I was at band rehearsal, Ethan took the girls to a puppet show rendition of the book "Caps for Sale" at the town library.  According to Ethan's synopsis, the show was a loose interpretation of the story, presented several times within various world cultures.  (For instance, selling sombreros in exchange for pesos, then a Marrakesh-like street market selling fez and turban-like hats, and then a shadow puppet rendition set to Indian ragas.)  Ethan described the final shadow puppet version as being the one that held most faithful to the book.

According to Madeleine's synopsis, "yeah, the MONKEY was trying to get the CAPS... for sale!"

According to Julia's synopsis, "Well, they did a lot of COMMERCIALS before the show really started.  And one of the commercials was so funny, because they had all the peddlers running around going 'GIVE ME MY CAPS!' and it was so CRAZY!"

Apparently, everything leading up to the final shadow puppet rendition was, in Julia's mind, a commercial.  No wonder she thought there were a ton of commercials before the show actually started...

We discussed the puppet show as we walked to the pool for Julia's swim lesson today.  Our time going to and fro, as well as during swim lessons, has been full of classic remarks by both children.  Some quotes from Madeleine over this past week at the pool:

1)
MADELEINE: (walking from the pool bathroom back to our seat on the benches, obviously distressed by the fact that her shorts had been pulled up crooked)  Uh!  Uh!  Mommy!
ME: Here, honey, stop for a minute.  Let me help you.  (adjusting her shorts.)
MADELEINE: Mom, what did you did?
ME: Your shorts were crooked.  I fixed them.
MADELEINE: (looking at me in wonderment.)  You mean... there was a cricket on them?
ME: CROOKED.  CROOKED.  Not CRICKET.
MADELEINE: Oh, yeah, they were just CROOKED.

2)
MADELEINE: (pointing towards the thistles growing underneath our bench)  Mom!  Look!  There's a HUMMING BEE that's HUMMING that FLOWER!

3)
ME: Here, Madeleine, let me put some sunscreen on you.
MADELEINE: Oh, yeah.  I just need sun scream.

4)
MADELEINE: (in the middle of watching Julia's lesson) Mom?
ME: Yes, honey?
MADELEINE: Mom, do we have ABC Mouse dot com?

Whatever that is, and whatever it has to do with swim lessons, remains a mystery to me.

5)
MADELEINE: Mom?  What are those DOING?
ME: What do you mean?
MADELEINE: What are those DOING?
ME: What's WHAT doing?
MADELEINE: What are those flip flops doing?
ME: (glancing around at the array of flip flops left on various benches by kids in the water) Uh... they're just sitting there.  The kids just took them off.
MADELEINE: No, what are THOSE flip flops doing?
ME: They're just sitting there.
MADELEINE: No, what are those flip flops doing in the pool?
ME: (watching the swim class doing laps on kick boards) Those aren't flip flops.  Those are kick boards.
MADELEINE: No, those are FLIP FLOPS!  On her FEET!
ME: (finally noticing the girl with flippers)  Oh.  Those are FLIPPERS.
MADELEINE: But what are those flippers on Julia's feet?
ME: Julia doesn't have anything on her feet, honey.  Her feet are bare.

Sheesh, if there's anything Madeleine should understand, it should be the desire to go borefooting...

Julia, too, has provided me with some interesting commentary on our walks to and from the pool.  For the past few days, she has been obsessed with a dead bird we pass by on our walking route.  Today, as we set out for the pool, we encountered another dead bird, some three-quarters of a mile away from the spot where we had seen the other bird.  As we walked home, past the original dead bird's patch of grass (the bird has since been eaten, or otherwise removed), Julia piped up: "That's where we saw that dead bird!  But... Mama... can you believe we saw the dead bird near our house today?  So, like, the dead bird flew all the way over there... uh... I mean... the wind blew it all the way over near where we live and now it's laying THERE?!?"

Oh, boy.  Here I had foolishly assumed there happened to be another, DIFFERENT dead bird near our house.  How illogical of me.  OF COURSE it's the very same one; the wind just blew it all the way on over.  DUH!