Julia Explains

The completed math worksheet that Julia came home with after school yesterday was a series of word problems.  I particularly enjoyed reading her reasoning behind the answer to this problem:

Gabe goes to the library every 4 days.  He went on the 4th day of the year.  Will he go to the library on the 365th day of the year?  "No."

How did you find the answer?
"I thought well if it's the 4th day, pretend that it was the 364th day so if that was the fourth day he would not go."

I mean, has clearer logic ever been expressed so eloquently??

Speaking of eloquence, Julia was a non-stop chatter machine on the way to school today.  As we walked along, she spoke poetically of the various lunches offered by the school cafeteria, the lunches she had opted not to buy and then regretted, and the decor that the cafeteria workers put up for various seasons and holidays.  Ultimately, she expressed her appreciation for the way the whole cafeteria system is run:

JULIA: Mom?  The thing that I really LIKE about the school lunches is that they always give you CHOICES; for example, when they have pudding, they have chocolate pudding, vanilla pudding, chocolate pudding with whipped cream, and vanilla pudding with whipped cream.

Yup, this kid can give a convincing and articulate explanation of what makes the school lunch system a positive one, but can only answer a math word problem by talking in circles. 

But at least she is actually using her second grade math skills during her regular daily actions, even if her telling me about them delays MY regular daily actions. 

This morning, as I attempted to get into the shower, the girls got into an argument over who would get to eat the only remaining bagel.  After Madeleine cried in her room about it and Julia acknowledged that it was actually Madeleine's turn to get the last bagel standing, Julia then caused me to run, mid-undressing, out of my bedroom when she suddenly screamed.  I discovered that she had filled her cereal bowl not ONLY to the brim, but actually had Trix overflowing all over the counter and floor.  Once I had helped cleaned up that debacle, I went into the bathroom and was about to turn on the shower when:

JULIA: Mommy?  I used MATH this morning when I was reading my "Little House" book!
ME: Oh, great! (putting my hand on the handle to turn on the water)
JULIA: Yeah.  So Mom?
ME: (taking my hand off) Yes?
JULIA: Yeah.  So.  I thought, if Laura is SEVEN, well, I added TEN to the year she was born and subtracted THREE, and then I knew what year it was.
ME: Great! (reaching out to turn on the water)
JULIA: Yeah, and Mom?
ME: (taking my hand off the water handle) Yes?
JULIA: Well, I thought, if Mary is two years OLDER, I subtracted two to figure out what year SHE was born.
ME: Good job! (readying myself to turn on the water yet again, only to be foiled)
JULIA: Yeah.  And then I added FOUR, because her other sister is FOUR years younger than she is, so I figured out what year everybody was BORN!
ME: Good work figuring that all out!

So, after the crying, the Trix spilling, and the math lesson, I was finally able to take my shower and get a move on the morning.

Speaking of crying, on the topic of things Madeleine cried about (but really shouldn't have), this happened yesterday:

MADELEINE: Mama?  I wanna be a cheerleader when I grow up, but I don't know how to do a cartwheel, and (eyes welling with tears) I think cheerleaders have to knooooow how to dooooo a caaaaaartwheeeeel!

I guess her future career is doomed.