New Year's Eve

Happy New Year from the Rowes!

MADELEINE: Mommy?  What I love about the New Year is telling JOKES.  Like..."See ya next year!"  Or..."Oh my God, I haven't seen you since last YEAR!"  or, like..."See ya in a year."

What *I* love about the New Year is the extra time off from school and work to spend with my family.  We did our traditional New Year's Eve events in town, starting with a marionette show, "The Fairy Circus."

JULIA: (in a terrified whisper) Wait, is that a clown?!?

There was another clown too:

Next we went to a series of performances by the Charles River Ballet Academy, where Madeleine was delighted to hear her favorite movie soundtrack music ("Pirates of the Carribbean") during one of the dances.

Last was a magic show:

And we finished off with our traditional New Year's Eve dinner of Mexican cuisine:

I leave you, and 2018, with the following:

MADELEINE: I don't think of January as the New Year.  I think of January as old, miserable, dreaded.

Happy almost January, all!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the Rowe household!:

Madeleine delivered this stocking gift to Ethan and I:

Now, I'm not sure what the difference between plain old bed bugs and GDA bed bugs is, but I totally agree that bed bugs of any kind belong on the Notty List.

Wishing you all a wonderful end to 2018!!

Christmas Pageant

Today was our church Christmas pageant, and playing the part of the Virgin Mary was none other than Madeleine Rowe!  This was not Madeleine's first time at the Virgin Mary rodeo, however; she was honored with the part back in her preschool pageant.  Luckily, this time, Madeleine did not decide to yell the phrase "POOP DOG!" at the audience like she did back in her pre-K pageant.  In fact, this Virgin Mary was on perfect behavior.  Here's a clip from the performance:




Julia had an important part in the pageant as well: she was a Wise (Wo)Man:

Julia got to carry the gold to Jesus and say: "I give you gold because you are a King."  However, it turns out she really wished she could be the Wise (Wo)Man carrying myrrh?  Why?  "Because I like how the myrrh thingie is shaped."  I guess she really wishes she could be the King who gets these lyrics in "We Three Kings":

Myrrh is mine, his bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, 
Sealed in a stone-cold tomb.


Speaking of roles played, the most important role of all, that of Baby Jesus, was played by Madeleine's Baby Lily!:

Madeleine planned on bringing Baby Lily because, as she explained, "Last year we had NO JESUS, because everybody thought that SOMEONE ELSE was gonna bring a baby doll!" Thank goodness for Madeleine this year, since no one else brought a Jesus.  Baby Lily played her part flawlessly, or, as Madeleine put it, "She didn't even mind being called Jesus, or having to pretend to be a BOY!"

Bravo to all involved in the production!

A Typical Night

Even though we have Nana and Gramps here for a Christmas visit, the girls have not strayed from their usual activities.  Madeleine has been in full-on creation mode, even starting a brand new novel, called "Changes in the Wind."  She read this aloud to Ethan, Nana, Gramps and I before bedtime.  So far, the book is written in something of an epistolary form; each section is a journal entry narrated by a different character. 

Here's an excerpt from Tennessee's journal (for some background, Tennessee is "one of the most popular girls in the school"):




The added bonus for those of us listening live was the background noise wafting up from the play room: that of Julia's heaving breaths as she lunged her body into full-body Gallop Time.  She simply can't get herself ready to bed without some good old-fashioned galloping, visitors be damned.

Yup, folks.  This is my household.

Rounding Up

Driving home from swim team:

MADELEINE: Mommy?  When we get home, I'm gonna use my CRAFT supplies to make an imaginary CREATURE, and I'm gonna write "A.M" on it, because it stand for-
ME: Maybe you can make it in the morning, because it's seven already.
MADELEINE: It's six-fifty-eight!  (reprovingly) Mommy, that's a LIE.
ME: Honey.  It's not a lie.  It's called rounding.
MADELEINE: (indignantly) It's called "SIX-FIFTY-EIGHT."

Well.  She showed me.  She then proceded to stare at the car clock for the next two minutes so she could triumphantly announce, "NOW it's seven!"  Good thing she keeps me honest.

Work Together

Instead of going to bed after swim practice tonight, Madeleine decided to write and record a song!  Auntie Shannon was baby-sitting and got the privilege of a live performance, but luckily, she videoed it for all to see:




Want to know more about the lyrics?  Here they are, penned in the composer/lyricist's own hand:

Is there anything this kid can't do??

Anti-Oxidants

Conversation this morning between Madeleine and Auntie Shannon:

MADELEINE: What work were you just doing downstairs?
AUNTIE SHANNON: I was writing up the results of my lab experiments.
MADELEINE: To find a cure for cancer?
AUNTIE SHANNON: Right.
MADELEINE: You should make a MEDICINE!
AUNTIE SHANNON: Well, that's kind of what I'm trying to do.
MADELEINE: You should use oil!  You should use soap!  You should use coffee!
AUNTIE SHANNON: Well, coffee is good for fighting cancer.

Madeleine then brought this discussion to me, as I was doing my hair for church.

MADELEINE: Mommy!  Did you know that coffee can cure cancer?
ME: Well, it's an anti-oxidant.
MADELEINE: What's an OXIDANT?
ME: Something that oxidizes.
MADELEINE: Are you just trying to say "accident" with a British accent?

Yup.  That's what I was doing.  Good thing I have Madeleine to keep me on track.  I thought I was talking about oxidizing agents, but luckily I had her there to remind me that I was just doing a dodgy accent.

Select Choir Concert

This evening, Julia had her first full Middle School Select Choir concert.  I was truly stunned by what a mature sound the group made and how lovely they sounded.  I was further surprised to discover Julia had a part in a soli in the middle of a piece by Brahms.  I managed to get my act together and start filming once I realized what was going on:




The choir director had given a little spiel about this piece, called Marienwurmehen, and read us the English translation of the German text.  Clearly, Madeleine paid careful attention, because in the middle of the piece this happened:

MADELEINE: (leaning over to whisper to me) What does this mean in French?

The group ended their concert with a fun piece called African Noel, or, as my devoted blog-reader Lily once thought it went, "Sing We On the Well":




The Middle School Select Band played next, and they were incredibly good for a 6th-8th grade ensemble!  Their final piece was called "The Call of the Wild," and the conductor explained that the composer wrote this as if imagining he was composing the soundtrack to the movie of the eponymous book.  No sooner had the music started than this:

MADELEINE: (leaning over to whisper to me) This sounds like music that belongs in a movie.

At the end of the piece, Madeleine announced, "I think I'm gonna make a movie about that music, because it inspired me!"

At least I can be sure that Madeleine really listened to what the directors had to say and didn't go off onto another mental planet AT ALL.

Persuasive Writing

Madeleine is learning about persuasive writing at school.

I'd LOVE to buy healthier food!  The question is, would Madeleine actually eat it?  She is currently on strike from:

-grapes
-oranges
-clementines
-melons
-sandwich bread
-sandwich rolls
-cheese
-yogurt with any fruit chunks in it
-applesauce
-blueberries
-salad
-lettuce of any sort
-pineapple
-Lucky Charms (which I have never even bought)
-raspberries
-tomatoes
-potatoes


So, when I pack her the only type of yogurt she will eat (Vanilla with M&Ms), I'm kind of already stretching to get any kind of protein and calcium into her diet, and most of the time her fruit comes home untouched because of perceived black spots on it, so...yeah, I'll get right on that buying healthier food thing, Madeleine!

Madeleine's movie.

Madeleine decided that she wants to make a movie using the iMovies program on her computer.  In the midst of dinner, she sprung it upon me that I was needed in the upcoming scene.  My part was simple: I merely had to inform Madeleine that we were going to a cabin for Christmas this year.

I gave it my best shot.

However, my delivery was apparently not up to snuff.

MADELEINE: Mommy?  You might wanna work on your acting a little bit.
ME: Why, what did I do wrong?
MADELEINE: You said your line with too much SUSPENSE.
ME: So I did a bad job?
MADELEINE: (guiltily): Sorry, Mommy.

She continued to try and explain her critique on the car ride to swim.

MADELEINE: Mommy, the reason that I told you that is because on "My Little Pony," Princess Celestia is REALLY BAD at acting, and nobody tells her, and then they accidentally tell her, and she gets really upset that nobody told her the truth.
ME: So you thought you would let me know that I stunk at acting so that you were being honest?
MADELEINE: Well, you didn't STINK, it's just that you could use a little work on your LINE.
ME: Okay, how should I have said it?
MADELEINE: Well, you just said it with too much SUSPENSE.


I guess I should take it from the expert actress herself.  Behold my scene and then hers, and you'll see who the TRUE natural shining actress is:

Sparklies

Long-time readers will know that EVERY Christmas season for years, Madeleine has felt the need to announce "Sparklies!" each time she sees a house or business decorated with Christmas lights.  This "tradition" has gotten even more ridiculous this season.

MADELEINE: Mommy?  Do you know that instead of saying "Sparklies!" I decided to change it to "Sparklies: Yay!"?
ME: No, I didn't know that.

I may not have known about the change when she first told me about it, but I sure do now. 

Driving to swim team Monday night:

MADELEINE: Mommy?  Today at schoo-Sparklies: Yay! - we were - Sparklies: Yay! -  Uh...so, we were talking ab- Sparklies: Yay!  Reflecting sparklies: Yay! - about our persuasive essays - Sparklies: Yay!  Sparklies: Yay!  Reflecting sparklies: Yay! - and Mrs.- Sparklies: Yay!
ME: (not nearly as patiently as I should be speaking) Madeleine.  Either say "Sparklies: Yay!" for the whole drive and tell me the story later, or STOP saying "Sparklies: Yay!" until you're done with the story.  But when you're doing both at the same time, I can't follow your story.
MADELEINE: Okay.  Sorry.  I'm not gonna say it (blurting uncontrollably) Sparklies: Yay!  Sorry, I just had to say it.
ME: Honey, you need to try and control that urge.
MADELEINE: But it's my TRADITION!


I love this tradition.  I so look forward to after-dark drives through town during this time of year.  Does it take a whole car ride to get one complete sentence out of Madeleine's mouth?  Why, indeed it does, if that at all!  Sparklies: YAY!

Alicorn Synonyms

Conversation in the living room this evening:

JULIA: Madeleine, wanna know some other words for "alicorn?"  They're really weird sounding.
MADELEINE: What are they?
JULIA: There's "Pegacorn..."
MADELEINE: Ugh.
JULIA: And then the WORST one is "Usilus."
MADELEINE: Ew.  That sounds like a swear, or like the scientific name for POOP.


Harsh critics.