Haircut

Julia got a haircut at the beginning of the month, and she wowed everyone at school with what her science teacher called her "Seventh-grade haircut." It was flat-ironed straight and looked incredibly chic.  At least I thought so.

Julia, however, had a different opinion.

JULIA: I look like Tom Petty.

Most days, her hair is its usual bush of curls, which are extra buoyant with this shorter length.  Julia has a different comparison for her appearance when her hair is wild with voluminous curls.

JULIA: My hair is so bushy!  I look like my name is TRISH.

Just to be clear:

                                     Tom Petty

                                        Trish

Madeleine Gets Inspired. Again.

I think this might be the most ridiculous example of Madeleine getting inspired by something yet.

Here's what inspired her:

MADELEINE: I wanna make my OWN character for a cereal box!

I mean...is she gonna make the cereal, too?  Or do we just get an empty box?  I think she needs a collaborator to contribute the actual food product.  Any volunteers??

Swimmer of the Week and more

Guess who was awarded "Swimmer of the Week" after the first week of summer swim practice?:

All Madeleine can remember from what the coaches said is that she is "the Queen of Enthusiasm."  I mean, I believe it! 


On another Madeleine note, as we walked to the car after practice this evening, she relayed another of her somewhat OCD tendencies to me.

MADELEINE: Mommy?  I used to count EVERYTHING, because...in my "Women in Science" book, uh...what's her name...oh, yeah!  CATHERINE JOHNSON?  They said that when she was a kid she used to count everything, so I thought that meant that to be a scientist, you have to count everything.  But I finally had to, like, DRAW THE LINE when I started to count the letters in words in my books.

Well, I'm glad she knows to draw the line SOMEWHERE.



And finally, in honor of Ethan's birthday, the girls collaborated to make...this...

It's full of inside joke quotes.  I wasn't there for any of them, so the humor eludes me, but the girls and Ethan ARE. LITERALLY. CONSTANTLY. SAYING "I sure hope someone can fix my spectacles" and cracking up. 

Julia made the bright and attractive quote poster and Madeleine made the spectacles.  Teamwork!  I got Ethan a food processor for his birthday so I'm not nearly as fun or cool.

Happy Birthday, Co-Rowe Household Parent!

Skiing Disaster Master

One final excerpt from Madeleine's writing folder.  Here is her account of her first time skiing:

Skiing Disaster Master
By Madeleine Rowe

I had just finished my first skiing lesson ever, and then it was time to just ski around for fun.  But I wasn't very good at it.

First disaster: I got up the escolater-thingy okay.  But when I got off, there were people right in front of me.  I tried to stop, but instead fell flat on my back.

Second disaster: Okay.  It was my second time around.  My first time went great (besides Disaster #1!)  I followed my Daddy down the bunny slope.  He was really fast and good!  I had almost reached the bottom when another wipeout occurred.  I was trying to catch up to Daddy.  If you ski fast 1. get nervous.  2. Wobble around. 3. Fall over.  This continued for my third time down the hill, too.  Then I got used to the slope and could make it down without falling.

Disaster #3: This one actually hurt.  My Daddy and I skiied up to the green (or maybe it's blue) slope.  Daddy told me to go.  I tried to, but fell and banged my head.  I don't trust helmets anymore!!!  I had a headache for the rest of the day.  I also might've twisted my wrist, too.  But I'm not so sure.  It hurt a little.

Last two disasters: Daddy skiied down the hill to give me a demonstration since I was scared.  The hill looked pretty steep to me!  I asked him some silly questions, like, "What if I fall off the hill?" and "What if I bang into the fence?" I repeated some questions too.  Finally, Daddy convinced me to try.  And what do you expect?  I fell.

After waiting in line for a little, it was my turn on the escalator-thingy.  I didn't know it would be so steep, honest!!  I hopped on, and it went straight up.  So I fell.  They had to stop it until I was back up and ready.  I am really, truly a skiing disaster master.

All in all, I think I did pretty well!



Wait, she did??  I guess she means multiple disasters notwithstanding??

More Schoolwork

More work from the kids' school year: from Madeleine's writing folder.

Why We Need a Longer Lunch
By Madeleine Rowe

Once upon a time, there was a girl Madeleine.  Me.  It was pizza day, so the line was very long.  And I was the VERY LAST PERSON IN LINE.  By the time I sat down, there was litterally only two minutes left.  LITTERALLY.  I had to stay for about 15 more minutes in the cafeteria!  I still didn't finish my lunch.  A sad, sad story.

We waste food.  We have to throw away unfinished food.  That's bad for the Earth two.  We waste our parents' money!  And since we have to eat our healthy food first, our desert gets thrown away!

I'm really picky.  So my Mommy thinks I'm just being picky when really I didn't have enough time to finish.  Even if I tell her!

When I'm hungry I get super uncomfortable.  Gas pains, headaches, and rumbling stomachs could occur.  That's what happens to my Mommy when she drinks milky!

Thank you for listening.  I hope we will get a longer lunch.



Now THAT is a persuasive essay, Madeleine!

But I think my favorite may be this cliff-hanger about why her family is so amazing.



Why my Family is Wonderful
By Madeleine Rowe

Mommy

Mommy works hard.  She loves me.  She snuggles me every night.  She reminds me to do things.  She helps me.  She times my 20 minutes of reading.  She makes my bed.  She picks



That's the extent of why Madeleine's family is wonderful.  I guess it's all because of me.  But I'd really like to know what I pick.  Her up from school?  My nose?  Outfits for the next school day?  Whatever it is, it's obviously not important enough to include in this essay about Madeleine's amazing family.

Julia's Schoolwork

This is my favorite piece of Julia's schoolwork to come home over the past few days:

All the special experiences most near and dear to her heart.  With family right in the center. ♥️ May I refer to this in Julia's most tweenagery moments to remember that she really does like us!

Schoolwork Coming Home

The kids are bringing home folders full of their year's schoolwork as we approach summer vacation, and I have especially enjoyed perusing their writing.

Here's my favorite of Madeleine's fiction stories, with my thoughts in footnotes:


The Puppy in the Window
by Madeleine Rowe

Once upon a time, a beautiful baby girl was born.  She had strawberry blonde hair in a nice wavy style, and eyes as green as freshly mowed grass.  With the smoothest skin on Earth, this little girl was called Caroline.  Caroline Aquamarine Frayer.

Growing up, Caroline made incredible accomplishments.  When she turned only one year old, she learned how to not only walk, but also run, skip, slide, gallop, tiptoe, and march.  When she was just three, she could pump on a swing higher than the teenager next door.  And when Caroline was just five, she taught herself how to drive a limousine!!!  Just kidding.  That's illegal.

One day, on Friday the thirteenth, October, a burst of joy filled Caroline's room with sunlight.  She checked her calendar.  "Huh!" Caroline gasped.  "I'm ten today!"1  She did a cheerful dance, and let out a "Yay!!" that sounded more like a "Bark!" Caroline stopped.  How strange.  Caroline thought to herself.  But she just shrugged and said, "Oh well."  Then skipped downstairs to the kitchen.

"Happy birthday, Caroline!" cried Eviana, Caroline's mother.  "Double digits!  I can't believe it!" She smiled and handed Caroline a pancake on a plate with a chocolate drizzle on top spelling out the word DECADE.  "Very clever.  Mmm-an dewisous!  Thank you!" said Caroline, taking a bite.  Suddenly, her originally lemon pancake morphed into a lemon-and-chocolate-chip pancake with syrup on it.  "Uh...d-do you mi-ind if I-I take thi-is u-up to my-y ro-om?" Caroline stuttered.
"Not at all." Eviana said.  "It's your birthday.  Do what you want." Lucas, Caroline's father, added.  So she went back to her bedroom, plate in hand.

Caroline sat down on her bed.  "Okay." she said to herself.  Since it was Friday the thirteenth, October, there was school.  But she didn't want to go.  So she focused real hard on big, heavy but fluffy clouds, and suddenly the sky darkened and the radio burst out, "Well, Tod, looks like all the schools in the area are snowed in."  "Quite unexpected, am I right, Ken?  Well the schools closed for the storm include Emily Dickinson High, Albert Einstein School of Science and Engineering, Franklin Roosevelt Middle School, Rosalind Franklin Elementary, and Winterscreek Elementary."2  Winterscreek Elementary!  That was HER school!!!  Caroline looked down at her hands.  They were glowing gold!  A thought popped into her head.  "Am I...a...witch?" And as soon as she said that, Caroline Aquamarine Frayer transformed into a chihuahua puppy with fur the same color as her hair.  She had the same green eyes, but wider.  "Bark?" she barked, which meant "Witch?" and she turned back.  Just then, Caroline heard footsteps and the doorknob began to turn.  "Witch!" she whisper-cried.  And with that, she transformed back into a puppy and hopped into the window.  "Caroline?  Caroline, honey, where are you?" It was Eviana.  Caroline froze.  She stuck her tongue out and smiled, just like a real dog decoration.  "Oh, a new window sticker, Caroline?  I like it.  You do have a thing for animals."  She took one last look around the room and sighed.  "Well, I guess I'll leave you be in your closet."3  She left the room.

Caroline watched all the action outside, thinking about how foolish she'd been to jump in there, waiting, thinking about the consequences.  Snow fell, leaves rustled, wind blew.  Children played outside. Icicles formed.  Outside the pool, she saw a girl's hair freeze.  Then, out of the blue - was that a mermaid at the beach?  Was that a fairy flying in the air?  Was that a pink, fluffy unicorn dancing on rainbows?  Was that a unicorn with fairy wings and mermaid tail?!  Caroling was so curious to see that she literally forced open the window, which shattered into a million pieces, shouted "WITCH!" and she back into her normal self again.

All at once, thunder boomed and lightning cracked, while an evil looking man appeared from up above in the clouds.  He had dark, messy hair and hazel eyes.  His glasses were rectangular.4  "I AM GEORGE THE EVIL WIZARD!" he screamed.  "Come, come to your true land.  The land of Magic and Mysteries!" "If you're an evil wizard, why would I want to live where you live?" said Caroline matter-of-factly.  "Uh, well...um-er-" Caroline cut him off.  "Hey, what is this Land of Magic and Mysteries you're talking about?"  "Why, you do not know where you were born?  Well, I shall just have to tell you then.  For it is where your parents grew up.  They are of the magical kind!  But since you do not have all the information, I should probably tell you about the pros!"  And with that, George threw his hands out in front of him and blasted wicked purple lightning at Caroline.  But Caroline was a quick reactor, and she fought back with her beautiful green sparkles the color of her eyes.  "HA HA HA HA!!!" George shrieked with laughter, pointing out that his magic was far more powerful than Caroline's. "YOU SEE, CAROLINE AQUAMARINE FRAYER?  I AM MUCH STRONGER THAN YOU!  I CAN DESTROY YOU!!!!!" Caroline was starting to feel weak.  "AFTER YOU COMES YOUR PARENTS! YOU PATHETIC, LITTLE GIRL!  YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING!  NO GIRLS CAN!!!!!" Caroline opened her eyes and glared meaner than she ever had before in her life.  "Nobody," she told  George angrily, her veins popping out, "calls me a pathetic little girl."5 A burst of strength surged through her.  Caroline put all the strength she had into her final blasts of magic.  "AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed.  "AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!" George yelped.  Caroline thought of the happiest moments of her life, like her sixth birthday, which was really awesome, and when she climbed Mount Everest on their trip to Asia.6  She though of her best friend Addison and...her parents.  They were in danger!!!  If she didn't stop George the Evil Wizard soon, he would destroy them.  "NO!" cried Caroline, and she hit George on the head with her, from then on she called, Super Sparkles, and he fell off the window panel and flew down...down...down...to the ground.  But strangely, George didn't hit the ground; he began to disassemble.  He slowly formed into a strange, whispy and black shadow, and raced away back into the now white and fluffy clouds.

"Caroline!" Eviana called from the hall. Caroline realized that there were still other people in the world who would want to know what was going on.
"Mom!  Dad!  Um-er, uh, so, yeah..." said Caroline. 
"We know.  It is time for you to live where you truly belong." Eviana waved her hand, and a huge grandfather clock appeared.  "Figure out the hand arrangement and the barrier shall break.  Fail and disaster shall strike." Her voice hand changed to sound more wise, but Caroline could tell it was her true one.  "But-how do I-" Caroline tried to ask, but the words wouldn't come out.  "We trust you, Caroline.  You are an amazing, incredible little witch." As soon as Lucas said the word witch, he transformed into a blue poison dart frog.  "Ribbit!  Ribbit!" he cried, which probably meant, "Don't touch me!  I'm poisonous!"
"Witch!" said Eviana, and she turned into a beautiful red fox.
"Witch!" Caroline joined her family as she morphed into a chihuahua puppy.
"WITCH!!!" the family yelled, and they all turned back to humans, laughing. 
"Well, Caroline, we leave you here.  The adventure for you shall continue.  In other words, see ya on the other side!!" Eviana grabbed Lucas' arm and they disappeared.7

Caroline stared at the clock.  "How am I supposed to do this?!?  Just guess?!" She threw her arms out in the air.  Then she saw, out of the corner of her eye, a glimmering shard of the window she'd jumped into.  She picked it up.  It reminded her of nice memories.  Like this morning.  And when she thought about that, at first her day seemed terrible, but then it seemed like...the best day of her life.  Caroline threw the shard at the magnificent grandfather clock, just because she felt like it. It hit the hour hand, which bonked into the minute hand and...A wormhole appeared n the middle of the room.  Caroline knew it would get her where she needed to go, she could just sense it.  So she took a deep breath, backed up, sprinted forward...and jumped in.

Caroline was no longer standing in her room, trying to figure out the secret code to the barrier.  She was in a big, pretty, fluffy cloud.  And standing next to her were both of her parents, and all of her other relatives.  And there was one girl who looked extremely familiar..."Rebecca!!!!!!!" Caroline ran forward and hugged her long lost best friend.8  "Caroline!!!!!!!!" Rebecca squealed.  She and Caroline let go of each other.  Caroline's whole entire family came over to the two girls.  Eviana and Lucas put their hands on her shoulders.  "You've learned an important lesson, Caroline." they said together, as if they had rehearsed.  Caroline thought about the lesson.  Then she knew.  "There's nothing more powerful than family." She hugged Rebecca again, and all her family members individually.  Caroline was having her happiest moment.  She knew the Land of Magic and Mysteries was truly where she belonged.  And it was all thanks to the puppy in the window.


1 She only just now realized it's her birthday??
2 I guess the schools are only named after massively famous historical figures...except for Caroline's.  What happened to naming schools after important local figures?
3 Wow, her mom seems really concerned about her missing daughter.  And is it a normal thing for Caroline to be sitting in her closet?
4 Is he Ethan?
5 Girl power!!
6 It seems like one of those events is a lot more epic than the other.
7 Eviana is definitely Mother of the Year.
8 What happened to Addison??


Meanwhile, Julia's writing folder contained a series of poems about the Black Death.  So...that's morbid.

Anniversary Brunch

Happy 17th anniversary to my Rowe parent counterpart!

I have unfortunately had Fifth Disease over the past week, transitioning from muscle aches, fatigue and fever into joint pain and swelling so severe that a few nights ago I could barely even move my head.  Consequently, our anniversary celebration this year is forced to be a bit muted; however, we still got to enjoy my favorite weekend tradition: a brunch of bagels and eggs and French Press coffee while relaxing to the radio and music.  In fact, because this tradition is so special to Ethan and I, I bought him a new bagel toaster as his anniversary gift this year, given that our old toaster is on its absolutely last legs. 

The kids showed how astute they are about things that aren't ALL ABOUT THEM them when they came into the dining room during our brunch.

MADELEINE: (seeing the new toaster in its box on the dining room table) Huh?  New toaster?
ME: Yup. To replace the one that's falling apart.
MADELEINE: Wait.  Why did JULIA steal your wrapping paper?
JULIA: I did NOT!
ME: What?!?
MADELEINE: Julia stole it.
JULIA: No I didn't!
ME: What are you talking about?
MADELEINE: There's wrapping paper on the ground.  Why did Julia STEAL it?
ETHAN: Mom got me a toaster for our anniversary.
MADELEINE AND JULIA: (blank stares)
ME: I wrapped the toaster.  It was a present.
JULIA: (realization dawning on her face) It's your ANNIVERSARY!  Oh!  Happy anniversary!


Glad we were able to crack the urgent case of the wrapping paper thief.  It was me.  I stole my own wrapping paper to wrap a toaster for my husband for our anniversary.  CASE CLOSED!

Podcast Interruption

Ethan is riding his spin bike and listening to a podcast interview with Elizabeth Warren.  Madeleine is doing her bedtime reading and Julia is galloping before getting ready for swim practice.  As I lay in bed listening to the podcast with Ethan, I suddenly heard our bedroom door slowly opening.

MADELEINE: Daddy?  How do you-
ETHAN: (motioning for Madeleine to wait as he paused the podcast) Okay.  What?
MADELEINE: (coming forward with her Harry Potter book) How do you pronounce this?  Because...the "W" is SILENT, so how do you even...

The passage in question was the stammering of the word "Writing" as Ginny Weasley sobbed.  Madeleine (to be fair, rightly) took issue with the presentation of the stammering as "W-w-w-w-writing."  It totally should have been "Wr-wr-wr-wr-writing."

Julia interpreted this sojourn of Madeleine's into our room as an invitation to join the party, and next thing Ethan knew, both girls were practically on top of his spin bike chattering at him.  His charming response was to loudly and explosively burp in their direction.

ME: Daddy just burped directly at you girls.
JULIA: At least he didn't burp into our mouths.  (Which he infamously did to me once, mid-kiss.)
MADELEINE: You BURP out of your BUTT.
ETHAN: No, you burp out of your mouth.
MADELEINE: (squat-dancing around the bike area) No, you BURP outta your BUTT.  You BURP outta your BUTT.
JULIA: (talking a manic mile a minute) Daddy?  For some reason I have this song stuck in my head: I can't get enough of you baaaby...
ME: Okay.  Girls?  Daddy was kind of listening to a podcast before you all came in.
GIRLS: (chastened, slinking out of the bedroom)


I guess you give an inch and let one of them ask a question about your reading and next thing you  know everybody's feverishly singing and dancing around chanting about burping out of butts.  Room Rowe Parents is closed to visitors!

Harry Potter Crafts

After school this afternoon, Madeleine decided to delve into some self-designed Harry Potter crafts. 

She made a Golden Snitch:

Hedwig and Polyjuice Potion:

(I'm not sure whose socks she drew on for Hedwig.  I don't even want to ask.)



And best of all, a Sorting Hat!  We all took turns being sorted.  Madeleine went first:

MADELEINE: Next up is Madeleine Rowe! 
(moment of silence)
MADELEINE: Hufflepuff!

Really?  I don't see her in Hufflepuff.

MADELEINE: Next up is Ethan Rowe!
(not even a second of silence)
MADELEINE: Slytherin!

MADELEINE: Julia!  Your turn!
JULIA: What?
ME: You have to get sorted by the Sorting Hat.
JULIA: But I already know I'm in Ravenclaw.
ME: But Madeleine would like you to get sorted.
JULIA: Oookaaaay.
MADELEINE: Next up is Julia Rowe!
(moment of silence)
MADELEINE: Ravenclaw!


I also got Hufflepuff.  I don't have a picture of myself with the Sorting Hat on, because NOBODY WAS BOTHERED TO TAKE ONE OF ME, but that's okay.

Now Madeleine is eating her dinner with all her Harry Potter crafts beside her, calling out "Whooo wants to be in the Rowe Family Book Cluuuuub?"

I can't keep up with this kid.  Yesterday it was a homemade musical instrument, today it's Harry Potter paraphernalia and now a book club?  I'm lucky if I have one creative production a month; Madeleine has about 20 a day!

String Concert

This afternoon, the girls and I went to a String Festival performance in which one of Julia's best friends was playing a violin concerto movement.  It was quite a breathtaking performance, and apparently it really inspired Madeleine.  As we exited the building, Madeleine announced: "I got INSPIRED to make my OWN original instrument!"

During dinner this evening, I had to remind Madeleine to keep eating, because she was distracted by poking holes in toilet paper tubes

ME: What the heck are you doing with those?
MADELEINE: Making an instrument!
ME: Oh, the one you want to make because you got inspired by the violin?
MADELEINE: (nodding proudly)
ETHAN: I bet that toilet paper contraption is gonna be comparable to a violin.

What do you think of this super cool instrument?  It has a rubber band to pluck AND finger holes to use while you blow through it!

Future inventor of paper product instruments, for sure!

Lots of Events

It has been a busy week for the Rowes!  Last night was the elementary school Family Picnic for Madeleine, so we spent an evening outdoors on the playground with pizza, a DJ, and hoards of people.  Julia started off feeling shy and self-conscious, but before the evening ended, I looked up and found her and Madeleine out on the dance floor doing the "Macarena":

In fact, it was formerly shy Julia who left the shindig last; I had told Ethan and Madeleine they could walk on home and I'd wait for Julia.  But after another ten minutes or so, I couldn't persuade Julia to call it quits because she was having too much fun on the swings, so I told her to just head home when she was ready.  The draw of an old beloved school is strong.

Speaking of, this evening was the Family End of Year Party at my school.  I brought the girls along, and they were super helpers at the temporary tattoo station.  In fact, at one point, Madeleine needed to seek me out because one wet sponge wasn't cutting it over at their area.

MADELEINE: Mommy?  Do you think I could help you look for another sponge, because we're starting to get, like, WAY more...uh...CUSTOMERS.

Before long both kids had sponges and were able to treat two "customers" at a time.

The girls thoroughly enjoyed being back at their own preschool; Julia even declared reverently, "I feel NOSTALGIC being here!"  They were so into reliving the preschool experience that when it was time for Hoodsie cups and Oreos, they beelined over along with all the little kids (although we checked first to be sure there were enough goodies to share with the older kid helpers.)  They even took home about five pinwheels; each preschooler and any siblings were given a pinwheel to keep on the way out.  We wound up with leftovers and my kids were not shy about just grabbing a handful to take home when offered some.  So...now we have a pile of pinwheels to add to our cluttter.

On a final note, the excitement continued once we were back home and the girls were getting ready for bed.  Here is the conversation I just overheard in the bathroom a few minutes ago:

MADELEINE: (enthusiastically) Julia!  Do you wanna compare TEETH?
JULIA: No.

Madeleine convinced Julia to do it anyway, because, let's face it: who's NOT excited about a good old game of "Let's Compare Teeth?

To all a good night!

Little Red Schoolhouse, Take Two

Today I got to chaperone Madeleine's field trip to The Little Red Schoolhouse!  It was deja vu for me, as I had chaperoned the same field trip when Julia was in third grade.  Madeleine even wore the same colonial outfit and carried the same basket!

Madeleine has been SO excited for this field trip, and I was delighted to experience it with her.  All of the children in the class were posing as historical figures from the mid 1800's in our town.  Madeleine was Caroline Flagg, who was 12 years old in our time warp back to 1850. 

The children were instructed to enter the classroom in two lines, differentiated by gender.  They greeted their Schoolmistress and took their seats begin their work.

All students were given a poem to read through and quietly memorize.  I remember this from when Julia was on the same field trip; I had been blown away by Julia's perfect memorization and execution of the poem.  I was not necessarily expecting the same from Madeleine, given that she tends to get distracted by the wild and creative goings-on inside her brain whenever she is trying to concentrate on something.  However, lo and behold, Madeleine got up to the front of the class and recited her entire poem from memory with nary a prompt from the Schoolmistress!:

The kid who gets distracted while telling me even the simplest of things and repeatedly re-starts words after pausing mid-syllable was a genuine elocutionist up there!

The children worked on arithmetic on chalkboard slates after the poetry recitations.  The parent chaperones were in charge of checking each child's work and letting them know if they could move on to the next problem or if they needed to re-do their math.  This is where the mild panic-sweat occurs for parents, who technically should be able to solve the math problems faster than the children, but sometimes can't because we're out of practice.  Plus reading chalk writing is a lot more difficult than reading pencil writing.  However, Madeleine is a true convert to chalkboard classwork.

MADELEINE: I was surprised that I liked it so much because first I had to get USED to it, but I realized that I *really* LOVED writing on the chalkboards!!

The children had recess and lunch after math, and the lunch part was no small deal.  No anachronisms were allowed in either their food or packaging choices.  Madeleine would up bringing a turkey sandwich and some sliced up strawberries wrapped in dish towels.  It was the best we could do.  The kids were also only allowed to play 1850-appropriate recess games, which meant most of the kids wound up playing tag, Madeleine included.  I remember Julia staying off to the side with other girls, playing Ring Around the Rosie, but Madeleine just dove right into a rough and tumble tag game with all of the boys and a few other girls.  Caroline Flagg was not afraid to get a little sweaty!

The second part of the day consisted of penmanship, which was done with ink wells and quills:

I had thought this would be the highlight of Madeleine's day, but it turns out she is much more impressed by chalk than by ink quills.

MADELEINE: I was SO excited to use the ink quill but then I *hated* it!
ME: You did?!?  Why?!?
MADELEINE: It was too hard.

Okay then.  Madeleine still managed to complete her cursive alphabet without strife.

The final part of the schoolhouse experience was a spelling bee.  Madeleine came through on a couple of words that stumped other kids, including "civil" and "Quaker."  The final word of the game knocked out contestant after contestant, until it was only Madeleine standing.

SCHOOLMISTRESS: Caroline, can you spell the word "tremor?"
MADELEINE: (confidently) T-R-E-M-O-R.  "Tremor."

And with that, Madeleine won the Spelling Bee!  It turns out her tv addiction is actual good for something.

MADELEINE: Everyone was getting "tremor" wrong, but I already knew how to spell it because of "Octonauts."


She learned "tremor" from these guys?!?:

After school today, I asked Madeleine how this field trip ranks in her school career of field trips.

MADELEINE: (giving two thumbs up)
ME: So good?
MADELEINE: Better.

That's a successful trip, then!

Awesome Room

Madeleine recently decided that she wants to have a really "awesome" room.  Part of achieving this awesomeness entails making her bed in an extremely detailed and organized fashion.  For example, her stuffed animals must be arranged in a line:

No animals strewn helter-skelter across the bed.  That won't make for an awesome room.  Jeezy has his place in the middle of the bed, laid out as if on the cross.  Except that instead of a cross, Jeezy's laid out on Madeleine's mermaid tail blanket, which is spread horizontally across the bed.  Madeleine's pajama bottoms go on the left side of the bed, folded, and her pajama top is folded and place on the right.

Madeleine's various pillows all have their place in her awesome room, as well.  Her bean bag "M" pillow is usually atop her regular pillow (embroidered with "Madeleine") but when she's in bed reading, the "Madeleine" pillow serves as a cushion for her bum.  Her two pillow pets rest atop her other regular pillow (embroidered with "Emilia.")  Everything in its place.  Is this an awesome room or what?!?

As Madeleine put it to me yesterday: "Well, Mommy, I realized that if I want a really super awesome room, then it couldn't be, like, super SLOPPY in there." 

I wish Julia would want an awesome room too.  Madeleine even tried to make Julia's room awesome.

MADELEINE: So Mommy, I put all of Julia's American Girl dolls away, I made her BED, I even tried to polish the DOORKNOB, but...that didn't really work, so I wasn't really able to do it...

Julia was not happy with the room's new awesomeness.

JULIA: Madeleine, why did you put my computer on my BED?
MADELEINE: Julia, I was cleaning up your room for you.
JULIA: But you put my American Girl dolls away.  And you put my computer on my bed.
MADELEINE: No, Julia, your computer was ALREADY on your bed.
JULIA: (grumpily) Well I like it on my FLOOR.
MADELEINE: But then there's a big mess on your floor.
JULIA: I don't care. I like this stuff on my floor.

Sigh.  I don't think Julia will commit to having a super awesome room any time soon.