tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58434044414856164122024-03-14T10:07:45.416-07:00Tales from the Rowe HouseholdMostly archives, with some fresh new material from time to time...Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.comBlogger2499125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-88309738995082575182022-01-23T16:30:00.001-08:002022-01-23T16:30:12.206-08:00How To<p>We've been watching the HBO show "How To With John Wilson" as a family lately, and the episode we watched this evening was "How to Find a Parking Spot." After comparing the need to secure an on-street parking spot for one's car to the need to have a burial plot purchased for one's body, John Wilson interviews various funeral home owners. This takes him to a company called "Cruisin Caskets," which specializes in coffins shaped like cars.</p><p>MADELEINE: (referring to the brochure John Wilson picks up) Wait, what does that say?<br />ME: Car Caskets, I think...it's caskets shaped like cars.<br />OWNER OF BUSINESS: (on the tv) So this is Cruisin Caskets...<br />ME: Oh, Cruisin Caskets is what it's called.<br />MADELEINE: (referring to the car-shaped casket on the screen) Wait, that's SMALL! Oh, it's a MODEL.<br />ME: No, I think it's real.<br />MADELEINE: But it's so SMALL!</p><p>I began to worry she was afraid it was a child-sized casket and would get upset. When the Cruisin Caskets owner opened the casket to show the interior, I could see that it clearly was adult-body-sized, so I tried to reassure Madeleine.<br /><br />ME: I mean, *I* could fit in that...<br />MADELEINE: Yeah, like, if you were like LAYING DOWN...<br />ME: That's what you do when you're a dead body in a casket.<br />MADELEINE: Wait, what? <br />ME: These are coffins shaped like cars.<br />MADELEINE: Ohhhhhhhh! I thought it was a CAR shop!</p><p><br /></p><p>Madeleine's impeccable powers of observation and ability to process information never cease to amaze me.</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-50905458339888676712022-01-21T14:22:00.000-08:002022-01-21T14:22:07.037-08:00Madeleine Pays Attention<p>Picking the girls up from swim this evening; Madeleine got to the car first.</p><p>ME: Do you and Julia want to do a frozen pizza for dinner tonight?<br />MADELEINE: Uh, sure!<br />ME: Okay. We just have to check with Julia that she's okay with that when she gets in the car.<br />MADELEINE: Okay!</p><p>Five minutes later, Julia enters the car.</p><p>ME: Julia, do you want to split a frozen pizza with Madeleine tonight?<br />JULIA: Sure!<br />ME: Okay, good. I have to figure out my dinner. I have nothing for myself yet.<br />JULIA: Want me to cook you a dinner?<br />ME: Uh...<br />JULIA: I know how to saute peppers, and I can make you a quesadilla...with no cheese...<br />ME: That sounds DELICIOUS!<br />JULIA: Well you can't have cheese!<br />ME: I know. I'll figure something out. <br />JULIA: Well you have to have SOMETHING!<br />ME: I will, don't worry. If I need to I can make some eggs or something.</p><p>Five minutes later:</p><p>MADELEINE: (gasping with urgency) OH! Julia! Do you want to have a frozen pizza for dinner tonight?<br />JULIA: Madeleine, we were JUST discussing this!<br />MADELEINE: We were? When?</p><p>WOW. When that kid tunes out, she literally blocks out the world.</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-50889083372877651722021-12-27T17:01:00.001-08:002021-12-27T17:01:19.662-08:00Onesies<p>Nobody told me that when my kids were 15 and 12 they would suddenly revert to wearing onesie pajamas around the house again.</p><p>Apparently holiday break means not putting on clothes and/or wearing a turtle costume all day long.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJBEK1pjmU7yg7xNBHs-R2cchKSlh0K_cs6RtIzqQ4LoxAsMuwVduvPFlAgYvnoEY6XaHI29srJ6OxuCCljwSl0_Xm5SozeCGV1YmMXa1fjMKpb8sOGgK1f6Sbv_4428l6qYNLBrSA7VaAKFVz9t8oESmoQyUgvSUX8D2cBjHuoIODeUYnVjVuDXWz=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJBEK1pjmU7yg7xNBHs-R2cchKSlh0K_cs6RtIzqQ4LoxAsMuwVduvPFlAgYvnoEY6XaHI29srJ6OxuCCljwSl0_Xm5SozeCGV1YmMXa1fjMKpb8sOGgK1f6Sbv_4428l6qYNLBrSA7VaAKFVz9t8oESmoQyUgvSUX8D2cBjHuoIODeUYnVjVuDXWz=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdtUZ759BhKfFw_2LdqCQh6q4n8W-8uud_wVbirNBVl5S-fAI8P2JsX_QbUY9XXM7oj4h8vL1AUxWrAEV8yCJS2NgAorFVytXdHVfoEehF8D_H7sZiLZTBpmQ22BPm7ywzxyZ1khfj4F-ec8NpQmn58eeuZPC_rDMQVyUvE9VpRKC8qzb6hbjNWdB4=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdtUZ759BhKfFw_2LdqCQh6q4n8W-8uud_wVbirNBVl5S-fAI8P2JsX_QbUY9XXM7oj4h8vL1AUxWrAEV8yCJS2NgAorFVytXdHVfoEehF8D_H7sZiLZTBpmQ22BPm7ywzxyZ1khfj4F-ec8NpQmn58eeuZPC_rDMQVyUvE9VpRKC8qzb6hbjNWdB4=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8loNPoRv-aU9GKRBay526syPlkJefpBesh-XFCejxC3yhw0kbBWLWxT16tjB169cmD9bimIdZDddG94onA_EcIiuGlzBTtbpqmh6VRNt6-x88dQIBHqgtz5xonlwWo4WcouH2LWjllTKZ4OV_DO4RGuP5KN0OAik3po-rXwjJBM73l88Qslpgh_WB=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8loNPoRv-aU9GKRBay526syPlkJefpBesh-XFCejxC3yhw0kbBWLWxT16tjB169cmD9bimIdZDddG94onA_EcIiuGlzBTtbpqmh6VRNt6-x88dQIBHqgtz5xonlwWo4WcouH2LWjllTKZ4OV_DO4RGuP5KN0OAik3po-rXwjJBM73l88Qslpgh_WB=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDyKIZvvqsX-_rMx4T7l6fmffnfNNHWJVOFwtxzZPy8D2_o-aWf_KHSTS2rvKX98aVP73lTqKMvOVO_7QQ7a6BGHJUePwnAIEYn8Rpky5ZSvAIjdY4t-zuYmhVCtHagWTX4CUbLr_tyrpgbC1wfETlSkudt7Uhvuee0kxAfQfDcuR4Innhruumy8sP=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDyKIZvvqsX-_rMx4T7l6fmffnfNNHWJVOFwtxzZPy8D2_o-aWf_KHSTS2rvKX98aVP73lTqKMvOVO_7QQ7a6BGHJUePwnAIEYn8Rpky5ZSvAIjdY4t-zuYmhVCtHagWTX4CUbLr_tyrpgbC1wfETlSkudt7Uhvuee0kxAfQfDcuR4Innhruumy8sP=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ68NMbaeoiO4NdDMXO3K2twnip3Z42BhWspbV05V-y1JJ614ncd5sUdbeS1AUFEZ3lCGLt1RsFJSMtO5LWB4U6AROoZkTGCfiJ0lesiUz8mhopln5B-bgbVAi-xgVJAUDQ1pO1O7T3-nPDrCMp4Gdfcyii6glS2q8Mlbj2OFAs5blf4PC_k03K9HZ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ68NMbaeoiO4NdDMXO3K2twnip3Z42BhWspbV05V-y1JJ614ncd5sUdbeS1AUFEZ3lCGLt1RsFJSMtO5LWB4U6AROoZkTGCfiJ0lesiUz8mhopln5B-bgbVAi-xgVJAUDQ1pO1O7T3-nPDrCMp4Gdfcyii6glS2q8Mlbj2OFAs5blf4PC_k03K9HZ=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-26293698770970882642021-12-13T16:06:00.001-08:002021-12-13T16:06:26.341-08:00The Most Wonderful Time of the Year<p>It's that time of year again!</p><p>Time for either an incessant susurration of sibilance from the backseat of the car, or, better yet, a chattering storyline constantly interrupted with the compulsive blurting out of "Sparklies, yay!"</p><p>Tonight's drive home from swim was of the former variety, so that I could hear what sounded almost like incantations of some sort of Harry Potter-esque Parseltongue spell from behind me. In fact, it was so continuous that even Madeleine herself remarked upon it.</p><p>MADELEINE: (with weariness and relief as we turned onto our street) It's just been a RELAY with these sparklies YAY!</p><p><br />Madeleine's other uncontrollable utterance of late has been a slow evolution over the past year. Let me back up a bit to say that Madeleine seems to have the same touch of very mild OCD tendencies that I had as a child. Specifically, we both seem to share this feeling that we need to perform some sort of ritual in order to control something in our lives, like keeping our loved ones safe. I went through a (cringe-inducing embarrasing) period of my childhood in which I had rituals involving the number five, which happened to be the number of people in my immediate family. The problem was, I was too afraid to tell anyone in my family what I was doing or why, which left them to look at me like I was just a total and utter freakazoid. For instance, I decided one day that if I could leap over the baby gates (which we had up to keep our dog from going to the upstairs portion of our house, wherein she would always pee in our beds) five times without any part of my body touching the gate, it would secure safety for the five members of our household. The only problem was, I had to do it five times in succession, and if I touched at all even on attempt #5, I would have to start the whole process all over again.</p><p>Which led to my father finally exclaiming in exasperation, as his dunderheaded elementary-school aged daughter was hurdling back and forth ad infinitum over the baby gates, "Courtney, WHAT the hell are you DOING?"</p><p>Then there was my need to touch five white things within my house within the period of flushing the toilet before the flushing and hissing sound stopped. Hence, my family would see me come practically tripping over my pants as I panic-raced out of the bathroom, slapping my hand at seeming random over parts of the walls and furniture in the adjacent room.</p><p>A-herm. Yes. I wasn't weird as a kid.</p><p>So, ANYWAY, Madeleine began something at the very start of the pandemic which was obviously a way for her to feel like she was protecting her family in some small way.</p><p>It was always her parting words to me, upon exiting the car if I dropped her somewhere, or leaving the house to go for a run or walk:</p><p>MADELEINE: (cheerfully) Safety!</p><p>Then it expanded a little.</p><p>MADELEINE: (equally cheerfully) Safety to ALL!</p><p>Okay, just a minor modification. By this summer, it was more like this:</p><p>MADELEINE: Safety to all! I always love you all forever!</p><p>And now, here's what must be said EVERY morning before she leaves for school or before anyone else leaves the house:</p><p>MADELEINE: Safety to ALL! I always love you all forever with ALL MY HEART!</p><p>I can't wait to see what words have been added to the ritualistic good-bye by spring.</p><p>The utterance is still mostly cheery, though if she's in a huge rush for the bus it might be something like this:</p><p>MADELEINE: (crashing down the stairs, nearly face-planting in her hurry to get out the door) SAFETYTOALLIALWAYSLOVEYOUALLFOREVERWITHALLMYHEART! (door slamming shut.)</p><p>Yeah. So. Like mother like daughter, right? </p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-48497720949794880722021-12-02T16:54:00.006-08:002021-12-02T16:54:59.832-08:00Music Note Family<p> Hello, hello! It's been awhile! Happy belated birthday, Lily!</p><p>It might have been a year or so, but don't worry, Madeleine hasn't changed all that much. She's still her wildly imaginative own weird little person! </p><p>Here's the conversation we had after I picked Madeleine up from Wind Ensemble today:</p><p>MADELEINE: I feel like music notes are all little characters in a family, like they all have their own personalities. <br />ME: Oh, okay,<br />MADELEINE: Like, so, B is like the nice but kind of boring main character. And then C is like the really<br />kind and sweet under-rated character who cares about all the other notes. And then D used to be really mean and annoying, like D used to be on E's side, but now D is nice. Like, D had a character arc. And D is, like, starting to be on C's side and be nice and sweet. And then E is really mean and annoying, and E is jealous of F for being higher than him, because E wants to be the highest on the staff. And then F, like, so I sorta picture there being, like, little clubs within the family. And F was, like, JUST accepted into the "Sophisticated Club," which is, like, the notes above the staff. And, like, F is trying to fit into that. And F is pretty nice. The Sophisticated Club doesn't really have much time for its siblings, because, they're, like, WAY high up. But they're still really nice. And G is really nice. G is part of the Sophisticated Club and is very proud of it. A is also really nice, and A is like pretty much the same as G, and A helps the club out at all. And then B, HIGH B, is like the President of the club. And so, High B wants to get to know its siblings better, because it doesn't know them that well, since it's, like, ALL THE WAY up an octave, but B is also kind of concerned with getting into the clubs in the NEXT scale.</p><p><br /></p><p>The music note family sounds WAY more complicated than the Rowe family. But at least we don't have any family members who used to be mean and annoying. We may be simpler, but we don't have any clubs or side-switching over here in our little 4-person musical quartet!</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-68897141750093752762020-11-22T16:21:00.001-08:002020-11-22T16:21:30.203-08:00Toe Drama<p>Julia, after spending a bunch of time outside on an unseasonably nice day, came to me with anxiety over the state of her pinky toe.</p><p>JULIA: Mommy? Do you think I have frostbite? My toe is white, and it feels numb.<br />ME: (taking a look) I don't think you have frostbite. It does look white; you probably just need to get your circulation going.<br />JULIA: (panicked) But what should I do? Does that mean my toe's gonna fall off??<br />ME: No. Why don't you just fill the bathtub with some warm water and put your foot in to warm up your toe?<br />JULIA: Will you come WITH me? <br />ME: You need me to sit with you in the bathroom?<br />JULIA: Yeah, I want you there.</p><p>As we headed into the bathroom, Julia became increasingly certain that her toe was going to fall off.</p><p>JULIA: Can you DIE from frostbite?<br />ME: I don't think so.<br />JULIA: But can't your toe snap off?<br />ME: It would have to turn, like, black and have SEVERE frostbite for that to happen.<br />MADELEINE: (helpfully running into the bathroom to give us an update from Google) "Frostbite is an injury caused by freezing of the skin and underlying tissues. First your skin becomes very cold and red, then numb, hard and pale..."<br />JULIA: (completely freaking out) MY TOE IS HARD AND PALE! I told you I HAVE FROSTBITE!<br />ME: Honey. Honey. Just soak your toe in warm water and you'll get your circulation back.</p><p>Upon filling the tub with water, Julia began soaking her toe. The toe went from white to a purplish color. Julia took the color change with serene tranquility.</p><p>JULIA: (in sheer, utter panic) MY TOE IS TURNING BLACK! IT'S PURPLISH BLACK! MY TOE IS GONNA FALL OFF!<br />ME: Oh my God Julia, it's not-<br />ETHAN: (who had heard Julia's hysterics through his headphones while he was cooking) WHAT is going on?<br />ME: Julia thinks her toe looks black and it's gonna fall off from frostbite.<br />ETHAN: (helpfully) Huh, it does look kinda black.<br />JULIA: (hysterically unintelligible)<br />ME: Okay. No. Ethan, tell her that her toe's not gonna fall off.<br />JULIA: (continuing to be hysterically unintelligible)<br />ME AND ETHAN: Honey, your toe is not gonna fall off from being outside in 55-60 degree weather for an hour!</p><p>Julia was initially inconsolable, but eventually calmed down when I pointed out that her toe had turned from purple to normal flesh-colored. Ethan returned to cooking and I reassured Julia.</p><p>ME: See? Now it's back to normal.<br />JULIA: (a bit sheepishly) It's not numb anymore.<br />ME: Okay, so why don't you drain the tub now and get some warm socks on?<br />JULIA: Okay. (Inexplicably turning the shower setting on in the still running tub instead of unplugging the drain and turning the water off)<br />ME: No, that's the show-<br />JULIA: (getting fully sprayed by a full shower stream in her clothes and standing there helplessly) AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!<br />ETHAN: (running back into the bathroom from the kitchen) NOW WHAT IS GOING ON?!?<br />ME: TURN THE SHOWER OFF JULIA!<br />JULIA: (frantically scrambling to shut the water off)</p><p>Oh my God. Can you tell we're all a little anxious over here about the rising coronavirus cases and we're becoming a little too easily unhinged? Deep breaths. Julia has not, in fact, lost her toe, and is back to having other irrational fears like thinking she has spit cancer because she's blowing too much spit into her flute when she practices. It's all good. We're all fine over here! Nothing to stare at folks!</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-73190953005288769622020-11-18T16:43:00.001-08:002020-11-18T16:43:02.606-08:00Is That a Swear?<p>After Ethan and Madeleine spent hours on the weekend raking the leaves in our backyard, our town had the most colossal leaf dump I've ever seen in a 24 hour period. Every yard and even some streets were covered in a massive blanket of oak leaves. It happened to be the day before Veterans Day that this leaf-fall occurred, so Madeleine discovered our oaken lawn on the no-school day following.</p><p>MADELEINE: (peering out the back door to the lawn) Jesus Christ, didn't we JUST rake all those leaves?<br />ETHAN: I know it. (pausing for a moment) Did you just say "Jesus Christ?"<br />MADELEINE: Yeah. Why? (dread slowly coming over her face) Is that a swear?<br />ME: Well, it's considered sort of a swear when you use it like that, because you're "taking the Lord's name<br />in vain."<br />MADELEINE: (standing in silence with an increasing look of angst and embarrassment on her face)<br />ME: It's okay, honey.<br />MADELEINE: (in utter despair) No it's NOT!<br />ETHAN: You didn't know.<br />ME: And even if you did, it's not the end of the world. <br />MADELEINE: I'm BAD!</p><p>Despite our protests to the contrary, Madeleine was driven by shame and humiliation to her bedroom, wherein she hid under her blanket to punish herself for her unforgivable crimes. I attempted to talk her down and finally got her to come out of her room and eat snack, but unfortunately she decided to join the table as Cousin It from the Addams Family:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbhmyCH28Osp6TLHAvWbwfNQwKA8MPrpAqJv1W2eOjlFC3wbgTWHgA9YKfHHmKIbrABAga0_-noRI4QKgqCyV_ueqX9J4Yhf4z-JwZShJHcL5keN57Bpt9FKPNN3h93BGScBqG4hjNP8/s2048/cousin_it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1389" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbhmyCH28Osp6TLHAvWbwfNQwKA8MPrpAqJv1W2eOjlFC3wbgTWHgA9YKfHHmKIbrABAga0_-noRI4QKgqCyV_ueqX9J4Yhf4z-JwZShJHcL5keN57Bpt9FKPNN3h93BGScBqG4hjNP8/s320/cousin_it.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Madeleine was the only one who found the situation appalling. Ethan and I helpfully couldn't stop breaking into laughter over the fact that the child who "mreer!"s over words like "fool" and "dumb" outright exclaimed "Jesus Christ!" over the backyard leaves. </p><p>Cousin It remained with us for quite awhile, but I'm pleased to report that Madeleine has completed her self-inflicted penance and has deemed herself henceforth acceptable to return to society.</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-74014533290405723722020-11-15T12:51:00.008-08:002020-11-15T12:58:15.590-08:00Falling Things<p>MADELEINE: (excitedly) I'm gonna have LETTER crackers! (reaching for the container of letter crackers and somehow knocking it off the counter.) <br />JULIA: Pick it up! Hurry!<br />MADELEINE: (standing in shock, looking at the brand-new, now empty container on the ground and the kitchen floor strewn with letter crackers everywhere.)<br /><br />And because there's not germs EVERYWHERE right now, I wisely recommended Madeleine just pick up all the crackers and put them back in the container and proceed to eat them. Let's not waste a brand new, full container of snacks, girls.</p><p>Later on, Julia and I were recording a flute duet we've been working on, and we had our own falling object to distract us. Watch the video closely, and you will see the piano lamp in the background suddenly fall off the piano, as if a phantom had just knocked into it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KkdaXUxGcp8" width="320" youtube-src-id="KkdaXUxGcp8"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>So, we're eating dirty kitchen floor letter crackers and ignoring the hijinks of our very own Phantom of the Opera over here, just like any normal old day.</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-38552902110222314732020-11-08T09:57:00.003-08:002020-11-08T09:57:50.661-08:00Renaissance<p>JULIA: I feel like it would either be really cool or really terrifying to see life in the Renaissance.<br />ME: Probably both.<br />JULIA: Yeah. 'Cause there'd be, like, armor, and...<br />ME: And plague...<br />JULIA: Yeah, and plague, but there would also be CASTLES.<br />ME: Right.<br />JULIA: Were there REALLY jokers?<br />ME: ...You mean jesters?<br />JULIA: Oh! Yeah. Were there really jesters?<br />ME: Yeah, I think so, I think they were a part of the King's court.<br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEWyxfHehg6-BRKauzLmoS0suM8C6d_pNIsae-2nse6CGIy_QfXGJ1ioYMCpyEYk6kXBjjaoLyRXTDW99ZQHt9Z6YJ1uYF_JiJ8hJERd1pR8yal3kP9dJaso5Q-_pxS7JAJqZos7Mvzk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEWyxfHehg6-BRKauzLmoS0suM8C6d_pNIsae-2nse6CGIy_QfXGJ1ioYMCpyEYk6kXBjjaoLyRXTDW99ZQHt9Z6YJ1uYF_JiJ8hJERd1pR8yal3kP9dJaso5Q-_pxS7JAJqZos7Mvzk/" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Joker<p></p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-71010681304319088392020-11-07T08:46:00.003-08:002020-11-07T08:46:31.338-08:00Discussing Trump<p> Discussing Trump, in which Madeleine is totally with the program.</p><p>JULIA: Isn't Donald Trump's last name really Drumpf?<br />ETHAN: Yes. Drumpf is German.<br />JULIA: (mock gasp) He's German? He's not even AMERICAN!<br />ME: Well, his Dad was from Germany, for real. But Trump was born here.<br />ETHAN: And even if he was born in Germany, if you get citizenship, you're a real American.<br />JULIA: I know, I was-<br />ME: I know. You were saying that because Trump is so anti-immigrant. <br />JULIA: Right.<br />ME: I think European immigrants are okay by him. He just doesn't want immigrants from Mexico. After all, his wife is Eastern European.<br />ETHAN: She got her citizenship suspiciously fast, though.<br />ME: She got a "genius grant." For her modeling. <br />JULIA: She's not even pretty, though. She looks like a CAT.<br />MADELEINE: (who has been sitting around the table with us this WHOLE TIME) Who looks like a cat?<br />JULIA: Melania Trump.<br />MADELEINE: Oh! I thought you were talking about ELSA.</p><p>Yes, that's right. This whole time we were not talking about the #1 pressing subject on our minds (for once, the election has slightly edged out the usual #1 subject of COVID-19), but about the characters from "Frozen."</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-80215769338642097082020-11-05T12:48:00.001-08:002020-11-05T12:48:22.464-08:00BLM Article<p> MADELEINE: (showing me an online headline over a photo of two people) Mommy! This couple lived in a town called "Trump Country," and they got EVICTED from their apartment because they had a "Black Lives Matter" sign. Isn't that TERRIBLE?</p><p>Well, you know how it is in the town of Trump Country. </p><p>I explained to her what the term "Trump Country" means, which gave her more clarity on the whole story. I guess at first she just thought: a) it's weird that Trump already has a town named after him after only 4 years as President, and b) How ironic that the town of "Trump Country" turned out to be as racist as Trump himself!</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-82262878802981639042020-10-31T18:35:00.003-07:002020-10-31T18:35:39.620-07:00Happy Halloween!<p>Happy Halloween from these Rebel Girls!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WQRbyFw-4_W5ulEq7ny8BBAGBbbWE6cwD1GUFuljun8w01RrF0RwQJe7q3XanakW9vZ0c2tkFjt821xvx3yqt8Ls6FRVwyCnTuYnPRbuBvcDE4bH5xCsiA1lgF6VZ59MGX-97EH0TY4/s2048/IMG_20201031_172525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WQRbyFw-4_W5ulEq7ny8BBAGBbbWE6cwD1GUFuljun8w01RrF0RwQJe7q3XanakW9vZ0c2tkFjt821xvx3yqt8Ls6FRVwyCnTuYnPRbuBvcDE4bH5xCsiA1lgF6VZ59MGX-97EH0TY4/s320/IMG_20201031_172525.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictjASyOwdnNuzmkpL5mgmzyczg2ayq4mvUZLxxWYUrD8KAvPwkmPmaZNjC5nIWm5CveuV1x3N3lxs9QtrrwQCUi_iK8X8u3GH8DhSLZdAMTiZRMij8MDLzj3UsZL2pGDpmotSNu6cTlM/s2048/IMG_20201031_172529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictjASyOwdnNuzmkpL5mgmzyczg2ayq4mvUZLxxWYUrD8KAvPwkmPmaZNjC5nIWm5CveuV1x3N3lxs9QtrrwQCUi_iK8X8u3GH8DhSLZdAMTiZRMij8MDLzj3UsZL2pGDpmotSNu6cTlM/s320/IMG_20201031_172529.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>We made it only until 6pm because it was so cold, but hey, we weren't even sure if Halloween was gonna happen at all!</p><p>Hope you all had a fun and safe evening!</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-40258157777556939192020-10-25T07:22:00.001-07:002020-10-25T07:22:08.490-07:00Leaping Crystal<p> I walked into the dining room to find this on the table:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vy63vJZaPxKjm998OYDxSd70X9988k7M0graWbaY9Z5aICDVWGWWBnOJovpDAYimcx1v7KXvJRF0BOyvRostuCU66KxD-dkZ_whxcYCZvVC-0oGyGHkqlN-zr8S6hxxFzK_bn8kmb9w/s2048/water_crystal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vy63vJZaPxKjm998OYDxSd70X9988k7M0graWbaY9Z5aICDVWGWWBnOJovpDAYimcx1v7KXvJRF0BOyvRostuCU66KxD-dkZ_whxcYCZvVC-0oGyGHkqlN-zr8S6hxxFzK_bn8kmb9w/s320/water_crystal.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>ME: Someone decided to paint a rock?<br />JULIA: Madeleine did.<br />ME: Okay. Why?<br />JULIA: (laughing) She wanted to make a Leaping Crystal like in "Keeper of the Lost Cities."</p><p><br /></p><p>Of course she did. Who *doesn't* spend their Sunday morning painting rocks?</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-40941503546029632212020-10-22T04:04:00.003-07:002020-10-22T04:04:52.885-07:00The Scent of Hair<p>Last night: </p><p>JULIA: (giving me a hug, then sniffing my hair) Your hair smells like DISNEY WORLD!</p><p>This morning:</p><p>MADELEINE: (smelling my hair) It smells like PRESCHOOL.</p><p><br /></p><p>Those are two totally normal descriptions for what hair can smell like, right?</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-50126731386432354282020-10-18T13:48:00.000-07:002020-10-18T13:48:00.800-07:00Creative Doings<p> So, the latest thing that the girls are into doing is creating fake Instagram accounts for fictional characters. Not only have they made accounts for the characters in Shannon Messenger's "Keeper of the Lost Cities" series, they have made American Girl doll accounts, and OF COURSE accounts for the characters in Madeleine's own "Timeline Barrier" series.</p><p>Curious to know what the "Timeline Barrier" folks post about? Take a look at Silareah's Instagram page and one of her recent posts:</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAzYOWIPCwGxs4ppjKoJN3UJsBgnd6koZIOYYFZFccTL6TKMeooyrKgi4oCzc3FQlaBlqMijwoANifX57dq9nKuq1hfa1mZR68sDETGX72KM7L9N_tSvYr57zaveSw-Qz6vlByxmR9XE/s1200/sila_insta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAzYOWIPCwGxs4ppjKoJN3UJsBgnd6koZIOYYFZFccTL6TKMeooyrKgi4oCzc3FQlaBlqMijwoANifX57dq9nKuq1hfa1mZR68sDETGX72KM7L9N_tSvYr57zaveSw-Qz6vlByxmR9XE/s320/sila_insta.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhh2LlhanpU6b1mPvd6NDpm5ToNmukoEtUcZyzVx_Jc0twjvJv-Q79zykFZXx8FSi31-sn_8bvFvPyeiZzCRcsqdCU6Qq5ujthZ6keV954G7Y6Ws3meClQFkoc5EPhxsiG8q6dOlvNa0/s1200/sila_insta2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhh2LlhanpU6b1mPvd6NDpm5ToNmukoEtUcZyzVx_Jc0twjvJv-Q79zykFZXx8FSi31-sn_8bvFvPyeiZzCRcsqdCU6Qq5ujthZ6keV954G7Y6Ws3meClQFkoc5EPhxsiG8q6dOlvNa0/s320/sila_insta2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Madeleine and Julia spend hours doing this sort of thing. For instance, this afternoon:</p><p>JULIA: Hey Madeleine, wanna go outside and make more Instagram posts for the "Keeper of the Lost Cities" characters?<br />MADELEINE: (delighted) Yeah! I'll be right there!</p><p>Instagram pages aren't the only things the girls are creating on the subject of "Keeper of the Lost Cities." They have both been busy writing fan fiction about the characters, and Julia's <i>piece de resistance</i> is her merging of the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou" and the "Keeper" series, writing a fan fiction piece with a parody of the song "Man of Constant Sorrow" from "O Brother," sung by "Keeper" characters. Curious? Take a look for yourself: (and somehow Madeleine appears as a character in the "Keeper" world, so there's that too...)</p><p><span style="font-family: Alegreya, serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Alegreya, serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keefe took a deep breath, then started to sing to the tune of “Man of Constant Sorrow” by the Soggy Bottom Boys. Madeleine played the flute and Ro stomped in the background, because they were feeling a little extra.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“I am a teen deep in love! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">I’ve crushed on you all my days!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">I bid farewell to Alluveterre, the place where I first crushed on you!”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“The place where heeeee first crushed on you!” Madeleine and Ro chimed in.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Sophie’s eyes were wide. Keefe’s palms started to sweat, but he knew this was the only way he could convince Sophie that they were right for each other.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“I felt your heart emotions! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">You’ve loved meeee for years and years!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">You only like Fitz for his looks!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">But he treats you like a piece of poop!”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“He treats you like a piece of poop!” sang the accompanying girls.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“And I will treat you well!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">I’ll always be here to comfort you!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">We are so right for each other!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">I hope you’ll love me like I love you!”</span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-cb00569c-7fff-c690-4018-ba1b24c327e6"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“He hopes you’ll love him like he loves you!” Ro and Madeleine sang</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Alegreya,serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><span style="text-indent: 0px;">At least I know that the pandemic hasn't dulled my girls' creativity in the least!</span></p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-60198305117066403082020-10-10T14:40:00.004-07:002020-10-10T14:40:44.309-07:00The Ritual Hiding of Earl Carries On<p>Madeleine takes the cake when it comes to her most recent Earl hiding spot:</p><br /><p>Nestled among Julia's American Girl doll collection, Earl appears to be emitting a ghastly rasping cry from his skeletal face, as the dolls sit by in wholesome innocence. Luckily Julia spotted him before actually settling into her bed for the night, or else a glimpse towards her open closet might have scared the daylights out of her!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-AjqaLcbJol-duXQK7lN8rxuoTgEHh6Vn3SP_WXnDhwqfMCEFN4X8oLIGT40y7lSnRrZwky1tpNosu-YHnS265iuO7fFwZlgcSqoJxtZhyphenhyphen2a_A0-zIfgwpOjqs21k-89AzVDAmmVzsEI/s2048/IMG_20201010_173607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-AjqaLcbJol-duXQK7lN8rxuoTgEHh6Vn3SP_WXnDhwqfMCEFN4X8oLIGT40y7lSnRrZwky1tpNosu-YHnS265iuO7fFwZlgcSqoJxtZhyphenhyphen2a_A0-zIfgwpOjqs21k-89AzVDAmmVzsEI/s320/IMG_20201010_173607.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-62664702595135605342020-10-06T18:18:00.001-07:002020-10-06T18:18:07.556-07:00New Routine<p>As if Madeleine's good-bye/good-night routine couldn't get any more ridiculous, there is now a new element to the whole ritual that she has added, even typing it in text messages.</p><p>To back up a moment, here is her FORMER routine, when saying good-night to us, or saying good-bye as we are leaving or she's being dropped off somewhere.</p><p>MADELEINE: I love you! (blowing an air kiss) So muchy moo! (blowing air kiss). (Blowing a kiss from one palm towards us.) (Blowing a kiss from the other palm towards us.) (Waving at us with both hands while smiling at us.) (Leaving.)</p><p>So now it's this:</p><p>MADELEINE: I love you! (blowing an air kiss) So muchy moo! (blowing air kiss). (Blowing a kiss from one palm towards us.) (Blowing a kiss from the other palm towards us.) (Waving at us with both hands while smiling at us.) SAFETY!! (Leaving.)</p><p>The addition of "SAFETY!" seems to correlate with the fact that COVID numbers have been on the rise in our area. Apparently cheerfully announcing "SAFETY!" at us will keep us safe, despite the fact that if Madeleine actually had COVID, blowing air from her mouth towards us would probably infect us as well.</p><p><br /></p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-53230370222566619332020-10-02T16:07:00.003-07:002020-10-02T16:07:55.250-07:00Happy Birthday, Madeleine!<p> Happy, happy birthday to this unique, loving, warm, creative human being!:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIkmk-4trKd9iHmeCz_6Zx5jzmLKYFt4xK7zKt2bRuKRAXSCD02IIWd4_4EBg1TirF6sgqIBio-hP5u2Iol6A6-fbK5gNKmaG6Ugz9apujEI2yI2SBa7BBf-m5EGi5vAL1ZpRZVfZlxg/s2048/IMG_20201002_073510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIkmk-4trKd9iHmeCz_6Zx5jzmLKYFt4xK7zKt2bRuKRAXSCD02IIWd4_4EBg1TirF6sgqIBio-hP5u2Iol6A6-fbK5gNKmaG6Ugz9apujEI2yI2SBa7BBf-m5EGi5vAL1ZpRZVfZlxg/s320/IMG_20201002_073510.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>We had pancakes to celebrate this morning, before the girls headed off to their second day of in-person school (before being back to remote learning next week, while the opposite cohort of kids go in person.) Madeleine was showered with gifts, including a Pop Socket for her cell phone from Julia. </p><p>Cell phones. Eleven year-olds. How did my kids get so big?!?</p><p>So, in some well-known-to-the-Rowes classic Madeleine lingo, here's a birthday message:</p><p>Hearts to you! I love you! (blowing a kiss) So muchy moo! (blowing another kiss.)</p><p>Happy birthday, Madeleine!</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-51310942132866096172020-09-26T10:38:00.006-07:002020-09-26T10:38:58.572-07:002020<p>MADELEINE: People don't even need to SWEAR anymore. They can just be like, "What the 2020?!"</p><p>I couldn't agree more on how nefarious the term 2020 feels.</p><p>And speaking of swearing, Ethan and I have been sharing a beloved tv show with the girls, "Schitt's Creek." The kids are loving it so far, but have trouble referring to the show because for some reason they can't allow themselves to say the title, even though it's a person's name, not the word "shit."</p><p>Madeleine has, surprisingly, FINALLY come around to calling the show by its title instead of "Mreer Creek." Julia, however, can only refer to it as "Sk-a-hitt's Creek" so as to avoid even SOUNDING like she's saying "shit." Interesting that both girls can refer to a beaver dam without finding creative ways to avoid saying a word that sounds like "damn." </p><p>Maybe we can clear things up by deciding that "shit" ONLY means "Schitt" and from now on when someone really means "shit" they'll just say 2020.</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-53360278498409898502020-09-22T04:42:00.001-07:002020-09-22T04:42:12.142-07:00The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance<p>So, Netflix cancelled Madeleine's favorite tv series, "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance" after one season.</p><p>This leaves things on quite a cliffhanger for the hordes of you following the adventures of Deet, Rian, Brea and the rest, but guys: DON'T WORRY. Madeleine is already writing the next season herself. Taking matters into her own hands like a brave Gelfling, she's got us covered and we can breathe easy knowing we'll get some resolution to the arcs of our favorite characters. WHEW!</p><p><br /></p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-47711327906342954402020-09-21T16:36:00.004-07:002020-09-21T18:20:05.277-07:00Feel What You Love<p>Because Madeleine is dreaming BIG with her "Timelime Barrier" series (think franchise), she has not only planned for the books and the movies-made-after-the-books, but she has composed a theme song AND a lullaby to be sung by one of the film's characters.</p><p>I was pretty enchanted by this sweet little lullaby, and even more enchanted by this sweet kid singing it for me:</p><p><br /><iframe width="1280" height="765" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lDNWRi6Vrwo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</p><p>Here are the lyrics (also written by Madeleine), just in case you couldn't make them all out:</p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> “My sweet darling, don’t you cry.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="yiv7820831063gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mama will not ever let you say goodbye.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="yiv7820831063gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now remember, whenever</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="yiv7820831063gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Times feel dark</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="yiv7820831063gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just open up your heart.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="yiv7820831063gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And when the lights are all out,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="yiv7820831063gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feel what you love.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Spectral, serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, before I get too sentimental, I just learned that this lullaby is sung to the main character, Silareah Sound, by her Earth Mother, Eliza Sound. NOT sung by the mother character named after me, Courtia (recently edited to Couria), the somewhat negligent "Starblaze" mother who actually raises Silareah. So, like, seriously, what the heck? Not only is the Courtney-inspired character kind of a dud of a mom, but she doesn't even get to sing?!? HARSH.</span></p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-44356011420191086912020-09-19T09:42:00.001-07:002020-09-19T10:15:42.024-07:00Panic and More<p>Last night, as we were leaving for swim practice, I was suddenly subject to a barrage of panicked questions and remarks from Julia. It seems she was having a total internal melt-down about climate change, politics, and pretty much everything else. Our conversation started as we got into the car and continued on our drive to the pool.</p><p>JULIA: Massachusetts is gonna flood and we'll be TOTALLY underwater.<br />ME: That's not something that's going to happen in the immediate future.<br />JULIA: But it's too late for us to save the world from climate change.<br />ME: Some things are irreversible at this point, but there's still a lot we can do to prevent worst case scenarios. Hopefully we can get our country back to agreeing to combat climate change.<br />JULIA: But Joe Biden didn't vote for the Green New Deal!<br />ME: Yes, but I think he would re-enter us into the Paris Climate Accord.<br />JULIA: But Donald Trump is just gonna win again.<br />ME: Well, if he does, then we'll have to work really hard as individuals to reduce our impact.<br />JULIA: Mommy? Do you think he'll win again?<br />ME: I really don't know what to think. The polls were so wrong for the last election.<br />JULIA: But Mommy? I've been reading all this stuff about dictators, and I read that Trump is acting like Hitler did in Nazi Germany.<br />ME: But in the United States, we have a democracy, so people are allowed to speak out against Trump without getting thrown in jail. We're in a much better situation to fight against any attempts to create a dictatorship than the Germans were.<br />JULIA: (distraught) But I realized we're basically living in a Nazi world because our country has Neo-Nazis.<br />ME: But we also have the ability to speak out against them. This country has checks and balances, so even if Trump tries to become a dictator, there are systems in place to prevent that. <br />JULIA: (becoming increasingly more distressed) But what if he loses and he refuses to leave?<br />ME: Well, that's why we have institutes like the Supreme Court, to help uphold the rules.<br />JULIA: (reaching panic) But Brett Kavanaugh is just gonna vote for anything Trump wants.<br />ME: Look. Ruth Bader Ginsburg won't vote for that. Elena Kagan won't vote for that. Sonia Sotomayor won't vote for that.</p><p>During this conversation, Julia and I kept getting text notifications on our cell phones, but since I was driving I couldn't check. It turns out Ethan was messaging us with some breaking news. As Julia was reaching her pinnacle of despair, she happened to check her phone.</p><p>JULIA: (on the verge of hysteria) RUTH BADER GINSBURG DIED!</p><p>Okay. Crap. Any attempts to calm her down at this point were futile, and the way we left things was Julia going into the pool building and texting me, "I'm in and I'm scared." I can't say I blame her.</p><p>Madeleine's practice was just ending, so when she got in the car, I gave her the news about RBG. We then discussed the other members of the Supreme Court and their political leanings during the remainder of the car ride.</p><p>This morning, the girls had swim practice yet again. Ethan did the drop-offs, and I did the final pick-up shift, getting Madeleine from her practice at noon. When she got in the car, she cheerily told me about her workout, then fell silent for a moment as she scrolled through her phone notifications.</p><p>MADELEINE: (in shock) Ruth Bader Ginsburg DIED?<br />ME: Honey, we talked about this last night.<br />MADELEINE: I remember you telling me about SOME Democrat, but I didn't know you were talking about HER.</p><p>Who's surprised that Madeleine doesn't remember me telling her about this last night? Anyone?</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-59707745547080144762020-09-13T16:35:00.000-07:002020-09-13T16:35:14.216-07:00The Final Chapter<p>School starts tomorrow for the kids (remote only), so Madeleine was determined to finish "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" today. See, in Madeleine's eyes, it doesn't count as "summer reading" unless she: A) started the book AFTER the last day of school in June, and B) finished the book BEFORE the first day of the new school year. So despite everything I tried to tell her to reassure her that she didn't need to FREAK OUT about finishing her book before tomorrow, Madeleine was bound and determined to make it a done deal.</p><p>She read several chapters throughout the day today, and announced this afternoon that she was on the final chapter.</p><p>MADELEINE: Mommy? I feel like, for the final chapter at bedtime tonight, I should wear, like, an ALL BLACK outfit. In honor of the DEAD.<br />ME: Um. Okay.</p><p><br />Unfortunately, Madeleine does not possess such an outfit, let alone in a pajama set. So this evening she donned a navy blue pajama top with pink patterned pajama shorts.</p><p>MADELEINE: Mommy? Does THIS (gesturing at her pajamas) seem APPROPRIATE for the last chapter?<br />ME: Yes.<br />MADELEINE: Okay. (sighing) Poooor Dumbledore. This is gonna be the most STRESSFUL year of school yet.</p><p>It's as if she hasn't already had the book read to her and watched the movie ten thousand times, she's having such a visceral reaction. I guess you're really living in the book's world when you're dressing the part of the mourner at Dumbledore's funeral. I guess I should be prepared for when she reads the next book in the Unicorn Quest series, because we may need to break out a horn for her to wear while she reads.</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-15190184022793000162020-09-10T12:16:00.003-07:002020-09-10T12:16:39.374-07:00Book Repair<p> Madeleine is currently reading "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." Ethan read it to her a few years back, and our copy of the book had been read multiple times prior to that, between Ethan and Julia. By this point, the outer cover has been worn down and ripped. Don't worry, though; Madeleine fixed it! You can't even tell it even had any cosmetic work done!:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMAme1E3jbYyhfZHCwkZlapuCJA5U2AoFfbgN9M6BZ7nZxIuIFFUl1QWLVhwU-voGakfnTf2eQrIDW37Nau7965s4coe4ibEvPh_fS9CnThL8zGci9fbg5_g5ZGwxEBngTQNNdvY_gBqk/s2048/IMG_20200910_074817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMAme1E3jbYyhfZHCwkZlapuCJA5U2AoFfbgN9M6BZ7nZxIuIFFUl1QWLVhwU-voGakfnTf2eQrIDW37Nau7965s4coe4ibEvPh_fS9CnThL8zGci9fbg5_g5ZGwxEBngTQNNdvY_gBqk/s320/IMG_20200910_074817.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843404441485616412.post-56689520851360751562020-09-06T15:45:00.001-07:002020-09-06T15:45:06.387-07:00Little Einsteins<p> Look, I don't mean to brag about my kids, but when they have smarty-pants moments like this, it's hard not to share:</p><p>MADELEINE: (playing a game on her phone) Oh, <i>thank you</i>, fifteen left!<br />JULIA: (galloping by) Who's Vivian?<br />MADELEINE: <br />JULIA: Who's Vivian?<br />ME: Who said Vivian?<br />JULIA: Madeleine did.<br />MADELEINE: No, I said "fifTEEN."<br />JULIA: (leaning over Madeleine's shoulder to peer at her game) Oh! I think Sadie has this game. Is it called "Best Finds?"<br />MADELEINE: No, best "fee-ends."<br />JULIA: It's pronounced "finds."<br />MADELEINE: No, it's "fee-ends."<br />JULIA: (laughing at Madeleine's ignorance) No, Madeleine, it's pronounced "<i>FINDS</i>."<br />ME: Do you mean "FIENDS?"<br />JULIA: Oh! Yeah. "Fiends." I knew it was either pronounced "fiends" or "finds."</p><p><br /></p><p>Good think school has gone all-remote for the month of September, because I'd be afraid of my kids running circles around their peers if they got the advantage of in-person school!</p>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07997719307553545185noreply@blogger.com0