Morning:
MADELEINE: (bursting into my bedroom, wherein I lay, still asleep) Mama? Is it a little bit too EARLY?
It turned out to be 6:30. An acceptable time to get up. But still, is it ever NOT a little bit too early to be abruptly woken out of a sound sleep?
Mid-Day
MADELEINE: (picking up a cough drop from the kitchen counter and holding it out to me) Oh! Here, Mama. Would you like to EAT this?
ME: No, thank you, honey. You can put that back down on the counter. I don't need one right now.
MADELEINE: But Mama. What IS this?
ME: It's a cough drop.
MADELEINE: Is it a treat?
ME: No. It's like medicine. It's something you suck on if you have a sore throat, or a cough.
MADELEINE: Oh. And Mama. Is it A-okay right now?
ME: Yes. My throat is A-okay right now, so I don't need a cough drop.
MADELEINE: (thoughtful for a moment) And is your BUTT A-okay too?
Aw, how sweet, looking out for Mama. I'm guessing this question harkens back to the other day, when I had to explain what an attachable head for hemorrhoidal suppository ointment is placed. AKA the blush brush fiasco. Luckily, I got to assure Madeleine this afternoon that my hemorrhoids were in check and that my butt was A-okay. TMI? Yeah, I know. Sorry.
Afternoon
Walking home from school with the girls, Madeleine decided to explosively stomp in every single rain puddle along the route.
JULIA: Maaaadeline! Stop it! You're spattering my pants!
MADELEINE: Well, Julia, now I'm REALLY soaking wet! Mama? Look at how SOAKING WET I am!
ME: I've noticed.
MADELEINE: Well Mama. It's a GOOD THING that I decided to jump in all these puddles, because I was feeling a little bit JEALOUS that I wanted to change into my Emily Binx outfit!
That was a great master plan, Madeleine. Get your shirt and pants completely muddy and sopping wet so that you can change into your all white tennis skirt and blouse ensemble at home to better resemble the ghost of Emily Binx. OR: here's an even BETTER idea. Just change into the Emily Binx outfit at home WITHOUT generating a stinky, soaking, wet-dog-smelling pile of clothes for Mommy to wash after she already ran a load of laundry!
Evening
ME: Madeleine, I bought you these new Christmas pajamas! Do you want to wear them?
MADELEINE: Uh, I want my PUMPKIN ones!
ME: Why don't you want your new ones?
MADELEINE: Because. It's not CHRISTMAS yet. And I wanna be a PUMPKIN!
Mind you, these are the pumpkin pajamas that Madeleine steadfastly REFUSED to wear in the months preceding Halloween. Therefore, I predict that the Christmas pajamas will suddenly become very popular come January. But probably not before.
Bedtime
ME: (after finishing Madeleine's bedtime stories) Okay, honey, can you say your prayer?
MADELEINE: (beginning to say a prayer from school) Uh, Mama? Does that sound like a prayer?
ME: That's fine. You don't have to say your usual bedtime prayer. You can say whatever you'd like to God.
MADELEINE: Okay! (folding her hands) God, I love EVERYTHING that is good, and I love Mommy, and I love Daddy, and I love my SISTER, and I love my TOYS, and I love the TOY STORE, and I really, really, really love Plaster Fun Time! (turning to me) Mama? Wasn't that a REALLY nice prayer??
A few moments later, she was totally conked out, left to dream about everything that is good and Plaster Fun Time and the toy store.
It's kind of no wonder she fell asleep so easily. It must be exhausting being inside that little head of hers all day. And if I'm really lucky, maybe she'll sleep until 7 tomorrow morning and NOT wake up a little bit too early!
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Christmas Lists
Julia decided it was high time to make her Christmas list yesterday, so when I arrived home from work, I was greeted with an ebullient recitation of everything she had put on her list.
These are the items Julia had added by that point:
-GoGo Pillow
-Ink
-Cumputer
-Cell Fone
-Tablit
-Ice Cream Macker
-Josufina
-A Camra
-A TV in my room
JULIA: Mommy? I was gonna add "Coffee Maker," but I wasn't really sure if you would actually LIKE the taste of coffee by age seven.
I have, in fact, already ordered the doll Josefina for Christmas for Julia, -(shhhhh! Don't tell!) - knowing that it's the American Girl that has been on her Wish List for years. As far as everything else goes, uh...yeah right. I assured Julia that she might get ONE of the above items, but that there is no way she'll be getting more than that. I explained that the items she was asking for are extremely expensive and that she couldn't expect to receive all of them.
So Julia decided to amend her list. Or, rather, she kept all of the aforementioned items on the list, but started adding some lower-budget options as well.
-A box of tishos for my room
-Pens for my homework
-My own things to hold things in
-My own books
-Bunocilers
-Head fones
-Umbrela
-A new lamp for my closat
-Bathrobe
-Composishin book
-Paper
-Snow macker
-A mug
-a Christmas CD
You've heard it from the horses' mouth, folks! If you're looking for a Christmas gift to give to Julia, and you're on a budget, rest assured that a box of tissues would suffice. Heck, maybe even just a BOX, seeing as she can use that as her own thing to hold things in!
Madeleine has little interest in making her own Christmas list. She's still holding on to Halloween with all her might. In fact, when Julia attempted to write a Christmas list FOR Madeleine, the only wish-list item Madeleine dictated was "a pumpkin." She will only wear her pumpkin pajamas to bed at night, and burst into bitter tears this morning when I took her pjs off to throw them in the laundry, because: "But Maaamaaaaaa! Now I won't look like a puuuuumpkiiiiiin!"
This is Madeleine's outfit today:
P.S.: I know it's not a great idea to allow her to sit on the top of the couch like that. But I was bapbooming the living room rug, and she scampered up there, because, well, she's scared to the bapboom, remember?
These are the items Julia had added by that point:
-GoGo Pillow
-Ink
-Cumputer
-Cell Fone
-Tablit
-Ice Cream Macker
-Josufina
-A Camra
-A TV in my room
JULIA: Mommy? I was gonna add "Coffee Maker," but I wasn't really sure if you would actually LIKE the taste of coffee by age seven.
I have, in fact, already ordered the doll Josefina for Christmas for Julia, -(shhhhh! Don't tell!) - knowing that it's the American Girl that has been on her Wish List for years. As far as everything else goes, uh...yeah right. I assured Julia that she might get ONE of the above items, but that there is no way she'll be getting more than that. I explained that the items she was asking for are extremely expensive and that she couldn't expect to receive all of them.
So Julia decided to amend her list. Or, rather, she kept all of the aforementioned items on the list, but started adding some lower-budget options as well.
-A box of tishos for my room
-Pens for my homework
-My own things to hold things in
-My own books
-Bunocilers
-Head fones
-Umbrela
-A new lamp for my closat
-Bathrobe
-Composishin book
-Paper
-Snow macker
-A mug
-a Christmas CD
You've heard it from the horses' mouth, folks! If you're looking for a Christmas gift to give to Julia, and you're on a budget, rest assured that a box of tissues would suffice. Heck, maybe even just a BOX, seeing as she can use that as her own thing to hold things in!
Madeleine has little interest in making her own Christmas list. She's still holding on to Halloween with all her might. In fact, when Julia attempted to write a Christmas list FOR Madeleine, the only wish-list item Madeleine dictated was "a pumpkin." She will only wear her pumpkin pajamas to bed at night, and burst into bitter tears this morning when I took her pjs off to throw them in the laundry, because: "But Maaamaaaaaa! Now I won't look like a puuuuumpkiiiiiin!"
This is Madeleine's outfit today:
P.S.: I know it's not a great idea to allow her to sit on the top of the couch like that. But I was bapbooming the living room rug, and she scampered up there, because, well, she's scared to the bapboom, remember?
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
1st Grade Parent-Teacher Conference
This morning, I had to head into Julia's school early, sans kiddos, to attend her parent-teacher conference.
Highlights from the conference:
-Julia's teacher described Julia as a gift to the class, nearly got teary, and stated: "I'm not gonna cry, but she's just WONDERFUL. She's an example to the entire class."
-Julia is at an end-of-second-grade reading level (Go, Jules!)
-Julia's math skills are fine but she'd benefit from stronger absorption of math facts. In other words, she's still counting on her fingers because she hasn't started to internalize the relationships between numbers from 0-10. (This is the child of a mother who still counts on her own fingers when balancing her checkbook or calculating how much to pay the baby-sitter.)
-Julia has made friends throughout the class, and kids love to play with her and partner with her on class activities.
-Julia feels totally comfortable lapsing into her British accent in the middle of class.
(TEACHER: She'll speak with her little British accent...
ME: Oh, boy. She does that at school too?)
-Julia decided to aim high for her hopes and dreams for first grade. "In first grade, I hope to learn more about Hurricane Katrina." However, her career goals are a bit less lofty. "When I grow up, I want to be a lifeguard." I guess waitress is officially off the table now.
-Julia wrote in her last journal entry about how she plays "Naduv Amarikans." I guess Swimming Beluga Whale is here to stay.
All in all, I definitely couldn't be more proud of my conscientious, book-devouring, finger-counting, faux-British-accented little Native American wannabe. Way to go, Julia!
Highlights from the conference:
-Julia's teacher described Julia as a gift to the class, nearly got teary, and stated: "I'm not gonna cry, but she's just WONDERFUL. She's an example to the entire class."
-Julia is at an end-of-second-grade reading level (Go, Jules!)
-Julia's math skills are fine but she'd benefit from stronger absorption of math facts. In other words, she's still counting on her fingers because she hasn't started to internalize the relationships between numbers from 0-10. (This is the child of a mother who still counts on her own fingers when balancing her checkbook or calculating how much to pay the baby-sitter.)
-Julia has made friends throughout the class, and kids love to play with her and partner with her on class activities.
-Julia feels totally comfortable lapsing into her British accent in the middle of class.
(TEACHER: She'll speak with her little British accent...
ME: Oh, boy. She does that at school too?)
-Julia decided to aim high for her hopes and dreams for first grade. "In first grade, I hope to learn more about Hurricane Katrina." However, her career goals are a bit less lofty. "When I grow up, I want to be a lifeguard." I guess waitress is officially off the table now.
-Julia wrote in her last journal entry about how she plays "Naduv Amarikans." I guess Swimming Beluga Whale is here to stay.
All in all, I definitely couldn't be more proud of my conscientious, book-devouring, finger-counting, faux-British-accented little Native American wannabe. Way to go, Julia!
Monday, November 4, 2013
Artwork and Homework
Madeleine is slowly warming to the idea of Thanksgiving, despite her deep and loyal allegiance to Halloween. She even sat down to draw some Thanksgiving pictures today.
She began with a picture of pumpkins and pumpkin pie:
Madeleine was dissatisfied with her first attempts at pumpkins.
MADELEINE: But...I actually DON'T want black LINES in my pumpkin!
All it took was a little imagination and she suddenly had the perfect solution.
MADELEINE: Oh. Actually, these are not pumpkins. They're PUMPKIN CLOUDS!
After turning the picture upside down and coloring a sky around the pumpkin clouds, Madeleine began anew. She began by drawing a pumpkin, then she took the black marker to try and draw a slice of pie. Things didn't go so well.
MADELEINE: Oops! Uh, I messed UP! By accident instead of pie I made a ROCKET SHIP!
The rocket ship would be the black rectangle underneath her pumpkin. She then tried again, making the thing that kind of looks like a squashed up tv with antennae. Despondent over her inability to draw a piece of pie, she then required adult help to save the day.
Madeleine's second Thanksgiving picture was a hand turkey:
Take a closer look and you'll notice this is more than just your average hand turkey. This one has TWO HEADS! One on each end! The thumb is the big brother, and the pinky is his little sister, aptly named Pinky. The big brother doesn't have a name. He's just the big brother. We have to wait until TOMORROW to give him a name.
Julia has continued her hard work making Thanksgiving books and pictures, and her drawing doesn't stop there. Tonight's homework assignment involved drawing as well, and Julia decided to take her math problems to a whole new level of detail:
Look at problem #2. She not only DREW the 8 children, but she named each and every one. We have Mia, May, Lissi, July, Nate, Abby, Dean and Addy. These are some good looking party-goers. I'm digging Mia's hair. But I'm a little confused: are Nate and Dean both naked??
Either way, math is definitely way more fun when you get to use a little imagination and creativity!
She began with a picture of pumpkins and pumpkin pie:
Madeleine was dissatisfied with her first attempts at pumpkins.
MADELEINE: But...I actually DON'T want black LINES in my pumpkin!
All it took was a little imagination and she suddenly had the perfect solution.
MADELEINE: Oh. Actually, these are not pumpkins. They're PUMPKIN CLOUDS!
After turning the picture upside down and coloring a sky around the pumpkin clouds, Madeleine began anew. She began by drawing a pumpkin, then she took the black marker to try and draw a slice of pie. Things didn't go so well.
MADELEINE: Oops! Uh, I messed UP! By accident instead of pie I made a ROCKET SHIP!
The rocket ship would be the black rectangle underneath her pumpkin. She then tried again, making the thing that kind of looks like a squashed up tv with antennae. Despondent over her inability to draw a piece of pie, she then required adult help to save the day.
Madeleine's second Thanksgiving picture was a hand turkey:
Take a closer look and you'll notice this is more than just your average hand turkey. This one has TWO HEADS! One on each end! The thumb is the big brother, and the pinky is his little sister, aptly named Pinky. The big brother doesn't have a name. He's just the big brother. We have to wait until TOMORROW to give him a name.
Julia has continued her hard work making Thanksgiving books and pictures, and her drawing doesn't stop there. Tonight's homework assignment involved drawing as well, and Julia decided to take her math problems to a whole new level of detail:
Look at problem #2. She not only DREW the 8 children, but she named each and every one. We have Mia, May, Lissi, July, Nate, Abby, Dean and Addy. These are some good looking party-goers. I'm digging Mia's hair. But I'm a little confused: are Nate and Dean both naked??
Either way, math is definitely way more fun when you get to use a little imagination and creativity!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Sunday School and Other Church Art
Today at Sunday school, the girls made a project by tracing their hands, cutting them out, gluing them to construction paper, and then listing the people they're praying for on each finger.
Julia made sure to include all her loved ones:
People I'm praying for: Mommy, Daddy, Yiayia, Grampa, God, Sister, Nana, Gramps, my teichers, friend
Madeleine was much less altruistic:
People I'm praying for: Madeleine
Hey, what can I say, she's looking out for number one!
After Sunday school, the girls got to come up in the choir loft with me while I had a rehearsal for our upcoming Christmas concert. While the girls were generally on the best behavior I could expect from kids, there were a few choice interruptions and distractions that I could have done without.
Particularly this one:
MADELEINE: (as the choir was about to sing) Mama? Mama? I think I just need to go push out one PLOP of poop!
So I did what any caring and involved parent would do: I sent my near 7-year-old down to the bathroom to monitor my 4-year-old while she attempted her one plop of poop, and then I proceeded to sing with the choir in a half-panic, wondering if Madeleine would return covered in poop.
Luckily, my fear was unfounded. The girls paraded back upstairs to the loft a few minutes later, and Madeleine announced triumphantly, "It was just a TOOT!"
I'm sure the choir was glad to be updated on Madeleine's potty progress.
Throughout the rest of the rehearsal, Julia occupied herself by drawing one Native American picture after another. She even gave them names:
Red Baerys and Runny Horse
(I wonder if Runny Horse does runny trots. Or maybe he just toots like Madeleine)
Meanwhile, Madeleine continues to buck the Thanksgiving tradition by changing into Halloween-themed clothes upon returning home from church:
The Rowe household: where it's NEVER a bad time to get in the Halloween spirit!
Julia made sure to include all her loved ones:
Madeleine was much less altruistic:
Hey, what can I say, she's looking out for number one!
After Sunday school, the girls got to come up in the choir loft with me while I had a rehearsal for our upcoming Christmas concert. While the girls were generally on the best behavior I could expect from kids, there were a few choice interruptions and distractions that I could have done without.
Particularly this one:
MADELEINE: (as the choir was about to sing) Mama? Mama? I think I just need to go push out one PLOP of poop!
So I did what any caring and involved parent would do: I sent my near 7-year-old down to the bathroom to monitor my 4-year-old while she attempted her one plop of poop, and then I proceeded to sing with the choir in a half-panic, wondering if Madeleine would return covered in poop.
Luckily, my fear was unfounded. The girls paraded back upstairs to the loft a few minutes later, and Madeleine announced triumphantly, "It was just a TOOT!"
I'm sure the choir was glad to be updated on Madeleine's potty progress.
Throughout the rest of the rehearsal, Julia occupied herself by drawing one Native American picture after another. She even gave them names:
(I wonder if Runny Horse does runny trots. Or maybe he just toots like Madeleine)
Meanwhile, Madeleine continues to buck the Thanksgiving tradition by changing into Halloween-themed clothes upon returning home from church:
The Rowe household: where it's NEVER a bad time to get in the Halloween spirit!
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Thanksgiving Excitement
Now that Halloween is in the past, Julia is moving on to Thanksgiving-themed artwork and pretend-play games. Today she drew a slew of Thanksgiving pictures, including the following:
This is truly a perfect capturing of the Thanksgiving history. Because we all know that the Native Americans and the Pilgrims were fast and dear friends, and nobody killed anybody else with smallpox-infested blankets or anything.
Julia was so deeply in the Thanksgiving spirit that she decided to be play "Native Americans" out in the backyard today. Thankfully, her kindergarten extended day program had done an extensive unit on Native American culture last year, so Julia's game was much more accurate than doing tomahauk chops and war cries. Julia even constructed her own tee-pee, as well as a bow and arrow that she wore around her neck so she could hunt wild game. She foraged for berries in our woods, and even filled a pail of water from the "creek" (aka our bathroom sink) to keep her fellow tribes-folk hydrated.
Running Buffalo in her tee-pee
(Running Buffalo was Julia's Native American name last year at school during the aforementioned unit. Shortly after reclaiming that name today, she decided to change it to Swimming Beluga Whale.)
Madeleine has no interest in Thankgiving, and continues to hold fast to Halloween, insisting that the holiday is not past.
And in other Madeleine news, she found something in the bathroom drawer this evening that she believed to be a blush brush (mainly because from far away, that's what it looked like to me when she asked about it.) After brushing both her cheeks, Madeleine was ready to look in the mirror and admire herself. As I came closer to help lift her up to the mirror, I realized that what she was holding was not, in fact, a blush brush, but was instead the attachable suppository head to my Preparation H hemorrhoid creme. So, let's just say the face is the wrong end of the body to be touching with that thing. (Thankfully, it is a virgin suppository head, so it has not actually been used in the way it's supposed to be used.)
Well, after that very revealing story about my hemorrhoid issue, I'm kind of at a loss over what else to say here, folks. I guess I'll sign off and go hide out with Swimming Beluga Whale in the tee-pee until I regain my dignity.
This is truly a perfect capturing of the Thanksgiving history. Because we all know that the Native Americans and the Pilgrims were fast and dear friends, and nobody killed anybody else with smallpox-infested blankets or anything.
Julia was so deeply in the Thanksgiving spirit that she decided to be play "Native Americans" out in the backyard today. Thankfully, her kindergarten extended day program had done an extensive unit on Native American culture last year, so Julia's game was much more accurate than doing tomahauk chops and war cries. Julia even constructed her own tee-pee, as well as a bow and arrow that she wore around her neck so she could hunt wild game. She foraged for berries in our woods, and even filled a pail of water from the "creek" (aka our bathroom sink) to keep her fellow tribes-folk hydrated.
(Running Buffalo was Julia's Native American name last year at school during the aforementioned unit. Shortly after reclaiming that name today, she decided to change it to Swimming Beluga Whale.)
Madeleine has no interest in Thankgiving, and continues to hold fast to Halloween, insisting that the holiday is not past.
And in other Madeleine news, she found something in the bathroom drawer this evening that she believed to be a blush brush (mainly because from far away, that's what it looked like to me when she asked about it.) After brushing both her cheeks, Madeleine was ready to look in the mirror and admire herself. As I came closer to help lift her up to the mirror, I realized that what she was holding was not, in fact, a blush brush, but was instead the attachable suppository head to my Preparation H hemorrhoid creme. So, let's just say the face is the wrong end of the body to be touching with that thing. (Thankfully, it is a virgin suppository head, so it has not actually been used in the way it's supposed to be used.)
Well, after that very revealing story about my hemorrhoid issue, I'm kind of at a loss over what else to say here, folks. I guess I'll sign off and go hide out with Swimming Beluga Whale in the tee-pee until I regain my dignity.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Post-Halloween Dreary Day
After a great night trick-or-treating, the kids are in major Halloween withdrawal. Madeleine and I have had variations of the following conversation all day long:
MADELEINE: Mama? Is today YESTERDAY?
ME: Uh...no. Today is today.
MADELEINE: But Mama! Why is TODAY not Halloweeeeeen?ME: Because, honey. Halloween is over.
MADELEINE: (hopefully) But...tomorrow is it gonna be Halloween AGAIN?
It also doesn't help that the weather is too icky for us to go outside, on top of which Madeleine has no school today. Luckily, we have a stockpile of half-completed art activities that I keep on hand for (literally) a rainy day. So Madeleine got to work more on her Ballerina Box that Nana and Gramps got for her birthday. Let me explain something to you: decorating a ballerina box is WAY more than just an art project. It's a pretend play fantasy ballerina game to boot! Madeleine filled me in on all the latest happenings in the ballerina world.
MADELEINE: But Mama? The BIG ballerinas treat the LITTLE ballerinas so POORLY.
ME: Oh no! Why?
MADELEINE: Because they think the little ballerinas are UGLY.
ME: Oh, that's so mean.
MADELEINE: And all they do is fight, fight, FIGHT!
ME: That's terrible.
MADELEINE: Yeah. They fight BACK, they fight FORTH, they just fight back and forth, back and forth!
That sounds like a pretty cruel world for ballerinas that are smiling so joyfully on the box.
Thankfully, Julia is at school today so she can keep herself somewhat distracted from her Halloween withdrawal. As we walked there this morning in the blustery weather, Julia was suddenly disturbed by an article of flying debris that had landed in her boot. With no qualms about it, Julia plopped herself down on the wet sidewalk to take off her boot and shake it out. When she stood up again, she had leaves and stems stuck to her newly damp skirt.
ME: Here, let me wipe you off. You've got a wet bum now!
JULIA: (wisely and cheerfully) Okay! I just needed to get that out of my boot. Mom, I guess it's like Auntie Caitlyn says: "Sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do!"
Now that's a motto to live by. Thanks, Jules!
MADELEINE: Mama? Is today YESTERDAY?
ME: Uh...no. Today is today.
MADELEINE: But Mama! Why is TODAY not Halloweeeeeen?ME: Because, honey. Halloween is over.
MADELEINE: (hopefully) But...tomorrow is it gonna be Halloween AGAIN?
It also doesn't help that the weather is too icky for us to go outside, on top of which Madeleine has no school today. Luckily, we have a stockpile of half-completed art activities that I keep on hand for (literally) a rainy day. So Madeleine got to work more on her Ballerina Box that Nana and Gramps got for her birthday. Let me explain something to you: decorating a ballerina box is WAY more than just an art project. It's a pretend play fantasy ballerina game to boot! Madeleine filled me in on all the latest happenings in the ballerina world.
MADELEINE: But Mama? The BIG ballerinas treat the LITTLE ballerinas so POORLY.
ME: Oh no! Why?
MADELEINE: Because they think the little ballerinas are UGLY.
ME: Oh, that's so mean.
MADELEINE: And all they do is fight, fight, FIGHT!
ME: That's terrible.
MADELEINE: Yeah. They fight BACK, they fight FORTH, they just fight back and forth, back and forth!
That sounds like a pretty cruel world for ballerinas that are smiling so joyfully on the box.
Thankfully, Julia is at school today so she can keep herself somewhat distracted from her Halloween withdrawal. As we walked there this morning in the blustery weather, Julia was suddenly disturbed by an article of flying debris that had landed in her boot. With no qualms about it, Julia plopped herself down on the wet sidewalk to take off her boot and shake it out. When she stood up again, she had leaves and stems stuck to her newly damp skirt.
ME: Here, let me wipe you off. You've got a wet bum now!
JULIA: (wisely and cheerfully) Okay! I just needed to get that out of my boot. Mom, I guess it's like Auntie Caitlyn says: "Sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do!"
Now that's a motto to live by. Thanks, Jules!
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