All About Madeleine

Last night, Ethan and I went to Curriculum Night for Madeleine's class.  We got to explore her classroom and look through a packet called "All About Me" that each child had filled out.

Madeleine's started out with a self-portrait:

She even drew her gold hoop earrings.  Nice attention to detail!


Next in the packet was:

My favorite color is: (illegible response that means "pink.")

Okay.  First of all, clearly there was no pink crayon available to color in the pink crayon.  Because it's red.  Secondly, under the erasure marks, it looks as if Madeleine had written "Pinc" with a "P" facing the correct direction.  Why she erased that to write "ping" with a backwards "P" is beyond me.  It looks more like "qing," which sounds like some sort of exotic Chinese floral shade or something.

Aaaanyways, next in the packet:

The color of my eyes: brown

Except Madeleine's eyes are white in this picture.  And I think she'd better go to the doctor to get that brown sclera checked out.


Next page:

My birthday is: October 2nd
I have 1 sibling.
I have 0 pets.
I want to be a her cadr when I grow up.

Madeleine's aspirations of being a hair cutter when she grows up are right in line with Julia's hopes to be a waitress and a lifeguard back when she was in kindergarten and first grade.  Dream BIG, Rowe girls.


And finally:

My favorite:

Food: "pasda ane badr" (pasta and butter)
Book: "Kood beee Hree Pdr" (could be Harry Potter)
Toy:  "I doot no" (I don't know.)  LAME, Madeleine.  You could have totally named one of your millions of toys.  Every day you have a new favorite.  Total cop-out answer.
Animal: "banee" (bunny)
Friend: "Jalia" (Julia)  Madeleine seems to think that lower-case "a" and "u" are written the same way.
Place: "bloow" (Blue).  Ah, Blue, the restaurant where Madeleine wants to have her birthday dinner.  I didn't know that was her favorite place.  I would have thought Story Land, or Rosemary Pool, or the homes of Nana & Gramps or Yiayia would rank up higher than Blue, but what do I know. 


Well, after reading through that packet I can definitely say I learned a lot of things about Madeleine that I didn't previously know!

Words of Wisdom

Madeleine's Words of Wisdom for the day:

MADELEINE: Mama?  You know how when the CD skipped you said "Uh-oh!"
ME: Yeah?
MADELEINE: Well Mama.  Let me tell you something.  The music skipping ISN'T so bad.
ME: Oh, yeah?
MADELEINE: Yeah.  Mama.  Let me ask you something.  What would be worse?  The music skipping, or a BRICK falling from the sky and hitting you on the head?
ME: Definitely the brick.

That was not a random selection of options or anything. 



Julia's Words of Wisdom for the day:

JULIA: Mommy?  Why aren't people allowed to go in the Egyptian pyramids?
ME: I think you can go in some of them, but most of them are closed to tourists.
JULIA: But that's not fair.  I really wanna go in a pyramid!
ME: Do you know that historians still aren't 100% sure what the pyramids are meant to represent?
JULIA: Maybe they're for worshipping the dead.  Or for worshipping their ancestors.
ME: Something like that.  But it's still kind of a mystery.
JULIA: Wait!  Mommy, I just had a great idea!  You know those "A to Z mysteries?"  I wanna write one called "Penguin in the Pyramids."
ME: Oh, that sounds interesting!


Definitely a better idea than Pharoah in the Pyramids, or Python in the Pyramids, because everyone knows that penguins exist in abundance in Egypt, right? Or MAYBE that's the whole mystery.  How on earth did a penguin wind up inside an Egyptian pyramid?  Oooh, now I can't wait to read it!

Birthday List

With her birthday party only a week away, Madeleine sat down to fine-tune the details of the big event.  With pen and notebook, she began a list of the important things we need to do to make the party perfect.


MADELEINE: Okay.  Mama.  Looks like there's gonna be TWENTY-SEVEN steps!

Madeleine decided to number the steps before actually coming up with any ideas.  I reminded her that we have rented a venue for the party, so we won't actually have to do much of the party planning, but Madeleine thought otherwise.  She even has it in mind that we're going to have a chance to play the non-existent game "Pin the Ponytail on Draculaura," despite the fact that it's a plaster painting party.

However, I think 27 tasks proved to be too many even for Madeleine's expansive imagination.  You can see how slim the pickings became by the time she reached task 14 or so:

BATH DAY
PUR DEE

1) BULOOS
2) HAINGING UP PIN THE PONEE TEL ON JACYULORRU
3) DEGURADING
4) PLAS
5) GRRINCS1
6) MACING SHOR THAT OL UV THE PEPL OR HEER
7) BRING WODR
8) CUP CACS
9) GOO DEE BAGS
10) FORCS
11) SAING HIIY WEN THE GEST GET THER
12) PEESU2
13) SEEING HAW BYOUDUFL IT IS
14) WR GING FAST
15) TRN ON THE LES
16) RL UP THE SHAS


1 Drinks
2 Pizza


As you can see, we only made it to task 16, and given the fact that Madeleine has resorted to ideas like turning on the lights and rolling up the shades, I don't think we're going to make it through the whole 27.  But that's okay!  I'm not sure I can handle all the party prep as it is.  Adding things like seeing how beautiful it is and working fast to the list, I'm going to be totally overloaded.  I'm glad I don't have another 11 tasks to further fill my plate!

A Typical Morning in the Rowe Household

The best laid plans will undoubtedly go awry on a school morning in our household.

6:50 am - I get out of bed and start making my breakfast.  Yeah, I kind of slept in, getting up 20 minutes later than usual, but that's okay.  Friday mornings I don't have to go to work, so I can skip my shower for now, especially considering I'm planning on a morning run after dropping the girls at school.

6:55 am - I pack Madeleine's lunch while waiting for my bagel to finish toasting.  Julia is buying lunch today.  I'm making efficient use of my time and we're off to a promising start.

7:15 am - as I'm getting ready to sit down and eat, Madeleine comes upstairs, still in her pjs, giving me a wounded puppy face.

ME: What's the matter, honey?
MADELEINE: (whimpering) No breakfast!
ME: What do you mean?  You ate it all?
MADELEINE: (whimpering) No breakfast!
ME: You haven't even had breakfast yet?
MADELEINE: (shaking her head, lower lip quivering)
ME: You mean you've just been sitting downstairs watching tv without having gotten your breakfast?
MADELEINE: (nodded, lower lip quivering)
ME: Okay, well pick a cereal and I'll get you some!


7:30 am - as I'm preparing my coffee, Julia comes upstairs to ask me about her lunch.

JULIA: Am I buying lunch today?
ME: Well, you circled it on the school lunch menu, so, yes.
JULIA: What is it?
ME: I don't know.  I just look to see which days you've circled.
JULIA: But wheeeen is it ever gonna be French tooooast sticks?
ME: Uh...I don't know.  Here.  Let me check.  (going to the file cabinet to pull out the lunch menu.) Today is tortellini.
JULIA: Okay.
ME: Is that okay?
JULIA: Sure.


7:47 am - Ethan shouts down to make sure the kids are nearly ready for school.

ETHAN: Are you girls both dressed?
JULIA: Me, yes, Madeleine no!
ME: Madeleine, come up and get dressed.
MADELEINE: (slowly clomping her way up the stairs.)  But I didn't even have MILK!
ME: You didn't?  Okay, get dressed and we'll get your milk.  (calling downstairs) Julia, did you have milk?
JULIA: No.
ME: Okay, Madeleine, you go get dressed.  (calling down) Come on up, Jules, and I'll do your hair.
JULIA: (traipsing up the stairs) But I didn't even get enough time to GALLOP!
ME: Okay, then gallop.
JULIA: (going into the bathroom sullenly) Nooooo!  You said you have to do my HAIIIIR!
MADELEINE: (calling from her room) Uh, Mama?!?  Can you come in my room?
ME: Jules, go gallop and I'll do your hair after I help Madeleine.
JULIA: Noooooooo!  You have to doooooooo it!  You said you have to doooooo it!
ME: Ethan, can you help Madeleine while I deal with Julia?


7:55 am - girls are sitting down at the table to drink their milk.

MADELEINE: (looking miserable) I'm cold!  I need my blanket.
ETHAN: Just focus on your milk.
MADELEINE: (lip trembling) Blaaaanket.
ME: Julia, can you go grab Madeleine's blanket?
JULIA: (running off to get Madeleine's blanket) But Mommy, are we going to be late to school?
ME: No, we don't have to leave for another 10 minutes, don't worry.
MADELEINE: (beginning to write lower case letters on a piece of paper)
ME: Madeleine, drink your milk.
MADELEINE: Uh, hold on, Mama, first I have to...(making a lower case "m.") There!  Okay.  (taking one tiny sip of milk.)


8 am - Madeleine still hasn't finished her milk

ME: Madeleine, drink up.  We have to leave in five minutes.
JULIA: But the bell rings in 20 minutes!
ME: Right, so if we leave in five minutes, we get there five minutes later, and you still have ten minutes to get to your classroom.
JULIA: No, but...oh.  Okay.  (running off to get ready)
MADELEINE: (face crumpling) Everyone is leaving for school and I'm still drinking my milk!
ME: I'm still drinking my coffee.  Don't worry.  We're not leaving this second.


8:02 am - Madeleine has finished her milk and goes to the couch with her blanket.

MADELEINE: Can someone give me some comfort?  I'm cold!
ME: (giving her a quick snuggle) Okay, can you go get socks and shoes on?


8:03 am

MADELEINE: Julia, look what socks I found!
JULIA: (gasp) You little GHOSTIE socks!

(The little ghostie socks are simply plain white socks.)

ME: Can you put those socks on, honey?


8:04 am - I am frantically gulping down swallows of coffee to try and finish before we leave.  If worse comes to worst, I heat it up in the microwave after drop-off.  No biggie.

ME: How's it going, girls?
JULIA: (sitting by the door with one shoe on) A Woo-be-da, a woo-be-da, a woo-woo-woo!  A Woo-be-da, a woo-be-day, a woo-woo-woo!
MADELEINE: (struggling to get her sock on.)


8:05 am - I gulp down more coffee and check on the girls

JULIA: (sitting by the door with one shoe on) A Woo-be-da, a woo-be-da, a woo-woo-woo!  A Woo-be-da, a woo-be-day, a woo-woo-woo!
MADELEINE: (struggling to get her sock on.)


8:07 am - I finish the last of my coffee and check to see how we're doing

JULIA: (sitting by the door with one shoe on) A Woo-be-da, a woo-be-da, a woo-woo-woo!  A Woo-be-da, a woo-be-day, a woo-woo-woo!
MADELEINE: (struggling to get her sock on.)


8:08 am - I'm starting to grow impatient.

JULIA: (sitting by the door with one shoe on) A Woo-be-da, a woo-be-da, a woo-woo-woo!  A Woo-be-da, a woo-be-day, a woo-woo-woo!
MADELEINE: (still pulling up her socks)
ME: Come on, Madeleine, get some shoes on, we need to go!
JULIA: (snapping out of her song and suddenly freaking out) Are we gonna be LATE??
ME: Well, we kind of have to hurry.  If I were you, I'd do less "a woo-be-da" and more getting your other shoe on.


8:09 am - I notice that Madeleine put on her sandals over her socks.

ME: Honey, I think you'd be better off with sneakers.  (Starting to take her sandal off for her)
JULIA: (totally freaking out) I don't wanna be LAAAATE!
MADELEINE: (following suit) I don't wanna be-
ME: Girls.  Just get the shoes on and we'll go.  No freaking out.


8:10 am - We start our trek to school five minutes later than expected.

JULIA: (THE.  WHOLE.  TIME.)  Are we gonna be late?
ME: It's fine, honey.
MADELEINE: (miserable) I'm coooold!  Why does it have to be so cooooold?  I'm freeeeezing!  (walking slow as molasses and drooping her lower lip)
ME: (hefting up Madeleine and speeding up the pace) Come on, girls, we're almost there.


8:18 am - I practically push the girls through the school door two minutes before the bell.

ME: Bye girls!  Have a great day!  Love you!


And now I can finally breathe again.

Love, Demonstrated

The girls are very different in the way that they express their love.  Julia tends to make room in her heart for everyone all at once, while Madeleine prefers to have an ever-changing favorite for whom she bestows all of her fierce affection at any given time. 

Lately that favorite seems to have shifted back to me, after a long hiatus in which I was totally yesterday's news.  After kicking Auntie Caitlyn out of her bedroom this evening and asking for me, Madeleine lavished me with loving remarks.

MADELEINE: You're my FAVORITE mommy.  You're my best mommy.  You're the mommy of my world.


I'm pretty relieved to get the above superlatives.  It would be *really* demoralizing if I couldn't even win the favorite mommy prize against the non-existent other mommies she doesn't have.


Julia, on the other hand, has an all-encompassing love for everyone in her life.

JULIA: So Mommy?  At school today, we had to make a circle of the names of VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE in our lives, because in our Writer's Workshop, we're going to write about those people.
ME: Oh yeah?  Who did you write for your very important people?
JULIA: Well, if you want me to tell you them all, I don't know if I can do it, because I had a total of FORTY-SEVEN people.

Even though I'm likely one of forty-seven vying for the role of "VIP" in Julia's life, I'm at least pretty sure that's I would also win as Julia's favorite mommy.  Unless she secretly loves the imaginary Mintz mommy more than she does me...

Homemade Kindergarten Quiz

When Julia was in kindergarten, she loved giving Madeleine "classwork" and acting the part of kindergarten teacher. 

Now that Madeleine is in kindergarten, it's her turn to make the pretend worksheets for Julia.

ME: Okay, girls, we need to clean up these Barbies.
MADELEINE: Uh, not yet Mama, because I'm making a quiz for Julia!

The quiz was one on letter sounds and formations, and was guaranteed to either elicit Julia's scorn, or, if she was feeling charitable, her loving cooperation:

THANKFULLY, we got loving cooperation.

MADELEINE: Okay, Julia, repeat after me: "Tee," "top," "t-."
JULIA: (obediently) Tee, top, t-.

I was curious about the deteriorating dots and lines as the worksheet went along.

ME: Madeleine, why didn't you do the dots and lines with the rest of the letters?
MADELEINE: Oh.  Because it was taking a LONG time.

Yes, that is exactly the example we want our teacher to give.  Ditch the extra details if they take too long.  Strive for mediocrity! 

Not that Madeleine expects anything but ultimate perfection from everyone else.  After she and Julia re-watched "Big Hero 6" this evening, Madeleine voiced her criticism of the sentimental, inspirational music.

MADELEINE: Mama?  You know how in movies when they play SAD music?
ME: Yeah.
MADELEINE: It's a little too CHURCHY for me.


I think that speaks volumes on how Madeleine feels about church.

Furthermore, she turned down an outfit I had picked out for her this morning, despite the fact that we were in a major rush to get out the door.

ME: (holding out a red shirt and patterned white pants with red flowers)  Here, can you put this outfit on?
MADELEINE: Uh, no thanks.
ME: No?  Why not?
MADELEINE: It's a little too CHRISTMASSY.


She's a hard gal to please, that Madeleine.  I'm sure glad that I'm not one of her kindergarten students!

More Classwork

Among Julia's school papers to come home this week was this fictitious vacation spot:

Mountain Peak Ridge
New Hampshire Welcomes You
Included:
Emusement Parks
Hiking Trail
Water Parks
Log Cabins
Skiing Hills
Bike Trails
Restorounts
Playgrounds
Gift Shops
WELCOME

And then we have this lovely picture of a tree, a mountain, and what appears to be the world's longest-legged hamster but is more likely the world's skinniest bear. 

This definitely sounds like a place I want to go to!  Julia even detailed her resort on the driveway with sidewalk chalk today, filling in the surrounding road with such authentic names as Runner Down Road, ClickClack Lane, and Horper St.  

Meanwhile, Madeleine told me about a project she had worked on in kindergarten, in which the children created models of themselves.  Madeleine explained that she had to try and find the color that best matches her hair, eyes, and skin to put on her cut-out person.

MADELEINE: And Mama?  The color I chose for my skin was, like, two INCHES darker than my real skin!

When in doubt about a particular unit of measurement, Madeleine tends to go for inches.  She was only a few inches off the right word, which would have been "shade."

Keep up the great work, kiddos!