High School

Madeleine has been really into playing "High School" lately.  There are many facets of this game, depending on what part of the day it is and where Madeleine happens to be.  For example, at the pool, "High School" pretty much always consists of Madeleine and Julia being teenagers and talking about their crushes.  They also gossip about the relationship of other imaginary high schoolers, including a couple who dated and then broke up after 5 minutes of dating.

Julia is not a huge fan of this game.  As she puts it: "I don't wanna play High School, Madeleine.  It's too much about, like, being in LOVE."  Julia is no romantic.  She'd much rather read swimmer profiles and past meet heat sheets than pretend play about love.

"High School" is not ALWAYS about love, however.  There are also classes and homework assignments.  When Madeleine is busy in classes, she's not worrying about her crushes, she's worrying about her grades.  Yesterday she had a major English Literature assignment: writing an essay on Edgar Allen Poe.  I had to grade it for her, and I was a little thick-headed about what I was supposed to do.

MADELEINE: (finishing reading her essay aloud) So Mommy?  What GRADE do you think?
ME: Uh, high school.
MADELEINE: No, but what grade?
ME: It definitely sounds like a high schooler wrote it.  It's really advanced.
MADELEINE: But what GRADE.
ME: Um, hmm, maybe a sophomore or junior?
MADELEINE: But.  WHAT.  GRADE?
ME: Oh!  Um...I'd say an A.
MADELEINE: An A+?
ME: Sure.

Here's here amazing high school junior-esque A+ literature paper:

Edgar Allan Poe
By Madeleine Rowe

Edgar Allan Poe was a fantastic writer.  He wrote poems and horror storeis such as, The Tell Tale Hart, The Raven, The Gold-Bug, A Tale of Jerusalem, and Loss of Breath.  Poe's tales and poems are extravagant!  For instence, The Tell Tale Heart gives you that cold, bone chilling feeling - it makes you feel like someone's going to jump out on your back!

On the other hand, Silence, a fable by Edgar Allan Poe, makes you feel that you have said your last words, and no one will ever speak again.

Edgar Allan Poe has written many amazing stories for us to all read.  Some are intence, but some are peaceful.  But no matter what feeling they give you, the're all great and made Poe famous.  All his books are terrifically written and have a lot of feeling!  Edgar Allan Poe was one of the greatest writers in history!


This High Schooler definitely pulled off an amazing literary review, that's for sure!

Tic-Tac-Toe

Madeleine wanted to play Tic-Tac-Toe with me today.  I had glimpsed papers on the table earlier in the day, on which were completed Tic-Tac-Toe games with the words "Julia Wins Again!" all over them:

Therefore, I recognized the importance of Madeleine winning our game of Tic-Tac-Toe, and, like I always do, I deliberately left spots open for her to get three in a row. 

After Madeleine won, she gloated to me about her victory.

MADELEINE: I was thinking, "Mommy almost NEVER wins Tic-Tac-Toe, so I think I'm probably gonna win!"  Because Mommy?  I know that I *usually* outsmart you when we play Tic-Tac-Toe.
ME: Mmm-hmm.
MADELEINE: Yeah.  Because I *always* manage to outsmart you! (suddenly reflective) ...OR...maybe...you just let me win...
ME: (pointing at her and nodding.)
MADELEINE: (in disappointment) Aww!  Mommy, can we play again and this time you really TRY to win?
ME: No, because if both people try to win it just ends in a tie and that's boring.

Madeleine conceded my point and took her cheap victory.

All I have to say is: she really thought she was outsmarting me?!?  She actually thinks it's plausible that I'm too dense to win a game of Tic-Tac-Toe??

Mastering the Slide

Ah, such a change from June to August.  How quickly the incompetent has become a master:




Go Julia!  Way to OWN that dinky slide!  Summer goal accomplished.

College Discussion

Discussion in the car today with Madeleine:

MADELEINE: Mommy?  When I'm a grown-up, AKA an ADULT, what college do you think I should go to?
ME: I don't think we can know that until you're in High School, and we see what sort of subjects you're most interested in studying in college.  Then we'd see which colleges have good programs in those subjects.
MADELEINE: I used to want to go to Oxford, but now I think it might be HARD.  Because...there are MULTIPLE different pronunciations of English words in England.  PLUS, aren't you supposed to meet, like, the man of your dreams in college?  Because, like, then we couldn't STAY together, because...English? 


Man, Madeleine really knows what the important issues are when choosing a college.

Clara Allowance

Madeleine decided she wants part of her allowance to go towards helping Auntie Shannon out with Chihuahua Clara.  Madeleine even made herself a handy dandy schedule to keep on track:

Multiple Miscommunications

Miscommunications abounded today between Madeleine and I.

As Madeleine lounged about in her pajamas well after lunch time, I attempted to encourage her to change into clothes.

ME: Madeleine, do you want to get dressed?
MADELEINE: Not yet.
Within minutes, Madeleine had an announcement to make.
MADELEINE: Mommy!  I just realized something! I looked down, and I was like, "What?  I'm still in my pajamas?!"
ME: Honey.  Do you remember I just asked you if you wanted to get dressed and you said, "not yet?"
MADELEINE: No.  I don't remember that.
ME: You don't?
MADELEINE: I don't remember.
ME: It just happened.
MADELEINE: It did?  Oh.  I don't remember.  Oh, wait.  Maybe I thought you were talking to Julia.

She thought I was talking to Julia, and yet she answered??  No, I think it's more like she knew I was talking to her and didn't bother to listen to what I actually said; she heard a question and knew whatever it was, she didn't want to get up and do it, so she went on auto pilot with her "Not yet."  Her second-most uttered phrase, after "Just a sec!"



Then, later in the day, while Madeleine was showering at the Y after this swim practice, we had this conversation:

MADELEINE: Mommy?  Can I tell you something?
ME: (approaching her shower stall) What?

WHAT I HEARD:

MADELEINE: If I were to make up a tv show, I would call it...Llama and...what should the name of the cow be?

MY RESPONSE:

ME: Uh...Buttercup?  
MADELEINE: No.
ME: Bessie?
MADELEINE: (looking at me like I'm daft) No.
ME: Um...Daisy?
MADELEINE: (wrinkling her nose) Noooo...


WHAT MADELEINE HAD ACTUALLY SAID:

MADELEINE: If I were to make up a tv show, I could call it...Drama in...what should the name of the town be?

No wonder she thought my suggestions were nuts.

Madeleine's Notes

Woke up this morning to find this on top of my computer: