Lee's Elf Face

For a while this fall Lee was in all seriousness practicing her elf face.  I think she got it down.

Oliver! vs. Oliver Twist

To tie in with history, we're reading a biography of Charles Dickens.  Actually it's the second one we're reading because the girls liked the first one so much.  

So we decided to watch Oliver! again.  We'd first watched this during our musicals extravaganza last year.  It was fun to watch again within the context of what I now know about Dickens, although I didn't like the boy cast as Oliver any better than I did the first time around.  

When I was taking the DVD out of the library I happened to also notice Oliver Twist, a relatively recent film directed by Roman Polanski.  I told Clara we were going to watch that too and then compare them.  

"But Mom," she said, struggling with the concept of a movie about Oliver Twist that was not a musical.  "How do you know what's happening if they never sing?"  

The Trophy is as Big as She Is!

She won first place in her kata, against twelve other kids, some with higher belts.  What a smile!

Even better her team (consisting of her, Bridges, Miss Duval and Master Lamy) won first place, even against teams consisting entirely of black belts.  Woo hoo!

A Homeschooling Thought

As I've continued on our homeschool journey, it has gotten harder and harder to imagine my children in school.  I am not at all a hardcore homeschool parent ("schools are BAD") or an unschool parent ("planned schooling of any sort is BAD"), and yet enrollment in a school, public or private, just gets harder to imagine.

Here's a case in point.  Today, Lee and Lila were talking about vocabulary (what else do two smart kids talk about?), and Lila, who at ten years old is in fifth grade, mentioned to Lee that three of her vocabulary words this week were "wavy", "officer", and "ancient".  Really?!?  In 5th grade?  I guess my expectations are just too high.  Three of Lee's vocabulary words this week were "superfluous", "tangible", and "apprehension".  Lila's a pretty smart kid and she reads a fair amount and at a fairly high level.  How is she not bored to tears?

I still have this plan in the back of my head that our girls will stay home through middle school and then attend high school.  This is because from my own experience I imagine middle school as the worst time to be in school.  Whether this is a valid assumption or not, I do not know, but I'm sticking with it unless they scream to go to school.

But high school is something else.  I cannot imagine them still homeschooling in high school.  Maybe it's just too far away.  But it's really hard to imagine how that would work:  how I would manage it, and how they would be happy being at home at that age.  But, then again, it gets harder and harder to imagine them in high school either.

Straight on to college, I say!

Christmas Lists

Another modest list from Lee this year.  How many nine-year-olds still put candy canes and truffles on their Christmas list?   When I asked her if she didn't have enough love, she said "I can never get enough love!"

Clara, however, is another story.  Her list is 26 items long and surprisingly includes such high tech things as a phone, an iPad, a watch, and a camera.   Although, in keeping with her artsy-collector side, she also lists cool paper, an art kit, really good books, notebooks, bags, and "a box with tons of big compartments."

Inheritance

The other day Clara wanted to look at my jewelry.  Not that I have much jewelry.  When I was young my mother's jewelry box was like a treasure chest.  But, I do have a few things.

She came down a bit later, all decked out.

"Mom," she said, "I know you're going to say No if I ask if I can have this now.  So I'm wondering if maybe I could have this jewelry when you pass on?"

Ah, that's thinking ahead.

When I grow up...

Lee recently told me that when she wants to be a third-grade teacher.  I think that's actually changed now, as today she is saying she wants to be an architect.  But at the time, my reaction was "huh?"  This is a kid who never ever has wanted to go to school and has never been in third grade.  Yet somehow she thought she wanted to be a third-grade teacher.

Clara is going to have three careers.  The first is of course to be an artist.  That's been a constant.  Her next career will involve training people to do things "like sing or swim."  And the third is to be an inventor.

The Saver

Lee has already shown hers colors as a saver.  I will always remember flying somewhere with her when she was really young.  We gave her some candy for the flight, and she parceled it out so that it lasted the entire flight.  It showed incredible impulse control for someone her age.

The kids get an allowance for doing their chores (emptying the dishwasher, changing the cats' water, taking out the chicken scraps and compost, setting and clearing the table, and sorting and folding the laundry).  Every week they get $2, $1 of which goes into a "savings account" (a spreadsheet we have which gives exorbitant interest rates), $.25 of which goes into a "charity account" (which they give away at the end of each year), and $.75 of which they receive as spending money.

Lee spends her money (which she supplements with dog walking and other jobs around the neighborhood) going to the Green Grocer with Lila or buying Japanese erasers.  Yesterday she and Lila rode their bikes to Ava Marie's for ice cream.  But generally, she's not a big spender.

As a matter of fact, when Bridges gave her $.75 this week, she asked to put it into her savings account.
"I'm saving for my pick-up truck," she said.

I knew she was planning on buying a pick-up truck when she gets older so she can go camping with Lila, but I had no idea she was already saving for it!

The Fairy Who Entered the Dishwasher

Well, Clara finally lost her first tooth.  It was a long time coming, and she's definitely been a bit slower then others in this area. Luckily, it was a no drama event (and we haven't had one of those before).

"Mom, my tooth came out!"

No tears or hysterics despite a bit of blood.

I put the tooth for safekeeping on a plate on the counter so that she wouldn't lose it.  Only, about an hour later when I cleaned up after lunch I put the plate in the dishwasher and ran the dishwasher.  Gone was the first tooth.  It was one of those really proud mom moments.

Now there were tears.  No hysterics, but lots of tears.

Well, Clara wrote her tooth fairy a note explaining the situation, and Lee also wrote a note vouching for her.  Luckily, her fairy, Mystery, was quite understanding.  Not only that, but she is so small she was able to find the tooth inside the dishwasher!  Luckily for Clara her mom thought ahead and left it open overnight.

Whew!

Versa Board

I bought a used Versa Board this summer, figuring the kids would love to play on it and they could duel between the green sit-atop kayak and the Versa Board.

It's been a big hit, and Lee has especially taken to it.  She loves to go out and paddle around, and says she much prefers standing to sitting.

Sense of Smell

It's pretty clear that babies have a very refined sense of smell.  But this seems to linger on into childhood.  I don't know when it fades, but I know I cannot smell like my kids can.

They can identify which household an article of clothing belongs to by smell.  Clara tells me that my side of the bed and Bridges' side of the bed smell differently.  They react incredibly strongly to negative smells, to the point of gagging at an unpleasant smell like vomit or rotten food.

Today Clara had picked five different kinds of sunflowers and she told me that each one smelled different from the others.  Darned if I could tell.

Introvert / Extrovert

It has been apparent to me for a while that Lee is an introvert while Clara is an extrovert.  Sometimes, however, this is driven home loud and clear, like today when I picked them up from the Harris Center Camp.  The camp was from 9 am-3 pm, so it was a rather long day.  Lee had been before; Clara had not.  Lee is older; Clara younger.  If anyone should have been tired when I showed up, you'd think it would have been Clara.

But Clara comes out to greet me, jumping and dancing, talking a mile a minute, and all jazzed up.  Lee is somber, and looks a bit shell-shocked.  When I ask her what's wrong (because she's so obviously non-talkative), she says "I'm just tired, Mom."  She's quiet on the ride home, and instead of playing with Lila afterwards (which normally trumps all else), she comes inside and spends an hour having a snack and reading.  Clara, on the other hand, throws her stuff inside the door and runs outside to play with Griffin.

An hour later, Lee is recharged and back to herself.  Clara is still going strong, but I know she'll fall asleep in two minutes when she goes to bed tonight.  

How can they be so different?

Clara at 6 1/2

A Sprained Ankle as Vector for the Plague

Clara sprained her ankle the other day.  She was running down the cow path (or the Bovine Trail, as Kim fancily refers to it) and fell.  It seemed somewhat serious, so Bridges carried her all the way home, and Lynne (our local retired pediatrician) checked it out.  Just a sprain, but we had to be cautious in case of a fracture on the growth plate, and we should keep her off it the rest of the day.  Yeah, right.

It happened to be the day of Patricia's memorial service, which was followed by a big picnic at the neighborhood.  Lots of kids running around, and no chance of keeping Clara off that ankle.  Of course, when she was happily running on it several hours later we just assumed she was fine and let it go.

But Lee, whom we've often called Calamity Jane because of her propensity to flock to even the most minor disaster and blow it all out of proportion, couldn't give up on the idea of the sprained ankle.  She kept chastising Clara, telling her not to walk on it.  By the next morning, Clara had gotten pretty fed up with this, and ran to us, screaming "Lee says I shouldn't walk on my ankle because I'm going to grow funny or get the plague!"

We just laughed.

The Timex - Good or Bad?

Lee has been, let's say, just a wee bit obsessed with time the last few months.  This seems to correspond with some anxiety related to being late.

We decided to buy her a Timex digital watch for her birthday.  I thought that at least she would stop asking me what time it was every few minutes.  Well, that part of it worked.  Only she then proceeded to report the time and duration of every inconsequential event throughout the day.  About halfway through her birthday I said "I'm not sure this watch was a good idea, Lee.  You're driving me crazy!"

Generally, though, it seems comforting to her.  She wears it constantly, and I'm happy to have her around because it's almost as good as wearing a watch myself (since I rarely keep to my vow of carrying my new iPhone with me at all times).

I was joking with Clive (whose mother Pamela, suffering from dementia, is obsessed with time) that we could just put her and Lee in a room together and they'd be perfectly content.  Pamela could ask Lee every two minutes all day long what time it is, and Lee could tell her to the nearest second.

The Enormous Orange Ottoman

This has been one of the best pieces of furniture.  It's often been a fort, a hiding place, a reading spot, and now, a place to capture a kitty.

Underground Adventure

It's funny how things you do with the kids show up later on in their stories or artwork.  When we were in Chicago at the Field Musuem, we went on an Underground Adventure where we were shrunk down to the size of a bug and proceeded to explore the world below.

Last week Lee wrote this thank-you note.  I just love the picture!

1776

The girls were in a fantastic production of 1776, put on by the Junior Minstrels, last weekend.  We had a lot of fun over the six weeks or so, working on scripts and songs together and watching the movie version from the 70's.  I also had surprise billing as "Assistant Director", although all I think I did was help run lines with the kids and offer some suggestions.

Lee had wanted a small part, but was given Benjamin Franklin, which was the biggest role besides John Adams.  She had to memorize an awful lot of long lines, and she had major parts in two songs.  She did a great job and really seemed to enjoy it, although when I asked her, she said she wants a small part next year because she doesn't like people looking at her all the time.  I told that to Jody and she laughed and said "Well, you could never tell.  She has 'it'!"  I think in theater-speak (I have learned all sorts of terms like "cheating out" and "blocking") that means she could be good. 

Clara played Lewis Morris, who repeatedly says "Mr. Secretary, New York abstains courteously." whenever a vote is called.  That is until the end, after his estate is attacked by the British and he says "To hell with New York!  I'll sign anyway!"  She loved it, but had a hard time keeping a smile off her face because she was just so proud of herself.  She actually had a few long lines with huge words, and after she said them everyone clapped because it's just so funny to see such big words coming out of such a cute little person.  

Lots of family came to see the show and that was much appreciated.  Even Liam, at fifteen years old, seemed to enjoy it.  

Spelling Bee

We participated in the community spelling bee this year.  We were very last-minute with costumes, but I thought they came out alright.  However, some of the teams were really creative, like the Mod Bar-bees, the Bee Gees, Bee-witched, and the Doo-Bee-Doo-Bee-Dos.  Next year we'll be more inspired!

Anyway, we went out earlier than seemed fair, getting "bradycardia" in a much earlier round than any other medical terms showed up.   The difficulty of the words seemed fairly uneven in general.  Towards the end, a word like "extraneous" would come right after some ridiculous geological term no one had ever heard of.

It was fun, however, and Lee did really well, knowing almost all of the words for the first three rounds.

Nine Years Old

Where did the years go?!? 

The Ninja Surveys Her Realm

Clara's been really into dressing as a ninja lately, swords and all.

Lee's Ninth Birthday Cupcake

Spring's Here, and It's Time for Dust Baths

Skateboarding Princess

She's a character.

A little cold for a campout update

They did it.  They slept out on the edge of the woods all night long in close-to-freezing temps. That's my girl!

A little cold for a campout....

Lee and Lila are camping out tonight.  It's supposed to be 33 degrees.  Hmm.....we'll see how this goes.

Fish Curry - who knew?

One thing about living in a small town (that is actually the biggest town around) is the lack of ethnic food.  We have a Chinese restaurant and another pan-Asian restaurant with ok sushi, but no Mexican, no Thai, and no Indian.  Sigh.  It has driven me to begin cooking more ethnic foods, which isn't a bad thing I suppose.

Tonight I pulled some cod from the freezer and my Madhur Jaffrey cookbook from the shelf.  I decided on a fish curry and rice noodles with brussel sprouts.  All those yummy spices were required: ginger, garlic, turmeric, brown mustard seeds, paprika, and curry leaves.  Oh, and dried red chiles, which I didn't have.  But no worries, I pulled some frozen chiles from last summer out of the freezer.  The recipe called for four dried red chiles, so I substituted two green chiles, thinking that would be safe.  It turned out they were habaneros.  Yowsa - it was hot.

So I told the girls that they didn't have to eat it,  but they both said they'd try it. They both ate several pieces of fish and some noodles.  No complaining, no forcing.  I was shocked!  Since we've completely stopped pressuring them to try things they've really widened their horizons.

I think I'll build a telescope

These are words I would never have said as a child.  It's one of those times when you ask yourself, "Where did this child come from?"  It must be Bridges' genes.

Clara's creation actually telescopes, with three separate moving sections.  I think it's pretty cool for a six-year-old.

Chicks 2013

They arrived, all nineteen of them, at the post office in a little tiny box that went "cheep, cheep".  The number nineteen is due to the fact that they threw in a free exotic for us.  That would be Andrew, the yellow guy below who is almost certainly a rooster.  He's pretty cute with feathers all over his feet.  We'll see what he turns out to be!

The girls are having a good time, although they're not spending nearly as much time with them as they did two years ago when we did this.  That being said, we did do some of schoolwork in the basement the first few days because they couldn't stand to be away from them.

Lee has taken on her role of Protector of Chicks, and acts as a proud mom.

This involves lots of scolding of Clara for being too rough, which explains the expression on Clara's face below.  "What, me?  Have I done something wrong?"

Great Snowshoe