New Family Mantra

Helen has always been the light in our house. As crabby and obstinate as she can be, she remains an optimist through and through.

A few days ago, Helen and I headed off to her girl scout meeting in the pouring rain. Ed happened to be commuting by bike that day (as he often does) and as we stepped outside I told Helen "I feel so badly for Daddy riding home in this rain".

Without missing a beat, Helen responded "well, at least the bike path won't be crowded today".

And I think that should be our new family mantra. When things are not going well, we should just look at each other and repeat "at least the bike path won't be crowded today" as a reminder that somewhere, amidst whatever trouble is happening, a silver lining exists.

Even if it's tiny.

Elaine

Helenspeak

Helen, holding one of the roughly 300 American Girl catalogs that will find our mailbox over the next month: "How is it even possible that I did not see this arrive in the mail?"

Me: "Because as soon as I saw it in the mail, I buried it in the recycling bin hoping you wouldn't find it."

But, of course, Helen's radar for that thing is very strong. And now, her willingness to look through the recycling bin has been increased about a hundredfold.

Dear Grandma,

Helen would like everything in the catalog. I know, because she has been pouring over it the past two days, marking ONLY the very best items. It's hard to find something without the signaling mark on it.

Love,
Your daughter / daughter-in-law

Elaine

Frozen...

Frozen has landed at our home. I suppose I should be happy that we've been virtually free of children's entertainment for the past 8 years and call it a win, but I see my future - and it looks bleak.

It seems as if every child in the universe has seen Frozen, and as a result, any time Helen is around any child at or near her age - they talk about it. Which of course makes Helen long for the magic of the big screen. Even her friends at her Waldorf school (which does not allow video / computer / tv etc.) saw the movie. We gave in by purchasing the CD. Helen promptly memorized it, and then found herself in the car with Ed without the CD. Tragic.

So Helen decided to have a Frozen sing-along, during which she attempted to teach Ed all of the songs she knows. Apparently, Ed's not a very good singer (even to Helen's untrained ear) because at one point during the ride, Helen told Ed "maybe this one's just too hard for you - let's try another". When asked if he was singing Ed said "kind of", which translates to "yes - but as you know, I am tone deaf, so I had no idea I wasn't singing anything close to the melody".

Sorry, kid. You'll be at your Aunt Linda's house soon. Maybe your cousins can sing the tunes with you.

Elaine

Presents

Helen did not thank me for not eating her, but she did give me a host of lovely gifts that she has been making over the past week. Her plan was to give me a present at various important times throughout the day. At one point, she decided to wait to give me some presents until my birthday, but then decided she just could not wait.

First up, I received a butterfly kite. It is awesome. Helen demonstrated how you can run around the backyard with the kite to play with it.

Then, I received a bouquet of flowers. The last time I received flowers made by a child, I left them on my nightstand. My housecleaner actually removed the tissue paper dirt from the vase and threw that away, but left the flowers. Now that's efficient! Hopefully, these will fare better since there is no pretend dirt. Helen also made me a handmade beeswax candle, which we will certainly use on a special occasion.

Finally, Helen made me a card. She asked her teacher how to spell each word on the card. It's impressive how much lettering she did!

Thank you, Helen.

Love,
Mom

Hoarding

Helen rarely throws anything away. In fact, quite the opposite. Whenever she notices me throwing something away, she takes a look just to make sure there's nothing she couldn't use. She then squirrels away the item (expired coupon book, paper clip, string, scraps of felt...) letting me know that she plans to use the item in "an invention".

I like the idea that she's trying to invent things. I'm not so thrilled about the piles of junk that accumulate.

Last night, I decided to start cleaning one of the three storage rooms in our basement. I wanted to vacuum and organize the area that surrounds my treadmill, because the untidiness of the area seems to add to the misery of running on a treadmill.

I came upon a metal box that looked like part of something mechanical, but I couldn't determine its provenance. I brought it to Ed and asked "trash or not trash", so I could determine if it could safely be thrown away. Ed decided that it was part of a heating system we replaced a few years ago, and deemed it trash.

At this point, my little hoarder piped up "It doesn't surprise me that you still have that useless piece of junk. You people never throw anything away."

Is she trying to say she comes by her hoarding habit naturally?

Elaine

Helenspeak: Dinner and New Words

Helen is, by far, a better eater than Connor. She's SLOW, but she generally likes food more than Connor, is more willing to try new things, and only refuses to eat a small number of things (including drinking milk, but that's a two year battle that was given up quite a while ago at this point).

Recently, Helen has decided she doesn't like shrimp. This is a problem, given that we eat shrimp at least once a week in our house. A couple of nights ago, she stared sullenly at her plate and exclaimed:

"DO YOU REALLY EXPECT ME TO EAT THIS PESTICIDE SHRIMP?".

Elaine

Don't Mess with Me and My New, Blue Earrings

Helen has a box of blue beads. In that box, are some very fancy jewelry making doo-dads. And though she doesn't yet have pierced ears (and in honor of the band Eddie from Ohio, when she asked I sang "and we couldn't pierce our ears 'til we turned 12 no matter what!"), but that hasn't stopped her from dreaming.

Only recently did she become aware that I have my own pierced ears. Unlike Helen, I don't have a snazzy sense of style, and it wasn't until my sister gave me some cool silver earrings for Christmas that I started wearing earrings more consistently.

Armed with the knowledge of my pierced ears, Helen brought me into the craft room a couple of days ago and we set about turning her earring posts into "real, dangly earrings" and we came up with these.

The best part about making earrings with Helen is that she refuses to call a crimping bead - the last bead you put on which then gets smashed to keep everything else in place - a crimping bead. She calls it a "shove it bead", which makes perfect sense.

I love my slightly too-blue earrings with shove it beads. Every time I'm wearing them and someone annoys me, I just flick my head a little bit and think "shove it".

Elaine

Beware the Ides of March

I don't know if Helen is a soothsayer or not, but I'm hoping she's not. While we were in Kansas, my mom asked Helen if she was ready to come for a visit sometime, under the pretext that it would be without parents. Helen responded "Yes, that would be fun. I'll come live with you after my mother dies." My mom did agree that were I to die, Helen would be welcome to come live with her. I guess that's a relief?

Later, Helen nonchalantly mentioned to Ed that maybe when he married someone else and she had a stepmother, they could get a cat, because maybe the stepmother wouldn't be afraid of or allergic to cats.

I'm not sure this bodes well for me!

Elaine

Instructions for Santa

Helen and Connor have been poring over the toy catalogs for a few weeks now. Recently, Helen demanded that I cut a particular picture out of one of them so that she could give it to Santa. You see, last year, she requested a "baby nursery". And although she seemed pleased with her booty at the time, he didn't quite get it right.

She's requesting another baby nursery (how much baby crap does one kid need?) and she has a specific item in mind. It's a one-piece set-up that includes a changing table and baby bathtub. Luckily, she seemed equally excited about the possibility of another gift, and I have a strong feeling that other gift might be the one under the tree this year.

In any case, last year, I described Helen's present in this manner:

"For Helen, he purchased some more supplies for her illegal daycare, as she had requested a "baby nursery" from Santa - whatever the heck that is. (In case your child ever asks for this, Helen seemed pleased with some baby bunk beds, a baby bathtub, and some plastic feeding supplies). Dagger through my Waldorf heart those gifts were."

When I asked Helen why Santa needed the photo she responded "because last year he got me all this random baby stuff - he must not have known what a baby nursery was".

I almost fell over laughing when she said this.

Poor Santa. He just didn't know.

Elaine

Helen's View of Williamsburg

We just got back from our first home exchange! We went to Williamsburg for the weekend while a couple from Williamsburg came to DC for the big Science Fair. At one point today, Helen said

Helen: "Didn't George Washington die a long time ago?"
Ed: "Yes"
Helen: "Well people should just forget about him!"

This took place after touring the Governor's Palace, when Helen believed she had been invited to a ball that evening and was a little disappointed when I explained to her the tour guide was just pretending.

Good Work If You Can Get It

Helen was at a friend's house today when she announced the following: "This is my job. Just lyin' on the chair.". Ironically, it's hard for me to recall a moment when she hasn't been ill that she does this at my house!

(Note the purple star child that Helen is hugging. It made a recent reappearance in her life, after apparently being lost, and then found by visiting cousins.)

Elaine

Skiing Rite of Passage - Poles!

There is a long held trust between children, parents, and ski teachers. Children ask parents for ski poles, parents respond "not until your teacher says it's OK". And for their part, teachers are supposed to steadfastly deny those boogers until it is impossible to refuse them any longer.

Apparently Connor's ski instructor on Monday did not get the memo that he was the one holding the line on the ski poles.

And thus, Connor is now the proud owner of ski poles. Let's hope he hurts neither himself nor others with them!

Elaine

P.S. About a week ago, Helen was skiing down the bunny hill and asked for poles. Ed handed her one and she threw it right back at his feet and said with disgust "that's not even skiing with poles". Ed and I are still laughing about it.

Just Tell Me What I Need To Do Here

Last weekend, we went skiing with several friends. At one point, most of the people in the group tried snow tubing. Although Helen did not find her first brush with snow tubing to be fun last year, she was interested in trying again. Unfortunately, she's too short. At Wisp mountain, you need to be 42 inches to snow tube.

Helen pondered wearing her "wedding shoes" that Aunt Linda gifted her a few years ago. They have a small heel on them and Helen loves tromping around in them - often announcing how tall she is! Unfortunately, wedding shoes are inappropriate snow tubing gear - although what really concerned Helen is not that her feet would freeze off, but that once she wore the shoes outside, they would become outside shoes instead of inside shoes. That, in Helen's eyes, would be awful.

Connor suggested wearing a big hat. We didn't think that would work though, given that Helen is about 3 inches too short.

The evening before tubing, Helen asked Ed and I what foods helped you grow. We told her that milk, yogurt, and kale were good foods. She insisted we go out and purchase more kale immediately. Her plan? Grow 3 inches overnight. It was a little hard to explain to her, that even if she ate a lot of kale, she'd still be under 42 inches in the morning.

I have to hand it to Helen, though. She was pretty determined to grow those inches - and she was willing to do just about anything to make it happen.

Elaine

Helen at School

Oh blog...how I have neglected thee. Between attending a British Pantomime, getting together with friends, holiday singing parties, the Botanical Gardens and more, I haven't found the time to post. So...I'll post a note about Helen's school. To say she is having a fantastic time this year would be an understatement. She adores both her teachers and loves playing with the other children in the class. She prefers to hang with the boys, but does play with the girls a bit.

Last week, on our way to school, Helen announced that [NEW KID] was going to be her best friend until [J - Old Best Friend who is out of town for the next 3 months] returned. I almost felt like I should warn the little dude. But apparently NEW KID also likes Helen, as his mom emailed tonight seeing if Helen was available for a playdate.

Helen's teacher often sends me snippets about her week. This one was among the funniest.

Discussion today at the snack table-
Helen: I used to live in Missouri
[Friend] says sympathetically: Oh, did you throw up?
Helen: No [Friend], I did not throw up!


Yesterday at the park:
Helen carrying a stick and something that fell from a tree: Ms. A, look I found a brachiosaurus. It doesn't have a nest, so I have to carry around its egg too.
Me: Helen, you could find a nest for it if you want.
Helen: But I didn't see ANY!
Me: Well, you could make him one.
Helen runs over and pushes a few pieces of mulch to one side and runs back
Helen: Ms A LOOK, I found a nest!


Helen was playing mom today in the classroom for a little while. Her daughters were supposed to be sleeping while Santa is coming (which happens to be [Friend2]), and Helen was laying on a playstand pretending to sleep. [Friend2] shows up and is upset that they are not asleep and says "Why are you not asleep? Hoho is here and your eyes should be closed. Hoho is mad at you now" Helen quickly wakes up from her bed and screams "Close your eyes RIGHT NOW! You should be asleep!", then quickly lays back down for Santa (or Hoho).


Her hands were filled to the max with worms today. She could not have fit one more in there. Though I love worms and what they do for our earth, that many crawling around in her hand looked like it belonged in some horror film. It was pretty funny.


I also loved her St Nicholas note to me this week. She was so sweet and proud. She told me it was written down so that I could remember what she got forever.
--For the record, Helen received some paper, some chocolates, and two containers of play-doh.

Naming

I remember when Connor was younger and he named objects. His old standby was "Connor". We had Connor-fish, Connor-baby, and a bajillion other things named Connor. The only thing I can recall getting a name other than Connor is the stuffed pug that Grandma Lynn gave Connor for Christmas when he was 2, and Ed jumped in with a name before Connor could bestow a name on the animal.

When I arrived home this afternoon, Connor was at the neighbor's house playing and Helen and her babysitter were in the backyard. I asked Helen what was going on and she informed me that they were looking for "tweeter". Luckily, they had already found "ravioli". Tweeter looks like a rock to most people, but is actually a bunny. Ravioli is a brick red rock that is also a bunny - possibly Tweeter's mom, but maybe just a sibling.

Confused? So was Ed.

Maya the dog and Sylvia the blue baby (which Helen lifted from my parent's home) are sleeping with Helen tonight. Dorothy - one of the Bitty Babies that Grandma Lynn gave Helen for her 4th birthday, is downstairs this evening with her unnamed brother.

Is this a girl-boy thing, or is it random? Strangely (at least to me), Connor seems much less self-centered than Helen.

Elaine

NaBloPoMo Advice Column - Day 15 - Loose Lips Sink Ships

This evening, Helen flashed a smile to me at dinner and related the following tale.

Today at snack, I was trying to trick Miss A., so I started coughing so much that she would think I was sick. Then P. started coughing, too, and we were both coughing so, so much that we were definitely tricking Miss A. Then C started coughing too, but not that much. So Miss A. turned our chairs around at the snack table. Then we had to move away from the snack table because P. and I were still coughing so much. Then, we had to go and find our golden manners. Mine were hiding behind the curtain. Then I came back to the snack table but I wasn't coughing anymore.

I never would've known about any of this, except Miss Chattypants can't keep anything to herself. Although by the way she told the story, I'm not even sure it dawned on her that she might be in trouble.

Loose lips sink ships.

Helen has been busy with her make-up kit as well.

Elaine

Building a worldview:
Day 1: Surround Yourself With Brilliant People (though my friend Susan makes a good point that clever is pretty good, too).
Day 2: Whatever, it works.
Day 3: Surround Yourself With Beauty
Day 4: When You Go Through Something New - Drag Someone With You
Day 5: No sweatpants.
Day 6: Embrace the Crazy
Day 7: Listen to Your Friends or Fight Old Fogey-dom. Get out there. Keep experiencing fun, new things.
Day 8: Don't Let Anyone Sell You Short
Day 9: Take a Lesson From Your Child
Day 10: Consume the best chocolate you can
Day 11: Help your neighbor.
Day 12: Take Breaks
Day 13: Establish a Realistic Rhythm
Day 14: Sometimes, you just have to ask.

Planning for the Future - Some People Always Find the Sunny Side

Ed got a new bag carrier attachment on his bike, which apparently impressed Helen a great deal. When he pulled up this evening, this was what she told him.

"Wow, Dad, that's really cool! That bag fits right on your wheel. Maybe someday I can have your bike...When you die...Then I'll use the trailer bike with my kid!"

Marriage

This morning on our ride to camp, Helen announced her intention to marry Connor. Connor responded by letting her know it wasn't legal, with the helpful tidbit that it was also not legal to marry your cousins. I thought it was rather diplomatic of him, because he could've said something like "I don't want to marry you because..." True to form, Helen responded by saying "Connor, it is too, legal! And I am going to marry you." Connor then remarked "it is not legal, and I'm not discussing it with you any further. Take it up with Mom." She started arguing with me about it, and I punted to Ed. I believe he's the person that first informed Connor that marrying siblings and first cousins was illegal. Why, I do not know, unless he was trying to torture me with a conversation like this some morning when I least expected it.

Elaine

Helenspeak: Drinking Water

Upon handing a glass of water to Connor, he noticed something floating in it. He handed it back to me and said "there's something floating in my water".

I gave him my floater-free glass of water.

Helen then asked "Can I see it?" and upon inspection declared "Oh those things? They're always in the water. You don't have to worry about them".

Helen is famous for having "backwash" in her water. It was hard to resist saying "only yours, Helen".

Elaine

Padding: Helenspeak

We were discussing the need to add knee pads and elbow pads to Connor's birthday list, so that roller skating would be a little less fraught with injury potential. Helen volunteered the following.

"I need elbow pads. I only have knee pads.

"And a bottom pad."

Maybe she actually does learn from the past?

Elaine