One of Chloe’s last language arts assignments before the end of the school year was to write a poem using at least 15 words cut out from magazines. The result is a poem that perfectly captures Chloe’s vision of herself. And despite its autobiographical self-regard, it’s actually quite good considering she cobbled it together in about an hour. I’ve replicated it below (magazine words in blue):
Sophie will be eight years old in September. She’s getting taller by the hour, multiplying numbers I never knew she could even add together, using words I didn’t know she’d ever heard before, drawing pictures I would never be able to draw myself…
Chloe and I went to see “The Great Gatsby” this afternoon. I had to wait for her to finish reading the book, which she finally accomplished yesterday. We both enjoyed the movie very much and were pleasantly surprised by how faithful it was to the original text, despite the contemporary soundtrack (which, by the way, is excellent) and a superfluous Nick Carraway framing device. Chloe didn’t understand why some critics thought the movie was too over the top – she thought the characters and atmosphere Fitzgerald portrayed were completely over the top and that the film captured the debauched extravagance and immorality of the era quite well.
I’ve been thinking quite a bit about Chloe and Sophie recently. I always think about them, mind you. It’s just that I’ve also been observing them a little more closely than usual.
At least we’re coordinated. I arrive home from Peru and the hubby leaves for Nashville on Tuesday. Unlike me, he’s traveling for work, not fun. He returns home on Friday and we co-parent together next week. And then he’s off to Nashville again. By the time he returns home a second time, Chloe and Sophie will have just three more days of school and we’ll have a few short weeks to prepare for our trip to France.
I came home from Peru to a wonderfully calm house. Chloe and Sophie seemed well-fed (thanks in part to one of our friends who cooked for my husband and the girls a few times while I was away), well-clothed (their Papa went on a mini-shopping spree at Uniqlo) and well-groomed.
It’s not that I expected the girls not to be all those things, but you just never know. Their dad sometimes lets them get away with all sorts of crap, but I must say that he passed the “no wife for two weeks” test with flying colors.
The huge hugs I received from the girls upon crossing the threshold on Tuesday were by far the best part of returning home. It’s nice to know that I was missed. Sophie was particularly generous with her embraces. Chloe even got into the game, although I don’t think my absence impacted her all that much. No surprise there.
I know I can be a pain in the ass and “so annoying” (the girls’ words, not mine). Chloe and Sophie never hesitate to remind me of this fact. I am, after all, Chief Mom Officer, and it’s my job to be a nuisance. My husband no doubt benefitted from my absence as well. The mutual break was restorative for everyone involved.
All of which is great news because now I can start planning my next trip with full confidence that my brood will do just fine without me. Southeast Asia, anyone?
The Amazon embraced us. Rather than writing a lengthy discourse about this magical place, I am simply going to list all of the firsts I experienced on this last leg of our journey.
During our three days in the jungle:
Continuing our pre-Inca and Inca cultural immersion, one of today’s highlights was a visit to the ruins of Sillustani, a burial site consisting of funerary towers located on a lakeside peninsula high in the Andean plateau.
Continue reading As the Collas and Incas Lay Dying – Contemplating the Ruins of Sillustani
As we made our way to Lake Titicaca yesterday, on a “highway” that we Americans would consider just a regular road except for the llamas, alpacas and mountainous landscape all around us, we stopped at the town of Racqui, the home of another sacred Inca temple called Wiraqocha.
The highlight of yesterday’s sightseeing was an excursion to another Inca ruin, Sacsayhuaman, which served primarily as a religious site until the Spaniards invaded, when it became a fortress to defend against the Conquistadors. The foreign explorers, who arrived in Peru looking for El Dorado after hearing that its people were covered in gold, handily beat the Incas because the Incas were not warriors. Indeed, it sounds like any victories the Incas enjoyed against the Spaniards were due more to luck than any real strategic skill. They focused on agriculture and the worship of their gods, and were generally a peaceful people unless provoked or unless the indigenous tribes refused to accept their rule.
Continue reading What the Incas Have in Common with Asterix & Obelix
