The best thing about kids learning to read is that they can read themselves to sleep. Don’t get me wrong. I very much enjoy reading books to Sophie. But it sure is nice when (1) Sophie reads a book to me, like she did tonight – “I Broke My Trunk” by Mo Willems and (2) Sophie reads to herself when she can’t fall asleep.
After I tucked her in, Sophie came back downstairs to say she wasn’t tired. “What should I do?” she asked. I suggested she read a book. So she did. “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss. Thirty minutes later, she came bounding down the stairs to announce, “I did it! I read the WHOLE book. 62 pages!”
“Did you enjoy it?” I asked. “Oh, yes!” she replied, a face full of smiles.
The joys of reading. There’s nothing else like it, I tell you.
I don’t know what’s happening to Chloe. I truly believe that she’s being taken over by aliens. Between an acquaintance in school mentioning to a friend that she thought Chloe was “fashionable” (WTF?) and her announcement last night at dinner, she’s just not as familiar to me as she once was.
We woke up to a few manageable inches of the white stuff yesterday morning. The snow was light and fluffy. Sophie is currently outside with her Papa throwing snowballs. If you look closely at the photo, you can see her rosy red cheeks, not unlike the portraits of Renaissance princesses. As I look out the window into the backyard, I can see her trying to climb up the playset to protect herself from the army of one Papa. She has good aim. Papa, not so much. She’s taunting him now with great glee. Life is so damn simple when you’re six.
After a couple of absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous days in south Florida – 80 degrees, cloudless skies and no humidity whatsoever, I arrived home to 30 degree weather and an impending snowfall tonight. The first one of the season, not counting the wacky snow back in October.
The Sunshine State is living up to its reputation. It was a glorious day today. But the best part was the room upgrade I received for no apparent reason. The bathroom is larger than some hotel rooms I’ve stayed in.
Sunny Miami, to be exact. For a three-day conference on legal marketing (don’t fall asleep, dear readers). Hey, it’s at a very nice hotel and for two whole nights, I will have a quiet room all to myself. If that’s not worth the price of admission to the conference, I don’t know what is.
Yesterday was a great day. Sophie and I hung out together for several very fun hours.
It started with a trial dance class for Sophie. Modern dance, specifically. Tennis was a no-go this semester so we needed to find some form of exercise for her. And anyone who reads this blog knows how much Sophie loves to dance. She was reluctant to dance in a classroom setting, but she did great and loved it.
Hello. This is Carl. Carl is going on a vacation! If Carl doesn’t come back, don’t worry. Carl is probably sleeping. If Carl is awake then Carl may have a problem. Carl is starting to get worried. Carl might cry. Nobody wants to give Carl a tissue. Poor Carl. Don’t worry! Carl will ride a motorcycle! Carl might get some girls. Carl wants to go to Hawaii. Carl doesn’t have enough money! What should Carl do? Carl’s going to have a lemonade stand! Carl doesn’t make much money. He earns one dollar! Since Carl can’t get a ticket to Hawaii, he doesn’t know what to do. Carl decides to buy some Skittles! Carl has to go home now. Carl says bye.
It was a milestone day today. We gave Chloe a house key because Papa needed to pick Sophie up from school to take her to her first French class (a milestone in of itself). Our big girl made it home from the bus in one piece, unlocked the door, hung out for about 90 minutes all by herself and locked the door behind her as she left for her mother’s helper gig. And she still had the key when she came home this evening.
I was stunned. When I came downstairs this morning, Chloe’s school project was on the dining room table. A poster about Albert Einstein, she had used calligraphy for his name and colored the letters…
