I was stopped at a traffic light as five tweens were crossing the street to go to school. Four girls and boy, on their merry way, chatting happily and dressed in sweatshirts, jeans and sneakers.
Category Archives: Treasures from the Archives
It’s Almost November, Which Means…
It’s time to start planning spring vacation. Dominican Republic, you’re looking good. Never been, have talked a lot about going over the years. Lots of family-friendly, all-inclusive resorts. Leaning toward Club Med or the Majestic Colonial.
Club Med has a couple of distinct advantages. My husband will feel at home there among all the Frenchies. It also has a circus and trapeze school. Great kids’ programs. And a nice spa for moi.
I have no idea where I’ll be in a few months. If I’m finally going to make a “life change.” But if I do, I want this vacation booked and paid for. Just in case. In the meantime, knowing the vacation is booked will certainly go a long way toward making the upcoming dreary winter months a hell of a lot more bearable.
Sun and sand, here we come!
There Are Not Enough Hours in the Day
We ran around nonstop this weekend. Between tennis lessons, errands, food shopping, cooking and cleaning, we haven’t had a break since Friday evening.
Sophie rode her scooter and improved her balance on her temporarily pedal-less bike (don’t ask – it’s a story for another day).
Chloe tried to find accessories ( i.e., clothing) for her Halloween mask, to no avail. Those pop-up Halloween stores suck. Two young teenage girls (15 years old at most) tried on and bought Playboy-branded costumes, which were in no way appropriate for 15-year old girls. Not sure where their parents were. I’m very glad Chloe’s a bit of a tomboy. Sophie, on the other hand, probably would have liked those outfits. The thought makes me cringe.
I wish I had more free time. I have a list of things to do – the photo album from our trip to France, is near the top of it – but no time to get any of it done. And that frustrates me to no end.
When a More Than Perfect Test Score is not Enough
Today it was math. Chloe received 102% on her test. Super, right? Well, it’s not super. It’s apparently only ok.
How is that possible, you ask? I’ll tell you. It’s because a perfect score would have been 103% and she missed perfection because she forgot a decimal point. A “stupid” decimal.
Those of you who read yesterday’s post and know me, know I was not serious when I suggested Chloe start studying for the SATs next year, in 6th grade.
The scary thing, though, is that Chloe may actually do it. On her own, in secret. There’s nothing like ambition in a 10-year old.
When an Almost-Perfect Test Score Is Not Enough
Chloe is a perfectionist. She had a language arts test this week. She studied hard. She was determined to get a better grade than last time, because it was one of the few times she ever earned less then a 90%.
Continue reading When an Almost-Perfect Test Score Is Not Enough
It’s Not a Fluke
Book #2. “Green Eggs and Ham.” The entire 62 pages of the Dr. Seuss classic. I helped Sophie with three words. Just three words.
After she read, she danced. Demonstrated a couple of moves from her dance class at school. And lest I forget, she taught me some new words in Chinese. Don’t ask me to recite them, however. They’re too complicated for me.
I think our little Sophie is becoming an all-around renaissance woman.
Sophie is Reading. For Real
Last night, Sophie read. And read. And read. All of “Polly’s Pink Pajamas.” As she progressed in the story, her smile grew wider. She required very little help and took the time to tap out her words. She was enjoying herself.
This is a huge milestone for our little baby. And I am so proud of her. If she remains this motivated for the remainder of the school year, she’ll be reading Harry Potter in no time.
Friends
Sophie has a few best friends. But Ella is one of Sophie’s very, very special friends. They’ve been best buddies for about three years now. When Ella and Sophie are together, there are lots of laughs and hugs.
My New Friend
I took this photo of Sophie with my new iPhone. It is one very cool device. I stayed up late last night to set it up and download all sorts of fun things. I also got to know Siri, my new personal assistant, to whom I am currently dictating this blog post. Siri is very helpful, although she doesn’t always understand what we ask her. She was, however, able to get me movie listings and the weather report. She did some addition for Chloe and told Sophie that her favorite color was greenish. Before my new toy I was already sleep deprived. My new friend is definitely not going to cure it.
Sophie’s Spelling Homework Book
Sophie loves her spelling homework. Here’s what she has to say about it.
“The word scramble is really, really fun.” In the word scramble challenge, Sophie chooses five of the week’s spelling words, scrambles the letters and asks me to unscramble them correctly. If I succeed, I get a star.