We’re having one of our rare Sophie weekends. Chloe is at Grammy’s until Sunday and we have our little one all to ourselves. So far, so fun.
When I told Sophie where her big sister was, I expected a bit of an outburst. She frowned a little bit, but when I told her that she would have her own special time with Grammy in a couple of weeks, the frown quickly turned into a big smile.
I left work early and when we got home, we played some “Mommy Bear, Kid Bear” and walked to the local pizza joint for dinner (her choice). Tomorrow’s main event is a little “Shrek 4.” She can’t wait.
All of the activity and attention apparently tired her out. She’s already in bed for the night – it’s 7:46 pm. And it’s quiet. This weekend is starting off great.
Chloe loved her creative writing class so much that she asked me to continue giving her assignments. The theme of the class was “a picture is worth a thousand words” and the teacher used works of art to get the kids’ creative juices flowing.
I decided to go with the most famous painting in the world for her first post-class story. The Mona Lisa. Mysterious, intriguing, that smile that’s not a smile. And hell, she’s part owner of the painting now, since it belongs to the people of France. Without revealing too much about the plot Chloe devised (I’ll post it to the blog in the next few days), let’s just say that my 9-year old resolved the mystery of who the Mona Lisa was by providing a compelling back story.
She completed the story this evening. And I’ve already given her the next assignment. We have time traveled from the beginning of the 16th century to the mid-20th century and World War II. Piet Mondrian’s “Broadway Boogie Woogie” will provide new inspiration for Chloe’s creative endeavors. And if she’d like to see it in person, she won’t have to travel to Paris. MoMA, here we come!
She’s having a week, our little Sophie. Perpetual cranky pants. Not getting enough sleep. Crying, yelling and crying some more when she realizes that she’s been yelling and yelling is wrong. This is the Sophie I would have expected in the terrible two phase. Not in the “four is so cute” phase.
Still too young to control her tears. Scaring herself a little bit with her outbursts, I suspect. Which gets her more upset. Ah, the vicious catch-22 of childhood.
Papa took her outside to play and she started to feel better. I even heard her laugh. And after laughing a bit, she felt good enough to give her dad a wet willy. Now that’s the Sophie bear we know and love.
Chloe recently won an art contest – on the theme of “Peace Begins With Me.” There were 12 winners – all in grades 3-5 – and their drawings will appear in a 2011 calendar put out by a local not-for-profit organization.
That Chloe’s illustration was chosen out of 343 entries (!) makes us very proud.
Now, if she were to extend her message to peace at home (and with her sister), that would be a real achievement. I’m feeling hopeful – she had an argument with a friend today and wrote the friend a lovely poem to apologize. Unfortunately, when she went to his house to deliver the message, he was getting ready for bed. Which upset her all over again! As I told her, life is never easy. And sometimes it tests our patience. But tomorrow is a new day, and she can give him the note then, if she decides it’s not too late. The travails of childhood…
Keep your finger on the volume button after you press play. The girls loved this work of art at Grounds for Sculpture the other day. It gave me a headache, but I plugged my ears and smiled as they banged away at the chimes.
Chloe has really enjoyed playing card games with her aunt. She taught her French aunt how to play Spit, and her French aunt taught her how to play “Bataille Corse” and “President,” which is fondly known as “Trou d’uc” (a**hole in English).
You can imagine how much Chloe enjoys “Trou d’uc” for its English translation. She cracks herself up every time she says the phrase out loud. Only problem is that she’s forgetting that a**hole is a prohibited word, unless it’s used by her mom or dad.
But no mind. She loves the new games. But she still hates losing – and she’s lost a lot over the last couple of days. What saves her from making a completely clown of herself when she loses, however, is that as soon as we yell “Trou d’uc,” or better yet, “asshole!” she laughs. And laughs. And she’s no longer angry. At least not until she loses again.
Wednesdays are pizza days at Sophie’s pre-K. Every Wednesday, since the start of the school year, Sophie has had pizza for lunch. It’s great for me, because that’s one less sandwich I need to prepare.
When I got home earlier, however, Sophie emphatically announced that I need to pack her a sandwich on Wednesdays. “But Wednesday is pizza day,” I explained. “I know,” she replied, rolling her eyes and sticking her head out to let me know how ridiculous I was being. “So, I don’t understand. If Wednesday is pizza day, why do you need a sandwich?” “BECAUSE!” I told her that I was confused and she rolled her eyes again.
I give up. She doesn’t intend to eat both pizza and a sandwich – she told me so. And I don’t think it’s just to be safe, because I’ve never forgotten to give her the pizza money. I graduated Phi Beta Kappa from college and magna cum laude from law school. So much for higher ed. I have no idea what the hell she’s talking about. I’m going to try to resolve the mystery before next Wednesday, but I’m not holding out hope. Kids and logic just don’t mix.
A Mom's Ramblings About the Marvels & Mishaps of Parenting, the Joys of Family Travel & the Writing Life
