Playing favorites
The problem with getting too busy to post is when I actually do have time to sit down and write -- I've got too much to report! Let's see... the past week or so? Gigi and Poppa came to visit, I flew off to Little Rock, we took a mini-vacation to West Virginia...
First things first, tonight Lucy and I read one of those old Richard Scarry books about the animal people who do all sorts of gender-typical things -- i.e., the mommy Cat sets her house on fire, ironing the Daddy's shirt, and then all the other guys come to save them. "Save my Huckle!" Mommy screams. (At the end, they show poor Daddy's ruined shirt. Lucy observes it gravely and says, "That is not good.") Anyway, they have to call the fire department with a fire box, which we used to have in our old neighborhood in East Hartford.
That's before phones, I explain.
"Why?" Lucy says.
A long time ago, I explain, people didn't have phones in their houses, so they'd have to run outside to the fire box to call the fire department. She thinks about this and then says, "How did they play with each other?" Ah, the play dates! "They'd go over to their friend's house and knock on the door and say, 'Can you come out and play?'" She thinks more about this...and frankly, it's just beyond comprehension. "What would you do in you didn't have a phone?" I ask.
"Call them on the computer."
Then this, "Daddy is my favorite favorite person in the world." That's nice, I say. "Actually..." she pauses. "My favorite person is..." (Me! Me! Pick me!) "Julia," she concludes. Our lovely au pair. "Well, that's nice too." She looks at me and says, "I do like to play with you, Mommy. And help you." Umhm. "I wonder if I'll ever be your favorite person," I say sadly. She nods, "Yes. Maybe if you're more like Julia." "And how is that exactly?"
"If you have long fingernails and paint them."
In Little Rock, I missed my turn and ended up checking the map in the parking lot of "Live Free" bail bondsmen. I missed the Clinton library too, but did meet a young man who wore red lip gloss on his eyelids with red glitter smooshed into it. "Does that wash off?" I asked. "Noooo!" he said proudly. "Sometimes that would be a good idea," I said. The visitor's center at Little Rock Central is well worth visiting -- the archival video footage, wow!
Josephine goes on the potty! Margaret does not!
Preschool: Sigh. I'm visiting a special ed preschool classroom for Lucy tomorrow. No, she's not special ed. (Although there's nothing wrong with that!) In our district, the elementary schools offer preschool to special ed students, but the classrooms also have a handful of slots for "peer pals" who can model appropriate behavior... A good idea?? I'd like to see how it works.
The Unitarians remain elusive. This is because they don't have Hell, I guess.
West Virginia! I need to get pictures from my friend Stephanie, who joined us with her two kiddos. The highlights: Toads! Deer! Dirt! The lowlights: Long beef ribs? Eh. Not as good as the pig, in my opinion.
So, in case anybody is counting, and I certainly am, that's two new states that I've slept in! That leaves 15. Or 16, if you count Kansas. (haha! always making fun of the poor people without coasts, I know...) David claims I've picked off the low-hanging fruit, but that's not true as Delaware is extremely low and I still haven't slept there. I did spend the day at Rehoboth Beach in 1992, but it has to be an overnight visit to count. Them's are the rules and I didn't make them up. Actually, I did, but you have to have some kind of standard.
Okay, look forward to more cogency in the future!
Your favorite, ME.
First things first, tonight Lucy and I read one of those old Richard Scarry books about the animal people who do all sorts of gender-typical things -- i.e., the mommy Cat sets her house on fire, ironing the Daddy's shirt, and then all the other guys come to save them. "Save my Huckle!" Mommy screams. (At the end, they show poor Daddy's ruined shirt. Lucy observes it gravely and says, "That is not good.") Anyway, they have to call the fire department with a fire box, which we used to have in our old neighborhood in East Hartford.
That's before phones, I explain.
"Why?" Lucy says.
A long time ago, I explain, people didn't have phones in their houses, so they'd have to run outside to the fire box to call the fire department. She thinks about this and then says, "How did they play with each other?" Ah, the play dates! "They'd go over to their friend's house and knock on the door and say, 'Can you come out and play?'" She thinks more about this...and frankly, it's just beyond comprehension. "What would you do in you didn't have a phone?" I ask.
"Call them on the computer."
Then this, "Daddy is my favorite favorite person in the world." That's nice, I say. "Actually..." she pauses. "My favorite person is..." (Me! Me! Pick me!) "Julia," she concludes. Our lovely au pair. "Well, that's nice too." She looks at me and says, "I do like to play with you, Mommy. And help you." Umhm. "I wonder if I'll ever be your favorite person," I say sadly. She nods, "Yes. Maybe if you're more like Julia." "And how is that exactly?"
"If you have long fingernails and paint them."
In Little Rock, I missed my turn and ended up checking the map in the parking lot of "Live Free" bail bondsmen. I missed the Clinton library too, but did meet a young man who wore red lip gloss on his eyelids with red glitter smooshed into it. "Does that wash off?" I asked. "Noooo!" he said proudly. "Sometimes that would be a good idea," I said. The visitor's center at Little Rock Central is well worth visiting -- the archival video footage, wow!
Josephine goes on the potty! Margaret does not!
Preschool: Sigh. I'm visiting a special ed preschool classroom for Lucy tomorrow. No, she's not special ed. (Although there's nothing wrong with that!) In our district, the elementary schools offer preschool to special ed students, but the classrooms also have a handful of slots for "peer pals" who can model appropriate behavior... A good idea?? I'd like to see how it works.
The Unitarians remain elusive. This is because they don't have Hell, I guess.
West Virginia! I need to get pictures from my friend Stephanie, who joined us with her two kiddos. The highlights: Toads! Deer! Dirt! The lowlights: Long beef ribs? Eh. Not as good as the pig, in my opinion.
So, in case anybody is counting, and I certainly am, that's two new states that I've slept in! That leaves 15. Or 16, if you count Kansas. (haha! always making fun of the poor people without coasts, I know...) David claims I've picked off the low-hanging fruit, but that's not true as Delaware is extremely low and I still haven't slept there. I did spend the day at Rehoboth Beach in 1992, but it has to be an overnight visit to count. Them's are the rules and I didn't make them up. Actually, I did, but you have to have some kind of standard.
Okay, look forward to more cogency in the future!
Your favorite, ME.
posted by Mary Ellen at
6:16 PM
2 Comments:
Wow, sounds like lots of fun stuff. Now you just need to grow (and paint!) your finger nails to win over your child. Or perhaps lip gloss and sparkle your eyelids, as I imagine that would be fairly irresistible.
You are my favorite. And mostly because of this line:
"The Unitarians remain elusive. This is because they don't have Hell, I guess."
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