Mothering Mini

More Piano Recital!

2012-01-29T22:16:00.003-05:00

Here is another quip from Margot's first piano recital. This was actually the first song she played.

Piano Recital

2012-01-29T22:04:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, Margot performed in her first piano recital. She bravely played two songs in front of about 100 people. I glowed with pride.

Catch Up Post 3 - Jackson WY

2012-01-29T21:55:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, we took a quick trip West to Jackson, WY.

Catch Up Post 2 - Christmas, in photos

2012-01-29T21:49:00.002-05:00

Catch Up Post 1 - Margot's birthday party

2012-01-20T18:41:00.003-05:00

Margot's 7th birthday party was a bowling party. Lots of friends and cousins - it was a blast!

Of course, her actual birthday featured traditional cinnamon rolls and balloons. We all spent the day on the National Mall visiting museums.

Tree Topper

2011-12-13T19:36:00.003-05:00

As per tradition, Margot put the star on top of the tree on Saturday. I say this every year, but this year's tree is really gorgeous: full, lush, and smells delicious.

She's getting so big I wonder how this will go next year. For fun, how about doing a flashback to 2006.

Foodie, Part II

2011-12-12T21:10:00.002-05:00

After visiting Santa on Saturday, Margot and I went into William Sonoma so I could ogle the kitchen items. We stood patiently while a saleswoman demonstrated a fancy water pitcher, which she noted featured a German-made filter. She offered us sample cups of water so we could taste it. Since we were thirsty, we each took one.

Margot gulped hers down and loudly announced, "That German water tastes exactly like regular American water to me!"

And she was right.

All I Want for Christmas

2011-12-12T20:56:00.003-05:00

Besides her two front teeth, of course.

Foodie

2011-12-03T09:19:00.001-05:00

This morning, Margot offered the following gem on the quality of the chocolate in her Advent Calendar:

"It tastes good when you first place it on your tongue and let it sit there, but then it starts to taste like Chapstick."

I'm glad I'm raising her to have a discerning palate. It really IS terrible chocolate.

Happy Veterans Day

2011-11-11T13:53:00.003-05:00

Straight from Margot's first grade performance the other day:

Reason 10,357 why I love Margot

2011-11-04T09:21:00.003-04:00

Yesterday she used the correct version of "you're" in a letter she wrote to her friend Iris.

A girl after my own heart.

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:16:00.008-04:00

This year Halloween was perfect. The weather was seasonably cool but not too cold. Margot had a parade at school and then trick-or-treated with a gaggle of friends while Brodie and I walked around with the parents. We tried to trick or treat at Carl Kasell's house but it was dark. (That's the funny thing about Washington, DC. While living on Long Island, the big thrill was trick-or-treating at the Amityville Horror House. In DC, it's trick-or-treating at the house of an NPR correspondent. It's certainly a different world here.)

So this year, Margot was a cowgirl.

Brodie was Taliban.

And I was Marcel Marceau (well, really just a generic mime).

Two front teeth

2011-10-31T21:13:00.001-04:00

If she's lucky, they will grow in by Christmas!

Stressful

2011-10-06T13:37:00.002-04:00

Margot has a mouth full of loose teeth. These teeth are hanging by mere threads, and yet she refuses to pull them (or have them pulled).

Yesterday I packed her some leftover pizza for school lunch. It was from our favorite pizza place, and so I knew that qualified as a good lunch. After I picked her up from school, I asked her about her day. That included checking in on the lunch.

"How was lunch today?" I asked.

"Stressful," she answered.

Well, that was not the answer I expected!

"Stressful?" I asked. "Why?"

"Because it's hard to eat pizza when there's only one or two teeth you can use," she answered.

I laughed and laughed (on the inside). I wish that was my biggest source of stress!

Reason 10,356 why I love Margot

2011-10-06T13:36:00.002-04:00

She asked to listen to Johnny Cash yesterday. AND, she sang along.

Piano Lessons

2011-09-20T19:56:00.002-04:00

Margot started piano lessons today and is in love. Her teacher is beautiful and engaging; she's the antithesis of every piano teacher stereotype you could imagine. Margot came home and immediately started practicing. Brodie is sitting with her. I imagine it won't be long until he starts recruiting her to play in his band.

California Girl

2011-09-11T23:53:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we took a whirlwind trip to California for a wedding. While there, we squeezed lots of fun things: SeaWorld, Disneyland, and a visit to one of Margot's earliest friends.

SeaWorld was a hit. It was there that we took Margot on her first roller coaster and she loved it! She is just tall enough (48 inches) to get to ride on all of the cool rides. We also watched the killer whale show. Despite sitting in the 'splash zone,' we did not get splashed by the orcas, much to Margot's disappointment.

She loved Disneyland, too, although not as much as I thought she would. Don't get me wrong, we all had a great time, but she's long past the princess stage so that kind of silliness had no appeal to her. She did delight in riding more roller coasters, though. Here we are coming down on Splash Mountain (I am tucked away behind Brodie):

If I were to sum up Disneyland in a few words they would be: hot, lines, fun, overpriced, and tiring. Still, I am glad that we got a check in that box. Now we can guiltlessly take vacations wherever we want to go and we can always remind Margot that once we took her to Disneyland.

Margot also had a few surf lessons in San Diego:

I was nervous about her swimming in the ocean with the waves, but she did great. She did get tumbled pretty good one time but she never lost her nerve and only emerged from the water when her lips were blue and she couldn't stop shivering. (Note that Brodie is wearing a wet suit and all Margot has is Brodie's rash guard.)

There may just be a California girl tucked away inside that little pale, East coast body of hers!

Structural Integrity Day

2011-08-24T11:23:00.002-04:00

After yesterday's earthquake (two in two years!), I think I have a handle on my earthquake fear and am ready to move to California.

Margot has the day off from school today, a day that shall forever be known as Structural Integrity Day.

She handled the earthquake very well and thought it was nothing more than an adventure. I tend to agree with her; the quake didn't unnerve me and I knew what it was right away after last year's quake. My first instinct was to jump in the car and get home in order to beat the traffic. And it was a success - I got home in 30 minutes.

I'd also like to add that just last month Brodie and I were in Mineral, VA, the quake's epicenter. We visited the CVS and also had amazing, huge, delicious ice-cream cones at a roadside stand. I hope the resulting media coverage of this quake puts that ice-cream stand in the black for the rest of the year.

Final quake observation: I received an email from DC Public Schools this morning informing me of the school closings and noting that some schools were damaged, including School Without Walls. (School Without Walls is a charter school in DC.) The irony of School Without Walls being damaged in an earthquake was not lost on me, and I've been chuckling about it all day.

First Day of First Grade

2011-08-22T20:30:00.003-04:00

Margot headed back to school this year this morning. She reported a great day and was very excited about her new teacher. At drop off this morning, she confidently joined her friends from kindergarten and strode off to the big kids' section of the building (no more early childhood wing).

So this is the fake smile

And here's a real smile

Nostalgia

2011-08-19T10:18:00.003-04:00

Just came across this photo of Margot on her homecoming day from the NICU. On Monday she starts first grade.

(Tearing up a little.)

Cowgirls

2011-08-08T23:58:00.005-04:00

One of the best things about being a parent is getting to share life's greatest joys with your child. And it's made even sweeter when your child loves that joy as much as you do.

Today Margot went on her first real horseback ride. It was a spectacular ride and a spectacular day. The weather was sunny and warm. The air smelled like sagebrush and dry grass. The wildflowers stretched forever. The Tetons rose in the background. In the 20-something years that I've been riding, I've never know scenery upon horseback like what we had today. And this was Margot's first ride that wasn't a sad pony-around-the-ring ride. (How can she top today? She can't.) She rode a steady horse named Mickey. Margot was in love. She had no hesitation; she hopped right onto that horse and took off with our cute cowboy guide. She tried to dress the part with a cowgirl hat, but it blew off atop this mountain (we retrieved it, but had to tie it to the saddle for the rest of the trip).

Today was truly one of the best days of my entire life.

Sleep-gymnastics

2011-08-06T18:14:00.003-04:00

I'm working on a beautiful Saturday afternoon while Margot takes a well-deserved nap next to me. (She's had a hard day of swimming and sun, and we're both a little burned despite reapplying sunscreen.)

M is a champion sleepwalker and sleeptalker. I'm not surprised when she wanders downstairs in the evenings, eyes totally open, but she's clearly sleepwalking. And she'll hold nonsensical conversations with you late at night, too.

But I just looked over at her because she started to stir and saw something I have never seen before: She tried to get herself into a headstand in her sleep. I was torn between seeing if she could actually do it, and not wanting her to hurt herself. I voted for the latter. I told her to lie down again and she looked at me (eyes wide open), and flopped back onto her pillow.

American Girl Day

2011-07-10T20:23:00.005-04:00

Today dawned sunny and bright. It's a day that Margot has looked forward to since April. It's the day we planned to visit the American Girl store.

I will refrain from analyzing the cultish nature of these dolls and just report the facts: Margot had a glorious time. Her cousin Riley slept over the night before and they performed for me while I drank my coffee this morning.

We ate lunch in the cafe.

Margot saved $30 over the past year with the goal of blowing it all today. She admired items in the store for almost an hour before deciding to buy a pet carrier for her stuffed animal and hair accessories for her doll (total = $32. She owes me two bucks.). The value of the item truly is in the eye of the buyer; it was all I could do to not dissuade her from those items but I reminded myself this was her money and her choice.

I 'treated' her doll to a hair style in the salon (note the cape! and the chair!)

By the time we got home, the excitement of the afternoon caught up with Min. I saw this in my rearview mirror as we pulled onto our street:

Flashback to 2007

2011-07-08T14:15:00.002-04:00

Our dear friend Vivian just sent me this photo that she snapped of Margot in 2007 on our trip to Italy.

I remember it clearly: We had just gotten gelato after dinner. We were walking in Positano, getting ready to head back to the villa. I pushed Margot up a cobbled hill in her stroller. Margot felt impatient and wanted to walk. She jumped out. Amidst the shops and restaurants there was an art gallery. The door was open, so Margot wandered in. And then she studied the art.

Independence Day

2011-07-05T12:34:00.003-04:00

We celebrated the long fourth of July weekend with all of our favorite activities - boating on the Eastern Shore, fireworks, dinners with family (both sides!) - and a new activity: the Palisades parade. The parade has a small-town feel (it's nice to not fight traffic or crowds for something in DC for once) and had a heavy political presence (although the absence of several corrupt councilpersons was noticed by all - I suspect they feared booing). All of the floats - er, modified SUVs - toss candy out the windows and the kids end up with a haul that rivals Halloween. Margot had a fine time collecting candy with her friends Ella and Leah, and the girls traded and swapped candy with a maturity that surpasses their six years (18 years combined).

Summertime catch-up

2011-07-05T09:01:00.002-04:00

Since I am so behind on posting, here is a quick catch up to get you up to date.

Friday night picnics are happening!

So is rock climbing in Rock Creek Park

Brodie did a triathlon and Margot and I woke up before dawn to cheer him on. He rocked it!

Who doesn't love kittens?

2011-06-23T22:41:00.003-04:00

Margot and I had a date tonight. We ate pizza at Pete's New Haven Pizza (my current favorite pizza place in DC) and afterwards we visited the kittens at the pet store next door to the pizza place. Look at this picture. Just LOOK at it! It's all I could do to leave that sweet kitty behind.

Kite Flying

2011-06-23T22:14:00.004-04:00

When Margot is really excited about something, her tongue escapes. That tells me she was thrilled to run this kite across the soccer field at our 2011 annual soccer game.

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-31T19:05:00.006-04:00

Over Memorial Day weekend, we travelled to Long Island to visit Kate and Gabe's new house in Greenport, NY. Since it is so close to Shelter Island, we also has a chance to hop over to visit my cousin John and his family and Tim and his family. I spent all day Sunday telling Margot about the things I used to do on Shelter Island. Of course it will never mean to her what it means to me, but at least she will know it was important to me.

Here we are riding the ferry back to Greenport

And here is Margot floating in the same bay that I loved as a kid

And here she is with some first cousins and some second cousins (and an aunt!)

Arts Night

2011-05-18T19:58:00.006-04:00

We just returned from Arts Night, 2011. This event is a Big Deal to the kids at Margot's school, including Margot. She's been excited for weeks. Margot's school is an arts integration school, which means that all subjects are also intertwined with the arts. They work closely with the Kennedy Center. I saw some seriously amazing artwork tonight at the gallery show - especially some 3rd grade architectural drawings (integrating math and history [all of historic DC buildings] - see how that works?)

We began with a quick photo while Margot was clean and all dolled-up.

Then Margot sang three songs on stage with the other kindergarteners. Here's one.

Then Margot (sans sweater) took me to see her masterpiece at the gallery show.

And finally she burned off all her wiggles by running around with her pals, eating pizza, and doing the monkey bars. The rain held off - it was a great night!

Spring Fair

2011-05-10T17:58:00.002-04:00

Here is Margot last Saturday, in full Spring Fair glory, with one of her best girlfriends. Note: this was the first time she ever had cotton candy. She inhaled it in about 3 seconds and reported that it was as heavenly as she had imagined.

Smoothies

2011-04-29T09:54:00.003-04:00

Margot invented this smoothie and now it needs a name! The ingredients are:

Frozen peaches
Fresh strawberries
Greek yogurt
Orange juice
Simple syrup

Proportions are to your taste.

Any suggestions? It can't be a Margot-cino (that's steamed milk with vanilla and cinnamon, created by the Acris in NY). But maybe a Margot-rita? Or a Margot-sunrise?

Historical? Hysterical!

2011-04-26T19:12:00.005-04:00

Margot and I stood in the kitchen this afternoon and discussed a book project she wants to work on. It involves writing and illustrating a story and then sending it off to be "published." (A very clever gift from her Williamsburg cousins!) Ever the writing instructor, I am encouraging her to make an outline of her story and to then fill in the pages so that it is logical. Margot agrees this is a reasonable process.

"What do you want to write about?" I asked her.

"I don't know, can you give me some ideas?" she replied.

"Well, why not write a story about going to Fort Lewis or Lake Anna?" I asked her.

"Well, I wanted to write a fictional story, but I suppose I could write a non-fiction story about Lake Anna," she mused.

"It can still be fiction," I assured her. "You can use a real place as a setting and still make up different characters or things that haven't really happened."

"Can you give me an example?"

"Sure. Like historical fiction. Stories that take place during a certain time period but the characters never really lived."

"I love historical fiction!" Margot burst out. "And then my story will be really, really funny, too!"

She STILL makes me laugh every day. (In case it isn't clear, she mixed up the words historical and hysterical.)

Hysterical fiction: look for it in a bookstore near you.

Easter Celebration

2011-04-25T08:45:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a lovely and busy Easter Sunday. The weather was perfect - 83 degrees and sunny. All of the azaelas burst open - I think it is safe to say that cold weather is gone for the season.

Margot, Brodie, and I started with breakfast (quiche and croissants) and then went to church. We managed to snag seats, too. We returned home and awaited our guests.

Sixteen people came for dinner yesterday afternoon and we ate on the deck. Unfortunately, I was so busy running around I didn't take any pictures. But there was an egg hunt for the kids (one thing our large yard is good for is egg hunting! Also sledding.). The little cousins all looked so cute in their Easter finery. The adults relaxed and talked. Right as we finished eating, there was a close bolt of lightening and crack of thunder. We cleared the table in an instant and everyone moved inside, but 10 minutes later it all blew over with no rain and we could move back outside. Happy Easter everyone!

Egg Dyeing

2011-04-23T18:22:00.002-04:00

It's been a flurry of activity in our house this weekend, as we prepare to host many Rulands for Easter dinner on Sunday. Margot did her part yesterday by dyeing some Easter eggs.

Cultural Marathon

2011-04-20T09:49:00.005-04:00

It occured to me yesterday that in a 36-hour span between Sunday morning and Monday evening, Margot participated in three different cultural observances. On Sunday morning she had Sunday school. Since it was Palm Sunday, her class focused on the start of Holy Week by making pencils with palm fronds on them (kind of a weak start to an important week; but, then again, you don't see me volunteering to teach that class so I know I should keep my opinions to myself).

On Sunday afternoon, we headed to Wat Thai in Silver Spring, MD. Wat Thai is a Thai Buddhist temple. Each April the Thais celebrate Songkran (Thai New Year). During Songkran, Thais throw water on one another to cool off (it is unbearably hot in April in Thailand) and visit a wat to pray and offer food to the monks. Wat Thai always has a huge celebration with dancing, music, and amazing food. Margot ate her way through satay, pad thai, and a snow cone, and then we visited the temple for a bit of quiet.

Finally, on Monday evening, we ate Passover dinner with good friends. Margot read the part of The Four Questions during seder and also found the hidden matzo. She patiently sat with the adults for a while, but later retired to the living room to watch a movie.

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-15T14:07:00.002-04:00

Today is Emancipation Day in DC. For me, it means I don't have to feed the parking meters in town. For Margot, it signals the first day of a very long spring break from school. She is marking the occasion with a tea party. (Apparently, pandas don't like too much sun. Who knew?)

Success!

2011-04-08T16:40:00.002-04:00

Learning to ride her bike without training wheels has been a challenge for Margot. Ever-cautious, she would often stop before she really got going and, as a result, she would fall over. Her caution was causing her to fall, but that's hard to explain to a six-year-old.

But then, last night, after dinner, she and Brodie headed out to take advantage of the lingering daylight (at 7:30pm! Oh how I love daylight savings).

And guess what! It just clicked. Off she rode.

What's the next milestone after this? Driving?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T16:30:00.002-04:00

This morning, I gave Margot a pinch when I woke her up since she wasn't wearing green. She sleepily retorted, "Take that back! I have green eyes!"

Alas, she does.

She tumbled down the stairs, ready for the day and excited at the prospect of eating green jello at school. A crafty leprochaun dyed her milk green before breakfast. She guzzled it down.

I like to remember St. Patrick's Day six years ago when Uncle Tim and I took Margot to an Irish bar for a mid-afternoon pint. That was back on Capitol Hill. She slept through the whole thing. I wish I had a photo from that day.

But look at her now!

Margot's Reading List

2011-03-09T10:59:00.002-05:00

Margot and I are huge fans of our public library. It's close by, and she loves to get books and movies every few weeks. She usually leaves with a stack of 10-12 books.

Recently she's discovered non-fiction. (A girl after my own heart!) And some people in our family (I'm looking at YOU, Aunt Carol and Grandpa Daileader) will be happy to know that she has an interest in American history. Yesterday Margot wanted to find books on the Star Spangled Banner and the origin of the American flag, so we did. We also checked out books on the oceans, glaciers, and polar bears. She also is in the midst of the American Girl series on Rebecca Rubin.

It's exciting for me to see her so excited about reading and learning. Also, the refresher on American history will serve me well (you would think I'd know more history with all of the historians in my family, but I can definitely use a refresher on the War of 1812).

Visit to The Homestead

2011-02-20T21:43:00.002-05:00

In order to break the monotony of winter, we took a quick overnight getaway to The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. The trip down there was rough - windy roads and hills make Margot extremely carsick - but she managed to hold it together with the help of a ginger ale.

Once there, we threw ourselves straight into the activities offered at the lodge. We swam, we had teatime, we went tubing, and we stuffed ourselves silly at the buffet dinner. We slept a few hours and then ate again, went skiing, and caught some trout. For a 24-hour getaway, we were busy!

Skiing at The Homestead

2011-02-20T21:38:00.002-05:00

Here is Margot skiing earlier today in Hot Springs, VA. (Skiing in Virginia seems rather counterintuitive, doesn't it? There wasn't much snow.)

Long Winter

2011-02-18T14:17:00.002-05:00

Time has dragged since Margot's birthday, but for some reason I've been unable to squeeze in an update. So here is a quick rundown, and I will try to be better about posting.

Strep has been Margot's most vile enemy this winter. She seems to get it every month, and is on yet another course of antibiotics. Her tonsils are constantly swollen and we're keeping an eye on them.

Swim team is Margot's new activity, and she loves it. She swims every Sunday afternoon and is always the last kid out of the pool. She's learning the backstroke currently.

Report cards came out a few week's ago and M's was glowing, for the most part. Of course, there was a note that her love of talking is occasionally problematic (my words, not her teacher's). This makes me smile a bit, as I was constantly in trouble for talking in elementary school, too. The apple doesn't fall from the tree at all.

M lost another tooth in January, and the top ones are very wiggly. I anticipate a gap-toothed summer this year.

Today it is 75 degrees. 75 degrees! But tonight it is going to drop into the 20s. Tomorrow we are going skiing. I will post pictures upon our return.

Sixth Birthday Party

2011-01-05T11:14:00.006-05:00

Last Sunday was Margot's sixth birthday party. We hosted sixteen kids at our house for her party. It was madness. Pure and utter madness. Very loud madness.

We played some party games - hot potato, pin-the-horn-on-the-unicorn, and ring toss. Brodie built an awesome obstacle course in the backyard and we ran them through it over and over even thought it was about 45 degrees and raining. (No one complained. They loved the obstacle course - especially the rope swing! They also loved running through and breaking the tape at the end of the course. Everyone got a medal.)

Margot requested a snowman cake and her wish was granted. I baked the cake and made the frosting and Brodie decorated the cake. In lieu of a pipe, Brodie placed a single candle in the snowman's mouth. Har har har.

Here are most of the guests in a photo. They look sweet, don't they? But there are many screamers in that group. Don't let the innocence you see in this photo fool you.

Finally, here are Min's friends singing happy birthday. All in all it was a great day, but next year we will definitely do something a little more low key.

Sixth birthday

2010-12-29T09:13:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, Min turned six years old. Six! I can no longer carry her for any distance (although Brodie willingly does so and will for as long as she continues to ask to be carried) but I can pick her up for a hug. Her second loose tooth will fall out any day now. She's almost 48 inches and weighs about 45 pounds. Disney princesses are long since out and horses and American Girl are in. She can read an entire book to me without tiring.

She is still such a pleasant person to be around. She never cries and screams to get her way. She rarely whines. She is considerate of others' feelings. She likes school and gets along well with her friends. Every day I am aware of what a blessing it is to have her in my life.

A few weeks ago we went to a birthday party for a two-year-old girl who is the daughter of Navy physicians who are friends of ours. These docs did a rotation in the Bethesda Naval Hospital NICU and they have friends who also did rotations there. Our friends loved telling the other docs at the party about Margot and her stay in the NICU. The other docs - some of whom did their rotations there while Min was a patient, although they didn't specifically remember her - loved seeing how Margot has grown and thrived. Some commented that the NICU was full of 28 and 30-weekers right now, and that they would return to tell those babies' parents about M and how she's grown since her early start.

For Min's birthday, we started with cinnamon rolls for breakfast (her request) and presents. Her gifts were that fluffy robe, a zhu-zhu pet, and a Scooby Doo game for her Leapster.

Later, Margot and I went ice-skating at the Sculpture Garden. We were both unsteady at first, but after an hour we skated around and around while holding hands.

We ate lunch out, and then went to the National Gallery to see Degas' Little Dancer. (This was Margot's request, also. Her art teacher talked about Little Dancer some months ago and M has wanted to see it ever since.) Lunch was pizza and hot chocolate.

Later, we came back to the house and colored. The three of us ate dinner (M's birthday request was chicken cutlets, mashed potatoes, and edemame) and then watched Home Alone 2.

Happy birthday, Margot! We love you.

The final days of being five

2010-12-27T15:37:00.004-05:00

Margot is down to the final hours of her fifth year. To recap what is always a hectic week, here is what she's been up to:

Visiting cousins in New York City

Celebrating Christmas Eve

Decoding the letter left by Santa

Thanks, Santa! An American Girl doll! Just what Margot wanted!

The Big Questions

2010-12-16T09:25:00.002-05:00

Why is it that the "Big Questions" always come when I'm running around and unable to formulate a good answer?

As I drove Margot to school this morning she asked, "Why did Jesus have a stepfather?"

My frazzled mind was not prepared for that one. You can bet that when I am sitting in my meeting today downtown at HHS, I won't be thinking about the editorial direction of the Office on Women's Health. Instead I'll be composing the best answer to this question (to be delivered after school) so she doesn't stop asking me the big questions.

My Clara

2010-12-15T13:48:00.003-05:00

On Sunday afternoon, Margot and I saw a local production of The Nutcracker. It was called the Mini Nut and was geared toward kids 10 and under (it was only an hour long!). This renewed her interest in ballet. For most of the fall, Margot was uninterested in her ballet class until they started learning a choreographed dance that they practiced each week instead of just doing steps and warm-ups. Seeing The Nutcracker and the incredibly talented ballet dancers reminded Margot how much she loves ballet.

Yesterday, her class performed their dance for parents. I don't have a good video of the dance because the woman next to me kept putting her head in front of my camera lens. Instead of posting a video of someone else's head, I'll give you a few still shots of Margot dancing.

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree

2010-12-14T21:07:00.003-05:00

Topping the tree in December 2010

She really has grown since December 2006.

Margot and Santa, 2010

2010-12-05T21:35:00.002-05:00

Today Margot visited with Santa. She was nervous, but bravely approached him and explained the three items she wishes for at Christmas. By the end, they were laughing together like old friends.

Mysteries and more

2010-12-01T11:23:00.007-05:00

We have a mystery on our hands. Outside our front door, there are two small evergreen trees that Margot decorated for Christmas with small, silver ornaments. Every morning (and sometimes when I return from work) several of these ornaments are scattered on our front steps. The first time I thought maybe it was the wind (but it hasn't been particularly windy). This morning, the ornaments were everywhere. Something is purposefully moving the ornaments.

I think it's the neighbor's cat, but I can't be sure. I put it to Margot to figure out a way to solve the mystery. We'll see what she comes up with.

Last month, Brodie and I took a long-awaited trip to Hawaii for our 10-year wedding anniversary. It was wonderful, but so hard to go without Margot. We completed a hike, though, that was way beyond Margot's capabilities (24 miles round trip and very steep). Here are some photos:
Surfers on 20 foot waves

Part of the treacherous trail we hiked

Hotel pool at sunrise (the time difference had us rising at 4:30am most days)

This was my shower for three days while we camped

Sunset at the hotel

Finally, Thanksgiving was eventful, as we had to run Margot to the ER for severely swollen glands (they were the size of oranges). She was discharged the same day with antibiotics and has been recovering slowly (5 days later the glands have shrunk to walnut size). But we also got to visit with Tim, Maggan, Madeleine and Declan, which was a treat.

When you wish upon a fountain...

2010-11-04T16:36:00.003-04:00

Margot has $15 to her name (well, actually a $15 credit with me) and it is burning a hole in her pocket. We made a deal over her 5 pounds of Halloween candy: if she donated the candy to the troops in Afghanistan, I would take her to Toys R Us and buy her a toy that costs less than $15.

Can you believe the timing? On November 1, Toys R Us sent a huge holiday catalog to the house.

Margot poured over the catalog for days. She covets an Easy Bake Oven, a Jeep 4X4 that she can drive, and some giant Barbie paraphernalia. All of these things cost more than $15.

On Tuesday, Nov. 2, I took M to get her Flu Mist for the season. Beneath her doctor's office is a fountain that she likes to visit. I gave her a penny for wishing. She scrunched her face, tossed the penny into the fountain, and we returned to the car.

She couldn't stand the suspense.

"Mommy, I just want to tell you what I wished for!" she said.

"You can't!" I told her. "It won't come true."

She considered this for a moment. "Well, I just want to tell you so I'll make another wish that I won't tell you about."

"Ok, what was your wish?" I asked.

"I wished that Toys R Us would lower their prices."

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T09:13:00.002-04:00

Halloween 2010 was pretty perfect, as Halloweens go. The temperature was chilly (but not freezing), it didn't rain, and there were plenty of leaves to crunch beneath our shoes as we walked from house to house. Margot began trick-or-treating with her dear friend Lucille, and then ran into a gaggle of neighbors and a classmate. The groups merged and became a tornado of candy-fueled insanity, and yet the kids still remembered to say "Trick-or-treat,"thank you," and "happy Halloween!"

I am certain that Margot's bag of candy weighs more than she did at birth.

Happy Halloween everyone! Now we are onto November, which is my second favorite month of the year (after June).

Halloween Parade

2010-10-28T21:12:00.005-04:00

Today was the Halloween parade at Margot's school. I was so impressed with the costumes! Some of these kids (and their parents!) take Halloween very seriously.

As a recap:
Margot and her pal Ariel

Margot marching

Margot marching by

Margot and her pal Princess Leia

Camping Aftermath

2010-10-26T10:10:00.002-04:00

Now that I look at the camping photos, I feel I should have known Margot was coming down with something. Her eyes look a little hollow. Alas, by Sunday evening she had a low fever and a sore throat. A trip to the pediatrician on Monday revealed she was positive for strep throat.

The doc gave the ok to send her to school today if she stayed fever-free yesterday, so she’s back at school today. Getting her to take another 17 doses of grape-flavored amoxicillin is going to be a challenge, though. If that stuff tastes as badly as it smells (and Margot assures me it is, indeed, awful), we are going to run out of bribes before the 10 days are up!

I had to pay an extra $2.99 for the pharmacy to change the flavor of the medicine from "awful" to "grape-flavored and still awful." If they are going to charge for flavor, shouldn't it at least be palatable?

Camping 2010

2010-10-25T09:41:00.004-04:00

On Saturday night we camped in Shenandoah. I think two years running means that our October camping trip can now be termed an 'annual event.' This year we eschewed 'car camping' (camping at a pre-established site, complete with a fire ring, bathrooms, and the car parked nearby) and did a proper backpacking camping trip. We carried all our food, supplies, and water about a mile and a half into the forest and set up camp alongside a stream. Margot was a real trooper on the hike and earned a virtual merit badge (I say 'virtual' because she's not an actual Scout yet).

A girl and her dog

2010-10-25T09:35:00.002-04:00

These two really love each other. They also like to watch tv together.

Chinese Princess (Editorial)

2010-10-20T10:02:00.005-04:00

Halloween is fast-approaching. About a month ago, Margot declared that she wanted to be a Chinese princess for Halloween. She wants to wear a dress that we bought for her in Thailand a few years ago, and we picked up some matching shoes in Chinatown last weekend. That's the extent of her costume (at least in my eyes).

When I picked her up from school yesterday, her teacher asked if I would wait a few minutes to talk about something. She shooed Margot away, and the conversation went like this (imagine it fast, and slightly accusatory):

Teacher: "What is Margot planning to be for Halloween?"
Me: "She wants to be a Chinese princess."
Teacher: "What is she planning to wear?"
Me: (wondering where on earth this is going) "Uh, a dress we bought in Thailand a while back and some shoes we got in Chinatown last weekend."
Teacher: "Is she dyeing her hair black? Because that's not a costume, that's dressing as someone of another race which is not ok."
Me: (Laughing) "No, you thought I would let her dye her hair black?" (I mean, c'mon! She's five!)
Teacher: "Well, I couldn't know. She told the class she was dyeing her hair black for Halloween. I had to make sure it wasn't offensive."

This raises all kinds of issues for me. First, I feel kind of sad that it's ok for society to support Margot if she wanted to be a blond princess like Cinderella, but because she wants to emulate an Asian princess that it's not acceptable. Margot sees beauty in Asian-style clothing and wants to wear it. She's not making a mockery of the culture - she admires it! And shouldn't we encourage her to do so? She gets enough twisted messages from Disney about what is supposed to be beautiful (thin, blond, and busty come to mind). Here she is, genuinely admiring another, real, established culture, and her ideas are squashed.

Of course, she is unaware that her ideas are being squashed.

I now know she pictures herself with long black hair for Halloween, but that, obviously, is not going to happen. It never was going to happen. I'm sure she'll be walking around in her Thai dress and red shoes and no one will have any idea of what she is supposed to be. But, in her heart, she will be a beautiful Chinese princess. Some people may project their own issues with race upon her, but I assure you her intentions are innocent. And I think allowing her to dress this way for Halloween will encourage her to be a global citizen, instead of a Disney zombie.

First Lost Tooth

2010-09-25T14:00:00.003-04:00

And even though it seems like these teeth broke through just yesterday, one fell out this afternoon.

Margot swallowed it while eating her lunch. Oops.

Now that I think about it, those teeth came is exactly 5 years ago. I specifically remember noticing her first teeth (the two front bottom teeth) in mid-September 2005.

Morning at the zoo is the very best time to go

2010-09-13T17:41:00.002-04:00

Margot and I woke up early on Saturday morning and went to the zoo. We were there by 9am. It was the very best time to go - all of the animals (except the panda) were awake and fresh and enjoying the cool morning air. The animals were active - taking baths, climbing trees, and looking generally cute and cuddly.

The panda, however, likes to sleep in. Here he is, snoozing away at the edge of his panda habitat at 9:30am.

The early bird gets the worm

2010-09-09T08:34:00.002-04:00

This morning Margot was up and dressed before 7am. Not to brag or anything, but M has always been a terrific sleeper. The only days she wakes early are when she is sick. Even on Christmas morning we can count on her to sleep in a bit. An early and motivated awakening is highly unusual for Margot.

But today she puttered around bright and early. She got dressed, made her bed (!), put her hair in a pony tail, and tied her sneakers. When I went downstairs at 7:10 to make her breakfast and pack her lunch, she had beat me to it. She was spreading cream cheese on an already toasted bagel. Wow.

"Oh, and mommy," she said. "There is a little science experiment in the freezer. Please don't touch it."

Curious but not alarmed, I opened the freezer. There was a plate of silver glitter glue with Hershey's syrup squeezed on top of it. I shut the door and said not a word.

I am not sure what the hypothesis is for that experiment, but I am sure I will find out this afternoon.

Do Unto Otters?

2010-08-31T09:24:00.003-04:00

When I cook, Margot likes to pull a chair up to the counter behind the stove, stand on it, and watch me. Last night I made black bean soup in the crockpot (from scratch! I actually soaked dried beans. It was good, too.) and turkey burgers. Margot watched from her usual perch. While the burgers sizzled on the stove, she complained that it was too hot.

"Have you ever heard the saying, 'If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen?'" I asked her. She looked at me, puzzled.

"No," she said. "That doesn't even make sense."

Ok, so the idiom was over her head. I explained that it was a saying, and I told her what it meant. She seemed relieved that I wasn't telling her to literally get out of the kitchen.

"We have a saying at school," she countered after a few minutes. "Do unto otters as you want them to do unto you."

I laughed and laughed. "It's not 'otters', Margot," I told her. "It's others. Other people. Do unto others as you want them to do unto you."

"No, Mommy," she insisted. "It's otters. The book is about otters."

Alas, she gets the last laugh. I found this on an Amazon search. Clever!

First Day of Kindergarten

2010-08-23T16:16:00.005-04:00

Today was Margot's first day of Kindergarten. It went well! She was all smiles at drop off and at pick up. She did let me have it a little bit for having her wear a long-sleeved dress when it was 85 degrees, but otherwise things were great. (In my defense, NPR said this morning that it would be cloudy all day and 79 for a high. Instead, it's been sunny and 85. Oh well.)

Her teacher is uber-organized and has a lot of energy. So far, a teacher after my own heart. There is a turtle in her class named Mac. One of her good friends from preK is in her class, so she already has a pal.

I just love the beginning of a school year - clean shoes, some new clothes, crisp notebooks and folders. I wish *I* was the one going back to school this fall.

On a side note, as we left school this afternoon, Margot asked me (again) if she could wear a uniform to school. (This isn't the first time she's asked.) "I like today's outfit," she jabbered as we walked toward the car, "because of my brown shoes and white socks. I would like to wear a uniform to school. A plaid skirt, knee socks, brown leather shoes, a sweater, and a white or red shirt. I want two braids and glasses. Can I wear a uniform in high school at least?"

She really is her father's daughter - there is no doubt about it. They both like to dress the part for their activities.

Tomorrow is the last day of summer vacation

2010-08-21T22:07:00.002-04:00

The summer passed so very quickly this year. Margot spent six weeks at one day camp, where she swam and did crafts and learned camp-y songs and had a terrific time. Then, she spent two weeks at gymnastics camp which she kind of enjoyed but wasn't completely thrilled about. Then, she spent one week of bona fide summer down-time, with lounging, and watching cartoons, and more swimming, and eating ice cream. We just returned from a few days in Lake Anna, where Margot perfected the art of jumping off of the dock with her cousins.

Tomorrow is the last day of summer vacation before kindergarten starts on Monday. I am looking forward to getting back into a school routine, but M says she is nervous about returning to school. I'm hoping those nerves turn to smiles when we go to school on Monday, but you never can tell. I'll give a full report then, of course.

Goodbye summer! I've loved every moment of you, even though you'll probably be the hottest summer on record in DC!

Long Island - 2010

2010-08-17T16:53:00.003-04:00

Margot and I visited Tim, Maggan, Madeleine and Declan over the weekend (we saw Grandma and Grandpa, too!) I'm in a rush, so I'll let the pictures speak the 100 or so words I'd normally type as accompaniment!

Friday Night Picnic with President Lincoln

2010-08-07T09:37:00.004-04:00

Last night we picnicked at President Lincoln's feet. It was a beautiful night for monuments - low humidity, beautiful sunset, cool temperature. We had to share the monuments with hundreds of tourists, but it made for interesting people-watching. Lots of international visitors, plenty of Americans with sensible walking shoes, and even a Buddhist monk shared the evening with us.

We started with dinner on the far side of the Lincoln Memorial and watched the sun go down over the Potomac:

Then we sat atop the Lincoln Memorial as darkness crept in:

(Doesn't this photo remind you a bit of the second photo in this post?)

Finally we reflected a bit before heading home:

Countdown

2010-08-02T11:09:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Margot and I were listening to Schoolhouse Rock's Zero my Hero, which lauds the invention of zero. Part of the lyrics include:

My hero, Zero, such a funny little hero,
But till you came along,
We counted on our fingers and toes.
Now you're here to stay
And nobody really knows
How wonderful you are.
Why we could never reach a star,
Without you, Zero, my hero,
How wonderful you are.

"Why couldn't we reach the stars without zero?" Margot asked from the backseat of the car.

"Well," I answered, "because we'd never be able to do the math it takes to fly a rocket into space." By this response, I meant that we'd never be able to figure out the physics needed to launch a projectile from the earth to a star. Big picture stuff. But I didn't say any of that out loud, because it's beyond M's comprehension (to be honest, it's beyond my comprehension, too).

"Oh! You're right!" exclaimed Margot. "Without zero, we couldn't do the countdown for a rocket! 10, 9, 8, 7...There's a zero in the number 10, after all. A rocket could never take off without a countdown."

Good point.

The List of Six

2010-07-22T21:44:00.002-04:00

At bed tonight, Margot first confided in me that she's both excited and nervous for kindergarten. Almost in the same breath, she switched gears and told me there are six things she's really excited about:

1. Going to gymnastics camp in August
2. Our upcoming trip to Long Island
3. Going to Lake Anna with her cousins
4. Tubing in Jackson, WY, next winter (I was unaware that was on the agenda)
5. The first day of kindergarten
6. Tomorrow

The funny thing is, nothing in particular is happening tomorrow. She'll go to camp, play with friends, and go swimming. She'll probably get a popsicle at camp, and I think they have free play in the pool instead of lessons (she's a whiz at fetching those sinking toys from the bottom of the pool, apparently). But I wish I could end each day completely unable to wait for the next day to start, even when it's just going to be a regular day. We should all take a lesson from Mini!

Earthquake

2010-07-16T13:44:00.004-04:00

Early this morning I awoke to vibrating and shaking. The bed buzzed, the pictures on the wall clattered, and the floors rumbled a bit. My first thought was, "Something in the basement is about to blow up!" I said aloud, "What is that?" A dazed Brodie thought a second and then mumbled, "Earthquake." And he was right. This was my first earthquake. I'm ok if it's my only earthquake.

Margot slept right through it. So did Portia. I thought dogs were supposed to sense these things! I find it funny that Portia slept through, actually, because the other night, when we had a wicked thunderstorm, she dashed up the stairs and burrowed under the covers on Margot's bed. So thunderstorms = terror but earthquakes = nonchalance in P's world.

A bit of irony: a few days ago, Margot asked me how earthquakes happen. I gave a demonstration of how the Earth's plates push on one another and how a quake happens when they shift. However, I think she was asking because she heard more about Haiti on the radio, and not because she is forecasting earthquakes. You never can tell, though.

Tour de France

2010-07-10T10:53:00.004-04:00

Most wives complain that their husbands sit in front of the tv all fall/winter watching football. Mine prefers summer sports. (But I'm not complaining! I love to watch baseball, soccer, hockey, and even biking.) Currently Brodie and Margot are watching the Tour de France. While sneaking around with the video camera this morning, I caught this exchange:

I am fairly certain neither Margot nor Brodie know who Lebron James is but Alberto Contador? Here he's a household name. By the way, Brodie and Margot are currently acting out scenes from the famous bike race with her prince/princess action figures. I overheard M say something along the lines of, "Let's pretend that Lance Armstrong is winning this time."

Freedom isn't free, and clearly it's nothing to smile about.

2010-07-06T10:45:00.006-04:00

This photo was the cover of Margot's camp's newsletter this weekend. Here is Margot during their 4th of July parade last week.

Star Jump!

2010-06-24T09:24:00.002-04:00

Apostrophe S (aka Eats, Shoots and Leaves)

2010-06-22T09:27:00.006-04:00

I beamed with pride this morning in a way that only a parent can. Did M hit a home run? Nope. Run a four minute mile? Nah. Even better.

I prepped M's lunch and snack for camp last night. When she came downstairs for breakfast, they sat on the counter. Her lunch was in her lunchbox and her snack was in a brown paper bag. I rummaged through the refrigerator, getting M's breakfast, while Margot examined her snack bag.

"Mama," she said, trying to get my attention. "MAMA."

"Yes?" I asked, my head still buried in the fridge, looking for the cream cheese.

"This snack bag is wrong," she said. "It says 'Margot snack.' There should be an apostrophe S at the end. Margot's snack. The snack belongs to me. I am not the snack."

She was right! I did write "Margot snack" on the bag.

As a writer/editor, nothing makes me happier than hearing her point out grammatical errors.

(Well, unless she gets into the Scripps Spelling Bee. That's my secret dream for her.)

Another kind of soccer game

2010-06-21T21:45:00.003-04:00

Someday Margot will be sitting around with her friends saying, "Yeah? You think YOUR parents are weird? Mine have got yours beat. Each year, they would get together with their friends from college and some other friends and have a weekend soccer tournament in June. They would alternate cities - one year in Brooklyn, one year in Baltimore, then back to Brooklyn, etc."

"They started getting really crazy about it as the years went by. They had uniforms..."

"And a manager..."

"And there was a trophy..."

"And after the soccer game, everyone would get together for a barbeque that lasted until the wee hours of the night."

"Their team was called the COBRAZ! and one year my mom and her friends made this insane cake in the shape of a cobra. It was a real, edible cake. It took 8 hours to make."

And her friends will look at these photos and say, "You're right. You win."

Soccer Wrap Up

2010-06-16T12:46:00.005-04:00

Last weekend wrapped up the 2010 soccer season for Min. As you see in the photo, she wore flip flops to the final game.

But, that said, she was thrilled to have a popsicle and get a trophy with her teammates at the end of the game!

Perfect summer weekend

2010-06-07T19:53:00.003-04:00

Wow, what a great weekend. We swam, we barbequed, we hiked at Great Falls (the Maryland side), we sweated, we caught fireflies, we ate ice cream. Just perfect.

Here are Brodie and Margot along the C&O canal, during our afternoon hike to Great Falls.

Graduation Video

2010-06-07T10:59:00.004-04:00

Look for Margot exiting from the stage. If this video finally loads, it will be a cyberspace miracle:

PreK Graduation

2010-06-04T13:56:00.007-04:00

Where's Margot?

Margot and her teacher

Processing toward the stage

Post-graduation

This morning, Margot 'graduated' from preK. The cafeteria was packed to standing room only with parents and siblings of the 80 preK students, and we were treated to renditions of 'A You're Adorable,' 'Doe, a Deer,' and 'Curious.' I even said the Pledge of Allegience for the first time in probably 25 years.

Also, check out the video. While watching the video, pay close attention to the fourth grade band playing Pomp and Circumstance. It stole the show, in my mind.

Merry merry month of May

2010-05-27T10:42:00.002-04:00

May has flown by with little time for posting. Here's a soccer update: last Saturday, Margot agreed to stand on the field, but wouldn't go anywhere near the ball. She also wouldn't run. She just kind of walked back and forth. While that qualifies as progress, we won't sign up for soccer again in the fall.

That said, M is now jumping into the pool on her own and swimming to the opposite side with no floatation devices at all. I'm glad she finds so much joy in swimming. Yesterday was her last "lesson," but she'll get to swim every day at camp and we're going to the pool more often to keep her skills up.

Soccer Saga

2010-05-01T19:48:00.011-04:00

From the looks of this photo, you might guess that Margot is enjoying soccer. And she does enjoy kicking the soccer ball, especially with her dad. But we've encountered a challenge recently that has me a little frustrated and completely flustered about how to proceed.

Min is playing soccer on a bona-fide team this season, together with some of her friends from school. The team is co-ed. On Thursdays she has practice, where she happily does headers, kicks the ball around cones, and does jumping jacks and stretches.

On Saturdays she has games. Actual games, of five-on-five kids. The games last 30 minutes. Margot has been to two games. She's cried for all 60 minutes of the two games. She absolutely refuses to play in the games.

As I write this, I know that it's silly. But I just can't understand what it is that she hates about the games. (I know I am biased; I love team sports.) The girl who articulates her feelings so well cannot put into words what is frightening her.

Today it was really hot. Margot was the only available sub for the starters on the field. Her friends ran around with the ball and got red-faced and sweaty. They begged to come out. Margot refused to sub in. I pleaded ("C'mon Min, just try!"). I reasoned ("Leah is so hot! She needs a break! Can you at least go on the field so she can come out?"). I tried a little guilt-trip ("This is a team. You need to help your friends!"). I stopped short of bribery (it wouldn't have worked, anyway). Nothing. Just tears, tears, and more tears. Eventually, the other team had to give us some players so Min's teammates could come out and rest.

I am embarrassed to admit that I feel frustrated when Margot won't play. I try my best to swallow the frustration. I know that's not what she needs and I recognize that it is ridiculous that I feel that way. She's five, after all. (If you know Min, though, you know that it's easy to forget that she's only five. She's mature beyond her years.) But at the same time, I do want her to learn about teamwork, and how to play on a team. Maybe she's too young. Maybe independent sports will always be her thing (she still adores ballet and swimming). My very wise - and athletic! - sister-in-law told me of her own lifelong dislike of team sports, noting that she had a fear of letting down her teammates. Perhaps this is the issue that Margot cannot yet articulate. Who knows.

But now I am left trying to decide whether we show up to every game for the rest of the season or just call it quits. I fear that calling it quits sends the wrong message because I want her to try. She'll never learn if she doesn't try. But then again, if we do go to these Saturday games, I can expect more tears whenever she's asked to step onto the field and that seems silly. I would love to write a post in late June about how, in the last game, Margot decided to sub-in and scored a goal, sending her soccer confidence soaring. But really, we all know that life doesn't work that way (anyone else hear the theme song to Chariots of Fire playing right now?)

I'll keep you posted.

Friday Night Picnics Resume

2010-05-01T19:36:00.004-04:00

The past six weeks have provided us with some of the most beautiful Spring weather that I can recall for a long time. Perhaps ever. For this reason, we've been able to have a couple of Friday Night Picnics already this year. In early April, we ate with friends at the Iwo Jima Memorial and looked across the Potomac at a beautiful sunset. And yesterday evening, Brodie, Margot and I ate in Rock Creek Park. We walked the trails, kicked the soccer ball, played with Portia, and ate barbeque chicken sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies.

(Disclosure - Margot ate peanut butter, her usual standby. I don't know what she is going to eat this summer when she goes to camp, because the camp is "peanut-free." I'm going to try to trick her into eating sunflower seed butter. I'll report back on that experiment when it happens.)

April 2

April 30

Swimmer

2010-04-21T14:35:00.002-04:00

This photo is not going to win any awards (it's blurry, a bad angle, and taken from my phone) but here she is, in all her glory, actually swimming without any floatation devices.

Go, Margot, go!

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T13:20:00.001-04:00

April Fool

2010-04-01T21:06:00.003-04:00

Margot and I played a very satisfying April Fools joke on Brodie this evening. I convinced him, by phone, that I found a puppy and brought it in and was thinking about keeping it. I said I thought it was a schnauzer, Portia didn't seem to mind, it was in the basement and we could talk about it when he got home, etc. Oh, it was so great to hand the phone to Margot (under the pretense that she was excited to tell him about the pup) and have her shout April Fools!

That said, Margot bombarded me nonstop all afternoon with April Fools tricks (none of which were really that tricky, let's be honest). "Mom, your tire is flat. April Fools!"

Two seconds later. "Mama, there's a spider in your hair. April Fools!"

Less than one second later. "Mama, we climbed trees at school today. April Fools!"

But then, after at least 30 April Fools "tricks," she said "But really, mama, now I need to tell you something that is true. It's not a joke. I love you, mama."

Entrepreneur - Part II

2010-03-25T09:57:00.002-04:00

I've posted before about Margot's entrepreneurial ideas.

This morning she had a new one.

"What if a Pez container could also be a nail clipper? After you finish the candy, you could keep it and use it to clip your nails."

Hmmm. I don't know if I like this as much as the towel-less bathroom idea, but there's got to be something we can do with empty Pez dispensers!

Spring!

2010-03-22T18:22:00.004-04:00

Spring came this weekend and brought glorious 75 degree temperatures for the entire week prior. That means Margot spent lots of time at the park, lots of time chalking the sidewalk, and lots of time playing hopskotch. (Neither of us know the exact rules for hopskotch, but she mostly enjoys the jumping and could care less where the stone goes when she tosses it.)

It also means that shortly after these photos were taken, Margot wiped out while running and skinned both her knees.

Ballet photos

2010-03-18T21:04:00.017-04:00

Margot is going to take a brief break from ballet from April - September so she can swim more often. This is her choice. I hope she goes back to ballet eventually, because she's really good (for her age) and she's loved it since age 2, but if she doesn't want to I won't push her. (Note: Once she saw the camera come up, she became really goofy.)

On her toes: Plie with a smooch for mom: Blurry grand jete:

Also, here is a quick video from class. At the end of it, she's with one of her best girlfriends, Lucille. I love the still frame at the end where they are both smiling.

Finally, if you haven't yet had enough of Margot as dancer, you can look here to see how she's grown as a ballerina (the link is from 2 years ago). Also, here. Finally, here.

Cryptic Messages

2010-03-05T21:20:00.003-05:00

Margot has taken to letter writing in the past few weeks. She has been penning notes to her cousins of reading age and dropping them in the mail/delivering them.

They require quite a bit of deciphering, however. First, she forgets to put spaces in between her words so sometimes theyallruntogetherlikethis. Also, her spelling is completely phonetic, so the letters may look like a jumble of nothing but do actually make sense if you sound them out.

For example, she made a picture for one of her school friends and wrote this at the top:

BUCHRIS

"Bew-kris?" I thought to myself. What does THAT mean?

I asked her about it.

"Oh," said Min. "It's for Beatrice."

Of course! Try sounding it out. B-uh-ch(like 'choo choo')-riss. BEATRICE. Completely logical.

Status Update

2010-02-28T21:31:00.003-05:00

Last night Margot had a sleepover with her cousin Riley. As we drove north to pick up Riley, Margot asked me, "Do you think we could stay up late tonight? Could we stay up until 9?"

Now I know that there was no way the girls would go to bed at 8, which is Margot's usual bedtime, so I took advantage of the chance to look like a great mom.

"Sure," I answered. "You can stay up until 9." (Note - they were up until 10. But they were in bed by 9:20, and just had girly-girl chatting until 10, so it wasn't a big deal. The pre-dawn awakening and subsequent chatting, though, was another story.)

"Really!?!" Margot exclaimed. "We can stay up until 9? I can't wait! This is great." Then, the clincher: "I am going to put this on Facebook."

True Love

2010-02-26T21:17:00.002-05:00

Tonight Margot and I visited one of her school chums for pizza and a movie. The kids settled onto the couch - Margot, Quint, and Quint's little sister. I headed into the kitchen to make popcorn and Quint's mom started setting up the movie (Shrek) in the living room where the kids were sitting. Margot and Quint have been good buddies since school started last year. He's the prince to her princess games and, once in a while, she obliges and plays Transformers with him.

Margot: (Audible sigh.) "Quint S., I am going to marry you." (She actually called him by his whole name.)

Quint: (Covers his ears.) "Nonsense! That's nonsense!"

Margot: (Smiling.) "But I am. I AM going to marry you!"

Quint: (Hands still on ears.) "Nonsense!" he hollered.

Margot: (Turning to Quint's mom.) "I told Quint I love him."

Quint: "NONSENSE!!!!"

Skating in Jackson

2010-02-26T13:43:00.002-05:00

Coach Margot

2010-02-23T12:59:00.003-05:00

My Lenten resolution has been to exercise every single day for 30 minutes minimum. Some days I can squeeze in more than that, but between work and home, it can be hard to find even 30 minutes on a weekday. So far, so good. I am hoping that the 40 days of Lent will be enough to help me shake my lazy winter behaviors.

Since there is still a good deal of snow outside, most of my exercising is done in the living room, in front of the TV. I bring out my mat, some weights, and do a workout video.

Margot loves to join me. She changes her clothes into a t-shirt and yoga pants, gets a glass of water, and uses the remote controls as weights. She curls her biceps and does jumping jacks right alongside me. (She usually skips the sit-ups though.)

She's not such a great coach, unfortunately. When I'm panting and sweating she tells me, "Just take a break, Mama. Pause the tv. Get some water. Don't work so hard."

I need to retrain her to be a better drill sargeant!

Getting Ready for Vancouver

2010-02-09T14:31:00.003-05:00

Brodie says that she stuck this landing every time until I showed up to record it. I can't say if she did or not, since she wasn't interested in doing this again after her wipe out.

Long Winter

2010-02-08T11:15:00.003-05:00

I was impressed when we got 20 inches of snow in December. Then we got 27 inches over the weekend. My daffodils had just started to sprout in the front yard; poor things are now buried under feet of snow. It's going to be a long wait until Spring.

More is forecast for tonight, but this is what it looked like around here on Sunday:

The Secret Reader

2010-01-28T09:07:00.002-05:00

I can probably count on two hands the number of times Margot has gone to bed without us reading a book or two beforehand. Occasionally, I do admit, I've let her trade 30 minutes of The Electric Company for reading before bed (I justify the television-for-book swap since that show focuses on reading skills).

After I leave the room, Margot continues to look at books for 30 minutes or so until she falls asleep. I noticed last night that there was a pile of easy-readers next to her bed that she had pulled from her shelf. I asked her if she would read one to me. I know she can sound out and read the pages of these books. I've heard her read to herself in her room. But last night, when I asked her to read to me, she shook her head and tears formed in her eyes.

"Why not?" I asked. "Why don't you want to read to me?"

"Because," she said, lip quivering, "if I read to you, then you will stop reading to me!"

I told her that we could still have this bedtime ritual, and she could just practice reading aloud. She said no. She wouldn't read to me. Of course, I dropped the whole issue and read to her. I hope she will love books the way I do. She can continue to read in secret, and I will be the one to read aloud.

Skiing Video

2010-01-26T17:26:00.004-05:00

Here is video of Margot skiing in Jackson Hole last weekend.

Elle fait du ski!

2010-01-25T21:34:00.007-05:00

I knew the time would come when Margot surpassed me in ability to do something, but I didn't know it would come so soon. I am truly humbled. It only took her five years. On our recent trip to Jackson, WY, she became a full-fledged skier. She went from this:

(Ski school on the bunny hill with her instructor)

to this:
(Getting on a chair lift)

to this:
(Riding a chair lift - with Brodie of course - like these kids who I don't know but who asked me to take their photo)

to this:
(skiing green runs by herself)

to this:
(enjoying hot chocolate at a well-deserved apres ski break)

I couldn't be more proud of her. There isn't much that scares me in this world, but skiing has never been my thing. It leaves me feeling completely out-of-control, which my micro-managing personality just cannot stand. This all started back in high school when I broke my rented skis in half while hurtling down an icy mountain somewhere in Western Massachusetts. I'll face death on any poor transportation system in any developing country (see this post) before I'll go down a black diamond again.

Margot, on the other hand, has fully embraced the wind and the speed. She never stopped smiling while on the slopes.

She said to me, "Don't worry, mommy. It's easy. I'll teach you."

Just like I wish I could get my mother to get on an airplane and explore the world, Margot will have to wish that she could get me to be a competent skier/snowboarder.

Birthday Extravaganza

2010-01-03T21:41:00.002-05:00

Today was Margot's birthday party. This was her first real birthday party that didn't just involve cake and singing with family. I'm glad we held off until age 5 to go for the big party, and I am also glad that we did it this particular year. Min was smiling ear-to-ear with 12 of her classmates, 3 of her 8 cousins, and 1 former schoolmate. That seems like a lot of kids, doesn't it? I realize now that she knows a pretty large circle of kids, and truly counts them as friends. It's nice, though, because I know all the parents (for the most part) and, more importantly, I like all of the parents. So her little social circle has quickly become part of my social circle.

A local gymnastics center hosted the party. The staff there took care of everything from leading the games to making the goody bags to cutting the cake and it was totally worth every dime! I highly recommend outsourcing your child's party if you can. It was very nice to come home to a clean house after the party. :)

When pressed about her favorite part of the party, Margot couldn't decide if it was the bouncy-train (like a moonbounce), the trampoline, or the princess cake. Mostly, though, her favorite part was that she got to go first for every single activity and, for 90 precious minutes, she got to call all the shots.

Happy 5th Birthday to Margot!

2009-12-29T21:46:00.004-05:00

The craziness of the holiday season continued with Margot's 5th birthday on December 28. We just had a small celebration at home with me, Brodie, and Margot because her big birthday party is next weekend. We ate some cake (chocolate, with chocolate frosting), opened some presents (a scooter from me and Brodie was her big present), and spent the day doing things that are fun for Margot. We went to the candy store and let her compile a bag of candy from the loose candy bins. She went to tap dancing camp for a few hours in the afternoon with her friend Emma (now she wants to take tap in addition to her weekly ballet class). Brodie made pancakes for breakfast (still a favorite for Margot). I made Margot's specially requested dinner: broiled salmon, green beans, and latkes. Latkes! She actually asked me to make latkes! I'd never made them before, but I pulled the recipe from the Gourmet cookbook and they were delicious!

Happy birthday Margot!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-29T21:27:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas! This was the first year we didn't travel for Christmas and it was wonderful having the family come to see us. Margot slept in until 8:30 on Christmas morning; this was the first year we didn't wake HER up. It's been a whirlwind of family and meals and visits and more, but I'll be slightly sad when the excitement dies down (I'll also be slightly relieved).

Merry Christmas to all!

(I like this photo because it captures Margot's astonishment at having received two of her most requested items from Santa - a sandbox and a make-up kit.)