the human body

Gryphon has taken a keen interest of late in the body and its various functions.  The questions that I have been asked:

Mommy, why can I only see where I am? (This one took me awhile to understand, but it became a good lesson in imagination and empathy.)

Mommy, what makes freckles come out from the inside of people?  (Skin is a fascinating organ, you know.)

Mommy, what is the little thing that's like a penis in my private place? (!!!!!)

Mommy, how come bones bend? (They don't!  You have joints!  This was a blessedly easy one to answer.)

And that is just a sampling.  Whew.  I'm exhausted.

rainbow chocolate cookies

In the car coming home from school today, Gryphon started telling me all about someplace she could get 'rainbow chocolate cookies' - talking the way only a five year old can (and I must admit that I was only somewhat listening. . . BAD MOMMY!).  

When she finally drew my attention away from the bad drivers that make up the norm in my dear DC, she was saying "Mommy, the tower!  You have to take me to the tower!  Isabella told me that she had 'rainbow chocolate cookies' at the place with the tower, and that there is one more left JUST FOR ME!"

"What tower are you talking about, honey?" I answered.

"The tower, Mommy!" Apparently I was being dense.  "The tower back there, Mommy!"

"Which one???"  I looked out my rear view mirror trying to figure out where she was talking about.

"Mommy!"  True five year old exasperation!  "The big tower building where the baby Jesus is supposed to live!"

Ah, the perspective of a child living in a decidedly non-religious household in a hyper-religious world.

 

A four year old's take on the daily news

Remember what the headline news was this morning?  

After rushing around (because I woke up late, ugh!) to gather all of the random detritus that the girls seem to need to go to school (backpack? check.  lunchbox? check.  bunny? check.  juice? check. etc, etc, etc) we managed to pack ourselves into the car at 8:00am.  The car radio was tuned to NPR, and the headline news was being read as I turned the car on, and as I tempted fate trying to pull out of my parking spot, trying not to get hit by a speeding gravel truck, Gryphon exclaimed:

"PIRATES?!?!?!?!  What??  FOUR pirates??!!??!!??!!  Do they have SWORDS??!!??!!??!!"  

ABCs

So, I believe this one pretty much speaks, or sings, for itself.

For Grandma Donna

Grandma Donna - 

We have been thinking about you all week and hope you feel better soon!!!

Much love,

Elizabeth and the girls (and Ben too!)

Welcome to Washington, now give up your constitutional rights

Senate Bill 160 will come to a vote Tuesday - PLEASE GIVE ME MY RIGHTS AS A US CITIZEN!

Call your congressman/woman via the congressional switchboard at 202 225 3121.  

In particular, if you are from North Carolina, please call NC Senator Kay Hagen's office at 202 224 6432.  She is reportedly undecided on DC Voting Rights.

The vote is Tuesday.  

I want my voice!  I can see the Capitol Building from my house,  but have no one therein with a vote (Eleanor Holmes Norton does her best, but how much can she do without a VOTE?!?!?!)

Come on people, let's make this happen!!!!!

Valentine's Day

After dinner tonight, Gryphon asked me for 'a treat'.  I presented her with the CUTEST heart shaped sugar cookie that we brought home from a Valentine's Day Tea Party with some of her school friends.  

Now, if you aren't aware, Gryphon is a Very Picky Eater.  Always.  If a chicken nugget is too brown, she will not eat it.  If a blueberry is slightly squishy, she will not eat it.  If a carrot is not long and thin, she will not eat it.  If a sandwich is not cut in the right way (and the right way is different each day), she will not eat it.  If a cookie is broken, she will not eat it.  You get the idea.  

And most pertinent to this story, she usually likes to eat just the icing off cake, cupcakes, iced cookies, etc.  

So after bringing her the cookie I went back to the kitchen to clean up.   All the sudden I heard Gryphon's anguished cry from the dining room.  'What's wrong?' I asked as I made my way back to the dining room.  'I was trying to eat the icing off the cookie, but I couldn't get it off.  The cookie keeps breaking!

'My HEART is BROKEN!!!!!!'

Needless to say, Gryphon did not finish her cookie.