Proverbs...Elementary Style Revisited With A New Perspective

These can be pretty fun. I love to read what children think about these famous sayings. Some of their answers made me tear up with pride in their sense of knowledge and innocence. Some made me laugh. Some of them are obviously famous enough that even the youngest child has heard them before.

Allie's "Happy is the bride who ... thinks." Is so awesome! "Don't change horses when you're in the bog" is destined to become a new classic!
When Aidan tells you to "Strike while the ... tiger's not looking," you should probably listen. Both Allie and Aidan are pretty wise when it comes to an idle mind. Listen up!
(And if you want to read the answers from a few years ago, including the teens' answers from many years ago, check out this post.)

1. Don’t change horses (into ponies)(when you’re in the bog)

2. Strike while the (tiger’s not looking)(foe is weak)

3. Never underestimate the power of (Voldemort) (love)

4. It’s always darkest before (bedtime)(light)

5. You can lead a horse to water but (you can’t kill it)(you can't make it drink)

6. Don’t bite the hand that (is powerful)(feeds)

7. No news is (better than this one)(good news)

8. A miss is as good as a (hit)(hit)

9.You can’t teach an old dog new (tricks)(tricks)

10. If you lie down with dogs, you’ll (get furry)(become one of them)

11. Love all, trust (me)(none)

12. The pen is mightier than the (mighty Thor [or sword])(sword)

13. An idle mind is (stupid)(mind undone)

14. Where there’s smoke, there’s (fire)(fire)

15. Happy is the bride who (kisses)(thinks)

16. A penny saved is (good)(a penny earned)

17. Two’s company, three’s (good)(a crowd)

18. Don’t put off till tomorrow what (you can play now)(is here today)

19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and (the whole world cries with you)(the world laughs at you)

20. There are none so blind as (a tree)(the light)

21. Children should be seen and not (not seen)(heard)

22. If at first you don’t succeed (then you try again) (try, try again)

23. You get out of something only what you (do)(give)

24. When the blind lead the blind (make an army)(they both go down)

25. A bird in the hand (will peck you)(is a bird in the dark)

26. Better late than (dead)(never)

Let It Snow!

 

 December 5, 2011 The most heartbreaking comment of the morning:
"Do you think the snow will still be here after school? What if we don't get to play in it?" ~Allie
And that, my friends, is THE most convincing argument for a snow day. At least a delay. Come one...nothing?! On the plus side, it looks like we're only looking at a high of 32 today, so we're holding out hope for some snow play.

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"We're going to drive in the snow??! Allie, we're going to drive in the snow!!!"
"Wow, there's even snow on the doorknob."
"You sure can tell the difference between snow on trees and just frost on trees."

 "The rooftops are so beautiful."
"Those trees are so cool. No, THOSE trees are so cool. They're beautiful!"

Model Contract

 Allie drew up this contract to set the guidelines for Aimee's photography. She was so proud of it.  Aimee was a little wary of signing it because the younger girls had been resisting photographs all morning.

    Oh, sneaky, sneaky Allie! 

This is what happens when you sign a contract written by a future spy.

 She thinks she's so clever. (I think she is too.)

Allie: I Believe

"I believe in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus and God and Jesus and the Holy Ghost and Wizards and fairies."

Leave it to the magic of childhood innocence to offend Christians, Atheists, Wiccans, and Pagans all in one fell swoop. Nope, I don't care that they're all together.  I think kids can just be kids. There are plenty of years to be adults. Childhood lasts only a short time, and even then, when the magic is gone, you can't really get it back.  Keep believing, Allie!

Spy Like Me

Question: When is a Smackers Lip Gloss multi-pack not just a fruity way to moisturize your lips?

Answer: When Allie and her bestie spend the first 20 minutes of their play time assembling their spy kits, including making a reference sheet indicating each flavor's true power and purpose.

"Mom, how do you spell 'knockout,' like 'knockout gas'?  Is it the same as 'knock on a door' with a 'k' at the front?" (Allie)

"Yes."

"I'm definitely going to have to keep this paper in my spy kit so I remember all the right secret powers." (This was Allie's friend, Grace.)

If you can keep a secret, I'll share the goods with you...tropical punch is knockout gas. Strawberry is laser.  Watch out for that one.  I didn't have the credentials to hear any of the other flavors, sorry. You're on your own.

Tug-of-War

Allie's class came in 4th place in the annual Tug-of-War for her school. They were all very excited and the teachers and coaches were awesome at maintaining good sportsmanship and strong morale for all the children.

I'm relatively certain that they did so well because Allie insisted on bringing her soccer cleats to change into on the field. She "tried to dig them into the ground, but they didn't always work."  :)

Good thing she wore green polka dot shorts. It made it entirely easy to pick her out of the group!

This picture is actually of their final tug, the one which they lost. I was at a different angle for the winning rounds, but they rocked, completely pulling the opposing team off the ground at certain moments.

Her teacher, their cheerleader, is on the right of this pic, in the brown shirt.

Jill and Allie. Yes, Jill is the same age. She was the anchor in the back with the rope around her.

The Art Show

This year, the Andrews Art Guild included art from all the elementary school children. There was a section for each of the grades up 5th grade. The middle school and high school had submissions from the art students, and of course there were paintings from local artists for sale. I don't know if this new tactic drew more traffic, which I figure was part of their plan, but we showed up to see Allie's submission.  It was quite fun to peruse the works of art with my young artist.

Allie's is the painting of Two Boats at the very top.

These were vases by the 4th graders. Allie liked the pink and black patterned one.

Costuming in April

When asked if I sew, my answer is usually that I only sew Christmas pajamas and Halloween costumes.  Since I have purchased store costumes and pajamas the last couple of years, I can't say what I have been sewing. Nothing much, I guess. I do like to sew. I like to make something out of nothing. I like finding the perfect print and altering a pattern that I sort of like to create something that I love.  But, I don't always have time for it.

This week I sewed. It was simple and quick, but I still like it. It was a costume.  Aimee is attending the youth conference pioneer trek and needed "period clothing", so we all made skirts and bonnets and I expect that they will come home absolutely filthy.

The bonnet now has ribbon. I took this picture while Aimee was complaining about the outfit and there was no way I was getting her to put it back on for just for ribbon. That's her pretend smile. :)

Last week I sewed.  It was not straight forward and simple, but it was still a costume.  Allie is researching Helen Keller for her GT project and during the presentation, she is supposed to dress as Helen Keller would have. I couldn't think of anything that we had on hand that would work for clothing for late 1800's to early 1900's.  Alllie wanted to dress as Helen Keller as a child about her same age, so we went from there.  After copious amounts of research, which was probably less necessary, but required for my own peace of mind, we decided on a look. Then the look was changed when Allie saw the pattern I was using and told me not to do the alterations that I had planned. She also insisted on the eyelet lace at the bottom. (not my first choice, but cheaper, so ...you know)

This isn't going to be her hairdo, but she does want hairs to fall out of whatever we do.  She thinks this hair looks "old-timey".

Boots with buttons up the side. They are glued on, but the idea is there. :)

Heavy Sigh

So, with Allie's approval, I made minimal alterations and her Helen Keller look is complete. I feel like the dress is a couple decades off, but she likes it, and it doesn't really matter. It's for a 5 minute second grade research project.

Since Helen Keller didn't wear dark glasses or carry a cane, we went with a doll for her prop.  Allie knows how to spell  WATER and DOLL in sign language, which were important words to a young Helen Keller.  Her presentation is sometime in May, so I'll try to post a video.

Now, I really want to make something that isn't a costume. I'm thinking some dresses or skirts for Aimee, since our shopping trip was pretty unsuccessful.  I've decided that the clothing stores need new buyers, namely me.  I will tell them what to stock so that our young teens don't have to buy ugly clothes.  (Why, yes, Dillars, I'd like my 13 year old to wear a strapless mini dress to church on Sunday. It's always fun to have to pull up your top the whole day long. Or, here's an idea...stock clothing that people can put on that will stay in place and look good.)

Stirring a Memory

This evening Allie showed me a 'very important' letter to parents informing me that the GT children are working on a research project in class and will be presenting it in May. Part of their presentation is portraying their famous person whom they have chosen to research.  She told me that she originally wanted to be Rasputin, but her teacher said no. Imagine that.  "She said we could choose whatever famous person, and I wanted to be Rasputin because I wanted to have a beard and that cool Russian costume. She said "no, you can't be Rasputin," so, I decided to be Helen Keller." (She just finished reading a book about her, so she was leaning that direction anyway.) So, now I have to help her come up with a Helen Keller costume by May 1.  We looked tonight. She's not a fan of "all the ruffly things on those dresses", especially not the bustle.  Haha. 

Instead of being practical and deciding which dress to find or sew, I let my mind wander. I remember when I was the one with the project that my mom had to figure out how to fulfill.  I was 8 or 9 and we had a similar project--research someone famous. I chose Dorothy Hamill. You can be assured my mom was thrilled when she found out that I had to make a puppet of my famous person, and therefore had to figure out how to make a puppet with ice skates (I probably also didn't give her very much notice).  I remember sitting at her sewing machine with her and her telling me that next time I had to make a puppet, it would be easier if I chose someone whose legs didn't have to show. She was right. But, since she's so cool, my puppet was too.

The sewing machine talk worked!  The next time I had a project, I didn't choose someone whose feet had to show, and I also didn't make a puppet. I just had to make clothes for the ancient Greeks or Romans or something.  I don't remember the specifics, but I'm pretty sure my mom helped significantly on these as well, especially considering the fact that my friend and I made some Miss Universe dresses for our Barbies at about this same time frame. Those dresses had no sewing and didn't have near as much detail.  

Cool, right?!

Wham Ken. He's the only one at this house. We bought him at a garage sale.

An arm band and everything!

 

Wouldn't you agree that my mom is pretty awesome!

Winter Blossoms

I love the Pecan trees in the winter. In addition to the bare branches, the sky is dotted with these...

All those little hulls eventually open and release the pecans. All those little clusters of the hulls eventually fall as well. But, in the cold months, it's kind of nice to see reminders of the fruits of the trees.

On the way to the neighborhood park, we pick a few up and have a snack at the park.  While playing at the park, we can just grab a few from the grass and munch. Fun, right?!

A Little MoJo

Yep.

Happy St Patrick's Day

Corned beef is our basic stand-by St. Patrick's Day dinner. The sides vary, but I never make cabbage. I don't like cooked cabbage. Unfortunately for me, corned beef seems to be the same as every other meal in this house, which is some people like it, some people don't.  In the interest of change, I switched it up. We did not have corned beef this year.  Nearing dinner time, I regretted the meal plan. I started thinking that just because my family always manages to complain about something, I shouldn't break with tradition. Lucky for my meal plan, I only have one grocery store in town and I was almost certain I didn't want to buy corned beef there.

I stuck with the plan and we had green food! No dye.  There are plenty of delicious green foods out there without adding dye to food that isn't actually green.  (Also, one year we had green milk at breakfast and  green mashed potatoes with dinner and that did not go over well. Entirely unappetizing to our children *remember, they are "selective".* And to be honest, I found dyed-green food unappetizing as well. No use making unappetizing food if your kids don't even think it's fun or cool or yummy. )

Leprechaun Greens with Pot of Gold

Leprechaun Greens for dinner:
Green Goddess Pasta and Chicken Salad
Cucumber
Spinach Salad

Allie called our Kool-Aid, which was pink, "Fairy Punch" (we don't have Kool-Aid often, and I didn't have green on hand)

Dessert:
Pot of Gold (aka lemon jello cubes)

Aidan came up with an amazing recipe, which you may be at a disadvantage for future lemon-aid stands if I don't share this valuable knowledge.

"To make lemon juice you should have jello and a jello squisher. Then put the jello in the jello squisher and hold it over a cup. Then. Poof. You have lemon juice that's yummy to drink! Or if you don't have a jello squisher, you can just swish the jello in your mouth until it is juice. Then swallow." (We don't have a jello squisher. He is just the patented inventor of that little miracle machine.)

Can you tell we don't have jello that often either?

Spring Break!

We're staycationing for spring break, which basically means we're getting lots of family time, lots of friend time, no hectic schedules. On the very first day of break, Allie made good use of the vacation! Ears pierced!!  Yay!

Bills

Dustin has this wonderful stand-by joke that he does almost every time we get a huge pile of mail. It's from The Jerfferson's or Redd Foxx or something.

"Bill, bill, bill, bill, William, bill, bill."

I still think it's funny. It continues to be something we just...say.

Tonight, he was sorting through the pile (shhh...we didn't check the mail for a few days) and I said it along with him. We laughed; Alex and Aimee laughed.

Allie said, "I think I get it;  oh because William is Bill's brother?"

Joke on!

Going for a Jog

Allie has been begging for months to walk home from church. Something about it, perhaps the adventure, the independence, the fresh air after 2 hours of church, appeals to her. I remember visiting my cousins, the Wights, in SLC and getting to walk to and from church. It was awesome. So, I finally gave in to Allie's desire. Today was not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, which are my standard excuses for not letting her walk home.  When we walked to church with our cousins, it was a few blocks away. Allie jogged, ran, and walked 2 miles to get home today.

Sound scary? Well, to me it did. I couldn't just let my 7-year-old walk home from church alone, so I drove behind, beside, or slightly in front of her. I really did imagine strangers driving by wondering about the situation. I hoped that they didn't think she was in trouble and I was making her walk home. Who knows. But I drove 5 miles per hour following her little running feet down the street.

After about 1/2 mile, Aimee got out and joined her. She felt this would be a good way to get the car home faster and not have to sit and drive so slowly all the way home. Alex opted to sit in the car. Aidan was watching Diego and was quite happy with whatever was going on.

I followed the girls for another mile, most likely arousing suspicions and ponderous minds. After they peaked a small hill and were 1/2 mile from home, I drove home at normal pace and anxiously awaited their return. They walked in the door a few minutes later, Allie beaming.  She says she wanted to walk home, and she did it. She is thrilled with the thought.

She was quite comfortable in her clothing and didn't fret too much about her shoes on the way, but when she came in, she took off the shoes because they were hurting. Her reward? One blister. Not too shabby for running 5 mph for 2 miles in a dress and church shoes with a slight heel. She's smart enough to know that she doesn't want to do it again in the same shoes. I won't be at all surprised to find a pair of socks and Converse shoes in the car next Sunday.

All set for the Marathon

Random

I love that Aidan calls his pajamas "p-jammies".  He has mixed up all the words for them and I love it. Yesterday, he was upset with Alex and Aimee for putting "daytime clothes in the p-jammies drawer."  He asked them to make sure to put day clothes only in the lowest bottom drawer and only p-jammies in the p-jammies drawer. Sheesh.

Tonight Allie asked for her maple syrup on the side of her french toast, not on it. She was finding that the syrup was running anyway and she kept moving her french toast away from it. In a slight whine, she told me that her syrup was going to touch her toast and told her I was a little surprised.  I told her a child in the Gifted and Talented program should be able to figure out how to stop the syrup from running into the toast. She laughed at me. "Mom, our test was easy, not figuring out how to make food not touch each other." (She was one of only 4 who passed that test.) She did finally put a bite of toast on either side of the syrup, but insists that she "still didn't want it to touch at all."

After the tooth fairy missed our house the night before last, Allie was excited to bring out her money and gum this morning.  She chewed a piece of gum while dousing herself in tooth fairy glitter. When she was all sprinkled up, we were able to head to school. She was very sparkly.

Sparkles...although you can't see them well...they are in the hair, on the face, on the clothes...

Challah bread makes yummy french toast.

Too many teenagers have their own cars these days. In general, I feel that there is a general feeling of what people think they deserve and what the world owes them.

Scissors can look like a guitar. Aidan was very immersed in his guitar task. I think it must have evolved from a basic scissor tracing, though.  We now have a few "guitars" hanging around the house.

Allie free-handed hers...

"guitar"

concentrating

guitar...I promise

Did I forget to mention that Aidan changes clothing multiple times a day, multiple costumes a day?  Yeah, all day..

What is Shrimp?

Allie: I will eat most foods, except not a lot of meat. And not shrimp.
Aidan: What's shrimp?
Allie: Shrimp is and animal and you cut off its tail and its legs and I think its head. And then you cook it and then it's meat. I don't like it."

Hot! Hot! Ooh, We Got It!

Last Friday, the girls had a few friends over for caroling, hot chocolate, and Polar Express. I had originally had a different invite list and turnout planned, but it evolved into this. I really wanted to make homemade hot chocolate with a recipe that I love, but I'm glad I ditched that plan and went with packets. With the guest list, this worked out much better.

Poor Aidan surrounded by girls!

Of course, the girls all played afterward and even had a lovely marshmallow contest...and yes, that would be the teen girs, not the second graders. :)

What's that? You say I have a child missing? Why, yes, I do have another. Alex was trying to get his last drives in for driver's ed. He has now completed the course, and is driving with "a licensed driver over the age of 21" for the next few months while awaiting his birthday!

No worries, he arrived home in time to see Santa give the first Christmas gift (and make fun of the girls' hot chocolate mess).