Spring Project, 2017

For this year's spring project, the girls planted seeds we had hanging around the house in jam jars with wet paper towels, rather than dirt.  The lack of dirt makes the roots much easier to observe and monitor.  Frances did most of the work; Chandler drank her bottle and twiddled her hair.  

Frances's innovation was labeling everything, because she's a nerd.

It was one of the few projects that didn't end with me saying, "How do I underestimate the potential for mess every time?"  So far we've learned that wet seeds not exposed to the sun will rot.  The jam jars must be rotated.  Live and learn.  We may start the project again, but the seeds on the sunny sides of the jars are doing really well.  We'll see.

Happy First Day of Spring!

Isn't it obvious?

Chandler/Elsa

The small child has made a definite girly turn lately.  She puts on our knock-off Elsa dress every chance she gets and wants to be called "Elsa."

I can handle the name change and the dress, even if it's too long and has to be tied up before she can wear it around town.  But she wants to Grow Out Her Hair.  Oh, the horror!  I do not want to have two knotty heads to ignore each morning.  See, Frances's knots are her business - at least, I'm trying very hard to make them her business and not my problem.  But two sets of knots?  One of those sets on a four year-old who I probably can't expect to know better?  I'm hoping to stem this terrible tide by bribing her with our salon's lollipops.  This strategy has worked so far, but I feel it's hold on Chandler weakening.  This is tragic.

(No, I'm not over-reacting.)

Snow Day Number Four?

I think that's right; I'm pretty sure it was Number Four.  Mark was home and we survived.  Those parts I remember clearly.  The girls' motives are less clear.  They've got a thing for the Statue of Liberty, so this is how we started the day.

The first thirty seconds over, we moved on to making our own Nutella.  The girls had eaten an entire tub of Nutella at Mimi's house (Mimi worries about their weight, or lack thereof; they also ate Ritz, bacon and ice cream.  Feel free to tell Mimi how not-emaciated they look any chance you get.).  We tried our hand at making our own.

It was delicious.  Don't let the girls' faces fool you.  The concerned look on Chandler's face had to do with the Nutella's escaping down her chin, rather than its taste.

And then Frances was just copying Chandler.

Not our finest snow day, I must say.  Temperatures hovered right around freezing and the whole world was a slushy mess by afternoon.  The girls were inside all day and I was relieved to go dig after a bit.  That gives some clue to their mood.  We had one more snow day (Number Five), but I think we are done with snow days for the year, which means school ends a few days before July starts.  Boo.

Forty-Nine Months of Preschooler Chandler

 Another day at the Boston Nature Center, this time talking about dirt and examining worms.

The Chandler explains.

A little painting with mud and pine cone.

Chandler never entirely warmed to the activity.

Forty-Nine Months Fun Fact

• Disposition:  Chandler has been Challenging lately.  It is Tiresome.  Lots of "I am the Boss!"  I don't know where this is coming from, but I wish it would go back.  I thought bossiness was the three year-old's purview.  Lordy.  Maybe it won't be so awful when she goes to school?  Except I'm sure it will.

Eighty-Eight Months of First Grader Frances

Eighty-Eight Months Fun Fact

• Maturing: It continues!  Lately she's done things like help me make my bed, rather than climb on it mid-make.  And she'll go get a lovey for Chandler if she hurts herself.  Miracles, miracles.
• Not Maturing:  It continues, as well!  The child can start sobbing at the drop of a hat, if she doesn't get her way.  We are trying to encourage other ways to communicate disappointment.  I do not want her to be the kind of college student who expects crying in professors' offices to improve her paper grades.  I understand disappointment can be hard to take, but she needs to try out some of the other tools in her toolbox as well.

I like blue...

...and these girls.

No one seemed to mind Frances's rather broad take on the dress code.