Let Me Read You Something ...

I was a fluent reader before I was five. I mean, I was able to read "The Highwayman" start to finish. With inflection.

The kiddo was a slower starter. She has always thought of herself as a reader, and I had to fight my own biases and not push her to be better at reading.

I'm glad I fought with myself.

Wednesday, as we cruised around the city running errands, the kiddo said, "Hey Grandma, let me read you something, okay?"

"Okay sure. What is it?"

She held up a graphic novel.

This graphic novel, to be exact. "The Rise of Scourge" by Erin Hunter.

She read to me for almost an hour in total, between stops at various places. She read so much that she need a drink to wet her throat. Different voices, quick explanation of visuals, and all the while certain of herself, and of the fact that her captive audience - me - would remain interested.

Surprisingly, I did.

However, the next time she says, "Can I read you something," I'm going to check to see what she is holding first. Heh.

Letting Go

The kiddo was experiencing difficulties at school over her lunches. Apparently they were "weird". By weird, it turns out that they were seriously lacking in junk food. Fresh fruit and vegetables, lean protein, and nothing much else branded her as different. 

While I could rant about that ad nauseum ad infinitum, I won't. The real problem was that she stopped eating her lunches. She would come home starving, some days going ten hours or more without food. 

I had to decide what outcome I wanted. I spoke with the school, and let them know what was going on. But truly, I wanted my kiddo to eat her lunch. So, for more than a month I have been using my lunch hour to drive across the city to have lunch with her. 

This weekend I talked with her, and we decided she will try eating lunch in the lunchroom again. We will have lunch together once a week instead. Last night, as we were planning her lunch, she informed me, "Tomorrow will be the saddest day. We won't get to have lunch together."

Although I reassured her, my heart broke a little. Letting go is hard sometimes. 

New Clothes

*kiddo and her older sister run out of Dad's place to play*

*laughter and squealing ensues*

*twenty minutes pass*

*sudden silence*

*kiddo and older sister come inside*

"Uhh, Grandma? I had a bit of an accident."

*sheepish gestures at damp crotch*

*new clothes!*

I told both of them, "This is not a good strategy for getting new clothes."

Lunchtime Exchange

"You're fun to have lunch with."

"Yeah me too. Wait what?"

LMFAO!!

"Did you know ...?"

"Hey Gramma! Did you know that a snake can still bite you, even after it loses its head?"

Ummmm ...

No, kiddo, I didn't know that. While I am grateful on one hand, the rest of my body - particularly my skin, is trying to crawl away from that knowledge.

Christmas Is Upon Us

It's a nice morning. It looks like it will be above freezing, so I told the kiddo that we are going to put up the Christmas lights today. Oh the excitement!

As we pulled items out of the Christmas box, she spied the nutcracker soldier. With much excitement and awe, she pulled it out. Holding it reverently, she exclaimed, "Look! The Nunchucker!"

Hair, Makeup, and Beauty

Most of our days follow a familiar routine. We get up, get dressed, have breakfast, and visit a bit. After we eat, I rouse the kiddo from the table to brush her teeth and hair. Last week, to be funny, I changed up my call to the bathroom. I called out to her, "Okay Gladys, time to do your hair and makeup!"

As she jumped up from the table, she called back, "I don't need makeup! I'm beautiful the way I am!"

Yeah, I'm good with that. 

Little Sisters

The kid has issues with her little sister. With a six year age gap, this is understandable. With a vicious little sister who hits, bites, and scratches, it is even more so. So I was pleased when the kid said to me, "Hey Grandma, when Mommy dies, I'll take care of my little sister."

It wasn't the best resolution, so I tried to mitigate things. "Okay sweetie, but let's hope Mommy lives a long long time."

"Sure. But when she dies, I'll take care of my sister."

Big Bang

The Kid is lying on the loveseat, watching me log off and shut down my computer. As I swivel my chair around to stand up, she looks at me and begins to sing. 

"You are my heart, my universe. You are my heart, my universe."

I knew it from somewhere but did not think about it. Instead I sang her "You Are My Sunshine". She liked it. 

Then a few minutes later, I was walking back into the living room and she sang those two lines to me again. Then it hit me! "That's from Big Bang Theory, isn't it??!?"

"Yep."

She sang me a song she heard during the marathon today. She is so amazing. 

Pain Monster

The Kid and her older sister were avidly discussing monsters last weekend. First it was what kind of monster they would be. Then it was what they would eat. The kid decided she would be a Pain Monster and she would suck the pain out of people to make them feel better. 

Jim suggested she watch The Green Mile. 

Not yet. Not quite yet. 

Zeeba Stories

I talk about the Kid at work. As a middle years teacher, I use stories of her to make connections with and for my kids. She is aware of this, and last week had the opportunity to meet many of my students and their families at the Christmas Art Show.

She loved it.

A lot.

So, she knows I tell stories about her. This morning, as we were leaving the house, she stops, looks at me, and asks, "Grandma, are you going to tell your students stories about me today?"

"Well ... probably. I usually do."

"Okay. Good."

Then she headed out the door, content to know she was going to be in the spotlight.

She is so shy. And by 'shy' I mean she loves the attention. Heh.

Smarty Pants

"Grandma, 100 + 100 = 200."

"Yes, it is!"

"And 1 + 1 = 2."

"Yes!"

"I am smart!"

"Okay smarty pants, what's 10 + 10?"

"Well that's 20, Grandma."

Well played, little girl. Well played. 

Ordering Food

Last winter Jim and I cane down with food poisoning after eating bad pizza. The Kid didn't because all she ate were the wings. Since then, the Kid has been squidgy about any pizza. 

On Friday, I was feeling too sick too cook or even eat. Jim and the Kid ended up going to pick up pizza and breadsticks. After making doubly sure this was not the Poison Pizza place, the Kid suggested she and Jim stop by the death pizzeria. She told Jim, "We can go in and when they ask us what we want to order we can say, "Nothing!!!!!!""

She is awesome. Aahahahaa!

Parties

Jim invited the kid to his niece's birthday party.  

Her reply? "Oh I would be honored to go with you, Jim!"

I adore that kid. 

Bosses

While defeating a dragon in her game :

"Who's the boss now, bossy man?!?"

New Word

The Kid used a new word today. 

Nemesis  

As in, "My big sister is my nemesis."

Uhhhh. 

What?

Then she explained that in Minecraft, her sister is her nemesis now, because the last time they played they were not getting along. 

Oh geeze. 

Despite my best efforts, she is determined that her big sister is her nemesis, and is planning her defenses accordingly. 

I do not know if this is foreshadowing, or just freaking funny. 

Rudey

A couple of days ago, the Kid suggested I might have a problem. 

We were driving away from the Kid's art class. I was telling Jim about my ongoing irritation with many members of the human race. I jokingly said that some days I feel like The Hulk from The Avengers. You know, "My secret is I'm always angry." As I giggled, a small voice piped up from the back seat. 

"You might be a Rudey Pants, Grandma."

I almost choked to death while laughing. 

Chicken? Really?

Yesterday morning, the Kid informed me that my hair smelled like "chicken".

I would not have been so disturbed by this if

1. We had not been at daycare, and

2. It had not been at 7:45AM.

I had to spend the rest of the day in a panic. I mean, the Kid loves chicken, so it could have been a compliment, her was of saying my hair smelled nice.

But chicken? Chicken???? Nothing good came of her comment. She's evil, that one.

On the plus side, my hair was shampooed four times last night. Now I have fly-away stuff happening, and I am simply not girly enough to know how to fix it.

Oh yay me.

Re-Naming

We were driving to art class today. As we passed the two-story sculpture of four Canadian geese - as we do every second Thursday - the kid announces, "Geese of Liberty." 

Yes, like New York city's Statue of Liberty. 

Only cooler. 

Almost A Circle

We were driving, headed downtown for this meeting I have been dreading. The kid is all excited, beside herself really. To distract her - or maybe myself - I keep pointing out architecture. I see a house up on the left with an octogon window. 

"Look sweetie! That house has a window that is almost round." Check me out, prepping her for future math work. I am awesome!

"Yeah! It is almost round, Gramma! Except it's an octogon."

Well ... dammity. I warned her that if her head explodes because she is so smart, it is not my fault.