Black Lives Matter vs. All Lives Matter for Kids

We had a wonderfully deep but simple conversation this morning about Black Lives Matter versus All Lives Matter. I held up the "Black Lives Matter" sign and asked my girls, "Why does this sign say, Black Lives Matter?"

"Because white people are killing black people." - E

"Why doesn't it say All Lives Matter? Don't all lives matter?"

"Yes, but only black people are being killed." Nailed it. My eight-year-old understands.

Our conversation went on. "Right! Of COURSE All Lives Matter, but only Black lives are being treated as expendable right now. Do you girls know what expendable means?"

"No."

"Expendable means disposable or not important. Like if we swat a mosquito and kill it, it doesn't matter to us because there are thousands more. But do you think any human lives should be treated as not important? Like they don't matter as much as our lives?"

"No! We are all important."

"That's right! So of course all lives matter, but we say Black lives matter because right now they are being treated like they don't. Like they are expendable. We need to make sure that all lives are treated like they matter, so right now we're fighting for Black lives."

Simple, but they get it. 💕

Animal Tails...

Gabrielle, #3, called me into the bathroom to help her and then proceeded to say, "No, I'll do it." She took a large amount of toilet paper, wadded it up into a ball, and started to wipe her culi. She was wiping her backside for a while. Just before I offered to assist, she lets go of the toilet paper, turns around and says, "Look Mom, I have a bunny tail!" Sure enough, she had created a bunny tail out of her wadded up toilet paper.

A week later she comes into the kitchen with her pants down to her ankles, turns around and says, "Mommy! I have a horsey tail!" Toilet paper was wedged into her culi again, this time dangling down like a horse.

I can't make this stuff up!

First Day of Kindergarten for #2

Today was a day that we've been preparing for all summer (longer, actually): Charlotte's first day of Kindergarten. She has been a little nervous, so we've thought of every trick that might help:

• She got a special heart locket necklace with our pictures in it to wear around her neck so that "she's got her whole family right there inside her heart."
• I drew two hearts on her hand and put my kisses there so that she's got all of my love right there if she needs it.
• Tigey is stowed away in her backpack for safe keeping.
• We did a practice run yesterday, complete with backpack and lunch all packed and ready to go (and we got there at 7:52...three minutes to spare, phew!)

Charlotte was great in the gym during announcements. I think having her big sister right there in the line close to hers really helps. 

When we walked down to her Kindergarten room, she hung up her backpack on hook #15, gave Daddy and I each a hug and then walked into her classroom.

Then she came running back out, clung to me and said, "I can't do it!" and started to cry. Daddy decided to go outside with Gabrielle (which was actually a great help). I took Charlotte into the corner and she said, "The day's just going to be too long!" I told her we'd be back there to get her before she knows it. She was still upset, so I reverted to what we used to to at preschool:

"How many high fives?"

"Eight!" So she got eight high-fives.

"How many hugs?"

"Nineteen!" So I gave her nineteen hugs.

"And how many kisses?"

"Twenty! No! One-hundred!" So I gave that sweet kindergartener one-hundred kisses all over her face. (I started counting them each individually and quickly switched to counting every ten kisses.) After showering her with her one-hundred kisses, we walked to her doorway. She said, "One more hug." I gave her one last hug and then she turned to walk into the room and I made a dash for the stairs. I heard her teacher say, "Oh, Charlotte, this way!" but I didn't look back. We did it! I dropped of my kindergartener and left her dry-eyed. Yay!!! This is what success looks like.

Mispronunciations

There are some things that your kids do that you think you will remember forever. And some you do. However, I'm finding myself searching my mind these days for that one memory I'm dying to bring to the forefront, just slightly out of reach. So, I wanted to jot down a few things down before they too become lost in the great abyss behind my eyebrows.

Eleanore:

• Dishelous = Delicious
• Patteren = pattern
• Smee me = Excuse me
• Uncle Dangle = Uncle Daniel
• Ah-loo = I love you
• Chick-a-monk = Chipmunk
• Agra = Grandma
• New Yorick = New York (She's almost seven and still does this one some times! So cute.)

Charlotte:

• Blurries = blueberries (and any other berry for that matter)
• Check-up = Ketchup
• Some fruit = Give us this day our daily bread
• Elbow = Armpit
• Wockie = Rockne
• Nola = Granola
• Farkler = Sparkler
• Wondacks = Adirondacks
• La-loo = I love you

Gabrielle:

• Soom = Spoon (or fork)
• Coc-a-dot = coconut OR polka dots (depending on whether or not we're watching Moana)
• La-loo/Lub you = I love you
• Sfinkler = sprinkler
• Corn poop = Unicorn poop (thanks for that, Aunt Melinda!)
• Bang-gos = Mangos
• Chicken = steak, pork, chicken, meat
• Rondacks = Adirondacks
• We were driving past a manger scene this Christmas and we were all pointing out the different people, Mary, Jesus, Joseph, etc. Gabrielle joined in yelling, "Jo-shits! Jo-shits!"
• Dom-bows = Doubles/twins

St. Patrick's Day Fun

I just spent the last part of my evening playing "catch the leprechaun" with my three girls. Here's how the game worked: we each took turns playing the leprechaun. The leprechaun had a pot of gold (a bowl with plastic colorful coins in it) and hid it somewhere in the basement while the rest of us created a leprechaun trap. My girls are under the assumption that you lure leprechauns in with potatoes (maybe because he's Irish?), so we used pretend potatoes as our bate.

Once the leprechaun (identified by his special green hat) was finished hiding his gold, he'd be lured in by the potatoes and we'd shut the trap door and make him tell us where he hid his pot of gold. The girls have a rainbow scarf, so that eventually came into play...the pot was buried under the couch cushions at the end of the rainbow.

I was just so amazed at the imagination of my girls and didn't want our game to end. We were having so much fun with this simple but creative game they had made up! It's these times, right now, that I want to remember forever. I want to look back on today and say, "Remember when we used to play Catch the Leprechaun?"

My heart is smiling today.

Not Just a Pretty Dress

Today was Eleanore's last day of preschool this year, so naturally she wanted to wear her nicest dress for the occasion. Afterward, to celebrate, we went to Highbanks Metro Park for a picnic lunch. This is one has a natural park area with large sticks and logs to build, climb and play with. We hadn't been to this part of the park yet, so the girls were pretty excited to check it out.

They couldn't finish their lunch fast enough to get up and explore. They started playing in the teepee made of sticks, building it by adding more sticks, and hammering away to make it more "sturdier."

Then they gave the big logs a try, Charlotte first, then Eleanore joining in. Once they gained confidence, they moved on to the bigger log and took turns jumping off.

At the "Five more minutes," call they decided they wanted to get really bold and climb the teepee.

I helped them find places to put their feet a few times, but for the most part they did it themselves.

I loved sitting back and watching them tackle obstacles and push themselves further than they thought they could go (sometimes further than I thought they could go!). My girls may like wearing skirts that twirl, but they are so much more than just a pretty dress.

A Sticky but Fun and EASY Project!

Daddy went to work with my keys today, which meant we were stuck at home...all day. This was a bit of a sticky situation since I had promised them an outing with their friends. So, the girls finished up their breakfast, I was frantically trying to figure out what we could do that would spark interest and excitement instead of the complaining and whining that I knew would ensue if I didn't come up with something quickly!

As I was looking through my craft supplies I spotted a roll of clear contact paper. My mind went back to Ellie's preschool classroom last week and a "sticky wall" that the kids were exploring by putting up small construction paper pieces. It clicked. I quickly cut two large Christmas tree shapes, folding the contact paper in half to make sure the trees were symmetrical. I then dug into my tissue paper stash and cut about a gazillion one-inch squares. (Maybe not quite that many, but there were a lot!)

When they were ready, I peeled off the paper backing of the contact paper and used a couple of small pieces of tape to stick them to the play room windows, sticky-side exposed and ready for decorating. I placed a single square of tissue paper on one of the trees and they needed no further instructions.

They spent almost an HOUR trying to cover every last inch of the sticky tree with tissue paper.

 Not only did they have a blast, but we now have our first decorations for the upcoming season! Look how proud of their work they were!

We stepped out the front door to see the finished products from the outside looking in. I didn't have my tripod, so the picture's a little blurry, but I think it still captures the beauty.

They did such a great job! I can see many more "sticky projects" in our future. Maybe a couple of wreaths to go up on the other windows this season, hearts for Valentine's Day, clovers for Saint Patrick's Day, eggs for Easter, the options are endless! So easy and fun!