Times Have Changed

On the drive home from school two weeks ago, Taylor pulled her paper creations out of her backpack and announced, "I made my own laptop and cell phone." I had to start laughing, and then of course, I had to explain myself. "Taylor, when I was seven there weren't laptop computers. Computers filled an entire room. We didn't have cell phones or only special people had them and they were big and bulky." Reminds me of the list Warren emailed me once, "100 things your children will never see." Our eldest child though, does know how to use a rotary phone and how to use a turn table. The both know what a record is as well; it's not a large cd (as was once thought by a grade two student). Is technology changing too fast? What about global warming? We progress with technology but not in ways to save our planet. Now I'm confused.

What Does Mackenzie Think of School?

The day before school began, Mackenzie amidst our back-to-school conversation, piped up, "Mommy, I don't start school tomorrow, do I?" "Yes, you do." "But I'm not five yet." I had to explain that she had to be five years old by the time her birthday was, 31 December. When it clicked, "yeah!" She was a happy camper. Waiting outside the school though was another matter. Not that she was unhappy to be going to school, but that it was cold outside and she was "freezing like a pop cycle" with her bare legs under her skirt. Three days later, she didn't want family time, she wanted time with just mummy and her. I didn't stop to think that she would miss our time home alone together. She is fine when she gets to school. Her teacher says she's doing well, that all the kids in her class this year are doing well. She also chatters on about her best-friend, Noel, who she wants to have sleep over but she keeps forgetting to pass our phone number on to. Still, every three days or so, "I want to stay home," or "I want to skip school today," or "I'm sick." She wants time with Mummy. I need to figure out now how to fit in a bath or some time with her one on one. Maybe bedtime story in her room without her sister? Hm mm.

How Do Babies Get Out?

Again, the conversations the girls and I have in the car are ... interesting. We got our new puppy and then the questions began. The girls started talking about the possibly of having our own puppies. So then they wanted to know how babies are made. - I kept it brief.- They wanted to know how to keep our puppy from having babies and why we had to. And they wanted to know how babies get out of their mummy's tummy. So... I told them that women have three holes. One for pee, one for poo, and one in between that the babies get out from and that mommies bleed from when they aren't going to have a baby. That brief explanation done, we moved on. Or so I thought. Girls night, I was hosting and my two girlfriends were over. Jaime's Spock birthday cake and the answer to how to babies get out combined in Mackenzie's mind. Mackenzie walked up to Jaime and informed her, "you know that boy on your cake? When you get married you will have five babies. Babies come out of a hole. Girls have three holes." Jamie looked at me wondering how to respond. I nodded, "that's right. We have three holes." I explained later to Jamie what the heck Mackenzie was talking about. And she relayed to story to her mother. Hard not to. :-)

Critters

Early on Tuesday morning, I was taking Leela out for a pee and we startled a chipmunk on the front steps. The girls were upset that they couldn't see it when they trickled out of the house and peered under the steps trying to catch a glimpse. Later in the day we were walking up the steps and a grey, rope-like, un-identified object laying across the path. Mackenzie was beside Leela and me, and we were following Taylor. So, when I recognized the object as our perennial garden snake resident, Mackenzie was quite impressed. When telling Taylor of the snake she had just missed, she was disappointed and looked in the ornamental grass for signs of it. Mackenzie described the snake as brown with red spots, and was "really kewl!" Now what 4 1/2 and 7 year old GIRLS put chipmunks and snakes in the same gotta-see category? Mine!