"Every time I walk up the stairs, I feel like I'm walking up to God," Rachel told Drew last night.
"Why is that, sweetie?" he asked.
Turns out that we have an African mask at the top of the stairs and Rachel associates that with God(?) and added, "It feels like God is in our house all the time."
She also assumes that God is a woman. And when we told her we were enrolling her in religious school, she was delighted and said, "THANK you! THANK you!" Unfortunately she won't learn Hebrew quite yet, but I'm sure she will quickly know more about Judaism than me. Or Drew.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Rachel the playwright
So, last Shabbat, Rachel announced that she was going to put on a play using props. Turns out it was the same one she did months ago that I wrote about on the blog, about a camel and a zebra traveling in Africa together, and they meet some Petrushka dolls (Rachel calls them "tzedakah dolls," which I think is incredibly cute), and then...well, you'll just have to visit us to see her perform the play.
Here is how she opened the narration:
"Once upon a time in a faraway land, in a place called Africa -- where Mommy has traveled and my Daddy wants to -- a camel traveled, looking for some fun. And he saw his friend zebra..."
I wouldn't be surprised if she decides to do performance art for a living. She's quite good at it.
Here is how she opened the narration:
"Once upon a time in a faraway land, in a place called Africa -- where Mommy has traveled and my Daddy wants to -- a camel traveled, looking for some fun. And he saw his friend zebra..."
I wouldn't be surprised if she decides to do performance art for a living. She's quite good at it.
A readin' machine
Rachel checked out a great book called "The Thickety," about a girl and the power of magic. How did she decide to do so? Why, she read a review of it in KidsPost, the kids' page in The Post. (SO proud of her for reading a book review! Well, Drew used to write them for The Seattle Times, so I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised...)
Anyway, it's a 496-page book aimed at 8- to 12-year olds and she is DEVOURING it. She's almost at page 100. When I drove her to camp yesterday, she was completely silent in the back. "What are you reading?" I asked. "Thickety," she said.
A counselor at camp was so impressed, and probably disbelieving, that he pointed to random words in the book to see if Rachel new how to pronounce them. "She got every one right!" he told Drew when he picked her up that night.
I can't wait for winter evenings in front of the fire, when we all curl up with our books together...
Anyway, it's a 496-page book aimed at 8- to 12-year olds and she is DEVOURING it. She's almost at page 100. When I drove her to camp yesterday, she was completely silent in the back. "What are you reading?" I asked. "Thickety," she said.
A counselor at camp was so impressed, and probably disbelieving, that he pointed to random words in the book to see if Rachel new how to pronounce them. "She got every one right!" he told Drew when he picked her up that night.
I can't wait for winter evenings in front of the fire, when we all curl up with our books together...
Rachel's endless campaign to get Mommy to relax
Apparently Rachel has made up some sort of sticker chart and has pledged to give me stickers "if you relax and you don't get mad at Daddy."
Which is odd, because Drew and I don't fight a lot.
Anyway, whenever she registers tension in my eyes or face, Rachel warns me that I may not get that sticker. This morning, right before I drove her to sports camp, was a typical example. I had scheduled a phone interview for a magazine story I'm working on at 9:30 and I wanted to make sure to be back by then.
"Okay, Mommy." Rachel said sternly. "You're #1 in this household, so you have to relax. Otherwise, you won't earn your sticker."
Slays me every time, she does.
Which is odd, because Drew and I don't fight a lot.
Anyway, whenever she registers tension in my eyes or face, Rachel warns me that I may not get that sticker. This morning, right before I drove her to sports camp, was a typical example. I had scheduled a phone interview for a magazine story I'm working on at 9:30 and I wanted to make sure to be back by then.
"Okay, Mommy." Rachel said sternly. "You're #1 in this household, so you have to relax. Otherwise, you won't earn your sticker."
Slays me every time, she does.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Vacation, Part 2
More random observations:
--Rachel is a fantastic travel companion. One day in Portland, Drew got up crazy early to register her for fall after-school activities online, and he asked if he could sleep late while Rachel and spent time together later that morning. She and I went downstairs to the hotel breakfast area and had a lovely time talking over our food while sitting outside and watching the activities on the Willamette River. When we were done eating, we went to the pier and watched a tourist steamboat dock, and walked around a bit before we decided to go back upstairs to see if Daddy was awake (he was, and was in the shower.) On the last day of our trip, we headed to Sea-Tac to stay at what turned out to be an incredibly crappy hotel, but Rachel never complained -- she laid out all her clothes so we could leave bright and early the next morning, and was chipper throughout the plane ride and the layover, never whining about being tired or not in the mood to do something. I hope this lasts into her teen years. I'm starting to think she may be ready for us to take her to Europe or someplace equally compelling.
--Portland has suddenly become choked with traffic. What gives? It was probably true while I was there, but as I pointed out to Drew, he and I never drove around during the day because we were working. It took us almost two hours to get from Southwest Portland to Southeast Portland one day, and I really felt the whole stress of driving since I drive so little of it in D.C. That would definitely kill my desire to move back to PDX, unless we were in a situation where we could rely solely on the city's public transportation system (but D.C.'s beats it all to hell.)
--We saw way too many people. Drew was right -- I should have left us time to see Mt. Hood, Multnomah Falls, Cannon Beach -- but I was so focused on visiting Rachel's little friends (and mine, too), that after a while it felt as if we were running from house to house and meal to meal. We did get to spend some time at a barbecue that some of my chorus buddies threw for us, then raced to meet a friend of Rachel's at Salt & Straw, a novelty ice cream place, and then we had an afternoon playdate the next day with Rachel's friend Lila Anne (her mom, Suzanne, and I used to work at the Oregonian together), and then dinner with my friend Amy and her sons Jake and Tony (I work with Amy's brother, Jay, at The Post), and earlier in the week we met Rachel's friends Tessa and then Devin for pizza both times...I really want to maintain contact with folks there, if only to hold out hope that when Drew and I retire (if that ever happens:)), then we'll be able to spend summers in the Pacific Northwest with people we know and love and are comfortable with. In many ways it was an easy vacation -- we knew where things were, we knew we could buy things we forgot to bring, if necessary -- and so it's tempting to return there every summer.
--We are foodies! We brought back so many treats -- Moonstruck chocolates, Missionary Chocolates (a great vegan chocolatier I discovered at the Portland farmer's market), six slices of cake from Konditorei, the world's best cake shop in Salem, big cookies that Drew likes from the farmer's market...too bad we couldn't bring back the fruit. Maybe next time...
--Rachel is a fantastic travel companion. One day in Portland, Drew got up crazy early to register her for fall after-school activities online, and he asked if he could sleep late while Rachel and spent time together later that morning. She and I went downstairs to the hotel breakfast area and had a lovely time talking over our food while sitting outside and watching the activities on the Willamette River. When we were done eating, we went to the pier and watched a tourist steamboat dock, and walked around a bit before we decided to go back upstairs to see if Daddy was awake (he was, and was in the shower.) On the last day of our trip, we headed to Sea-Tac to stay at what turned out to be an incredibly crappy hotel, but Rachel never complained -- she laid out all her clothes so we could leave bright and early the next morning, and was chipper throughout the plane ride and the layover, never whining about being tired or not in the mood to do something. I hope this lasts into her teen years. I'm starting to think she may be ready for us to take her to Europe or someplace equally compelling.
--Portland has suddenly become choked with traffic. What gives? It was probably true while I was there, but as I pointed out to Drew, he and I never drove around during the day because we were working. It took us almost two hours to get from Southwest Portland to Southeast Portland one day, and I really felt the whole stress of driving since I drive so little of it in D.C. That would definitely kill my desire to move back to PDX, unless we were in a situation where we could rely solely on the city's public transportation system (but D.C.'s beats it all to hell.)
--We saw way too many people. Drew was right -- I should have left us time to see Mt. Hood, Multnomah Falls, Cannon Beach -- but I was so focused on visiting Rachel's little friends (and mine, too), that after a while it felt as if we were running from house to house and meal to meal. We did get to spend some time at a barbecue that some of my chorus buddies threw for us, then raced to meet a friend of Rachel's at Salt & Straw, a novelty ice cream place, and then we had an afternoon playdate the next day with Rachel's friend Lila Anne (her mom, Suzanne, and I used to work at the Oregonian together), and then dinner with my friend Amy and her sons Jake and Tony (I work with Amy's brother, Jay, at The Post), and earlier in the week we met Rachel's friends Tessa and then Devin for pizza both times...I really want to maintain contact with folks there, if only to hold out hope that when Drew and I retire (if that ever happens:)), then we'll be able to spend summers in the Pacific Northwest with people we know and love and are comfortable with. In many ways it was an easy vacation -- we knew where things were, we knew we could buy things we forgot to bring, if necessary -- and so it's tempting to return there every summer.
--We are foodies! We brought back so many treats -- Moonstruck chocolates, Missionary Chocolates (a great vegan chocolatier I discovered at the Portland farmer's market), six slices of cake from Konditorei, the world's best cake shop in Salem, big cookies that Drew likes from the farmer's market...too bad we couldn't bring back the fruit. Maybe next time...
Memorable Rachel quotes of the past two weeks
The first one was while I was driving her to camp last week. I believe the subject of the conversation was the 1-year birthday of Bao Bao, the incredibly cute panda cub at the National Zoo, and I may have remarked that a lot of folks would probably go to see him.
"I don't like being huddled up with a lot of people," Rachel said. "I like to run free. I'm a independent girl."
"Well, I'm an independent mommy," I said. "So you're just like me."
***
"You're the best parents in the world!" Rachel exclaimed last Friday as I was putting together Shabbat dinner and she was setting the table.
"What makes you say that, sweetie?" I asked.
"Because you let me do things that other parents don't let their kids do, like sweep under the table and scrub the dishes," she replied.
Child from outer space. As long as she keeps thinking that chores are fun and not drudgery, then we're ahead of the game.
"I don't like being huddled up with a lot of people," Rachel said. "I like to run free. I'm a independent girl."
"Well, I'm an independent mommy," I said. "So you're just like me."
***
"You're the best parents in the world!" Rachel exclaimed last Friday as I was putting together Shabbat dinner and she was setting the table.
"What makes you say that, sweetie?" I asked.
"Because you let me do things that other parents don't let their kids do, like sweep under the table and scrub the dishes," she replied.
Child from outer space. As long as she keeps thinking that chores are fun and not drudgery, then we're ahead of the game.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Vacation, Part 1
So, we went to Seattle and Portland for a visit Aug. 9-16. We had a great time. I had visions of writing on the blog every night from our hotel room, but we know how that turned out, don't we? Some highlights:
--The Pacific Northwest is having a hot summer. A VERY HOT summer. Well, what's hot out there felt delightful to me because there was no humidity. (Parenthetically: Everyone in D.C. keeps saying what an unusually cool summer this is. If this is cool, I dread what a normal summer is like because I have had a lovely time of it and I can't stand the thought of being soaked in sweat for four months out of the year as opposed to, oh, less than a week this year.) We went to a Renaissance Fair in Washington state, which was not at all the cheesy production I expected it to be, then spent Monday at Sammamish Lake, swimming, building sandcastles, reading, lying in the sun, rinse, wash and repeat. That day broke the heat record for Seattle -- it was 96 degrees -- but I could have stayed there all day and camped overnight, too. It was hot when we were in Anne and David's house, but fans took care of that.
--I really miss Seattle. We spent late Tuesday morning walking around Pike Place Market and buying lunch -- I got fresh Dungeness crab with cocktail sauce and lightly fried oysters with French fries and a coffee-flavored pastry form a great French bakery, and I was in my happy place. Really, I didn't need to eat anything more the entire vacation, even though I did. The views of the water, the greenery, the people walking around, made me realize that I'd love to retire to Seattle -- or at least spend large chunks of rain-free time there. Maybe spend summers there and the rest of the year in D.C.?
--Drew felt weirded out in Seattle because he left so abruptly and didn't have time to process it; I got weirded out being a tourist in Portland, scene of so much of my unhappiness in my 30s and early and nmid-40s, and yet also a place I really did love. We went back to Rachel's preschool, and all the teachers remembered her (Teacher Erin made sure to say that she misses Rachel because she no longer gets her mom's chocolate chip CAKE) and hugged her, and said they miss her. They've gotten new furniture but it was still the slightly shabby, well-worn place that gave Rachel such a great start in life. We ran into one of her teachers at the Wednesday farmer's market; I ran into a former colleague of mine from the Oregonian who is now a book author and private investigator, and we got some fabulous cookies to bring home (and I tried some vegan chocolates, which were FABULOUS.) When I think of our trip to Oregon, I will think of the food.
--The Pacific Northwest is having a hot summer. A VERY HOT summer. Well, what's hot out there felt delightful to me because there was no humidity. (Parenthetically: Everyone in D.C. keeps saying what an unusually cool summer this is. If this is cool, I dread what a normal summer is like because I have had a lovely time of it and I can't stand the thought of being soaked in sweat for four months out of the year as opposed to, oh, less than a week this year.) We went to a Renaissance Fair in Washington state, which was not at all the cheesy production I expected it to be, then spent Monday at Sammamish Lake, swimming, building sandcastles, reading, lying in the sun, rinse, wash and repeat. That day broke the heat record for Seattle -- it was 96 degrees -- but I could have stayed there all day and camped overnight, too. It was hot when we were in Anne and David's house, but fans took care of that.
--I really miss Seattle. We spent late Tuesday morning walking around Pike Place Market and buying lunch -- I got fresh Dungeness crab with cocktail sauce and lightly fried oysters with French fries and a coffee-flavored pastry form a great French bakery, and I was in my happy place. Really, I didn't need to eat anything more the entire vacation, even though I did. The views of the water, the greenery, the people walking around, made me realize that I'd love to retire to Seattle -- or at least spend large chunks of rain-free time there. Maybe spend summers there and the rest of the year in D.C.?
--Drew felt weirded out in Seattle because he left so abruptly and didn't have time to process it; I got weirded out being a tourist in Portland, scene of so much of my unhappiness in my 30s and early and nmid-40s, and yet also a place I really did love. We went back to Rachel's preschool, and all the teachers remembered her (Teacher Erin made sure to say that she misses Rachel because she no longer gets her mom's chocolate chip CAKE) and hugged her, and said they miss her. They've gotten new furniture but it was still the slightly shabby, well-worn place that gave Rachel such a great start in life. We ran into one of her teachers at the Wednesday farmer's market; I ran into a former colleague of mine from the Oregonian who is now a book author and private investigator, and we got some fabulous cookies to bring home (and I tried some vegan chocolates, which were FABULOUS.) When I think of our trip to Oregon, I will think of the food.
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