The other night, Madison came downstairs after we'd thought she'd been asleep for an hour. She was sobbing.
She said, "I know it’s just not true about an angry God out to get us. And about global warming. But sometimes I just get so scared. I worry so much that you’re not right, and that everyone else is. That I’m going to spend forever in Hell because I'm not following the rules of a religion. And they said in Engineering Camp that humans are destroying the planet, that the polar ice caps are going to melt and drown everything and we're all going to DIE. Or that the hole in the ozone layer is going to...well, do whatever harm that awful hole in the ozone layer is going to do. Everyone says humans are so bad, everyone except YOU. But how do you know you’re right? You can’t prove that there is no God. You can't prove that there isn't going to be some environmental disaster."
Snuggling her, we explained again, about needing evidence to think something IS true, about the motivations of people who would try to scare little kids and not-so-young people into panicking, about how sober thought is necessary before acting in a frenzy about something for which we have little evidence.
Poor kid. This is precisely why I loathe the fearmongers. (And some say that homeschooled kids are too insulated. Imagine how freaked out this 9-year-old would be if she were busy being bombarded by this every day.)
I found this Walter Williams article from this week, which may help her understand that many, many sober scientists are backing away from the global warming hysterical folks. I'll show her later today.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Birds of the Twelve Days of Christmas
10,000 Birds has their lovely, and apparently annual, post on the
Birds of the Twelve Days of Christmas
We will read it all together this evening by the fire. It looks lovely. (We will ignore the fact that they use the phrase "begs the question" improperly.)
Birds of the Twelve Days of Christmas
We will read it all together this evening by the fire. It looks lovely. (We will ignore the fact that they use the phrase "begs the question" improperly.)
In our circles, this is actually controversial
We, unlike lots of Objectivists, take the kids to a Christmas Eve service, though it's always been a Protestant service; I grew up Catholic, and so I haven't felt up to bringing them to a Catholic service yet. But we always find a new historic church that has some interesting architecture, and take the kids to their early Christmas Eve service, to sing the songs and expose the kids to the culture and to the tradition. Last year was the Presbyterians, this year the Episcopalians. Last night, David hit the nail on the head with his choice of church, and it turned out that my favorite baritone here in Rochester happened to be in the choir. I have been working with him a bit this year on various projects, so it was a nice surprise to see him and be able to hear him sing a solo.
We were 10 minutes early, which meant we were late, the church was already jammed. The usher found us some seats in the very front row. So there we were, four atheists with two little girls dressed to the nines in their Christmas dresses, standing and sitting politely at the right times, under the beaming eye of the nice lady minister and the beautiful choir only 20 feet in front of us, who know all the carols by heart but don't say any of the prayers and don't take communion. Madison didn't know exactly what to make of the situation. She listened carefully to the service and the sermon, raising and furrowing her eyebrows at the logic in the Book of John: "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God." She wasn't sure whether it was okay to shake hands for "Peace," even though David and I were heartily shaking peoples' hands and saying Merry Christmas. (Derrick, who had spied me from up in the choir at the front of the church, beamingly gave me the "V" sign for Peace. It was nice.)
We looked so normal. The typical all-American family out for Christmas Eve services, when under the surface, we're these freethinking radical types who are busy analyzing everything that's going on. It makes me wonder what else is not as it seems.
The minister was brainier than most; she was not up to our standard of argument, of course, but in these cases you're starting from a very low standard, so, relatively speaking, she was quite articulate and thoughtful. She talked about some of the discoveries scientists have made about space with the Hubble telescope, and spoke with excitement about the upcoming launch of the Kepler telescope this year. She then did her best to connect it with God and eternity, although that was a little tough. But the point is, she tried. And, later in the car, when we asked Madison what she thought of the sermon, she said it was a little unsettling that something in which she believed so deeply -- science and space research -- was coupled with something she thought was untrue. Ella said that this was the first year that she didn't mind going to church, that she paid attention and understood what was going on.
Then we went out for Chinese food at P.F. Chang's, had a fantastic meal, and went to bed. At least, the girls did. As is also tradition on Christmas Eve, it took David and me a while to finish preparing.
We were 10 minutes early, which meant we were late, the church was already jammed. The usher found us some seats in the very front row. So there we were, four atheists with two little girls dressed to the nines in their Christmas dresses, standing and sitting politely at the right times, under the beaming eye of the nice lady minister and the beautiful choir only 20 feet in front of us, who know all the carols by heart but don't say any of the prayers and don't take communion. Madison didn't know exactly what to make of the situation. She listened carefully to the service and the sermon, raising and furrowing her eyebrows at the logic in the Book of John: "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God." She wasn't sure whether it was okay to shake hands for "Peace," even though David and I were heartily shaking peoples' hands and saying Merry Christmas. (Derrick, who had spied me from up in the choir at the front of the church, beamingly gave me the "V" sign for Peace. It was nice.)
We looked so normal. The typical all-American family out for Christmas Eve services, when under the surface, we're these freethinking radical types who are busy analyzing everything that's going on. It makes me wonder what else is not as it seems.
The minister was brainier than most; she was not up to our standard of argument, of course, but in these cases you're starting from a very low standard, so, relatively speaking, she was quite articulate and thoughtful. She talked about some of the discoveries scientists have made about space with the Hubble telescope, and spoke with excitement about the upcoming launch of the Kepler telescope this year. She then did her best to connect it with God and eternity, although that was a little tough. But the point is, she tried. And, later in the car, when we asked Madison what she thought of the sermon, she said it was a little unsettling that something in which she believed so deeply -- science and space research -- was coupled with something she thought was untrue. Ella said that this was the first year that she didn't mind going to church, that she paid attention and understood what was going on.
Then we went out for Chinese food at P.F. Chang's, had a fantastic meal, and went to bed. At least, the girls did. As is also tradition on Christmas Eve, it took David and me a while to finish preparing.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Ella lost the top tooth, finally
For WEEKS upon weeks, Ella has been wiggling her left top front tooth. Delightful to watch. (Not.) It has bothered her a lot in the last week or so; she's been finding it hard to eat. I have been sympathetic.
This morning, after a little pain-upon-contact incident, she stamped her foot and frustratedly said, "This tooth isn't coming out until JUNE!" But two hours later, there it was.
Interestingly, Madison lost her RIGHT front tooth first, at about the same age.
_____
David here with an addendum to today's posting. Ella ran out of gas at dinner. She said she didn't feel well, but it was just a matter of her suddenly being tired, tired, tired. So she went upstairs to sit on the bed and read. After about 10 minutes--we were still working on our spaghetti and meatballs--a paper airplane flew in from the second floor:
Deb's upstairs with her now, I just left them. Ella's happily asleep...maybe Deb too.
This morning, after a little pain-upon-contact incident, she stamped her foot and frustratedly said, "This tooth isn't coming out until JUNE!" But two hours later, there it was.
Interestingly, Madison lost her RIGHT front tooth first, at about the same age.
_____
David here with an addendum to today's posting. Ella ran out of gas at dinner. She said she didn't feel well, but it was just a matter of her suddenly being tired, tired, tired. So she went upstairs to sit on the bed and read. After about 10 minutes--we were still working on our spaghetti and meatballs--a paper airplane flew in from the second floor:
I WOOD Likk mom to com u9
Deb's upstairs with her now, I just left them. Ella's happily asleep...maybe Deb too.
Lightbulb Day was Sunday
The girls spent a delightful Lightbulb Day on Sunday with their friends Max and Henry and their parents, like-minded folks who came in to spend the weekend with us.
I would have wonderful photos up in this post of four little blond kids, two 9-year-olds and two 7-year-olds, celebrating reason and creativity and productivity and development, listening to a lovely little speech about it in both English and Spanish. I would with their new technologically-correct presents: A Spy Science kit for each set of siblings, so they can continue to email each other in code; a Webkinz each for the boys (although the danger is that we have started a new trend for them); and a terrific little Sound Science kit for the girls. I WOULD have photos, if I hadn't used Madison's camera to record the occasion, and if she hadn't misplaced the cable. This seems to be the story of our lives, camera-wise, this season. Ah, well, some other time you'll see photos. We spent the afternoon at the Rochester Museum & Science Center, and the kids and the men had a quick sledding trip before the celebration began.
I would have wonderful photos up in this post of four little blond kids, two 9-year-olds and two 7-year-olds, celebrating reason and creativity and productivity and development, listening to a lovely little speech about it in both English and Spanish. I would with their new technologically-correct presents: A Spy Science kit for each set of siblings, so they can continue to email each other in code; a Webkinz each for the boys (although the danger is that we have started a new trend for them); and a terrific little Sound Science kit for the girls. I WOULD have photos, if I hadn't used Madison's camera to record the occasion, and if she hadn't misplaced the cable. This seems to be the story of our lives, camera-wise, this season. Ah, well, some other time you'll see photos. We spent the afternoon at the Rochester Museum & Science Center, and the kids and the men had a quick sledding trip before the celebration began.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Today's Paper Airplane of Doom
The latest admonishment from Ella to the rest of us via the Paper Airplane of Doom:
Anyone need a translation?
Update: This just in from the second floor:
This Masig
will saLLF DasRaCD in
5 4 3 2 1
I Hate yoU
Anyone need a translation?
Update: This just in from the second floor:
StoP youR
LaFiG Rite
Naw
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Paper Airplanes of Doom
I had written recently about it being almost impossible not to laugh at Ella when she gets into one of her little fits. We have really been trying not to, because it makes her pretty upset, even as it lets her see that whatever is going on is not too serious.
Enter Ella's new M. O.: the Airplanes of Doom.
Nowadays, when Ella gets into a snit, usually -- she admits this later -- for no good reason, she writes what she intends to be a nasty note on a piece of paper, makes it into a paper airplane, and sails it down the stairs into the kitchen.
Today's note read:
Yesterday's was:
You can imagine how difficult it has been around here, what with the humor barometer almost exploding, but with us trying like heck not to show her how funny it all is.
Enter Ella's new M. O.: the Airplanes of Doom.
Nowadays, when Ella gets into a snit, usually -- she admits this later -- for no good reason, she writes what she intends to be a nasty note on a piece of paper, makes it into a paper airplane, and sails it down the stairs into the kitchen.
Today's note read:
I DO NOT WONT
to Have
BRaKFast
Yesterday's was:
I HAT YOU
MADISON
You can imagine how difficult it has been around here, what with the humor barometer almost exploding, but with us trying like heck not to show her how funny it all is.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Lightbulb Day is Sunday!
On the winter solstice, and for the purpose of having just one more thing to celebrate because why not, we Rosses have a little Lightbulb Day party: We celebrate how reason has led to innovation, achievement, and well-being. We give technologically-laiden gifts. We whack a Lightbulb Day piñata. We talk about how life used to be before the Industrial Revolution. We talk about how, someday, the girls' children's children will marvel that their ancestors lived in an age before they had eradicated common stomach viruses.
Here is an article I wrote for KidsOutAndAbout.com about how to have a Lightbulb Day celebration:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/main-articles/lightbulbday.html
This year, Max and Henry and their parents are joining us for Lightbulb Day. The girls are counting the days until they arrive.
And, today, they're making the piñata (the easiest piñata ever--blow up a balloon, cover it with gunk and newspaper, let dry, pop balloon, paint yellow). Hope it doesn't implode like the one for Madison's birthday (a Golden Snitch, looking suspiciously EXACTLY like a light bulb) did.
Monday, December 15, 2008
A corner turned for Ella, a mistake for me
Saturday morning, we had a breakthrough.
Ella, at 7 1/2, has never been an enthusiastic reader, or in any way an independent reader. It has not been something she does for pleasure. For her Half Hour With The Book for school, she usually chooses Calvin and Hobbes. Not that there is anything wrong with Calvin and Hobbes. But she has never chosen to read on her own.
And then, on Saturday morning, she chose to remain in bed and snuggle and read one of her new Nate the Great books. By herself.
There were two other events this week that may have contributed to her doing this on Saturday. Or, it just may have been time. No way really to tell.
The first event was a real mistake that I made. A Bad Mommy moment. Earlier in the week, Wednesday I think, Ella was saying something about how she wasn't really interested in reading, because she doesn't necessarily know all of the words, and she doesn't want to keep running to me to ask what they are.
"Oh," I replied. "Well, when Madison was 6, she just decided that she wanted to read the Boxcar Children, and then when she didn't know a word, she just skipped over it, because she really, really wanted to be able to read. It's not that she was better at it than you, but she was really, really driven."
I can't remember what Ella replied to that, something kind of disparaging I think, because it is overshadowed by the Bad Thing I said next:
It's not that I didn't mean to say that, it's that I have always positively meant NOT to say it. I do know what motivated me to say it at that moment, that a little competitive spirit might kick Ella in the pants, but still, what a bad idea to have actually said it. It is one of a very few moments in my parenting life that I have positively gone against a Deep Parenting Principle that I hold. I still feel bad about it. Even though...
It might have done some good.
On Thursday night, the girls had their concert at Barnes & Noble. Afterward, I pretty much bought everything they wanted. As Ella saw Madison piling up books in the basket, she was a bit sour. "I don't know what I want," she said. "I don't know if I want anything."
I was pretty sure that this was a consequence of what I'd said, and spent a fair amount of mental energy kicking myself. But then, she piled several Nate the Great books in the basket.
And then, there she was, reading, on Saturday morning. And just now, for her reading for school, she read an entire Nate the Great book to me without pause, and only missed the word "honor" (which she read as "horror").
So, I think we've turned that corner. But I certainly won't take credit. Yay, Ella!
Ella, at 7 1/2, has never been an enthusiastic reader, or in any way an independent reader. It has not been something she does for pleasure. For her Half Hour With The Book for school, she usually chooses Calvin and Hobbes. Not that there is anything wrong with Calvin and Hobbes. But she has never chosen to read on her own.
And then, on Saturday morning, she chose to remain in bed and snuggle and read one of her new Nate the Great books. By herself.
There were two other events this week that may have contributed to her doing this on Saturday. Or, it just may have been time. No way really to tell.
The first event was a real mistake that I made. A Bad Mommy moment. Earlier in the week, Wednesday I think, Ella was saying something about how she wasn't really interested in reading, because she doesn't necessarily know all of the words, and she doesn't want to keep running to me to ask what they are.
"Oh," I replied. "Well, when Madison was 6, she just decided that she wanted to read the Boxcar Children, and then when she didn't know a word, she just skipped over it, because she really, really wanted to be able to read. It's not that she was better at it than you, but she was really, really driven."
I can't remember what Ella replied to that, something kind of disparaging I think, because it is overshadowed by the Bad Thing I said next:
"By the time Madison was your age, she had read the first six Harry Potters."
It's not that I didn't mean to say that, it's that I have always positively meant NOT to say it. I do know what motivated me to say it at that moment, that a little competitive spirit might kick Ella in the pants, but still, what a bad idea to have actually said it. It is one of a very few moments in my parenting life that I have positively gone against a Deep Parenting Principle that I hold. I still feel bad about it. Even though...
It might have done some good.
On Thursday night, the girls had their concert at Barnes & Noble. Afterward, I pretty much bought everything they wanted. As Ella saw Madison piling up books in the basket, she was a bit sour. "I don't know what I want," she said. "I don't know if I want anything."
I was pretty sure that this was a consequence of what I'd said, and spent a fair amount of mental energy kicking myself. But then, she piled several Nate the Great books in the basket.
And then, there she was, reading, on Saturday morning. And just now, for her reading for school, she read an entire Nate the Great book to me without pause, and only missed the word "honor" (which she read as "horror").
So, I think we've turned that corner. But I certainly won't take credit. Yay, Ella!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Barnes & Noble coupon today only
My kids sing in the Bach Children's Chorus here in Rochester. I'm on the board of directors, and I have been doing a huge amount of work this fall getting stuff going for them, trying to move them to places they deserve to be but haven't yet pursued. One of the things I am working on is getting the kids to sing at the rededication of the Lincoln Monument on May 30 as part of the Lincoln Bicentennial next year. I also just a week ago got them a gig to sing New Year's Eve at the kick-off to Rochester's 175th Anniversary celebration. They were looking for 175 kids to sing "When You Wish Upon A Star" just before the fireworks go off (at 9:30pm, not midnight -- yes, we are a family-friendly town) which just happens to be in the BCC's repertoire. The goal then was to get another 125-135 kids to sing with us, because we only have about 40-50 who might be able to sing. I sent out a note on my e-newsletter to parents on Wednesday (goes out to about 8000 parents) and got 90 kids so far signed up. So, I'm glad about that, because despite all of this work for it, we Rosses will miss the event--we won't actually be in town New Year's Eve.
They have already sung at six shows of the Nutcracker, and Handel's Messiah (which Madison missed because she was too busy with a stomach bug), and a taping at the local CBS TV affiliate. They'll sing next Friday night, too. And last night, the kids sang at Barnes & Noble, which has a wonderful donation division for nonprofits. We set it up so that 10% of all purchases at B&N anywhere in the country, yesterday and today only, will go to the Bach Children's Chorus of Rochester, NY. You have to give them a coupon at the register.
So, on the total off-chance that you happen to be heading to Barnes & Noble today, can you use the coupon? Thanks. Here is the link to the PDF file for you to print out:
http://bachkidsusa.org/PDF/BNFundraiser.pdf
Sunday, December 07, 2008
"It's a Wonderful Life"
As some of you know, David and I have been writing a "Book of Madison" and a "Book of Ella" since we first knew of the girls' existence.
Tonight, we watched Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, which we do every year during the Christmas season.
David always talks so beautifully about why he loves this movie, and I asked him to write it out this evening for the Books of Madison and Ella. I thought these two passages were particularly worth sharing here:
Doesn't he put things well? :-)
I have known Objectivists who have, well, objected strongly to this movie on the basis of altruism. So I think what David wrote here is well worth considering.
Tonight, we watched Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, which we do every year during the Christmas season.
David always talks so beautifully about why he loves this movie, and I asked him to write it out this evening for the Books of Madison and Ella. I thought these two passages were particularly worth sharing here:
It’s a film about real people with real values, values that matter, values that make life worth living; that is, values. The particular values, and the ways in which the characters in the movie pursue them, are not precisely ours. But the word precisely is important there, because we do share many of the film’s values, and we do live much as the Baileys do. The film is about a man who is dedicated to doing what’s right. George doesn’t just pursue his values with zeal, he pursues them because they’re right, because he refuses to let evil win. It’s true that George’s frustration with his life lends the film a melancholy air, the fact that he is stifled in the pursuit of his youthful desires is sad. But what the film is about is not that, it’s George’s success, his brilliant success, in an ultimately benevolent world that recognizes his integrity.
George holds his integrity, he lives by the principles he thinks are right, even as injustices, big and small, bombard him because of his integrity. The stress becomes intense, and George is ready to give up his life, but not his principles. On the bridge, George no longer needs to live—he thinks he needs to die—but he still does the right thing when Clarence seems to be drowning. By George’s principles, when a drowning man needs help, you dive in and save him. And he does, and—and this is what I love most about the film—this act of integrity saves George’s life. And we see, in the end, that the world—in the film, the people of the town—recognize the value of a man like George. George, in the end, is rewarded for his integrity, he is rewarded for being a good man. This sort of life, a life in which a person is rewarded for virtue, is indeed a wonderful life.
Doesn't he put things well? :-)
I have known Objectivists who have, well, objected strongly to this movie on the basis of altruism. So I think what David wrote here is well worth considering.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
The Christmas Rush
For me, the Christmas rush started even before Thanksgiving: My clients have really ramped-up their need for reports, for some reason. I would have thought that with the economic climate, the first thing to go for mail-order businesses would have been The Consultant, but it seems not, at least for an appreciable number of them. I've been busy writing reports that analyze trends from past years and incorporate 2008 numbers so that my clients can try to predict what is going to happen this year. I've also been writing reports that extract exactly which customers are likely to purchase certain types of products in the November-December time frame, so my clients can suck them out of their systems and email the heck out of them with promotions. Sorry if you're on the receiving end of that.
Anyway, between Thanksgiving guests, six Nutcracker performances to which Madison had to be ferried on the three days after Thanksgiving (the Bach Children's Chorus sings the Waltz of the Snowflakes at the end of the first act...this is the performance with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Rochester City Ballet), cooking down the turkey bones into stock, and writing client reports, it has been a busy week.
I suppose that to a small extent my clients' anxiety has infected me. I started being anxious even before Thanksgiving that I hadn't really started my Christmas shopping yet, even though I actually had ordered some beautiful books from First Folio Society. Madison has also talking about a remote-control spy plane that she saw in a Discovery Channel Store catalog in October. The plane had a little camera that allowed you to take photos from 500 feet in the air. Now, you and I can imagine how crappy these photos are likely to be, but you can't exactly say that to a nine-year-old with stars in her eyes and an imagination on fire.
I kind of hoped she'd forget about the plane, given that it is pretty expensive. Nope. She's talked about it for the past month. So I sighed on Sunday and went to buy it. Small snag: out of stock. I then looked at some reviews of the particular plane and was not encouraged by what I saw. But I did some more online work and found a comparably-priced plane with a camera (I only found 2 or 3 on the market that had cameras) that got better reviews. I found it for a reasonable price on eBay from a Toronto seller. So, fingers crossed.
The Folio Society is in Great Britain, and the books I'd ordered only last week came yesterday. I thought sure they'd have a U.S. distribution center, but they arrived yesterday all marked Air Mail. The cardboard box came in a nice fastened burlap sack so that no one could tell what they are. Unfortunately, I didn't think, and I opened the burlap sack practically in the girls' presence, and there, stamped in big letters on the side of the shipping box, was Harry Potter Boxed Set. Sigh. One surprise down the drain. That's okay, she's excited. And she doesn't know about the treasure chest.
But the best present so far is the dollhouse. My girls have wanted an elegant dollhouse for a while, I think mostly due to my telling them about the house I had when I was a kid, so I thought it was time to do it before they got too old. (Is this house as much for me as for them? Yes. Hush.) I was investigating prices this weekend. Geez Louise! Sellers want over $1000 even for a KIT! It made me think I'm in the wrong industry, that I should go out and get me some boards and a jig saw and start my own business. So, off to Craigslist I went. Saturday night, I found an amazing one. I emailed the folks immediately; turns out they are an elderly couple who live near where the girls have gymnastics. I snuck over to their house last night when the girls had their class. The husband made it for the wife in the 1970s some time after they married, and they spent 10 years building and decorating and wiring it with actual lights. It's a lot sturdier than the flimsy dollhouses that you can buy as a kit to build, and they sold it to me for less than 1/10 the cost of a new dollhouse. I felt a little guilty, like I should tell these nice people that they were selling it for too little (especially since the wife just had a liver transplant), but instead I showed them photos of the girls and talked about how long they would use it, and how the girls' children will use it too. They liked that. David is going to pick it up tonight while I have the girls at choir rehearsal. It is going to be great under the tree. Or, rather, overshadowing the tree. It's that big.
Anyway, between Thanksgiving guests, six Nutcracker performances to which Madison had to be ferried on the three days after Thanksgiving (the Bach Children's Chorus sings the Waltz of the Snowflakes at the end of the first act...this is the performance with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Rochester City Ballet), cooking down the turkey bones into stock, and writing client reports, it has been a busy week.
I suppose that to a small extent my clients' anxiety has infected me. I started being anxious even before Thanksgiving that I hadn't really started my Christmas shopping yet, even though I actually had ordered some beautiful books from First Folio Society. Madison has also talking about a remote-control spy plane that she saw in a Discovery Channel Store catalog in October. The plane had a little camera that allowed you to take photos from 500 feet in the air. Now, you and I can imagine how crappy these photos are likely to be, but you can't exactly say that to a nine-year-old with stars in her eyes and an imagination on fire.
I kind of hoped she'd forget about the plane, given that it is pretty expensive. Nope. She's talked about it for the past month. So I sighed on Sunday and went to buy it. Small snag: out of stock. I then looked at some reviews of the particular plane and was not encouraged by what I saw. But I did some more online work and found a comparably-priced plane with a camera (I only found 2 or 3 on the market that had cameras) that got better reviews. I found it for a reasonable price on eBay from a Toronto seller. So, fingers crossed.
The Folio Society is in Great Britain, and the books I'd ordered only last week came yesterday. I thought sure they'd have a U.S. distribution center, but they arrived yesterday all marked Air Mail. The cardboard box came in a nice fastened burlap sack so that no one could tell what they are. Unfortunately, I didn't think, and I opened the burlap sack practically in the girls' presence, and there, stamped in big letters on the side of the shipping box, was Harry Potter Boxed Set. Sigh. One surprise down the drain. That's okay, she's excited. And she doesn't know about the treasure chest.
But the best present so far is the dollhouse. My girls have wanted an elegant dollhouse for a while, I think mostly due to my telling them about the house I had when I was a kid, so I thought it was time to do it before they got too old. (Is this house as much for me as for them? Yes. Hush.) I was investigating prices this weekend. Geez Louise! Sellers want over $1000 even for a KIT! It made me think I'm in the wrong industry, that I should go out and get me some boards and a jig saw and start my own business. So, off to Craigslist I went. Saturday night, I found an amazing one. I emailed the folks immediately; turns out they are an elderly couple who live near where the girls have gymnastics. I snuck over to their house last night when the girls had their class. The husband made it for the wife in the 1970s some time after they married, and they spent 10 years building and decorating and wiring it with actual lights. It's a lot sturdier than the flimsy dollhouses that you can buy as a kit to build, and they sold it to me for less than 1/10 the cost of a new dollhouse. I felt a little guilty, like I should tell these nice people that they were selling it for too little (especially since the wife just had a liver transplant), but instead I showed them photos of the girls and talked about how long they would use it, and how the girls' children will use it too. They liked that. David is going to pick it up tonight while I have the girls at choir rehearsal. It is going to be great under the tree. Or, rather, overshadowing the tree. It's that big.
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