Surreality

 

Sophia had a day off school Friday because of Parent/Teacher conferences. I may have more to say about that another day. Since we had our conference on Thursday, we had the day to ourselves. I decided it would be a good time to head to the farm in Illinois to have a little visit with my grandparents.

Sophia was a tough sell, but by the time we headed off, she was excited for the visit. We got there at lunch and ate our meal, which Grandma kept insisting was not enough: chicken tetrazini, jello salad and bread. I didn't have the heart to tell her that many days I eat crackers and hummus and a hard boiled egg. So a real meal feels like a lot.

Shortly after our dinner, Grandpa headed in for a nap, and us girls got everything out for cookie making. As Grandma spread it all out and I looked it over, it hit me. Just trade out girls and give Grandma a few inches back, and this is a day in my childhood. Same apron, same table, yellow checked tablecloth, cutters, routine, everything. For that matter, I'm pretty sure it's all the same as when my own mom was a kid, too. It was a little strange. But honestly, I feel so incredibly grateful that Sophia and I can share that. A little moment in time that will bind us together. With Grandma.

And if you need some cookies, we've got plenty. That's not all. We also came home with some fabric and old calendars. We should be good in the art and sewing categories for a while now. I also sneaked a quick picture of Grandma at the table. Don't tell her, though. She hates having her picture taken.

I Forget

I just (almost) finished a book called Moonwalking with Einstein. It was on the topseller and best read lists on Amazon and at my local bookstore, so what could I do. I was hoping, with a title like that, that the book would be a strange tale or something. Not so. It's a book about training one's mind to remember. Specifically, how one person spent a year training his memory in order to compete in the annual Memory Championships.

Don't get me wrong, the book had some definite interesting points. I liked the conversation he started about the need for memory becoming obsolete with the proliferation of technology - like this. I couldn't argue, considering the fact that I blog in order to remember. And there were even some helpful hints about using mnemonic techniques to remember lists and such. But really when it came down to it, I'm just not that interested in remembering those kinds of things. I do want to exercise my brain and "jog" it occasionally. Maybe take a mental stroll around some of the places I've been. We really don't take enough time in our lives to re-experience many things.

However, the fact of the matter is that when I stopped to write down my experience of the book, I forgot the author's name. And that's really okay with me. Josh Foer, by the way. I just looked it up. Thank you, internet...

Storyteller

Last night in the St. Louis area, we had some really strange weather. Tornado sirens, a couple rounds of hail and lots of lightning and thunder made for a long night for us and many others.

It was the topic of conversation at lunch with some friends after school. The other moms and I were discussing how we responded to the sirens and such, and at every round, Sophia added the night's story from her perspective. I guess telling that story got her storytelling mojo going because after that she couldn't be distracted.

Every time a mom took a breath, Sophia said, "I have a story." Until she finished her lunch, I kept reminding her to eat. By the time she was finished with her lunch, she was up to three stories, and she told me so. Just before we cleaned up the table from the meal, I released her on the audience. There were, in fact, three stories, ranging from the fact that she had jaundice as baby to our decision to let her sleep in our bed through the storm.

I love this about her. She is so confident in her ability to hold people's attention, and for the most part, she is right. I enjoy her stories immensely, even when they revolve around personal information - sometimes mine. I hope she keeps that ability to hold onto a good story and share it. That's something that I've had to work on in life. I have great stories to tell, but my mouth and my mind tend to operate at different speeds, while hers is always in sync. I should have her start contributing to the blog...

Snow!!

and brrrrrr....



Sophia had a playdate today, but she has been waiting so patiently - well, she's been waiting anyway - for snow that once she got home and wanted to sled, I just couldn't turn her down.

We didn't let the ridiculous cold get in our way. Last year, Sophia didn't like sledding because she got snow in her face. But this time, she was prepared. Face covered and eyes protected, she loved going down the hill at top speed all by herself.



And now that I have feeling back in all of my extremities, I will consider going out again tomorrow if the snow is still sleddable.

Sophia

 

It is relatively easy to catch Sophia in a pose, but this is definitely my favorite pose in a while. We went to the zoo yesterday with a couple of Sophia's friends. Instead of looking at animals, Sophia and her friends just found different spots around the zoo to stop and pretend and perform.

These girls are also natural performers, so they had a lot of fun together. And we had a blast watching them make the zoo their stage.

Back at the Park

We had another lovely day today. It's strange to get into January with 70 degree weather, but I'll take it.

Just after she got out of preschool, we had a picnic at the playground with several of her classmates. Each time we moms are together now, we talk about how sad it's going to be to break these kids up next year. Of course we know they'll make new friends in their separate kindergartens, but the chemistry of this class is so great that we hate to see it end. Here's Sophia with her friends Tommy and Anna.



As soon as we got home, Sophia wanted to go back to our little park. I certainly didn't want to object. For the day, she decided she's have an imaginary friend come with us. Her name was McKenna, and Sophia "called" her to let her know that we were on the way.



She spent much of the time explaining McKenna to me and calling her on her pretend phone. She rarely stops talking on a day like this. It was fantastic. As long as I can keep up with her, she's happy.