Poison Popeyes.

Charles Osgood, in the closing moments of today's CBS Sunday Morning: . . . We leave you today in New Mexico, where the poppies are blooming.

Dadam [to Cecilia]: Do you remember a movie we've seen that has poppies? Where people are running through a field of poppies and they all fall asleep?

Cici: Um, Popeye?

Ruby's Porky Pig Moment.

[Ruby has drawn a picture of a prickly-looking animal.]

Dadam: What kind of animal is that, Ruby?

Ruby: It's a headhog . . . a headhog . . . a porcupine.

Fruit Salad

Last week Ruby was at the PBS Kids website and discovered one of the shows had posted some recipes. She managed to print one off for fruit salad and bring it down to me, asking if we could have this recipe for dinner. Since dinner was just simple veggie burgers, it seemed like a good idea to me, so the girls and I went to the grocery store to pick up some ingredients. And here they are, in action:

It was a big hit and Ruby was very pleased that everyone loved her recipe. Between her enthusiasm for recipes and Cecilia's interest in food prep, I'd say they are well on their way to following in their mother's footsteps. YAY!

I Suppose Not.

[Enter Dadam.]

Ruby: Where did you go?

Dadam: I took the garbage out.

Auntie Sarah: He was robbing a bank.

Ruby: He can't rob a bank without his coat on.

Second-Grade Angst.

Yesterday evening after school Cici was upset – very upset. She was struggling with her math homework, but she was getting angry to an extent that made me feel something bigger than that was going on. At first I tried to talk to her about it, but when it became clear she was too mad I sent her to her room to cool off. Which she eventually did.

As I was tucking her in last night, she apologized to me, which touched me. (Her willingness to apologize is another way she’s more like me than like her mother.) We talked a little bit about what the problem was – it sounds like there’s a girl in her class who has a bad habit. (Not to put too fine a point on it, but she picks her nose and eats it. Regularly.) Cici is always nice to her, because, well, because Cici is a great kid and is always nice to everyone. But apparently some other kids have been teasing Cici and saying she’s “best friends” with the girl, which is upsetting her terribly. I’m not sure why, but it really took my back to my own child, and made me remember how mean kids can be, for no reason, and just how weird that stage of life is. For once, I was glad to be a grown-up.

I’m not sure I told Cici the right thing. I said that she was right to be nice to the girl, and that if people are mean to her for it those aren’t the kinds of people she needs as friends in the first place. I don’t think this advice was what Cici wanted to hear, or that it would make her time at school any easier. Any thoughts?

Landi Complains A Lot

My sister is sitting next to me, griping about how infrequently we blog these days.

Happy, dear?