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Lizzy is going flying with her grandfather tomorrow (weather permitting) for a birthday treat, and so she and I have been going over our radio code words. I think my favorite was when I asked her the code for F (I gave her the hint that it is the name of a dance) and she said, "Flamenco."

And that reminded me that this, the first week of school and Lizzy's birthday week has had the best one-liners out of the mouths of my gamers' babes.

Last night, as Lizzy and I ate her Mom-and-Me Birthday Dinner (at the always-fabulous Lynnwood branch of the Old Spaghetti Factory), she looked at me with exasperation and said, "Mom! Please don't be Grandma about my table manners on my birthday!"

She was also very not-subtle about wanting to have them sing to her; she kept remarking that she "heard another person get sung to." Loudly enough to be heard by other tables even in a busy family restaurant on a Friday night.

Abby informed me with great seriousness on Friday that she now understands why "adults swear at other drivers. Because now I know, Mom, I've been in junior high school hallways between classes."

Speaking of other drivers, my mom referred to our mutual landlord as "Dick" (it is his nickname, short for Richard, but I don't call him that because I met him when I was a child) the other day while passing his truck in the street. Lizzy was absolutely horrified, because she always thought Grandma liked Mr G.

Of course, this is the child who thinks I'm swearing every time I use the word "asphalt." Why "assume" and "assassin" do not trigger the same indignation, I'm not sure.

It's been that sort of week.

Another Year, Another Post.

First day of school was great (although they look tired they both had a great day).

Second day looks to be great too... with a few glitches that need ironing out.

Who takes Abby to the bus in bad weather? (it's a mile walk on winding country roads without sidewalks, and currently (ha!) a couple of (deactivated) downed power lines from last weekend's storm). I did it and then came back here, but there are several neighbors we trust with children we know going the same place at the same time. Perhaps we should have worked this out last week (vague noises were made about same, but nothing was settled). I'll talk to the other parents this afternoon.

Why did Lizzy's alarm go off at seven? It doesn't need to. Oh, yes, yesterday she had to get up early because we took both kids to school on the first day, and Abby's starts an hour before Lizzy's. We just didn't reset the alarm.

Oh, crap, are those Abby's glasses? Note: have Abby add "glasses" to the list she has made up after yesterday's Butter on the New Shirt Incident (because now she has put "eat breakfast" and "brush teeth" before "get dressed"). Junior High. Goodness...

Hey, see what I'm doing? I'm online for half an hour early in the morning. Now all I have to do is retrain myself (out of years of bad habits) to go to bed at a decent hour and I'll be good to go every day.

Today is Lizzy's birthday dinner and Abby's audition call back (same place, Studio East, different production, Honk!). Tomorrow is Lizzy's eighth birthday.

Where does the time go?

It's Time...

...to clean out the laundry room.

This sounds very simple in and of itself.

But the cat has now been missing - presumed dead - for nearly three weeks.

Three weeks, when talking about a 17-year-old, primarily-indoor cat, means she's almost certainly gone for good.

The presence of coyotes in our area just makes it that much more likely.

And the weather has certainly been warm enough that if her body was under the house we would know it by now.

I'm sad and depressed by this, albeit not surprised, because 17 years old, after all.

But Abby will be a wreck if we're still holding out hope in the form of a litter box and food and water and such in the laundry room, when she gets home from her yearly sojourn to her Nana's house. Abby is starting junior high in a couple weeks, and auditioning for another play in about a week, and she doesn't need to be a wreck right now.

So I need to get that all done by Saturday afternoon.

And I don't want to.

Lizzyisms, August 2015 edition

She reads very well for her age, but some words are still a little tricky. Hence this conversation:

"Lizzy, could you get me the little white bottle of spray medicine in the bathroom, please?"

"This one? The one that says, "Pain Releasing?" I mean, "Pain Revealing?" I mean..."

"Pain Relieving. Please do not release or reveal my pain."

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I often forget that there are some things - especially brand names - than she may not know:

"I'd rather you used Scotch tape than tacks."

"Can't I use the clear tape?"

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And we must stay aware that her reading level does not always match up with her comprehension level... or her tolerance for scary:

"Goosebumps? Are you kidding? You know I get nightmares!"

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But she understands analogy and character archetype:

"Too Tall Bear is the Bugs Meany of the Berenstain Bears show."

Another August, Another Abbyless Week

As has been pointed out before, Lizzy-without-Abby is a different beast altogether.

But she's two years older than the last time I wrote about this, in that link up there, and the differences are palpable.

For one thing, she can read, and read well above her grade level - going into 2nd - at that.

This is a challenge... finding books that are appropriate both to her reading level (about fifth grade) and her emotional / social level (not quite second). I've written about that before, thanks, Encyclopedia Brown.

But back to Lizzy-without-Abby.

She's far more self-sufficient than she used to be, but she still misses Abby, and she needs something to be self-sufficient with. It's also back-to-school time.

So after dropping Abby with her Nana, Lizzy and I did her back-to school shopping. We got her this great backpack (it comes with a BPA-free water bottle, an insulated lunch bag, and a soft-side pencil case). That white strip in the middle is a reflective strip so drivers can see her if she's walking in rainy weather or dusk (common in the winter around here), and there are matching strips on the straps. We also got the other stuff on her back-to-school list, like crayons and paper and glue sticks.

Additionally, we got her the first four books in the Monster High series. There have been a gazillion posts in the blogosphere about Monster High and body image, but I like to think that my kids are bright enough to grok that the Monster High girls' shapes are not realistic. In fact, we've discussed it, and the general consensus is that Frankiestein and friends are "cartoon-person-shaped" rather than realistic. Same goes for the Ever After High characters and Equestria Girls.

Why not Ever After High, you may ask, since Lizzy is in a girly-princess stage at the moment? That one is easy; Abby has the Ever After High books, and she shares them with Lizzy when she's done.

And although Lizzy is in that girly-princess stage for the most part, that's not all there is to her interests either. Which is why, when she requested an alarm clock, we chose this one, to the left. Ninjago Kai, the Fire Ninja from the LEGO company. He's fully poseable (as much as LEGO figures ever are), and one pushes down on his head for snooze mode and to see the time glowing in the dark.

So cool.

Or hot, as the case may be: Kai is the fire ninja, after all.

He should be a hit at tonight's sleepover, as our sleepover guest introduced Lizzy to Ninjago in the first place.

Moat? What Moat?!

The first showing of Once Upon a Mattress at Studio East was a rousing success; full house sold out and all.

The kids were terrific.

The show seemed... professional.

Thirty kids ages 11-16, some of whom have done mainstage productions before, but some who are completely brand new at this. And the crew... just... wow. No missed cues as far as I could tell, lights and sound effects as appropriate.

And it was super great.

So Friday Night was sold out, as is (I believe) Sunday Matinee.

I don't know if there are any seats left for the Saturday Matinee or Saturday Night.

But it was fabulous.

Here's a clip the director put together as a sort of teaser-trailer. Abby is the lady in waiting in orange with a blue neck scarf.