The Great Paper Chase

Otherwise known as the pre-K admission process in Manhattan.

Next week we go on vacation. There’s a family reunion for my mother-in-law's family, a celebration for my in-laws 40th wedding anniversary, there’s a party for my family (both my dad’s and mom’s) to meet Jellybean for the first time….and oh yes, while we are there we also have to write our essay answers for Monkey’s pre-k school applications.

That's right. Essay answers. On applications for pre-K. Seriously. But these are pre-Ks associated with schools that continue, some through 8th grade and others all the way through 12th grade, so I understand.....but still. Gah!

I was (after a glass of wine) imagining the most horrible answers I could write:

Please describe the adults that are important to your child:
Well, there’s the wino on the corner named Kevin. Monkey loves to wave hello and make him smile each morning as we pass him on the way to the bus stop; it’s only when we get too close that she wrinkles her nose and comments on how he smells funny. They share a common love of ice cream, flirting with strangers, and bugging mommy for quarters to buy a treat.


Um, yeah. So maybe it was more than one glass?

A ha!

I figured it out.

Monkey wanted her toes painted because Bunny had her toes painted when she visited us!

Oh lordy. Keeping up with cool kids, already.

Twinkle Toes

Monkey has been bugging me to paint her toes for a while.

So, last Monday night I painted her toes. A bright iridescent reddish pink. Just like mommy! (You Rock-apulco Red! by Opi, if you must know...)

She was grinning, ear to ear, like I've never seen her grin before. You'd have thought I just handed her the keys to heaven....or daddy's heart. Daddy, by the way, groaned and claimed he'd gotten older, just watching his baby girl morph into a teenager before his eyes......

Turns out that Tuesday at school, when they went to the playground to frolic in the sprinklers, she wouldn't get in. This, from the girl who usually LEADS the charge into the sprinklers! Plus that day it got into the 90s and was super hot and muggy.

But no. She told Jenna, her beloved teacher, that she "didn't want to get her toes dirty." Apparently it took over 30 minutes to break down her resolve!

Grandma Larson is going to bond with Monkey on our coming vacation. She, too, LOVES to have pretty toes.

Magic

The stories inside Monkey's head are magical. Full of laughter, and imagination, made up words and wacky strangeness.

I understand why the Dr. Suess stories are so appealing to her.....her brain thinks like that, too.

This morning she lagged behind on the way to the bus stop, because, as she put it, she needed to lock the door so the polar bears wouldn't get out while they were sleeping. This was in reference to a padlock hangling idly on the side of a window...

Yesterday she left the room and shut the door because..... I was at the dentist, and I didn't need to go with her because she's older than me.

She has mentioned repeatedly that Jellybean needs to share her teething toy, Sophie the giraffe, because she (Monkey) needs to teach her how to talk (by squeezing the toy and making it squeek).

She cooks dinosaurs with carrots....

Elephants live in trees.....

Princesses are known as dancerinas....

Life is very, very interesting to a three year old!

I knew there had to be a catch....

The downside to a highly intelligent, verbal child, is that they use your words (and methods) against you.

To wit:

Last night, M was giving Monkey a bath. When it was time to depart the tub, she declined. After much negotiation, M initiated the "count-down" to a time-out. (As in, I'm going to count down from 5 and if you haven't done [whatever] by the time I finish, you get a time-out). Usually this works like a charm.

But, last night it didn't work.

Upon hearing his pronouncement, mid-count, Monkey turned to M and said:

"I appreciate [your offer of a time-out], but I'm not done with my work here."