Elsie at school.

Clean up girl.

Twenty minutes after putting Sylvie down for her nap, I hear singing coming from her room...

"Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere!

Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share!"

(Or rather, "Keen-up, keen-up, evy body evy where!

Keen-up, keen-up, evy body do or tare!")

 

When I open the door, Sylvie smiles and yells, "Mama, it's cleaning time!  I clean up!" 

She'd picked up all the books on the floor and stacked them into a huge tower on her stool.  

I lean in to give her a hug, and she says, "Mama, I clean up.  Now pizza time?"

We compromised on a bagel.

And here she is, thirty minutes later.  Notice the half-eaten bagel clutched in her hands :)
 

Poop, belly buttons, and other New Year miscellany.

The scene:  Two girls, a large amount of poop floating in the tub, and Elsie isn't 'fessing.

Mama:  Elsie, I'm not upset that you accidentally pooped in the tub, I am sad that you lied about it.

Elsie:  But I didn't poop in the tub!  Sylvie did!

Mama:  Well, there is A LOT of poop in here for Sylvie to have made, plus it is full of clemetine pulp.  Sylvie didn't eat any clementines today, but you had two at lunch.  It just makes me sad when you lie to me.

Elsie:  But, Mama, YOU lied to ME! You said you LOVE cleaning poop, and now you are pretending you don't like it!

Mama:  I don't remember every saying that I love cleaning poop...

Daddy:  Elsie, I am sure Mama didn't say that.  No one likes cleaning poop.

Elsie:  Yes, mama did say that!  Mama lied to me!  That's why I pooped in the tub.

***

The scene:  Elsie and Mama learning Spanish together on the computer.  After approximately 20 minutes...

Elsie:  Mama, when we are done learning this, then are we going to be Spanish?

"Chasing" around the empty stairs and halls of the mall over the Christmas holiday.  The mall walkers found them very entertaining!

***

The scene:  Elsie removes Mama's socks for no apparent reason, then leans in close...

Elsie:  Mama!  Your feet DON'T SMELL!  Did you know that?

***

The scene: eating scrambled eggs for lunch, with the promise of three chocolate chips each if they finish their protein.

Elsie:  Mama, my tummy is all full.  It says it doesn't have any more room for eggs.

Mama:  Oh, that's too bad.  If it doesn't have any room for protein, it must not have any room for chocolate chips, either.  

 Elsie:  Oh, no, Mama!  I put my eggs in my stomach, and it doesn't have any more room.  I put my desserts in my belly button, and THAT still has lots of room!  If I ate the rest of my eggs, though, then my belly button would be full, too, and I wouldn't have room for dessert!

Elsie teaches Sylvie (and Rover) about headbands.  Sylvie is not impressed.