Now that Charlotte is really getting the hang of reading, she tries to sound out every word she sees. It is a constant flow of “mommy, what does this spell? mommy, what does this say?” I love it, I really do. It makes me so happy to see her grasp the concepts and put it into action. It also makes for some really funny stories.

The other night we went shoe shopping and then out to dinner. On the way to the restaurant we passed a Staples. Charlotte tried to read the word and asked us what it spelled so we told her. She paused for a minute and says, “Oh right. That must be where my friend at school got the staples in his head when he fell.” When I tell you Eric and I could not contain ourselves, I mean it. I love the way her brain works and how she connects things even though that was so, so wrong.

Also, I’ve learned that when doing homework with her I had to change my tactics. Homework is always a struggle because she is a pain in the ass. She’ll whine and moan and say she is tired and bored and it takes her ten times longer to do the homework than if she just sat her butt down and did it. She’ll tell Eric she wants to do it with me and then give us both a hard time. It’s so, so annoying. So the other day I decided I would liven stuff up. I told her that mommy was gone and Miss Mullabaloo was in her place, and mommy wouldn’t come back until she did her homework. I did an over the top cockney accent and acted like a governess. She laughed the entire time and did her homework without any issues. So if any of you parents out there are having a hard time with your kids and their homework, just put on a show.

Now if only I could get a real Miss Mullabaloo to come to my house and rescue me.