April 7, 2011 by Barbara.

For reasons not exactly clear to me, Reid is interested in ways to save money. She isn’t thinking obvious ones, like eating at home instead of at a restaurant or not going places that charge admission, though. When we first started talking about Reid taking cello lessons, she said that it would be a good way to save money on electricity since we wouldn’t need to listen to the radio, just to her playing the music. We talked about taking art classes this morning and immediately Reid suggested that she could write and illustrate books. So that I wouldn’t have to buy any, of course. It’s good to have an artist/performer in the family to save costs right. (No, I never point out how much money the lessons cost. ;+)

At the supper table tonight, Reid was talking about how good it be if she could take art classes near the pool where her swimming lessons are held, especially if there is a gas station and bank nearby. She explained it all clearly: we could walk from the swimming lesson to art class without needing gas but when we did need gas, we could walk to the bank to get the money and then drive to the gas station. Many of Reid’s sentences are at least as long as that last one. It’s a gift we share.

I’m not sure if these are the first signs of Reid as a budding accountant or financial advisor but it’s nice to know that she has an eye on the bottom line.

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March 21, 2010 by Barbara.

Reid attended dance camp for her March Break. I almost signed her up for a sport and swim camp but, as I stood at the registration counter, the mom of one of Reid’s friends hurried over to say that A was signed up for dance camp. Reid immediately began hopping up and down, asking to go to dance camp. She’s not affected by peer pressure at all!

When I dropped Reid off the first day, I asked the very young woman who seemed to be in charge for her name since she hadn’t introduced herself and I was leaving my dear, sweet daughter in her care. She told me that her name was “Woolly Mammoth” and that the other camp counselor was “Ursula”, like in The Little Mermaid. I have two thoughts on this:
1. I imagine that they adopt funny aliases to please the kids but it doesn’t instill much confidence in me, as a parent, to leave my child with a stranger who provides only an alias.
2. If you have to choose an alias, wouldn’t you choose one with good connotations? I haven’t ever watched all of The Little Mermaid but I have the impression Ursula is “bad” from what I have seen. Side note: I’m glad Reid is not interested in Disney Princesses.

Reid’s day at camp included an hour in the swimming pool and 50 minutes on the ice. I’m super-happy with the arrangement. On Tuesday morning, I noticed a gigantic bruise on the inside of Reid’s knee. I asked what had happened. She explained that A doesn’t skate that well and had held onto Reid for support and, of course, the two of them had fallen quite dramatically. Since Reid hadn’t complained the night before, I knew she wasn’t hurt badly but as soon as I asked about it, Reid started to hobble. She found the golf club that she uses for a cane and walked carefully downstairs. Reid has obviously been watching Grandma Joyce on her sore days.

I picked up a cd from the library - They Might be Giants’ *Here Comes Science* - and we were listening on the way to camp. The first song starts with:
Science is real
From the Big Bang to DNA
Science is real
From evolution to the Milky Way

And goes on to say that the singer likes stories about angels, unicorns and elves but that for knowledge, facts are with science. I have a friend, the one who told me about the cd, who doesn’t like the message of this first song but I thought it was a good way of promoting science.

There is also a song called *Meet the Elements” and, at one point, they sing about how elephants, houses, etcetera are all made of elements. Reid asked me if that was true and I said it was. She had more questions and, frankly, on a good day I’d have trouble answering questions about elements on a good day and Tuesday morning was not a good one. I’d had only 4.5 hours of sleep. Fortunately, Reid understands that when you’re sick your brain doesn’t work very well and she didn’t press. I’m still hoping that Ken is the parent-in-charge when Reid remembers her questions.

Reid broke her glasses on Wednesday. The supervisor explained that Reid had been attempting a cartwheel and fallen mid turn. Reid’s version stated that she had been *doing* a cartwheel. Truthfully, Reid’s cartwheels are more like round-offs than cart wheels. In any case, she ended up with scrapes on the side of her face from the hinges of the glasses and a leg that didn’t attach to the rest of the glasses. I had the opportunity to be grateful for her spare glasses since the eye glass boutique at Loblaws didn’t have her frames in stock.

The kids - all girls but one - put on a dance show for their parents on Friday afternoon. The lead counselor explained that the theme was “Dance through the Ages” and that the kids were less keen on the classic music. Then, she said that they would start with the 80s and work forward. 80s music is “classic”?! The littlest girls danced to the “Move it” song - which I really don’t know but strongly doubt it was an 80s song and everyone danced together to “Beat it” and each child had a turn breakdancing in the centre of the circle. I felt ever-so-old. At the end of the performance, Reid came over to collect her flower. She’d asked if I’d be getting her something, since Ken has established a “flowers after a performance” tradition and so I sprang for a wooden whirly-gig flower at the Dollar Store. Reid’s smile was worth every penny of the $1.50 I paid for it.

At the end of the performance, Reid put on her pink-with-multi-coloured-polka-dots, which went nicely with the black body suit and pale pink dance skirt she was wearing, and led the way to the café for slushies. Not everyone could have carried the outfit off but Reid has that je ne sais quoi that lets her.

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