incentive

I recently surprised Ella by giving her $1 when she was particularly helpful. A week later, at dinner, she said, quite tenderly, "You're really getting better at being a mom." My heart sang. I wondered, did she really notice the extra effort I've been putting into play time, keeping my cool, and rewarding good behavior? So I asked her, and she answered, matter-of-factly, "No. You give us money now."

heart day

As many times as I tell Ella it's "ValentiNe's Day," she still calls it ValentiMes, which I guess is consistent with Christmas time, Easter time, etc.

Last night, as Ella was placing stickers on her classmates' valentines, she accidentally tore one in half and immediately said, "Oh, I can't use that one! It's a broken heart, and it's not broken heart day! It's Valentimes!"

I surprised the girls with a Valentine's Day Breakfast with heart-shaped pancakes, strawberries, pink milk, heart glasses, paper hearts, and (best of all) a beaded heart necklace for each of them. I decorated the dining room with paper hearts and pink and red confetti. They absolutely loved it and, I hope, felt the love I have for them.

dirty work

At the age of two-and-a-half, Lauren is now able to communicate absolutely everything she's thinking, which has been fun because, it turns out, a lot of what she's thinking is pretty funny. Consider this recent conversation:

Me: When we get a dog one day, are you girls going to help clean up its messes?
Ella: Yes!
Mom: I don't know . . . sometimes when I ask you to clean your room you say, "I'm busy." Maybe when I ask you to clean up the dog's poop you'll say you're busy, too.
Lauren: I would say, "That's POOP. I'm BUSY."