Reading to Mel

Carolina has decided that Mel should be able to read. Now. Today. So lessons have started:

Reading the grown up newspaper

This morning at breakfast, Carolina noticed a lead article headline about YouTube and asked if she could read it. I passed over the section, opened it to her page, and this was her for the next five minutes. 

Losing more teeth: #7

So Carolina lost her seventh tooth last night. She let me know there have been seven since I had lost count. I informed the Tooth Fairy and she left a note with the Quarter. 

Hooray!

The Beastie Boys, toddler version

Long story very short:

I played The Beastie Boys song "Hey Ladies" for Mel on the way home from school. He's been walking around singing "hey! Hey! Hey! Old ladeeeeeez" to the same tune. 

#TotsForLife

Learning about South America, dinosaurs and lava

Mel's got the day off from school, here's what he taught me this morning:

"The dinosaurs got killed in Mexico, and it was sad. But they were okay because they didn't go in real lava, like in South America, they just went in water. Then they lose power in water. They were just sleeping. And they were trying to find food. Then they just do that, and they're all done."

Lost another tooth, but swallowed it

Carolina just lost a top tooth, one of her bicuspids. She was running down the hallway and I was walking out of the bathroom, and her mouth ran into one of my hands. She felt a small pain and then realized she swallowed her loose tooth! 

Black History Month with Carolina

"What was something new you learned today?"

"Mommy, I learned about an important lady. She was a slave and then she had an Underground Railroad. I forget her name."

"Harriet Tubman?"

"Yes! That's her."

"Do you know what a slave is?"

"A slave is someone who is owned."

"Do you know what that means?"

"No."

"It means you are someone's property. You work for that person. That person paid for you. You can not leave. You work all the time, every day. You don't get paid."

"Mommy, that's bad. That is a terrible idea."

"And you can't live with your family. If the person who bought you wants to sell your mom or brother or grandmom, they do. And then you never see that family member again."

"It's good we don't have slavery ANYWHERE anymore."

"Well, it does still exist."

"Well, not here! Mr. Lincoln took care of that."

"Yes."

This mother-daughter moment, overly simplified for a six year old, brought to you courtesy of Black History Month.