Sloppy reading

Laura is super smart. But she's too full of energy and life to spent more than five minutes doing anything. This boundless energy affects her reading as much as anything else. If she gets the first couple letters of a word down, then she'll guess the rest of the word based on the pictures. I've been covering up a lot of pictures lately. Sometimes, the results are funny enough that I have a hard time reminding her of the rules.

According to Laura, this page of her custom book says:

"Bibi lifts the red bus." I laughed for a good ten minutes.

Mommy, why do you...

Sure, I get all the "normal" questions that kids ask "normal" stay at home moms.

L: Mommy, why do you put water on the chicken before you put it in the pan?

A: To rinse off the bacteria.

L: But what if you miss some germs?

A: The rest die in the oven, that's why we have to cook it all the way through. 

L: Then why wash it, if the germs all die in the oven?

A: 1. Grammy taught me to do it this way. 2. I'd rather have bacteria wash down the drain than in my pans. 3. Because sometimes chickens fall in the plant or don't get plucked all the way, so rinsing off means that I get all the dirt and feathers that don't die in the oven. 4. Because if I didn't, Daddy would say, "Why didn't you rinse the chicken? Do you want us eating dead bacteria?"

L: Oh. I don't like feathers. Or dirt.

A: Me neither.

But sometimes, I get asked questions that "normal" stay at home moms certainly do t get.

L: Mommy, why do you use the brake four times with the bus, but just one time in the van?

A: They have different braking systems. This (bus) has an air brake system. If it hit it just once and hold down, then it'll let all the air pressure out, and the brakes won't stop the bus in time. So, I have to hit it over and over to make sure it'll stop. It's not always four times. How many times I hit it depends on how fast in going and how many kids are on my bus. But, you are right. I've done it exactly four times for the last three lights. 

L: What kind of brakes does the van have?

A: The van and Daddy's car have disk brakes. If you hit them over and over, it wears the disks down more quickly, so just one time works better for them.

L: But you don't use the brake with Daddy's car. Why not?

A: Sometimes I do a little. But it's not as necessary because it has a different transmission system.

L: What's a transmission?

A: It controls not how fast the car is going, but how hard the engine has to work to make it go that fast. The bus and van have automatic transmission systems, so a computer controls the engine, once I tell it how fast to go. But the car has a manual system, so not only do I tell it how fast to go, but I tell it how hard to work to go that fast. 

L: Oh. What kind does Grandad like?

A: Before he got arthritis, he liked manual transmissions, but now he likes automatic more.

L: No, what kind of brakes?

A: Oh. Um, I don't think Grandad is allowed to drive air brakes. I think he has to drive disk brakes.

L: I want to drive everything.

A: Ok. Sounds like a plan.

Yes, I gave Laura a basic knowledge of both of her parents' careers in the same day. She doesn't ask just normal questions, that kid.

I'm driving a field trip to FarmLand Adventures. Karen keeps calling it Horse Land. #toomuchtv ?

Boots: Do you like Fire Trucks? Laura: NO!! Adriel: Why not? Laura: I like Busses and cars!

Bus Connoisseur (For Glo & @ozarktansit)

Laura wrote a beautiful song today. It went like this: I like blue bus! I see blue bus and ride it. Blue bus is nice. More nicer than white bus or yellow bus. But I love red bus most. Red bus is pretty. Mommy drives eagles, and I ride on red bus. I love red bus and blue busses!!!

Based on her song, we can safely place Laura's bus preference in the following order:
1. FCS Eagles' maroon (red) Thomas school bus
2. ORT's blue Chevy cutaways
3. UofA's white Gillig commuters & public schools' yellow Blue Bird or Thomas school busses.