What I'm not giving up for Lent...

Today was another "snow day" for my girlies and me.

And so, we grabbed this unexpected opportunity to catch up on all of the many school projects that are looming on the horizon. We tackled Child Number One's unit on North American Explorers. We conquered Child Number Two's enormous collage for art class, which commemorates the "One Hundredth Day of School". And then, just to top things off, we built home-made "rain stick" instruments out of long cardboard tubes. We filled them with dried beans and rice, covered them with gooey papier mache, and painted them every colour of the rainbow. (Their music teacher isn't going to know what hit her, when the "torrential downpour" starts).

By the time we had completed these various masterpieces, and had cleaned up all the MESS that went along with them, we didn't have a whole lot of energy left. And so, we flopped down on the couch, snuggled under fuzzy blankets, and settled in to watch one of our favourite videos, "Eloise at the Plaza".

Now, being an "Eloise" purist... I was naturally highly skeptical when this film of my beloved heroine first appeared. But my fears were largely unfounded, as it turned out. The film version is remarkably, and surprisingly "true" to the book that I know and love so well. Julie Andrews is a stellar, warm-hearted Nanny, and Sofia Vassilieva (though not exactly the "picture" of the heroine that I have always carried in my head... Or, is that my OWN six-year-old I have been envisioning all these years??) is a wickedly energetic, thoroughly hilarious Eloise.

One of the funniest scenes in the movie is the one in which Philip, Eloise's long-suffering private tutor, arrives at the suite to give a French lesson. Eloise manages to annoy the poor man to such an extent, that Nanny is forced to swoop in and rescue him. She hands Philip a martini, and soothingly suggests, "Let's all just calm down!" He looks down his nose at her, states icily, "I DON'T DRINK", then makes a highly melodramatic exit.

Child Number Two was struck by Philip's statement.

She turned to me with wide-eyed seriousness, and said:

"He doesn't DRINK??? But if you don't DRINK, you'll DIE."

And after the day I'd put in with my children, I had to whole-heartedly agree with her.

I take mine straight up, with two olives, please.