J had "history" on the schedule for yesterday, so she decided to read If You Lived in Colonial Times (McGovern). She read to herself and out loud and we discussed each short chapter. She really liked learning about this time period - the states involved, the timeline, the clothes, the food, the schools, etc. She asked me a lot of questions and learned about spinning wheels, looms, powdered wigs, plant dyes, hornbooks, and so many other cool things. When she tired of that, she asked to make dinner (tater-tot casserole). She made it last time and it came out great.

At the playground we saw the summer icee-cart lady, but this time she was pushing a shopping cart with a huge tray of churros on it. They were 3/$1, and after we each had one, I bought 9 more! Yum! NYC pushcart food is the best!!

W had a school Thanksgiving feast this morning. His class came into the cafeteria in paper pilgrim headwear. Very cute. They sang 2 songs and then it was time to eat. All the parents brought a dish from their country - and in my neighborhodd, there are a lot of countries. So the feast consisted of basmati rice and samosas, arroz con pollo, quesadillas, flan, baked ziti, a strange shrimp soup, and tons of other stuff. Bringing J into a school is awkward sometimes. When we first walked in the security guard (different than usual) told her to get a late pass (ROFL). Then inside the cafeteria, the school social worker asked her where she was supposed to be and I jumped in with "she's homeschooled". I got a cautious, "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" (from high-pitched to low pitched with fixed smile) Then she walked away. I have to stop saying we're homeschooling. Nobody gets it. Especially not public school people. I am definitely going to use my famous, "School? Why no. She's in an autodidactic, interest-based program with very flexible hours. It's great". They'll probably say "Wow! Sounds cool!" since they'll just be too confused to form a negative opinion! heh heh heh.