From the back seat of the car, Miles sang A field is alive!
He was using his high voice, his lady voice.
"Remember that show, Momma, the dancer who didn't want to be indoors?"
It seemed so familiar.
He sang again, louder this time, My field is alive!
I stalled for time, reviewing my son's clues:
TV show, dancer, possibly claustrophobic.
"Remember, with the mean, mean, mean daddy who turned nice when he sang?"
Ah yes, then I knew.
Two nights ago, while the country watched Super Bowl XLIV, we drank in a family favorite, The Sound of Music.
As the movie started, I had tried to frame the plot for my nearly five-year-old.
I told Miles that Maria loves exploring outdoors, running, playing, dancing and singing. But, her job as a nun requires her to be quiet and to sit still. Her boss tells Maria to babysit seven kids who have a strict dad. Maria teaches the family to sing and play and dance.
"Her the best lady in the whole world," Miles said after we both sang Miles's version of The Hills Are Alive. "But why her only dance outside?"
We only watched half of the film, including the sultry part where the Captain replaces his son Kurt as Maria's partner for the Austrian folk dance, but I couldn't recall a single scene where Maria danced indoors.


Best Moments of January 2010

Two weeks after Christmas I got a new phone from Verizon. It alerts me to incoming email messages with a tone that says "DROID" in robotic voice. It took me a few days to find the volume button and adjust it.
During our first night with the new phone, Miles shook me awake.
"Mom! Mom! I heard a man downstairs!"
I listened for a long time. All was quiet.
"I heard him," Miles whispered urgently. "I heard a man say something."
I pulled off the covers and sat up. Miles has had bad dreams lately. I was willing to walk him downstairs and show him we were intruder-free.
As my feet hit the carpet, Miles added: "I think he said: "TOYS." Miles did his best robot voice.
Had I mentioned how important Santa was this Christmas?