I’m never surprised at how little information from school I’ve retained over the years (most of it seemed pointless to learn at the time), but it seems I’ve lost knowledge of greater importance as well. Case in point is the above line from my retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk to Ali. I made it through Act I easy enough (Jack with the cow and the beans and his father, etc), but once Jack climbed the stalk, things got a little hazy. It happens all the time when I’m telling her stories or singing lullabies. I’ll get the beginning spot on, she’s lovin’ it, I’m in the zone, then its gone. So I end up taking the story half where I think it goes and half where I think it should go. Sometimes (as in the case of that "Hush Little Baby" song) we end up with radically different results each time. But as my Aunt Susie (an elementary school teacher / child development expert) attests: "As long as it rhymes, it doesn’t really matter what it is."

As for how we got to the pirate giant, I’ll just leave that to your imagination.

It should also be noted that Ali hung in there last week for the Hawks‘ disturbing loss to rival Iowa State. She stayed in my arms during the whole second half, keeping the faith alive. She also took her first loss in stride, shedding only a few tears before a big late lunch and a nap. It’s a ritual all of us football fans can appreciate.