Evangeline has calmed down in the pool.

She still enjoys it - a lot - but she doesn't divebomb us all the time anymore, which is a great relief to me!

I've seen that other children her age who go to the pool have floaty bathing suits, or those things that go over the arms, which enables them to be somewhat less supervised than she is, as they can even go in the deep end alone!

In a way, I'm a little jealous of their grown-ups... but I keep saying that this method is better. Without floatation devices, the nieces have a healthy and honest view of their own abilities in the water, which (I hope) ultimately makes them safer.

Their hair is getting somewhat dry. If/when they have real swimming lessons, they'll need bathing caps to keep their hair out of the chlorinated/salinated water.

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Yesterday, I went with an acquaintance (I convinced everybody she was a longterm friend!) to the Escondido Children's Museum.

It's hard to find, and they're rather small, but that's not their fault. I'm impressed with the layout inside - whoever is running it clearly knows what they're doing. The toys are carefully chosen and laid out in such a way that maximizes the space in the museum. It's not a place I'd reccommend for older kids, nor yet to visit Every Single Day, simply because of the size, but as an occasional trip with little kids it rocks.

Bought a Melissa and Doug Birthday Cake for Brandon and Cody's joint birthday party tomorrow, but then I found I won't be there. Grr. Oh well. The girls got aprons (very cute) and wood butterfly nets to replace the one they had that broke.

Incidentally, I did go to the supermarket this time

Specifically to get Salsa Verde Doritoes, which are unfindable in NYC for some reason.

Got some bread, as per my mother's request. Arnold's bread, but it's Oroweat here. It's always strange to me when brands have different names in different parts of the country. My mother laughs at the Hellman's slogan - "Bring out the Hellman's and bring out the best!" because, apparently, it used to be Best mayonaisse down South.

The girls woke up late, so I thought a late lunch, but shopping always takes longer than you think, so we bought sandwiches there. I had to bribe Ana with chips to eat her five bites, but I figured that once in a blue moon, if I get the bribe in before the tantrum, it's okay. A very nice woman ran off to get the chips for us - and paid for them before I could! I thanked her profusely for that :)

The cashiers bagged my groceries and were quite shocked to hear that at home, baggers don't do that for you if you bring your own bag. (They just kinda stare at you as though to hurry you along. Really annoying.) And they both commented that I "don't have a New York accent" (as did a woman at the pool yesterday).

Very interesting - I'd thought my oddness of accent was more noticeable in the city than out of it, but three people (two cashiers) in two days is a bit much! (Especially nowadays. I wonder if people are more polite now, or more polite *to me* now, or if my accent is more normal now. No way to know, I think.)