when it gets "too quiet"

All moms monitor their children's play while they are doing household tasks. You'd think we'd be listening for a loud noise--crashes, shouts, that kind of thing. But most moms are really monitoring to be sure the noise hasn't quieted below a very particular threshold--too quiet is the real problem! Somehow inappropriate fun seems to generally be conducted at mouse volume, even by children can't manage an inside voice under any other circumstances!

So the other day, when it got "too quiet" I of course went into Monroe's room expecting to see her climbing the shelves or making a Jackson Pollock on the walls or some other terribly low-volume project. Imagine my surprise when I found her snuggled in her octopus chair with a pile of board books, quietly reading. I can't believe my the sound of chest puffing out in motherly pride didn't distract her, but somehow I did manage to slip back out of her room undetected so she could go on reading alone.

So sweet!