Claire's fascination with words is trumped only by her obsession with recycling. Not only does she (constantly) remind us that "if you can rip it, you can recycle it," but she also closely monitors our conduct with respect to recyclables.
Today Claire and Margot were downtown at backup daycare, and I had lunch with them at their favorite top-tier restaurant, Au Bon Pain. When we'd finished eating, I began to clear the table:
Claire: "MOM, what are you doing??"
Me: "Clearing the table."
Claire: "MOM, don't throw those things away!! Those soup containers are cardboard, they can be recycled."
Me: "Great point - thanks for reminding me."
Claire: "MOM! Don't throw out those tops, they're plastic."
Me: "Ok, got it."
Claire: "MOM! The spoons are recyclable, too. Don't throw those out."
Me: "Okay, Claire - thanks. Can we throw out any of the things that are left?"
Claire: (poring over trash): "Well, yes. It is fine to put these items in the trash."
[pause]
Claire: "Mom, did you know that the average person generates one pound of trash every day?"
Maybe the average person generates a pound of trash per day, but I'm quite confident that the residents of 9 Park Lane, under Claire's militant leadership, are reducing their trash output by the minute.
