This is Monday
Spring Break began today with hoots and carrying on this morning. Leah began chanting and encouraged Olivia to join her in the early morning celebration of no school. Their morning slowly unwound with moments of play and quiet then finally the need for breakfast encouraged them downstairs. Leftover waffles from Daddy's Saturday morning waffle making were filling their bellies as they chattered on about things they could do all day. To little girls those little things are BIG plans. Hardly sticking to any sort of agenda they gladly move from one game to the next. Legos generally begin their days off. A good start on a gloomy day. With rain pouring outside it was determined that bikes would be off the list until that cloud passed over. They merrily built villages and danced around the basement making various assortments of commotion. Busy is the way to go for those girls. The gusto with which they approach their activities does make you wonder where it was lost on adults. Why does anything seem so demanding of my time but with them it is nothing of concern.
I caught them in a lull, I decided to make use of their energy. Last week we had to re-arrange their rooms to accommodate their new beds. Leah's bed is still about a month away from delivery but still things had to be shifted and exchanged between them. Clothes had been dumped in laundry baskets to be put away in different dressers "later" and that later was now. I need the baskets to work on laundry and with their boundless energy today seemed like a perfect time. I asked them to set to work moving clothes into dressers and underbed storage bins. It was good to see all that heavy winter wear being tucked away for the season. Favorite shorts and capris were welcomed into the dressers as were those bright and cheerful t-shirts. 20 minutes later and much complaining and general disagreement about placement the task was complete.
The list in my head was forming and I realized that since one item was complete now another must get done. Olivia has a big diorama project due next week and very little has been done with its creation. She found a shoebox and lined it carefully with construction paper. She still needs to build houses and fill in the landscaping. She insisted we find cactus for her desert and pine trees. A trip to the craft store was all it took to knock another item off my list. The next big one is for her to have that project all done. She plans to paint some tiny boxes and glue her plants in place. For her it should take less than a day to have it complete, including a written paragraph. Tomorrow we'll set up a paint station for her to paint her buildings. Letting them dry most of the day should be adequate time to ensure they can be detailed later. For her paragraph we'll need more time to focus on the reason behind the project. Thankfully she is quite interested in this so it should go well.
I worked on putting pictures into frames. Keith found several black frames on sale over the weekend and has been very correct to point out that we need to hang up pictures. There are 1000s of them lurking in boxes all needing to be displayed. What's the point of taking pictures if you won't hang them up to remind you of those moments? Yesterday he hung several frames in our stairway hall. That vast empty space that is perfect for a gallery. Piles of pictures and memories, it was a slow process. I think it was remembering all those little chubby babies that have become slim active girls that slowed me down. All those funny moments and goofy grins. Several pictures are still waiting for frames. Of the few that are hanging it makes such a difference on that wall. Something is there now, pieces of our lives are hanging as the reminders of how we have grown, are still growing.
The children made a break for the door once it was clear the rain had stopped. Their loud voices roused the neighbors and as if a switch were flipped the street came alive with noise. Children have been running up and down the street playing hundreds of games. Yard to yard they travel as their imaginations guide their play. I took advantage of the quiet to make a pie. Not that I need quiet to make a pie, it's just to make a strawberry rhubarb pie I need the quiet. Rather the sneaky hands that seem to dwindle the strawberry stash. Slicing, stirring, rolling, the pie came together quickly. In the oven it went and next up was supper. A quick roasted garlic and tomato pasta was all we needed tonight. A favorite salad made a great paring. Simple meals have a way of calming the day.
Now the dishes are mostly done. The children are happily buzzing around in the basement and I am pondering what next to do. Perhaps a little knitting, maybe a book, or some card games with the girls. The options are endless and that it what I love about a fresh week.
I caught them in a lull, I decided to make use of their energy. Last week we had to re-arrange their rooms to accommodate their new beds. Leah's bed is still about a month away from delivery but still things had to be shifted and exchanged between them. Clothes had been dumped in laundry baskets to be put away in different dressers "later" and that later was now. I need the baskets to work on laundry and with their boundless energy today seemed like a perfect time. I asked them to set to work moving clothes into dressers and underbed storage bins. It was good to see all that heavy winter wear being tucked away for the season. Favorite shorts and capris were welcomed into the dressers as were those bright and cheerful t-shirts. 20 minutes later and much complaining and general disagreement about placement the task was complete.
The list in my head was forming and I realized that since one item was complete now another must get done. Olivia has a big diorama project due next week and very little has been done with its creation. She found a shoebox and lined it carefully with construction paper. She still needs to build houses and fill in the landscaping. She insisted we find cactus for her desert and pine trees. A trip to the craft store was all it took to knock another item off my list. The next big one is for her to have that project all done. She plans to paint some tiny boxes and glue her plants in place. For her it should take less than a day to have it complete, including a written paragraph. Tomorrow we'll set up a paint station for her to paint her buildings. Letting them dry most of the day should be adequate time to ensure they can be detailed later. For her paragraph we'll need more time to focus on the reason behind the project. Thankfully she is quite interested in this so it should go well.
I worked on putting pictures into frames. Keith found several black frames on sale over the weekend and has been very correct to point out that we need to hang up pictures. There are 1000s of them lurking in boxes all needing to be displayed. What's the point of taking pictures if you won't hang them up to remind you of those moments? Yesterday he hung several frames in our stairway hall. That vast empty space that is perfect for a gallery. Piles of pictures and memories, it was a slow process. I think it was remembering all those little chubby babies that have become slim active girls that slowed me down. All those funny moments and goofy grins. Several pictures are still waiting for frames. Of the few that are hanging it makes such a difference on that wall. Something is there now, pieces of our lives are hanging as the reminders of how we have grown, are still growing.
The children made a break for the door once it was clear the rain had stopped. Their loud voices roused the neighbors and as if a switch were flipped the street came alive with noise. Children have been running up and down the street playing hundreds of games. Yard to yard they travel as their imaginations guide their play. I took advantage of the quiet to make a pie. Not that I need quiet to make a pie, it's just to make a strawberry rhubarb pie I need the quiet. Rather the sneaky hands that seem to dwindle the strawberry stash. Slicing, stirring, rolling, the pie came together quickly. In the oven it went and next up was supper. A quick roasted garlic and tomato pasta was all we needed tonight. A favorite salad made a great paring. Simple meals have a way of calming the day.
Now the dishes are mostly done. The children are happily buzzing around in the basement and I am pondering what next to do. Perhaps a little knitting, maybe a book, or some card games with the girls. The options are endless and that it what I love about a fresh week.
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