New baby and health issues have claimed most of my posting time in the past 2 1/2 months, but I’m going to try to get some quick takes in here, joining
Jen.
1.
It’s my belief that life would be happier if each homeschool were issued a young and happy baby. Heck, each school. Maybe even each workplace. Felix is like some kind of anti-cranky drug. Whoever starts showing signs of crankiness gets assigned to talk to or hold Felix. It’s almost impossible to be cranky with that sweetness smiling up at you.
2. Part of our homeschool morning this year is manners practice. MAYBE I’ve noticed a bit of…need…for this study, or maybe it’s just that good manners are a great asset to anyone. In any case, we're working on telephone etiquette, and I’m teaching the kids to say, “She’s not available,” when appropriate, hoping to ward off the nearly inevitable, “She’s going potty.” We’ll see if I can do it. At any rate, I “called” each of the three older kids in turn, having them practice their mad skeelz. Then Tess wanted a turn, so I called her, too. When I asked if I could speak with Monica, she answered, “She’s not invisible right now.”
3. Shortage of butter knives? Ask your 5-6 year old where they are. “Well, I only have
one right now.” Yeah.
4. Michael went back to work this week. Tess seems to realize he’s gone about halfway through the afternoon: “Where’s Dad?” She also asks, “Why?” when I tell her he’s at work, and doesn’t think that “supporting his family” constitutes a reasonable excuse for being gone all day.
5. There are any number of new-baby things I’d forgotten, such as the way that grocery shopping takes on both importance and impossibility rarely seen together. I REALLY have to get to the grocery store…with a baby. Okay, maybe we can hold on until the weekend. Hmm. Bonus points added because it’s pretty much impossible for me to carry that baby in a sling or pack at the moment because my incisions are still healing, AND he’s 17+ pounds at 2 1/2 months, so it’s not easy to just tuck him into my arm and go to town. SO…evening and weekend runs it is!
6. Of course, a little chat with Felix makes even having only dried beans and tortilla chips in the house seem like a small and silly problem. (No, no! I’m exaggerating! There’s plenty of food for us here. Don’t worry.)
7. Tess turned 3! Okay, absolutely unbelievable. She helped Hannah make her cake:
She’s settling down into life with a baby brother – whom she adores – and seems to be doing a lot better now that I’m up and about more. She has been experimenting with some…interesting…wardrobe choices lately, and is the only one of my girls who changes clothes multiple times a day. “Um. I think I need a new dress.” Headbands are in favor at the moment, or the lamb costume head piece (see photo above). She also like to have an Elsa braid, but if it’s not PERFECT, according to her somewhat random-seeming criteria, she will immediately take it down and ask you to redo it. She’s sweet and funny and keeps us all laughing or guessing or on our toes.
