A Week, Briefly (6/18/18)

The week looks great in pictures.  And truly, there were so many joyful moments!

In my heart and mind it was hard.

We have tentatively found a therapist who will do directed therapy with Ladybug instead of relaxing into play therapy.  The intake meeting is next week.  I already have alarms buzzing in my head because the information this therapist has given me so far leads me to believe we're not going to be compatible, but I need this face-to-face meeting to shed greater light on my concerns.

This week we had the wonderful blessing of a few cooler than usual days.  After the blistering heat we've been living through, it was just a miracle!  We made the most of the cool weather by living out-of-doors as much as we could.

Monday

We played at home in the yard.  Mister Man rescued this bird's nest from Belle's Theo, who was happily demolishing it.  The kids gathered around to marvel at the mud and the perfect cup shape and the piece of curling ribbon woven through the nest that probably fell out of our trash after a birthday earlier this year.

The teens and I read faithfully from Great Expectations on Monday and 3 other days this week.  The girls really like it!  Looks like we're on track to finish just before our next book club meeting.

In the evening the littles and I went back to the spray park we first visited last week.  Sir Walter Scott came, too, for a few minutes, but he had to pick up Rose Red from work and do some more of his own school, so he didn't get to stay long with us.

Tuesday
The rain arrived all of a sudden in a blinding downpour!  The littles and I got quite wet running from the house to the van and from the van to the library for a magic show and story program.  We were the first arrivals, so we lined the front row, and the storyteller called on Mister Man, Ladybug, and Nature Angel to "help" him at various times.  The kids howled with laughter the whole time.

He did lots of rope and knot tricks.

Mister Man helped with the juggling part of the show, and he didn't mind a bit when the act got physical.

Ladybug and Nature Angel got to be alligators.  The storyteller was a master of double-talking, so that the kids we kept on their toes trying to keep up.

We brought home another bag full of books, and we spent the afternoon quietly reading as the rain fell and fell and fell.

Wednesday
We did chores and play-at-home--the kids are eating mulberries off our tree every single day.  They come inside stained with berry juice from the tips of their noses to the soles of their feet (walking on the fallen berries).

 Nature Angel finished her miniature house.

Welcome.  Please come in.

2 stories.  No stairs, but with the open plan, stairs aren't necessary. :)

"It will always be June in my tiny house," says Nature Angel. 

The canopy bed.

The kitchen stove has a movable oven door and separate burners on the stove top.

Samples of the play food Nature Angel made using a 3-D pen.  These items can only be measured by millimeters.

It's just the right size for the Calico Critters to play.  I love how she topped the stools with purple fur. :)

The teens and I had yet another reckoning about the lack of effort they're putting into helping around the house and getting their math finished for the year.  I know that many would say to let it go, but I know in my heart that for my children the accountability matters.  We were going to start watching the collection of Jane Austen movies we borrowed from the library, but they did math instead and went to bed disappointed.

Thursday
 I pulled the kids out of bed early to get to the zoo the minute it opened.  This time the teens came, and adding them made lots of different fun possible!

Pixie was freaked out by the stingrays.  She did touch one once, and she squealed and screamed.  Once was enough for her; now she can say she did it!

Pixie got this shot of Mister man feeding a ray!  The rays don't hurt at all, but it takes courage to keep still as its vacuum-style mouth hovers over your hand.

I like touching them.  They're slimy, but so wild that it feeds my spirit in some way.

Sometimes they're splashy.

The weather was cool enough that the cheetahs were up and active instead of sleeping.

The stroller was just for hauling around purses and food and water, but Baymax figured out how to hitch a ride now and then.

Having teens with us meant we had enough hands to ride the skyfari across the Africa section of the zoo.  We saw zebras, ostriches, lots of antelope, and giraffes--including a new baby who weighed in at 5' tall and 105 lbs at birth.

It rained again, so we took cover at snack time.

There's a new park at the zoo, and the teens had more fun than the younger kids. :)

We also took a boat ride.  Brother absorbed every word the guide uttered--even though most of his words were jokes.

After the zoo, we spent another quiet afternoon at home with books, Legos, and coloring supplies.  Mister Man made a "puppet show" that he's still rehearsing.  We'll get to see it on Sunday afternoon during Family Home Evening.

The teens did their math and chores so we watched the first of our Jane Austen collection--the Keira Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice.  It's short, so our heads spin off with how fast it moves, but the end is so, so sweet.

Friday
Park day.  Before we left, Sir Walter Scott and I had a brief pow-wow about some of our current struggles with kids.  Mostly I vented, and he offered support. 

Then I remembered that the teens and I needed to read together before I left, so we did, and I exhorted them to get more math done before the evening arrived so that I could let them go to their friend's goodbye party (she's leaving for a full year on a study abroad to Australia).

At the park, Little Princess and her friends found a turtle:

As we were leaving Little Princess was invited to go home with a friend to see their kittens.  She jumped at that chance!

After lunch and quiet time (and 6 loads of laundry folded and put away), I sent the kids back outside to enjoy the last cool evening.  Little Princess came home, and the friends she spent the day with stayed to play for an hour before dinner.

The teens finished their math and chores and got to go to their party.

The rest of us had pancakes for supper and an early night.

Saturday is again too full to actually get all of the stuff done that we have available.  We're going to have to prioritize and make choices.

I'm hoping to get enough done so that Sunday is truly a day of rest.


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