Good-bye to Summer

I overheard Ender telling Ezra: " . . . and soon the leaves will be changing and falling off and your job will be to collect all the leaves. They're REALLY fun!"

So I guess I'd better plan ahead for some leafing adventures since Ender is already longing for the days ahead.


I've spent the last few weeks in this weird fog of busy-ness. Mostly the good kind as we're getting into the new school year in the studio, but little things are creeping in on me. I mean, I spent the afternoon last Saturday pulling out the winter clothes we had to see what they need and it's just barely September! But the nights are already pretty cool and in just a few weeks it will be time to wear jeans and layers every day. How did that happen?


I haven't been able to cook much and I'm surprised at how much I miss it after a summer full of kitchen time. Three nights a week I cook only for myself which means I usually end up eating things like a bowl of cold cereal for dinner since I'm the only one eating at that hour. I'm definitely feeling the imbalance. I'm craving a lot of sugar again and the only thing keeping me from eating it is the fact that there is nothing like that in the house. I mean NOTHING. I'm purposely not buying it because I will devour a week's worth of treats in one sitting.


I truly didn't realize how much I'd miss the cooking on this new schedule. Suddenly I'm only making dinner 4 nights a week. I used to feel like meals were such an enormous chore, but now that I better know what I'm doing in the kitchen I don't really want to leave it. I'm still learning a ton, but this new found joy in cooking even simple things makes such a difference to me. I miss it.


Maybe it's just because I love to wear an apron.


I'm still trying to find a solution to the dinner situation on those 3 late nights. My Saturday afternoons may soon find itself filled with cooking to prep for the coming week. Or maybe I'll try to get some freezer things together . . . right now I'm pining for my kitchen and looking forward to this evening when I can get back in there.


Oh- and sewing? I can't even put into words how much I miss all the sewing time I had over the summer! I did sneak in some pajama pants for the boys the other night since they only take an hour from cut to finish but those hardly count. If I can get them to stand still long enough to model them I'll get some pictures to share.


And that extra time with the boys? Oh, I'm missing that too. They don't seem to be. They are staying with their grandmother in the afternoons and  on my three late nights either their grandfather or their daddy takes over right after dinner. This year there hasn't been  a single complaint about going to their grandparents in the afternoon. In fact, the boys are practically running out the door before their grandmother comes to pick them up.


Practically indescribable, that feeling. I'm happy they're excited to go; I'm sad that they don't seem to miss being home. I suppose everything is more exciting at Grandma's house though, and that's okay.

So That I Don't Lose This . . .

What is better for a boy than a list of great books written by another boy?

I think between my five brothers they would add the Narnia books to the list, as well as Brian Jacques' Redwall books. I'm pretty sure there was a 5 year period in there where there was ALWAYS a Redwall book in the hands of one brother or another!

I'm pretty sure Superman and I would add in Ender's Game for an older reader.

Any other good books to add to a boy's reading list?

Lacing Things

Ender has requested again to learn to sew, but admitted he didn't want to use a sharp needle, so we did the next closest thing. He's using yarn, a child's plastic needle and a smallish square of plastic canvas. He can easily see the holes, he can choose to self- correct if he'd like, and he's satisfied with his work.

 

And Ezra wants to get in on the sewing fun, so he's been lacing beads. He's still figuring it all out (I can't get over the serious look on his face! He looks like that half the day- the other half he's laughing wildly or terribly upset over something) but he sticks with it for awhile before deciding he's done.

 

Ezra's Favorite

Ezra's latest favorite?

 

This Melissa and Doug Block Puzzle that Ender received for his third birthday. Ezra will play with this puzzle for ages, sometimes stacking towers or making a "pum" (his word for home) and sometimes doing the puzzles as they were intended.

 

ETA: Yes, I know he's on top of the table while he's building. He's on top of tables, chairs, couches, etc. most of the time. If anyone invents a toddler anti-climbing device that actually works, let me know. Otherwise I'm choosing to believe that he's developing extraordinary balance.