Today’s Miscellaneous

I just finished a Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream bar on a stick dipped in milk chocolate and almonds.  Those are so good.  DH called on his way home from a meeting and asked if there was anything we needed, or anything he could bring me.  For once, I thought of something wonderful.  And it was.

We had a pretty good day, though the two older boys just can’t seem to go to sleep at night.  I’ll be so glad when it starts getting dark earlier again.   Though I don’t know if that has anything to do with it.  I can’t seem to shut my brain down enough to go to sleep early at night either.

We hurried and rushed and got to the library late for storytime this morning.  Then they told me they really didn’t want to go to storytime anymore.  Well, you could have told me that sooner and I wouldn’t have hurried us out the door this morning!  Of course, next week’s storytime theme is trains, so they want to go again.  But not after that.  Which is kind of nice actually.  We’ve been going to “Preschool” storytime for the last three years.  We’ve heard all the stories already.  The children’s librarians are wonderful, but they repeat the same themes year after year.  It’s finally starting to get old.  A is really too old for it anyway, but I don’t quite trust letting him roam the children’s section alone while I take C and D into storytime. 

I really hate going places at 10 a.m. anyway.  It seems to eat up our entire morning.  This way, we can plan library trips when it’s more convenient.  We need mornings to concentrate on school work.  We’re much more focused before lunch.  Afternoons are for quiet time, free time, and outings.

A got his own library card today.  He’s never asked for one and I’ve never really thought about it before, but I’d like to encourage him to check out books he’s interested in reading this next year.  I usually check out books galore for everyone and he’ll read just about anything if it’s sitting around, but I want him to start choosing his own books to study.

D lost us at the library while we were looking at videos.  I heard his little voice calling out, “Mommy!”  When I got down to where he was, he was coming around a corner clutching a red stuffed Clifford dog, and was this close to crying.  I felt so bad.  He really looked scared.  I’m usually the scared one when I can’t find A or C and they couldn’t care less that they are missing.  But he was fine after a good long hug and assurances that I would never leave him there.

We did another art lesson today with A, just doing abstract drawing with the five elements of shape and doing some mirror image exercises.  Those were tricky, even for me.  I should have talked him through them better, but it was a good exercise.

I’m finally getting into a summery mood and slowing down our pace.  I read quite a bit yesterday and let the boys play whatever they wanted.  It was a quiet holiday.

We’re doing very minimal schoolwork now and the boys are quite looking forward to quiet time.  A teaches his brothers to play all of his board games and they actually get along nicely for the most part.  It’s a nice break for me.

DH is off tomorrow and has promised to take the boys out for most of the day.  I don’t know what they’re doing or where they’re going and I don’t care so long as I have some peace and quiet.  I’ve been organizing new school books and decluttering some of my piles.  I’m looking forward to working on my 1st-grade plans and doing some reading. 

It was really interesting to be reading 1776 yesterday and get to the events of July 4.  Ambrose Serle, secretary to General Howe, commander of the British army in America, said of the Declaration of Independence, “A more impudent, false, and atrocious proclamation was never fabricated by the hands of man.”  Look where it got us!   I’ll have more thoughts to share when I’m finished with the book, but for now let me say that I’m just so proud to be an American.