athelas

I should really be starting dinner, but Sunday I get so used to going in slow time that it’s hard to get myself going.   So I’ll quickly try to write out the day, since I want to try to start writing at least something here most days.

As far as electronic screens go, the day was pretty much devoted to football and Mario tennis (depending upon whether you are an older boy or a younger boy in this house) and to internet reading and catching up on desk stuff (if you are a parent in this house).   We are all about electronic screens in this house, and we have about ten of them, I think.

The parents did go out for a walk and conversation.   The air was “soft” as the Irish say — warmer than it has been up here, and sprinkling a tiny bit.  Not bad, but tomorrow it’s supposed to get colder, and snow is possible later in the week.

The 14 year old  kept trying to get me to make eggs and bacon, first for breakfast, then for lunch.  He finally gave up about 2 pm and started to campaign for tacos for dinner.

Once outside our house,  my husband and I saw a mother Steller Jay.  She was flying up into a tree and two adolescents, almost bigger than her but fluffier and more babyish in profile, were following her and squawking loudly.  They were trying to get her to feed them.   And she was pushing at them, trying to let them know they were big enough to get their own food.    I think she finally gave up and gave them a bit of her food.

In bird-land this stage lasts for maybe two weeks?  In people-land, it seems to last for a decade.     I know that some people have trained their kids so that by the time they are 8 or 9 they are running the house.  And actually, in my house the 8-13 year olds are usually fine with running the house.    They love being able to do grown-up things and being trusted.   But a year or two later a different dynamic sets in, or so it seems.    I am not sure why.   But I have observed it, even without understanding it.

The house across from ours has all its Christmas decorations up.    My kids keep coming over to mention it to me.

While we were walking (pushing Aidan’s purple cross-country wheelchair) my husband and I were talking about how Sean only has two more weeks of school.  Then he is going to be in the charter, which will still be pretty structured but he will be HOME.   I hope he can focus during those last couple of weeks attending the building school.  I know I am having trouble focusing.   I have a hard time getting up at 6 am 5 days a week and making his breakfast and lunch knowing that there are only 11-10-9-8 -n days left.    The shorter the time gets, the longer it seems.