Sweet Days of Summer

This was one of those all too rare peaceful days at home. So often when I have a day entirely at home with all of the Littles, I get too "busy" to do the fun things that beckon me. Afterall, there are always so many Important Things which require attention. Dishes, laundry, cooking, cleaning, and all of those other tasks that will still be here tomorrow, even if I do them today.

Back in June, Firstborn composed his "Where I Am From" poem and when he was to fill in the blank regarding sayings and quips that he hears frequently, one of the two he chose was, "Not right now!" I was really saddened by this, because, while I really do try to say yes as frequently as I can, it is probably substituted more often with the issuance of a non-answer, not right now.

I vowed that after our Summer Road Trip, I would commit real time, without excuses, to the activities of the children's choosing. Today, even though there is company coming tomorrow and the laundry was heaping and there were Important e-mails to be sent, I tried to uphold my summer resolution.

Indeed, we did have a splendid day. Rosebud and I cuddled up on the couch and read for half an hour (I'll be ammending her list of favorites over on the side column) and later we played a game of Dominos. It is such a joy to see her four year old mastery of this game! Sunshine and I read a book together and just enjoyed a lot of Mother-Daughter conversation, sometimes while we worked together and sometimes with her comfortably nestled on my lap. The two girls and I even played house together...well, Little Queen was in the game, too, but seemed oblivious to the fact that she was supposed to pretend that she was one month old, rather than her actual full twelve months.

Firstborn usually has bigger fish to fry, but we joked around this afternoon after I beat his neighborhood playmate at a game of Checkers. And, best of all, the Professor went out after dinner to play catch with his son. (I must confess here that my favorite pastime came after the catch game. That is, watching Firstborn as he chases the chickens around the yard in hopes of herding them back into the coop for the evening. Something akin to a dog chasing after his own tail.)

The real standout today, though, was an al fresco lunch under the Fig Tree. The children had built a club house with a tarp roof in the boughs, cardboard walls and even a supply pantry with extra snacks and amusements. We sat on a blanketed floor of the clubhouse and enjoyed quesadillas, pickles, carrots, chips, and orange ginger cookies, but most of all, we enjoyed that we were there together under the Fig Tree.

Yes, indeed, it was a splendid day. A cherished day of Childhood, I hope; a cherished day of Motherhood, I know.

The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family. ~Thomas Jefferson