I am....
....playing the "Dragon Game" with Jamie and Eliah every day before lunch in the upstairs bedroom. Jamie gets dressed up in his dragon costume and I am Mama Emerald, Jamie is Baby Ruby, and Eliah is Baby Opal. I cozy up in bed and they run around and squeak. We also do a lot of fake eating, pretend sleeping, and flying practice (AKA jumping off the bed and tearing around the room).
....playing Hearts with the Big Boys in the afternoons.
....starting the evening meal at 4:00 PM, which makes the entire night easier. I also shifted around my other regular routines, like making stock or broth-making, yogurt-making, boiling eggs for snacks, making Blaine's weekly breakfast frittata, etc. to the morning, so I am not in the kitchen until bedtime every night.
....reading Johnny Tremain aloud and really enjoying it. And Robinson Caruso. And 26 Fairmount Avenue. And Poor Richard. And the Jesse Bear books. And always, always Mother Goose . . . I adore nursery rhymes.
....reading Big House in the Little Woods aloud on the nights that Eliah falls asleep quickly. Blaine is reading Indian in the Cupboard at bedtime every few nights. This is a relatively new tradition that I am so pleased about. (Though I did read through all of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy when Jamie fell asleep quickly in years' past.) (But it felt much, much more intermittent than this.)
....so pleased about Skype Story Night with my Dad. He's reading us The Hobbit. Every Wednesday (or Tuesday) at 8:00 PM CST. Blaine snuggles and reads with the younger boys while the big boys and I laze and listen. I look forward to it every week.
....surprised this post turned into raving about books.
....glad to be able to out-process this afternoon. It is so settling and inspiring, getting a good look and a dose of perspective. I really should post more often.
the "Dragon Game" -- You're such a fun mom.
ReplyDeleteSwitching kitchen time to earlier in the day -- I do that too. I like hacking away at kitchen things throughout the day because I get to tired in the evenings. And the mess! I usually leave a messy kitchen and then grouch when I get up in the morning and am met with dirty dishes.
Reading aloud -- This is something I hope we do often too. And audiobooks. All the books! I want us both to do it too, though I am not a huge fan of reading novels aloud. I find I'm not animated enough and I start reading the words instead of the story and I miss out on what is happening.
Skype Story Night with Dad -- Brilliant! Really!
I just requested all the books you are reading. Eleanor and I just finished The Yearling. I was of course crying at the end. What a great book! I love the idea of Skype Night and The Hobbit. :)
ReplyDeleteEmily