Child worries are so tender and sweet! I'm thinking of the ones that are expressed, because the deeply buried ones can be, of course, troubling. But how precious is the anxious worry (furrowed brow, near tears) that your parents may not remember to bring a sister's swimsuit! So precious that I almost didn't mind that it came at 4 a.m. at night. After soothing the worrier, I was ready for bed again, but Millie chose that moment to throw up. No idea why. Probably just one of those dog things.
If yesterday was steady and predictable, this day is high on irregularity and shifting sands. Times, schedules change. I do not plan for more than the next hour. Maybe even the next ten minutes. But at least breakfast is very... normal.
Millie settles down to chew, I wait for the next update/instruction/adjustment.
And shortly after our morning meal, Sparrow arrives.
And now we have a small window within which I have to drop off Millie at doggie daycare.
(Do you promise not to get into trouble while I'm doing that?)
Only to come back and wait for Juniper to arrive from Chicago. She'll be joining Grandma Camp today.
Missing still is Snowdrop.
(In the car, the big kids read their story books, created a couple of days ago, to Juniper.)
We pick up Snowdrop and head for the mall.
Remember when malls used to be crazy busy with shoppers? These days Madison's malls are crazy empty.
The mall has been a camper's request -- to shop (on a budget!) at Claire's -- that overpriced junk emporium that is every preteen girl's dream castle. Sparrow doesn't mind looking, but rejects everything there. Smart boy.
Snowdrop asks -- can I get a second ear piercing? (Claire's is famous for this.) I tell her this is absolutely not my decision. She claims her mom already said okay a long time ago. I've heard these retellings before and they are often subject to interpretation. I tell her to text her dad. He calls back, we confer, she gets a "yes," shocking her, amusing me.
I figure as long as we're in this hell scape (I've never been a mall junkie), we may as well eat lunch at the food courts.
(empty here too)
And now it's like this: Juniper has to nap. Oh, and I need to pick up Millie. Yesterday I almost forgot that component of the schedule. So, first drop off Juniper, then pick up Millie.
(everyone loves holding the pup)
We go home, Juniper joins us after a brief snooze. But now we're out again, because the big two Madison kids have to be dropped off at the Shakespeare Players theater. Tonight is the opening night of Romeo and Juliet and Snowdrop is playing Lady Capulet. (Nurse, where's my daughter? Call her forth to me!) I wont see her then because I'm babysitting Primrose and Juniper while the parents have a night away. I hope it goes well for her!
And now I am home with just Juniper and Primrose. And Millie.
The little girl wants to do a book, just like the big kids, but the project proves to be a bit overwhelming. We'll get back to it tomorrow.
I fix them a favorite dish of pasta with tomatoes and shrimp.
So, a fine evening was had by all? Sort of. The girls were sweet and kind to each other, to me, to Millie. But I let them stay up too late. Always a mistake: you gain in popularity in the short run, you lose a calm good-night when you're all dead tired. Still, the two were ready to sleep eventually and sleep they did! Me? It will take a while. Camp counselors have to have a few hours to wind down. I wish I could look outside and see stars peeking through pine branches. No such luck. Cloudy, with a chance of rain. Oh, and no pine branches near Steffi's House. Just flowers.
with so much love...
