Typical Day

     Yesterday was an example of "typical day" at our house.  Our days are largely unstructured and our interests vary so there's not a whole lot of typicality to a typical day in our home, but if we have a typical day,  yesterday was it.  I started the day by putting in my CD of Les Miserables, being suddenly nostalgic for it and hoping it might spark an interesting conversation about French history, a topic that fascinates me.  It didn't.  I reviewed some French history time lines for my own personal enjoyment, but unfortunately, the kids were not interested in the political climate of  Europe during the 18th and 19th century in the least. Instead, my oldest two spent most of the morning challenging each other with spelling words they found on the internet and making up funny sentences to go with them.  So I guess I had just as much fun listening to them giggling in the next room as I may have had enlightening them about the Bastille, the guillotine, the Bourbons, Napoleon, the 18th Brumaire, the burning of Moscow.......I was even going to make connections to the beheading of Charles Stuart of England and our own fight for independence.  I guess I'll have to save it for another day or befriend someone else who cares. 

      While the older two were happily engaged with their spelling game, my youngest and I were busy at the table making a house for Blondie out of old cereal boxes. There is always a project or two, or three, or four, out on the dining room table, whether it's legos, puzzles, origami, artwork or something else being built or crafted.  Inspired by the pontoon boat my oldest two made out of cardboard, fabric and old water bottles, my youngest, wanted to make something too. The boat should have been made for Blondie, in her opinion. It was definitely not, in theirs.  So, we made a house that was.  I made a bed.  She made a couch and a table. Blondie loved it and pooped on them all indiscriminately, including the boat. 

     Later, my son put in Monster's Inc. so while I folded some laundry and my oldest used the computer, he and my youngest settled on the couch to watch. When the laundry was folded I laid down with them and, being 4 months pregnant, immediately dozed off. I woke up to E.T. and an empty room. The kids had dispersed to do other things but came back to watch the end.  After some dinner, my son went to baseball and my daughters spent the rest of the evening learning swing dance moves from youtube.  Naturally, a performance of their new skills followed. With a smile on my face and trepidation in my heart, I watched as my youngest flew through the air in more ways than I would have thought possible but they had fun and everyone survived, including the furniture.  Then, it was off to bed and a few more chapters of Around the World in 80 Days for the oldest two with a brief discussion about Great Britain's occupancy of India (yay!)  and Ramona The Brave for my youngest.  It was a quiet, fun, relaxing, creative, typical day.