In my kitchen, in my life

It is 10:25, I have been awake since 6 and probably should have awoken about 30mins earlier, but oh well. Beaver has to be to school for gym by 6:30 Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I like that he has this option so he can keep Spanish in his schedule and take the reading lab. I dislike getting up, I dislike that he - who normally is great at great up - stumbled to the shower without checking the time, I dislike that he loves wearing the same sweatshirt every day all day! I dislike that I ended up yelling at him right before dropping him off, but I really dislike the disrespectful smart ass way of speaking he has picked up. So I will live with having yelled at him, and having made him angry by taking the sweatshirt and I will wash it (in really strong soap) and hope he remembers I love him.

After dropping him off I came home to wake up Butterfly, hoping not to wake Badger, nope! Oddly Butterfly was super crabby but Badger, who was soaked and chilled, was cheerful.  Toss a Badger into the tub and try to convince a Butterfly to eat hoping a little blood sugar would help. What helped was walking into the playground at school holding hands. It helped me too!

I came home to find that Mouse had taken all the garbage from bathrooms and bedrooms and gathered it together for garbage day, helped his sister out of the tub (husband was home but getting ready for work) and convinced her to get dressed. Other than wearing shoes he was ready for school and playing nicely on the computer.  We had a nice walk to school holding hands. 

So it is 10:36 and my garbage is out, my dishes washed, bean soup bubbling away for lunch, bread rising for dinner, floors are swept and the whole day seems bright if cold. I know that 30 is not really cold, I live in Wisconsin, if this were March we would be running around in sweaters talking about how warm it is, but I am cold.  I want a fire in the fireplace.

I will be casting on the second half of my mismatched toe up two at a time socks today, they are Butterfly sized and will be a Christmas present. She won the whose foot will fit into these practice socks lottery. Now they all want socks.  I doubt I will get the rest done for Christmas presents but maybe I can start right after.

Each year I make the Children make presents for their siblings and try to make the godparents a homemade gift too. Usually that ends up being something I made decorated by them. Badger has taken this to heart. Her siblings each got homemade birthday presents from her - so did I which required closing my eyes, and teaching my husband to finish a beaded bracelet - she has also made my mother her birthday present. The photo above is her present to her siblings for Christmas. Recycled Crayons, she also made a second set (my muffin tin for melting wax is a 6 holed one) with different colors of glitter mixed in.

I hope you are getting along in your holiday preparations and are having a productive Tuesday! ~ Julia