Seven Quick Takes - More Books & No Kids

 

1

I'm still working my way through In This House of Brede. I still like it, but man is it a dense book. Definitely not light summer reading. I can't wait for our Book Club meeting to discuss it and see what others thought of it. 
Right now I'm about halfway through it and there's a lot of discussion amongst the nuns about if it is more difficult for Phillipa to have joined the novitiate after having lived the life of a successful single career woman for a long time. I have often wondered this about women like me who marry late after having had a demanding career. Is it easier to become a wife and mother if you haven't had so many years of living only for yourself? 

2

I started reading the Plan. So don't laugh. I need another diet book like I need a hole in the head. But I've got to do something. I am so tired of being fat and tired. Sweetpea will soon be a 'tween and I would like for her to have memories of her mother as an active and healthy person, not a sick and fat one. I'm hoping something will click in the next few weeks and I will start drinking water and exercising even a little bit. Then if I eat less and lose weight, bonus. 

3

Bill and I are going away today for a weekend alone together. I can't remember the last time we went away together - maybe 3 years? I think it was when my friend Maureen got married up in Sonoma. Yikes we need some quiet time alone. Our former au pair Vanesa who is visiting from Argentina (after her adventures in Calcutta with the sisters of Mother Teresa) will be taking care of Gordo and Cookie for us while the other two kids are at sleep away camp. 

4

Sweetpea and Toto have gone off to sleep away camp for 3 1/2 weeks. I know. Geez, that's a long time. But Sweetpea has been wanting to go to this camp for over two years and this summer she was finally old enough, we had the extra money, and we had the time to get her packed for it, all at the same time. I think I was working on that camp packing list for 3 weeks straight.

Pretty much at the last second, Toto said he wanted to go too. So we signed him up as well. I was really worried about him being too young to go, but he seemed to get excited once the date got closer. It helped that his big sister went with him.

It's funny, the Moms who protest the loudest that they could never homeschool because they couldn't be around their kids so much are also the ones who are shocked that I would let my kids go away to sleep away camp for so long. 

Maybe because I do homeschool my kids I do know them better and trust their judgment more? I miss them, but I also don't think they are going to crumble without me for 3 weeks. I'm actually excited for them and I expect that they will be even more mature and level headed when they get back.

Here's a picture of Sweetpea in her tent on her sleeping mat the day we dropped her off. She looks nervous but excited.

5

So where are my big kids? They are at Plantation Farm Camp about 4 1/2 hrs north of here. I first heard of the camp from a Waldorf mom at their preschool years ago. It seemed right up our alley. Sweetpea was excited to do farm chores everyday. Toto was not - well, except for getting to use an ax to chop firewood to heat water for his shower. He thought getting to wield an ax would be pretty cool. Definitely not something Mom would let him do at home.

Here is a link to a short video about the camp: Plantation Farm Camp

We haven't gotten any letters from camp yet, and I'm anxiously awaiting news on how they are doing. We plan to go up with Gordo on Parent's Day to visit them and I'm sure they'll have plenty of stories to tell. I did get a phone call from the nurse within the first 24 hours telling me that Sweetpea's wire from her braces had popped off, but it wasn't interfering with her eating or playing so I guess she's doing okay.

6

I really do need to finish packing for San Diego. Bill will be here to pick me up and take me to the airport in less than 90 minutes and I have not packed a single thing. I haven't had to just pack for myself in so long that I am completely dizzy from having so many choices to pick from and the extra time has not materialized into more thoughtful or efficient packing I'm afraid.

7

Guess who turned 2 yesterday???

Oh my he is cute! He had a quiet but nice birthday at home with just one big brother to celebrate with him. He got a Spiderman balloon and a burnt almond cake from Dick's Bakery. He was so excited to blow out the candles that he almost ate one! For presents he got a Mail carrier costume (he's really into getting the mail for me every day) and some play fruits and vegetables for his play kitchen. Now we just need to keep them away from the dog....because they look so realistic and he has already slathered them in butter to make them more enticing to her. I'm going to miss him this weekend! Before we left for the weekend, he got all dressed up to greet our mailman. I don't know who was more excited, Cookie or the mailman! They had a chat and sorted some mail together before the mail carrier had to continue on his route. Such a sweetheart!

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