This weekend, Nate took the older girls camping, but, as I just went camping last weekend, and didn't relish the thought of trekking it up to the bathroom four times during the night in the cold again, he flew solo. So Eva and I stayed at home, did some catch up in mundane things, and watched a lot of Torchwood. (I'm loving the episodes with James Martsers, being a Buffy fan.) Being alone in one's socks in the house all alone with nothing but your thoughts and British sci-fi can be exactly one needs to keep from getting all crazy-eyed and unhinged.
After I finally get a flapping, flopping fish-like Eva to go to sleep, I made some fantastic gluten free chewy granola bars, with peanut butter, maple syrup/honey, crispy pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnut bits, puffed amaranth, butter, vanilla and whatever else we had that was trail-mixish in the pantry. They were lovely. Until I bit into what felt like a small rock, and realized that one of my dulcet darling daughters had dumped handfuls of popcorn kernels into my "odds and ends" trail mix bag I keep. They did not pop, unfortunately. YOWCH. -.- I'll try making them again soon, as they were really not labor intensive, sans the tooth-assassinating bits.
I made it to the used bookstore this weekend, which was quite predictably unmitigated bliss. I love even the smell of books. I came away with some fantastic children's books (is it wrong that I probably find them more charming than my kids?), and Esther's 7th birthday present, The Daring Book For Girls, which I'm in love with. (Nate should probably feel threatened, so great is my enthusiasm.)
It's pretty darn thick, with well-drawn, intelligent illustrations that aren't too teeny or edgy, and also not too cutesy or babyish (which I appreciate). It's just a smattering of fun how-to instructions for girls who like to know how to do stuff. A sampling includes: how to pitch a tent, make ivy crowns, identify and pronounce popular Mexican dishes at restaurants, care for your softball glove, to a sun salutation pose, climb a tree, stock your own toolbox, say basic things in French, whistle with two fingers, perform the Heimlich maneuver, plant a sunflower hut, run a meeting and tie bandannas in different ways. It also has the rundown on the periodic table of elements, famous female historical figures, slumber party games, math shortcuts, bowling and card games. Love, love, love. While the book is likely old news for most people, this is the first year it's been relevant for us, and I'm all smitten.
Last night, Nate and I stayed up late to check out Jupiter and it's moons. It was really amazing. I love being reminded how incredibly small and brief I am, and feeling caught up in awe of something ancient and more powerful than myself. Watching something that unearthly brings life into perspective, for me at least, and reminds me to leave some room for wildness and mystery in my life. It also gave us a bad case of "better than ours telescope"-lust. We're plotting Christmas presents. For the kids. Yeah...the kids. ;oP
This morning, we started classical learning in earnest. Esther's learning noun definitions and identifying them in a way that's so easy for me, it makes me feel like I'm cheating. (Her attention might be all over the place most of the time, but I think it's truly because her personality assimilates new concepts easily.) Nomi's learning her letters, and I'm marveling at how uniquely she learns...if I ask her to pay attention to the *sensation* of a letter sound in her mouth, it makes all the difference in the world, for her. I love it. People's minds are fascinating.
What else? I'm starting to think a little about birth #4 (homebirth #3), but am reminded the emotional perils of getting ahead of myself. Birth is one of things like skydiving. You can worry all you like, and making preparations is necessary, but really, when it comes down to it, you find the strength you need when it's time to jump. So I make practical preparations, feel a little giddy, and don't really sweat it much, at this point.
Today, Thor the cat brought in some small dead thing, and after trying to identify it for a while, Nomi decided that it must be a bandicoot. Yes. I'm sure she's right. :P Now I can say that I've cleaned bandicoot blood off the floor, which isn't something every person can brag.
In other news, we finally decided on a girl name for this baby, after much bickering/angst (mine, of course)/list-revising/teasing/beer/hot cocoa. We're not yet certain of the gender yet, mind you; that'll be a surprise in February. The celebration point, for this early mental nesting woman is that we do have a girl name! It hit us at the same time, a lot like the other three girls' names. But we're not telling. :grin:
(I'm not proofreading today. Love me anyway.)
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