Already Missing Her

MB does not even leave until tomorrow morning and I am already missing her. I am left wondering how I will fill my days with her gone, even though I have a large list of things to do. I miss the routine of school that we were really getting the hang of, how 'normal' our days were beginning to feel. I am not going to have this for two or more weeks since my sister and neice will be coming back for a visit when MB and my mom return.

Today was a much better day than yesterday. I woke MB early so that we could hang out with each other before the other two woke up. We curled up on the sofa and watched a Magic Schoolbus episode and then read the corresponding book. When the EM and K woke up, MB helped me with chores around the house and started breakfast for us.

After breakfast she asked me, "what would happen if I did school today?" It made me chuckle. I told her nothing, and asked her what she wanted to do. I never got an answer. She did some computer programs and worked with her Math-addition wrap-ups (a key-like addition fact game in which you wrap a string around to show 5+1=6 and so on.)

Then they played in the wading pool while I cloroxed the high chair DH had un-buried from the garage this weekend. Now I just have to find room in the house for it again.

The girls played another game of school. This time MB brough in two sentences she had written that were done so well, staying within the lines on regular notebook paper and everything.

Then it was nature hunting time. In the afternoon I caught sight of the smallest blue-tailed skink I had ever seen it was only three inches long, including the tail. So MB and I worked together to try to catch him. At one point we had him in the net, but when I went to adjust my hand to get ready to drop him in the container he jumped and disappeared in a pile of leaves.

A few minutes later MB came running back to me to grab her net because she had seen a couple of butterflies in the front yard. She caught one, but unfortunately in the catching she did fatal harm. The butterfly did not die right away and we ended up studying him in a way that we could not have otherwised. MB was very, very sad over the whole thing because she likes to catch them, look at them and release. But I told her that it was an accident and not to worry that next time she would be more careful.

We were able to study his head, watch him move his antennea and open and close his probiscus under the magnifying glass. MB used her identification chart and found that he was a Spicebush Swallowtail. We took pictures and I will upload them tomorrow.

This evening, in preparation for the trip my mom asked me to put together a wishlist for Powell's bookstore in Portland. So I pulled out my SOTW materials and realized how great it was that I had chosen to study Canines and Felines for science first thing this fall. I chose these because we are getting a new dog right about the time school starts. Anyway, those line up perfectly with studying early man and ancient Egyptians for the domestication of the species. I had not noticed it before. The way those topics are tying in together makes me very happy!!

Tomorrow I have to send invoice number two for my job, then I should receive another 20 pieces to do which will keep me busy for 3-4 days. I also plan to spend some real quality time with K and EM. I had hopped to do some painting while MB was gone, but since we have put off the kitchen re-do until sometime this fall, it doesn't make any sense to paint now, whenI would probably have to redo a lot of it then. I will probably spend some time running errands I cannot generally run with MB, shoring up my plan for the first six weeks of school and doing some organizing in the house.

And, I am sure I will be here some moaning over how quiet my house is.

Peace,

Amy