Now for Today

Forgot to say that last night, after Christmas dessert (a pudding pie, for which I seem to have quite accidentally cultivated a reputation with the children in our circle of friends, it being the dessert we included with some new-baby meals we prepared in recent weeks; after the delivery of the third pie, I sensed that my own children were plotting a mutiny if the first mate/galley cook didn't bestow the same victuals upon them as upon their chums) we curled up to watch, as a family, selections from one of Scott's Christmas presents from me: a DVD of Bill Cosby's best-known stand-up routine, the one where he serves his children chocolate cake for breakfast. Everyone howled; Jane laughed till she cried. I remember watching the same performance with my parents when I wasn't much older than cake.*  It was funny then; it's even funnier now that I understand exactly what he's talking about.

(*Updated: Scott just pointed out my typo here. Cake! Ha! That is going to be my new saying from now on. Instead of "when I was a kid,"  I'll say, "when I was younger than cake." Bet we can get it to take off. What do you think? As for how on earth I did that, I'm thinking it has something to do with the fact that "Cake" was how the cute little boy next door mispronounced Jane's name when she was a baby and he was not much more than a baby.)

So that was Christmas.

Today we sorrowfully saw Scott off to work—having him home for a four-day weekend was wonderfully like old times. We have adjusted well to San Diego, but we will never stop missing the days when daddy worked at home.

Everyone seemed a bit off kilter with the day-after-Christmas letdown, so I thought that instead of a free-for-all we'd have a bit of read-aloud time to snap us back into shape. It worked nicely. I pulled out Charlotte Mason's OURSELVES, which I began long ago but we fizzled out on. I've been meaning to return to it, and the time felt right. They were interested and we found lots to talk about. I hope I can stick with it this time.

Then Beanie wanted a Christmas story, so I asked her to pick a book from the pile of Christmas picture books on the hearth. Rose chose Jan Brett's THE WILD CHRISTMAS REINDEER. After that we all drifted our separate ways for a while. Rose and Bean had much playing to do, and Jane dove headlong into her pile of Muse back issues. (Thanks, Mom & Dad—with her crafting abilities impaired by the cast, this box full of long-desired reading material couldn't have come at a better time.)

After lunch we played a couple of games of Uno and then the girls tried out their new Mousetrap came. I'm thinking the first time is the most fun, discovering how the contraption fits together. They loved it.

I don't know what else. The day ran away. I don't think we went outside at all, though it was nice and sunny. East Coast conditioning still runs deep; the day after Christmas is for snuggling inside with all your lovely books and things.

Tomorrow Wonderboy goes back to the dentist. I am so thankful we made it through the holiday without an infection. His gum is really looking a mess, and it keeps bleeding. Ugh.

This post doesn't know what it wants to be. It's chattier than I usually get here, but then again I've left out so much Christmas stuff and it would be kind of jolting to plop it down on Bonny Glen. I think I'm in a bit of blog flux these days. Lilting House was fun but felt very public, sort of formal, like I had to use my company manners. I feel that way sometimes at Bonny Glen too, knowing readers are coming there to look for information about my books and might be puzzled by all the chitchat about playing Uno with my kids.

Comments

[Jennifer]

I love the informal chats, just for the record. :) And I LOVE that Bill Cosby performance. I can still sing the "Dad is great..." song. I watched it when I was not much older than "cake" either. :) Merry Christmas!

[Meredith]

It sounds delightful!! And please keep chatting :)

[Andrea]

I too love the chat. It makes me feel as if we're talking together.

(...But I'm NOT a stalker, honest!)

We're having dental blues here, as well...my younger son doesn't lose baby teeth on his own, it's a part of his health issue. So next week he's having the next set of four extracted.

Dentists bring out a lot of weird anxiety in people to begin with...then you add in the fact that instead of YOU in the chair, it is this little person who you love so much, are programmed to protect, and, hey! has a pretty full dancing card with the doctors already...

Anyhow, I hope his visit goes as well as it possibly can--we're rooting for him!

(Er...pun not intended.)

Andrea