A long walk with Will (et al.)

What seems like "too much information" right now might be just the right amount of detail when I read about this day in a few years. Today is windy and cloudy, but the temperature is just right for the windows to be open and bringing in fresh air. The house is still in a bit of disarray with clean (yes, folded) laundry and unpacked suitcases still out in several rooms. The dishes in the dishwashed are clean and need to be put away so I can clear the dirty ones off the counter. There are toys littering the living room and all the beds need to be made. Why bother? Playing with the kids is more fun. All four kids are in great moods today, so we had fun playing with the ball machine, the dress-up hats, and pretend kitchen. We had fun making noises, clapping our hands, and tickling each other. The rooms were filled with laughter. When the tears and whining started, it was naptime. While the babies snoozed, Will and I played a Berenstain Bear game on the computer. The kids and I had a tasty lunch of scrambled eggs cooked with leftovers bacon, creamed spinach, and yummy gruyere sauce. We had sides of canned mandarin oranges and white cheddar cheese-its. While we ate, Shadow sat at the backdoor waiting impatiently to be let in so he could "vacuum" the kitchen floor under the three highchairs. All four kids inhaled the food and then we all went for a long walk. I let Will choose the pace and the path, so we stopped to observe a lot of little things. The triplets were happy to be outside and in the circus train; they had their feet up and were humming and chattering while they nibbled on Teddy Grahams. Along the way, we stopped and compared an ant to an itty-bitty bug, looked at all the prickly thorns on a pretty cactus-like weed, smelled the dogwood flowers and azaleas, picked a few small yellow puffs of petals, blew on fuzzy dandelions, counted a lot of pinecones, wondered what that was (trash), investigated the baby pinecones on a broken pine branch, climbed the ladder and crossed the bridges at the park, let the little ones out of the wagon to play in the grass, pulled pebbles out of Ben's mouth, took away a stick Maddie was gnawing, watched Jon study a lot of the rocks and sticks the others passed over, visited with an elderly neighbor, kicked sand and made a dusty cloud, watched a forklift move piles of lumber at a new home site, and checked for mail in our mailbox. It was peaceful, we all enjoyed it, and it entertained the kids for about and hour and a half.

When we got home, I put the little kids down for nap #2 and Will and I read stories until it was time for his nap. Now that they are all asleep, I am writing everything down while it is fresh on my mind and catching up on the parts of the TV shows I missed. Here are my takes on this week's episodes of reality shows I watch.

Jon & Kate Plus 8 -- I only watched one of them & was saddened. Jon & Kate took all the kids to the Crayola factory & Kate had a fit when the kids (ages 3 and 7, I think) wanted to do the crafts. She said "no" a lot because she didn't want to spend a day doing stain treatment on the marker and chalk spots on eight outfits.

My take: it's okay for kids to be messy. Let them make a mess; they are washable. Most days I am okay with messy kids, many days I thrive on it. Clothes can be replaced, but creativity has to be nurtured. Look what Will made on the porch yesterday while I made dinner! I am so proud of his drawing of himself and his name next to it. He did this all by himself. Oh, he was a mess, all right -- chalk all over his clothes. . . Dancing with the Stars -- I was only impressed with a few of the dancers. I think the final three should be Kristy Yamaguchi, Mario, and (my favorite) Jason Taylor.

American Idol -- Who will go tonight? I think any of these could, and I wouldn't be heartbroken: Ramielle, Kristy Lee, Syesha, Chikezie. Since Kristy Lee sang "God Bless the USA," she will be around for a bit longer. Simon said it was a brilliant song choice & I agree; it would be blasphemous not to vote for her, right? Personally (and my husband agrees), they should quit the competition now and give the mic to David Cook. He continues to be awesome!