My girls have been off all week and we have made salt dough ornaments, snow globe soaps, button creatures, bracelets and various baubles they have strung together. They have baskets where they have collected their work and today they made a list of the gift-recipients.
I love the time together. My time with them-- a long lunch-break where we watch the Bracebridge Dinner episode of Gilmore Girls. Also, reading Patricia Polacco's Christmas book that takes place during a Scarlett Fever outbreak and then trying to paint the ornaments like the grandfather in the story. But also I love their time together. I retrieved a box of fabric from the basement. I wanted Calliope to cut these organzas into squares-- we would put them in a cute box and her cousins could have their own silks to play with. The girls' plan, however, was to tie these long swaths of flowing fabric onto each other and dance the polka (which, for some reason they learned in ballet yesterday).
We have discovered Open Gym at the Y. A big echoey place to bounce a basketball til your heart's content. Manny and I did treadmill time and when I came in to the gym to return Clara's iPod to her, she promptly put it on and made off for the climbing wall. She climbed the wall while listening to "Brighter Than the Sun" by Coby Calais. Benicio has invented a solo version of Wall Ball and he likes to wear a sleeveless muscle shirt that makes me weak in the knees it's so cute.
Another thing is that our clock has been able to slow the heck down. I can pore over my Chabon novel, reading passages to Geoff. I can sound out Bedelia books with Clara. I can fold a load of laundry and have time to put it away immediately, while still warm.
Christmas Break, with your cozy decadence and tortoise-pace, I enjoy you.
