Goodbye mom, and hello laundry!

My mother left yesterday. She spent her whole day cooking meals for me, some to eat that day, and others to have for later. I told her not to worry so much; sooner or later I'll have to get back in the swing of things and start cooking myself. She felt that by cooking a bunch of meals, she was easing me gradually to that process. I personally felt she just didn't want to have time to think and realize that she was leaving. Goodness, she is coming back next year, and as I told her it's not as if she is going away to some hard life. She is traveling Europe for the next three to four months some with her son all over Scandinavia, some with her best friend who is visiting her in Stockholm, and some with relatives in Paris. Hard life, indeed. Her response was that she would rather spend time with her little boy, Charlton, who has totally stolen her heart, than do all of that. As for me, that's one part I'm happy about her leaving; that boy has been so spoiled that it will take me another four months or more to undo what she did. She literally had tears on her eyes when I told her those things. She was worried that I'm going to mistreat or forget about Charlton. As if Charlton isn't my son!

It has been great having her with us these past four months. She has helped with cooking, laundry, and babysitting. She was a good friend to have around when I needed to talk, and she was always willing to listen. Having had her for four months has had its disadvantages as well. I seemed to split my time between my husband, my children, and my mother. Sometimes, she needed more time than the rest of them combined, and that was something that gave me trouble. I also didn't seem to have privacy and quiet time for my thoughts and hobbies. And then, her lack of discipline toward Charlton made me very upset at times. But I didn't have the heart to tell her hands off with my child, because she seemed so attached to him almost as if he were her son. However, all of these concerns appeared small as I observed the love and relationship that was being developed between my children and their grandmother, a connection that knew no language boundaries.

We took some pictures before she left, and then headed off toward the airport. I brought all the kids with me, and we waved goodbye to her as she entered the security area. I'll be seeing her again very soon in a month or so when I visit my brother, but my children won't see her till next April. Jefferson was very adamant about her attending his baptism, and making sure she knew his birthday date. We will all miss her, but I think it was time for me to have my family back.
Today, I have been working on switching Gillian back upstairs. I thought this was a good time for Spring Cleaning as well. All of her furniture, books, clothes, toys, and whatever else was in her room or my mother's was scrutinized in detail, and I felt happy when some was thrown, some was bagged for Good Will, and the rest organized in the neatest system possible. Two more bedrooms to go, as well as a bunch of closets and bookshelves scattered throughout the house.

This evening we attended an open house for our older children. Gillian was very excited to show us everything artsy that she had made. I love her imagination and skill. We were able to read a lot of her writings, and since that's the area I emphasize with Gillian, I was happy to see their awesome outcome. While the rest of us walked around the classroom to check Gillian's work, Charlton found his own favorite place to be, near a computer. That's how early technology creeps into the life of this generation!



When we arrived at Jefferson's class, he immediately took control of the visit. With a clip board in his hands and a list of things to see, he directed us around the classroom toward his accomplishments. His handwriting isn't that great because he is always in a rush to write as much as possible. He has an amazing imagination and loves to write and illustrate. I was also in awe of his art portfolio. While Gillian's art is very modern and surreal, border line cubism, Jefferson's art is precise and real. He seems to have an understanding of the spacial relationship between objects. Even though there was no computer nearby, Charlton was able to find his own entertainment here as well.


It has been a long and tiring day for me, carrying various pieces of furniture up and down, organizing closets, shelves, dusting, vacuuming, and many more. However, seeing my children's progress and their art and science portfolios, brightened my day. School is so much fun! I'm glad that my children love learning. Since I have taught and guided them toward a love of learning and education in the early years of their life, from now on is smooth sailing when it comes to their desire to read and learn new things each day. They crave it, want it, and enjoy it. I think it's one of the most precious gifts we as parents can give to our children. Seeing this magnificent light in their eyes as they shared what they had learned, studied and created made my heart rejoice.

"You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives." ~Clay P. Bedford