Here are some of the activities we have participated this week:
The children are loving the running club. Gillian and James have each finished 20 miles so far, five miles each Monday. As for Jefferson, he seems to be competing with time; he has accomplished 35 miles so far, and wants to go faster each time. After running, I take them to the library to cool off. While I look for my own books or visit my favorite corner, the books on sale, they sit and read. This Monday when I was done with my own search, I found them all sitting next to each other reading, after having filled their bags with books. I had to take a picture.
Another fun activity that reoccurs a lot in our home, which I'm sure you have noticed, is dress-up games. This week's picture award goes to Charlton. The older boys had dressed him up and as always Charlton loved the attention. Here is my cowboy decked up with all the necessaries - gun, knife, radio, ax, rope, hat, and of course a cowboy bandanna.
Play dates have become easier as my kids grow older. With the exception of setting them up which I do, they take care of all of their friends' entertaining. Even James has become quite the host and helper, especially when there are little kids around, and the older ones have attached themselves with Gillian or Jefferson. I love it that he is always willing to help and make them happy. Here is James teaching Charlton and Caroline how to build puzzles. They were on the floor quietly making puzzle after puzzle for at least an hour.
One of our other usual activities is swimming. I've taken the kids swimming three or four times a week, and they love it. It gives them a chance to be cool, play with friends, and practice their skills. As for me, I've enjoyed talking to my friends. When we went a couple of days ago, something fantastic happened - Charlton decided to enter the water and swim with me. I had him in a floaty, but even then he needed my hand. However little, this was progress. Hopefully, next year he will start to swim and follow his brothers around, since that's all he wants to do. For now, we'll get him swimming with me and his little friends, and sunbathe with his brothers:
Cooking is going great with my kids. They love it, especially my boys. I had them help me as I prepared six loaves of banana bread to take to friends. James was particularly eager to help and wanted to know in advance to whom we were taking the loaves. He seemed to be a bit more attentive when he knew the person we were making that particular batch for. As for Jefferson, I have to say it is eery how similar to me he is. He didn't need any help and wanted to do it all on his own. He told me he would ask me if he needed help. So I stood by and just observed. All the loaves turned out great, and my boys know how to make banana bread now. What more can you ask from life!
I had been concentrating on teaching my boys laundry and cooking, because being a female it comes easy to Gillian to do any of that. I know it isn't always true for all girls, but domestic chores are performed quickly by Gillian. Being the first child helps I guess in being effective and skillful. However, she has an attitude problem. When I ask my boys for help they seem genuinely excited to cook or learn a new skill. Gillian would rather hire a maid and read all day and night. I know it sounds familiar, but that kind of disturbed me a little. I need her to enjoy working as well. So, when her turn to cook this week approached, I got exited and made a big deal on how we were going to eat a delicious meal made by the best cook in town, and let her cook whatever she wanted. She took it seriously and cooked her favorite meal, spaghetti with meat sauce. Fortunately Elijah had cooked the ground beef the day before so she didn't have to deal with any great cooking. My favorite part of my daughter's cooking however is the fact that she insists in wearing an apron, and that she cleans up the counters after she is done cooking. Moments like these find me surprised to see that I have a ten year old daughter who cleans, and cooks and reads and writes and sings... It feels that it wasn't that long ago when I was that age, when in fact I'm a mother of four growing children. Life is a wonder! How it manages to teach us maturity and responsibility while at the same time allowing us to keep our innocence and child-like curiosity, it will always be a mystery to me.
Our favorite activity that the kids and I love doing is visiting friends, and this week we drove a little bit longer than usual to see the Wiederholds, who moved three weeks ago to Sacramento area. My kids loved being with their friends, exploring their new home, chatting, playing and sharing their love for each other. I had missed Amy and her sunny disposition, and it was a joy to feel of her love and friendship. My friend Laura and her children joined us, and we had a wonderful time sharing our latest with each other. Next time we'll be doing an over-nighter, and my kids are already making plans on how they are going to spend their time with their friends. James told me that since he is going to marry Zoe, he needs to see her a bit more often. When I told him that once a month is as often as I can do with school starting soon and other activities already planned, he kind of sighed, and then said to me "I just hope I don't have to share her with anybody else while we visit." This is my 6 year old James! Shocking! Beware of the quiet ones!
Since summer is going so well for me and my children, I've had plenty of time to read and write. Furthermore, I've enjoyed watching a lot of movies and show. For the past two or three weeks, I've been hooked on movies from India and from France. The Indian movies are so pleasing to the eye (the Indian ladies are just drop dead gorgeous) and the ones I watch are all about love and family. The colors, the music, the beauty of this people, just fascinates me. And they don't tire me. When I'm feeling for light entertainment, nothing dramatic emotionally, I just watch one of those fun Indian family movies. The French movies are a bit deeper and they treat serious themes. But they also portray ordinary people with ordinary troubles, nothing glamorous or too unreal. At least the ones I've watched lately. Two come to mind, the Indian version of Emma, called Aisha, and a very good French movie, "Certified Copy" with Juliette Binoche.
However, as always the Brits have done it again. There is nothing better to me that Masterpiece Theater productions. I have thoroughly enjoyed the new version of Great Expectations with Gillian Anderson portraying Miss Havisham in a quite original way.
Then I was taken back when BBC combined great plot and characters with great actors. It helped that Rufus Sewell is one of the most handsome actors alive, but that's another plus. Zen took place in the streets of Italy with Rufus playing the stylish detective Zen who is honest but brilliant and who despite his Armani suits is quite sentimental and down-to-earth. I really enjoyed all three series, and I was very upset that BBC hadn't renewed the contract for a new season. It was better than any other detective stories out there. I liked that it wasn't gruesome, but intelligent and sweet.
My last recommendation is very special to me. During high school years I didn't have time to watch much T.V., but there was one show that my mother and I wouldn't miss, Inspector Morse. John Thaw was a member of our family each week, and we couldn't help but love the blue eyed Inspector who had a head for puzzles, an eye for observation, an ear for the opera, and a taste for beer. Ah, and I forgot - not only he was smart, but he was sensitive and sincere, albeit a bit cranky. What more can you want from a character?! Well, after the death of Inspector Morse and John Thaw, the actor who played him, the sequel with his sidekick, Inspector Lewis, followed. This summer is their sixth season. Unexpectedly, we, the fans of Inspector Morse. got to be surprised with a new show called Endeavour, which is in fact the first given name of Morse. Endeavour introduces us to the young Inspector, at this time just a regular constable who has left Oxford and quit the navy, and joined the police force. I loved everything about this new show. The actor playing the young Morse did a marvelous job, especially knowing that he had to fill big shoes. The plot was very Morse-ish, and they introduced new characters that were interesting and complex. I just read that they are working on making a few more episodes this summer.
That's that for movies and shows. I'll write later about books I've been reading these past months. How is your summer going? What are some of your favorite shows? Books? Movies?
