All Things Holy Week

I have started SO many posts in the past weeks of absence--and always get interrupted or run out of time to finish!  I'm going to sit here and type as quickly as I can now, just to get SOMETHING new here--to break the pattern! 

In other words, don't expect much. ; )

Life has been good, just busy.

But this week--AHHHHHHHHH. This week is Spring Break. And this year, we all get a REAL break--no need to keep plugging away at school projects, like too often happens.  Ok, so we will have some classes still this week--martial arts, etc. And they will still need to practice music for lessons next week.  But I am not assigning any school, and have some fun things planned, like a bracelet making party and a fancy hair party--using craft kits we have received as presents, but which we have never had a chance to really play with. But mostly this week is going to be about rest.

Perfect for Holy Week.

And I had already looked at the calendar and seen that we had nothing going on today, so I knew we would start our break with a pajama day. So at this moment, 6:52 p.m., DH and Smiley are the only ones who have clothes on. Smiley finally put some on around 4:30 so he could go outside and climb trees and be helpful to his daddy. 

I have not cooked a meal all day. (but I will need to get up and rustle up a late dinner in a minute.) The kids lounged in their room all morning, so skipped breakfast. They finally ate around 2 pm, at my urging. But they just foraged for fresh fruits and veggies in the fridge--no help from mommy required!  Which was good, since I was busy on youtube watching all the past Sing Off performances by Pentatonix, in order.

Today we've had pillow fights, and tickle fights (yes, even mommy & daddy), and LEGO building and making illuminated manuscripts and reading and Sunny & Merry acting out a story involving a man who traps a Selkie by stealing her seal skin.  (We just finished a unit on the time of the Celts to the spread of Christianity to Ireland, part of which was watching "The Secret of Roan Inish" together--one of my favorite movies, and one I used to teach in my college Intro to Lit class.)

In other words, a very relaxing day. With lots and lots of laughter and enjoying one another.

I'm looking forward to this week. I think the kids and I could use the relational boost a little slowing down will help foster. : )

And now, some random photos of our Spring so far:

From L to R: Brown Prince, Pink Princess, Green Prince, and Purple Princess

Vintage meets modern--Happy wearing her favorite pinafore (worn by my mother when she was 5) while doing math.

What my shower looked like after four kids and two friends played in the backyard one day last month.  This would be after the children were instructed by no less than three adults to not get muddy.  Yes, we had to mop the floor from the door to the shower too. Ah, the folly of children in Spring! ; )

Salamanders found in the backyard--the kind of little wonder that makes the mud mess bearable. 

I don't normally let kids stand on the footboard--but when I caught sight of Smiley's illegal acrobatics, they were so well-executed that I told him to do it again for the camera. 

 

 

(That's dress-up piled on the bed, not my own lazy mess. ; )

Sunny wearing a skirt made by my mother for herself waaaaaay back when--Mom, tell me more about the skirt in the comments. I love it on Sunny!

Random afternoon last week, swinging by the cliffs on the way home from something school-y.  If you are jealous, come visit us!

I hope you are all having good weeks, wherever you are!