Wednesday, June 20th:
Today was our last day of Joy School! It's been a wonderful experience and at the same time I'm looking forward to the break. I was feeling desperate for some time for myself this morning after I dropped the girls off at Joy School. So I took Ellie and Edison to my favorite place for a quick breakfast (do you see the Carl's Jr. cup in Ellie's hand?) and got a breakfast burrrrrrito.
Today was our last day of Joy School! It's been a wonderful experience and at the same time I'm looking forward to the break. I was feeling desperate for some time for myself this morning after I dropped the girls off at Joy School. So I took Ellie and Edison to my favorite place for a quick breakfast (do you see the Carl's Jr. cup in Ellie's hand?) and got a breakfast burrrrrrito.
I had been cleaning constantly throughout the week in preparation for a THRIVE food storage party I was hosting as well as our Joy School graduation party. I was worn out and needed to sharpen the saw. I considered going shopping somewhere, but with an 18 month old and a three month old (and a limited budget), I knew that was a bad idea. I decided to go to Mt. Ogden park with my babies and just get some fresh air. And it was just what I needed, which surprised me a bit.
Once we got out of the car and out in public, I got a little bit embarrassed. Ellie had insisted on wearing her sister's shoes which were way too big and I'd forgotten to grab ones that fit her. I was still in my "lounging clothes" (jammy jams) without a bra and no make-up (ha! what's make-up?) and hadn't even brushed my hair. But it was a beautiful day and I wasn't there to impress anyone, so I let it go. I shared my burrito with Eloise and we spent some time on the swings and then visited the little stream that runs behind the playground. Soon we found a sunny spot in the grass and I let Ellie crawl all over me, which makes me feel happy, while Edison sat in his car seat contentedly.
Ellie and I sang songs and played peek-a-boo and by time we left, I felt renewed. Who knew that a little fresh mountain air and an active 18 month old could do the trick? We also followed a very friendly squirrel around for a bit and Ellie thought that was the greatest thing. It was a great morning.
When I picked up the girls from Joy School, we stopped by the Latino market for some lemons and popsicles. We're studying the letter "L" this week so I have hopes to teach the girls how to make lemonade sometime.
Once we got back home, I simply did not have the energy to wrestle the girls into their beds for nap time, so I laid out on the hammock with the baby and we all ate our popsicles. It felt so nice to ditch the normal routine and just RELAX. I need to do that a little more often for my own sanity.
The girls picked more strawberries (we have tons!) and played quietly while I had some hammock therapy.
They did go to bed eventually, but Ellie refused, so I brought her downstairs where she passed out on the couch.
And thus I had the time and energy to tackle this beast while the girls were asleep. Sometimes I'm surprised at how a day that starts out pretty rough and stressful can turn out to be quite lovely. I even finished these dishes and had time to sit on the floor and color with Hazel for a bit, something she loves to do with me. Within minutes of sitting down, both Lottie and Ellie were in my lap, so we decided to go ahead and make some lemonade in that clean kitchen of mine!
I love this picture for so many reasons. Hazel has been doing this chin on the shoulder pose for quite so time now. It's the go-to. And then there's Lottie with her tiny pigtails, throwing a tantrum about something. Because she's three, and three is the hardest to be.
We got out our old-fashioned juicer that was a wedding gift and put our muscles to use.
I cut the lemons and gave them to Eloise who handed them to Hazel. Lottie came in and out and helped juice some of the lemons as well, still recovering from her tantrum.
We decided to blend up our freshly picked strawberries and throw them in as well.
So I have to admit that I'm feeling pretty good about myself at this point. I've sharpened the saw, spent quality time with my kids, finished the dishes, and still going strong by late afternoon when we suddenly decided to make lemonade. And not just lemonade, STRAWBERRY lemonade with home-grown strawberries. Look out Martha.
La La Lemonade!
Because of my new-found confidence, I found myself saying "Yes" when Hazel kept insisting that we have a lemonade stand. Such an endeavor has always been too much for me--I could never fathom myself setting up a lemonade stand and making all that juice and painting a cute sign, etc. But she insisted and today was turning out to be a small miracle, so I agreed.
(This is a flower that Ellie brought in for me)
Earlier in the day, while the girls were napping, I had shown Eloise how to use the potty, just for kicks. We used her doll as an example and then used toilet paper to clean up and put it inside the potty and shut the lid. We did this five or six times, clapping at the end. SO, while I was gathering cups and napkins for the lemonade stand, suddenly I heard Hazel and Charlotte say, "Mom! Come look at Eloise!" I came into the bathroom and saw Ellie standing inside of the little hole in the potty (she had removed the little bowl), saying "Poop!" And there next to her was a little pile of poop on the floor. So close.
So I congratulated her and clapped and the girls clapped and they continued to gather materials for the lemonade stand while I cleaned up the poop. Right as I finished and came out of the bathroom, Charlotte yelled out my name and there was Ellie pointing to yet another tiny pile of poop on the rug by the front door. So I congratulated her again on properly identifying her creation and cleaned it up again. As I was finishing, Hazel ran up to me and said the funniest thing. We have been praying for Collin in Afghanistan in our nightly prayers and then I've been asking the girls to "visit Antarctica" when they are mad and need to cool down. So Hazel confused the two and said, "Mom! You did such a good job with being patient. When Ellie pooped on the floor, you didn't even get mad, you just went to Afghanistan or wherever it is and cooled off!"
Love that.
And here it is. We did it. No paint, nothing fancy, just a white bench and our little white chairs with a hand-written sign by Hazel. We put out fancy napkins, plastic cups, and the girls' jar of chore coins for change. She also decided to make a small poster with pictures of her cat, Nacho, for everyone to see. Yep, that's the cat that made me crazy so we gave me away to a nice lady. Hazel still prays for him.
Charlotte was the brave one who stood on the sidewalk and waved to all the cars that passed by, yelling, "Lemonade!" That was maybe my favorite part of it all besides Eloise sitting at the table with her business face on and Hazel's Nacho poster.
I texted some friends to come and pay us a visit, but by time they showed up, we had already sold all of our lemonade to neighbors and passersby. So I ran inside and mixed up some apple juice and gave them each a Starburst to go with it. The girls each made nine chore coins each (that's nine dollars in our family system!).
Surprisingly enough, this was one of the best days of the summer.
Funny how they sneak up on you like that.
