Toasted

I’ve spent the last couple days tying up loose ends with my PTA committee, and catching up at work. Deciding to focus on 15 minutes a day meant I was able to get some decluttering done, but I’m pretty wiped out. This morning I appreciated my inability to get our winter stuff fully packed away, because I wore my long puffy coat to the bus as it was 34 degrees.

EmFleece

Rockin’ fleece on April 24

Today Emma came home from school and was unusually needy. I don’t think anything happened, and I was with her during her library class and all was well. But the week was long for her too and even though I wasn’t really out more than usual, my attention was not as focused on her.

She sometimes spends so much time telling me all she knows about history and science and art, and she’s almost always so well behaved that I overlook the fact that she just turned 8. She spends a lot of time trying to convince me she’s not a little girl, then she and her friend leave a note and a plate of cheese outside for the fairies, and I remember. And she comes home from school and wails like a baby, and insists on being cuddled.

sleep

So I don’t have much more to say today. I let her sleep in our bed tonight and pretty soon I’m going to fall asleep next to her and feel glad for the most important of simple things, like the love of a little girl.


8 Responses to Toasted

  1. Since there is no one else sleeping in my bed, I don’t worry about it if V does or doesn’t want to sleep there. I finally got him to stop waking me up when he transitions in the middle of the night from one to the other. I agree..they live in a big world with a lot of stressors. I find the girls in V’s school are so mean. I hope she isn’t experiencing that.

    • I don’t think so- we talk quite a bit about things she sees related to kids being mean. She’s lucky in that she has 3 nice little girls who she has lunch with, and all the kids in her class seem nice. I’m in the library with them every week so I know all of them a little.

  2. This post reminds me that I wanted to recommend a book to you (perhaps for a future Book Club discussion) – Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne. It’s full of excellent ways to slow down your child’s childhood and simplify your families time together. Well worth a read!

    • Thank you for the suggestion, I love that idea. I will look into that book- I had a couple ideas for books but neither were available at my library, which made me think others would have the same issue. Maybe this one will work.

  3. I second the recommendation for Simplicity Parenting. It is one of the best books on simplifying I’ve ever read, and the author explains why decluttering helps children be happier. That said, it sounds like you gave your little girl exactly what she needed after a long week. Sometimes, it’s definitely best to let the clutter and whatever else wait until tomorrow. It will still be there, but little girls grow up way too fast!

    • You are right on both counts- the clutter still being there and the kids growing up too fast! And between the previous comment and this one, I found the book on my library’s web site and requested it. Looking forward to reading it!

  4. I didn’t know fairies liked cheese. Now I want to start over so I can teach my daughter that.

    Wait, no I don’t. I’ll just wait for grandkids, maybe then I’ll have a fairy garden too.

    And yes, I totally glossed over your child sleeping in your bed. It sounded like she needed extra loves and that you had it covered. My kids are old enough that I’ve forgotten most of their childhood 🙁 I can only hope I was one of the neat ones.

    • Any mom who loves books would definitely be one of the best, as far as I’m concerned! I didn’t know fairies liked cheese either. 🙂

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