in it for the long haul

I'm letting the children sleep in the living room tonight. So sue me. Its still a feast day. Tomorrow, back to cracking the whip! Hardy Har Har. As if there are any real whips.

No really, back to school and stuff this week. I held forth to a friend at great length recently about how children (as in my children) ought to be really really really self sufficient and self motivated and require only tiny amounts of me telling them what to do about school. All of which she thoroughly agreed with, I guess, because she just told me that her child did her last three days of school in just such a manner. So now I guess I also will have a chance to practice what I preach. Lots of reading and writing, suckers, lots of reading and writing!

Can you tell that I'm gearing up for any possible psychological warfare they might inflict on me in the way of whining and trying to get me to do stuff for them. I'm actually not dreading it. Its high time we put all our minds to better use than lying around eating bonbons and rearranging the furniture.

I like the time between the secular New Year and Easter. The upcoming times of fasting and feasting don't bring extra craziness and expectation from the culture and the world. Any craziness that bubbles up and permeates my life comes from inside the Church Year. And that kind of craziness is pleasurable and life giving. The children gain space away from all the tinsel and expectations of Stuff and gather their energy around the Party Hats at the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, or getting to miss Sunday School because of the Annual Meeting, or Celebrating the Last Supper on Palm Sunday altogether wedged into a tiny dark room. Their biggest concern is whether its our week to cook for Shepherd's Bowl and how many people will be there to play.

The days are dark and cold but ordinary and full and we will emerge on the other side to days that are longer and warmer, ready to be done with books and counting and writing and lists and routine. And hopefully not too too fat from all the baking.