Today

We started with apple cake for breakfast...And then we built train tracks.We wrote a book for Daddy of all the things we love about him. And illustrated it.We napped, more or less sucessfully and totally voluntarily. Sometimes this autonomy thing is just too easy.
Then there were three people all asking me to fix things for them at the same time, and that afternoon dip before we get a decent snack in us, and I broke down and cried. I was just overwhelmed by a huge black cloud of panic, and when two littlest ones asked to nurse and the bigger one went and poured water all over the kitchen, I had to take a time out in the hall.

They cried. I cried. Ah but every day offers new chances to pick up and start again, and I may be questionably sane but I am not utterly helpless (however often I may percieve myself to be just that) and I can still fight it. I have to.

So we took charcoal sticks into the garden and made a HUGE MESS (and some artwork too).
This involved experimenting with the ash from the fire pit too. And hell, if you're going to get wet you may as well go swimming, right?
I was pleased to do a little inspection of our produce while they all got reallyreally dirty.Oh and we also looked after a dog, today. But she's practically family. Even if she does add a certain something to the clean up when she keeps on knocking things over and insists on rolling her hairy goodness all over the carpets...After all of this, a bath.If we can just make it to 6pm when Martin gets in (he left this morning before anyone else was up)... Of *course* we can make it to 6pm. I mean, look at them... ;)