For Posterity's Sake: Week in Review 15

Simplicity and Two-Year-Old Intuition:

On Saturday (the day before Easter), Audrey and I went to the fabric store - our first of three trips. If you read about the green Easter sweater earlier in the week, you may remember that this is the trip where I forgot my money, only realizing it as I got to the cash register (an action that pretty accurately set the pace for the rest of my comedy-of-errors-laden day). While I thought I had handled the disappointment of a wasted trip well, as I carried Audrey out into the parking lot, she looked at me and said, "What wrong, Mama?" And somehow, her sweet, surprising intuition made that trip seem not such a waste, after all.

Last week, we borrowed one of those little plastic cars meant to be driven Flintstone-style from our neighbors to help occupy Audrey during our tree-planting extravaganza. She skinned her knee on our concrete patio while trying to get out of it. Every day this week when we change her clothes or bathe her, she points out the boo-boo and asks us to take it off. Early in the week, I told her that I couldn't take it off, that God would take it off in a few days. God's pace apparently not fast enough, she informed me that she was going to take it off, herself. Ever the woman whose prerogative it is to change her mind, the boo-boo has stayed and a new mention of it made every day.

Monday, we made a trip to the library to return some books and play with the train set. The train set pieces are screwed down, but a few have come loose with time and use. Audrey picked up four pieces that make a loop, turned them upside-down and said, "Look, Mama, a rainbow."

Have you been wondering what that new dance craze is hitting the nation, I mean, kitchen? It's the walrus. At least, that's what Audrey told me she was Tuesday morning as we danced across the hardwood floor while she waved her arms up and down.

For those of you who have noticed my very late posts this week, our days have been a little one-room focused lately. When I saw the forecast for several days of rain, I thought, since we won't want to be outside, what better time to start potty-training? Our days have become very simplified: simple tasks, easy-to-prepare meals, very few errands, all with the idea of making our one goal (and life in general this week) a little bit easier. Of course, it was only a matter of time before this intense focus found its way into Audrey's perception as well. Yesterday, while playing with a stuffed Mickey Mouse (an Easter gift from her grandparents) she informed me that the red trouser-style shorts he has on (remember, the ones with the two brass buttons?) are his underwear. Hmm...fancy. Let's hope she doesn't expect a pair, herself.

Yesterday, I read an article about cleaning your return air grills (those things that look like registers on steroids) to improve your home's energy efficiency. So this morning, Audrey safely strapped into her booster seat with a sippy cup and some mandarin oranges, I grabbed a ladder and a screwdriver and set out to make our home a more efficient (or at least dust-proof) place. Audrey watched as I brought the ladder in. As I unfolded it, she said, "Mama, be very careful up there." I climbed the ladder and Audrey asked what I was doing - four times. Each time, I explained a little bit more, until the last when I simply said, "Mama is being very careful." I cleaned the air grill, screwed it back in place, and returned the ladder. When I came back inside, Audrey said, "Mama, Audrey scared." I guess she knows me too well to expect graceful coordination. Maybe next time, I'll climb the ladder when she's out of the room.

We hope that your week has been sweetly simple, that any rain has been welcomed, and that sunshine is yours to enjoy this weekend. Have a good one!