TGIF

TODAY'S ACTIVITIES

• Washing Dishes
• Playgroup
• Sweeping

OK, so the Caribbean is gorgeous, yes, and I am very thankful that I can take my child to the beach whenever I want to, and the iguanas and donkeys are awesome, too, but does it have to get so freakin' hot? I was dripping with sweat before 7 AM this morning, and I have to say that a hot and sticky mommy is not always a patient, kind and affectionate mommy. I've no idea how mothers in Iraq make it through the summer; can you imagine chasing and cleaning up after your small child in temperatures topping 130°? I cannot.

On Friday mornings, we have playgroup. I thought about trying to fit in a school session either before or after, and maybe I will further on in this adventure, but Fridays for now will be set aside for socializing,

which is unequivocally valuable for both preschoolers and their mothers. So the school shelves stayed in the closet today, though my son and I did practice a couple practical life activities outside of "school." Parker assisted me in the kitchen this morning, getting out his breakfast dish and the items I'd need to make his meal. After eating, he washed his own dishes. He did a fine job--and loved that he got to help me and play with soapy water at the same time! Later, Parker swept up his graham cracker crumbs (as well as an embarrassing amount of "Mommy hair" that constantly litters the floor no matter how often I vacuum). He's had his own little broom and dustpan since he was a toddler, but today I actually took the time to demonstrate "proper technique" to him. He used precise and careful movements and painstakingly made sure he got every speck off the floor, walking over to the trash can to empty his dustpan every time it had more than two crumbs in it. I painstakingly made sure I remained patient while I watched him turn what's for me a 30-second task into a 10-minute exercise.

Have I told you it's hot? I'm off to sew more button holes...