It’s back to school time in our neighborhood. We’re the lucky ones in year-round school. Even though I sometimes complain I really LOVE this schedule. She was already bored and I was ready to school to curb the picking and fighting between my two kids.
Now that big sister is back in school, I get more one-on-one time to enjoy my younger daughter Sunny. We’ve had time to play games. Today I taught her to play war with face cards. She creamed me! She’s already a card shark!
We’ve also took the time to learn about the world via my kitchy collection of miniature world landmarks. We found all the answers to her questions about the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Golden Gate Bridge, Big Ben, and the St. Louis Gateway Arch and others via Wikipedia and the internet.
While riding around in the car last week she told me she couldn’t wait to go to China, Italy and San Diego. I guess at four-years-old, she has an appetite for travel I wasn’t aware of. She has good taste in travel destinations too, don’t you think?
The other day while watching Sunny for me, my mom reported that she’d overheard her telling her 10, 7, and 4-year-old male cousins why her name was Sunny. Here was her explanation: “Do you know why my name is Sunny? It’s not because I’m like the Sun in the sky. It’s because I make sunshine in my mom’s heart.”
Well said. She made it up, because I have never told her that, but it’s true, she does make a little sunshine in my heart. I mean look at her. How could she not make sunshine in my heart.
Anyway… I don’t share a lot of personal stuff about my kids, but this is my thought on happiness today.
It’s too easy to let the rush of days, kids fighting, work and responsibility take over your life. Every once in a while, make and effort to dial it in to enjoy some simple moments with your kids, especially if you can do it one on one. It feels good. I’m writing this mostly for me. I need to remember this in the future.
***Update as of 11:00 today. –I somehow am not feeling as much sunshine in my heart for her today after she colored pink crayon all over the entire seat of one of my upholstered dining room chairs. Yes, she does know better. Why would my darling child do this, I don’t know.
What a cutie! My kids are in traditional school so we still have a month of summer left – and yes the fighting and cries of boredom are already getting to me. Year round must be nice for that
Don’t I have the sweetest grandkids? And daughter?