How Did That Happen?

This summer is slipping away and not a lot is getting done. I should be building that new chore chart that friend Sarah told me about. But that means creating cute little picture cards for the one who can't read yet, and the one who just doesn't want to. I should be cutting and sewing some new clothes for One, but that means letting the laundry go for a couple of hours. Ha ha ha...ahem...o.k....NO. I should be shepherding One through the last little bit of 5th grade history and math, but that would mean skipping the free family film festival and all the fun play-date invitations we've been receiving.

But somehow, between the morning devotions, violin lesson, blogging, dishes, laundry and meals, we found time to have a pretty neat day. One took control of the kitchen this afternoon to experiment with a recipe made by one of the characters in Louisa May Alcott's Little Men. It called for flour, salt and water with a dusting of cinnamon & sugar after baking. I was sure she would end up with a salt dough map, but in reality it was a prune tart! Having learned a little about kitchen science from Husband, she added a dash of baking soda and sour cream to the mix before stuffing it with prunes -- she was sooooo excited! It was edible -- even tasty. She's adorable, if I do say so myself.

But it got better! I threw together a chicken and gouda salad for dinner and that allowed for a quick clean-up...well, it would have been quick except that Three was wanting to do the dishes even though she can't reach the sink. Undaunted, she ran to get her step and started unloading the top rack so that she would have something to do. I let her work for a few minutes, but then realized she had unloaded, rinsed and reloaded the same 3 cups a few times. And we had places to be...

Here's the best part -- neither Husband nor I made it to the gym today, so we decided to go this evening and take the girls with us. They would spend the first hour in the nursery and then join him in the pool for a short, but *hooray!* after-bedtime swim! They are so easily amused. It makes me pause and wonder why I make this so hard sometimes. When we returned home, I cut up some watermelon and heard One voice her delight, "Wow! This is such. a. great. day!"

Then a brush of the teeth, and off to bed. Today was a good one. For all of us. I'm not sure how it all came together like that, so I wonder if I could do it again?

*Three of these swimmers had goggles and one did not.*