More than making do.

The boy and I spent a lot of time outside over the weekend, both at the Y pool, and in the garden. By Sunday evening, the both of us were feeling over heated, cranky and ready for some inside time. My Beloved Mister brought a pizza home from the neighborhood joint -- not as good as the homemade one I made last week, but easy and inexpensive fix for the evening.

At the table while eating supper, Ziggy began to visibly change -- from an active, enthusiastic boy to a peaked, red cheeked child with chills. I got him a sweat shirt and then he climbed into my lap and under my shirt. By nightfall, his fever hit over 103, something that had only happened once previous.

A little virus, we're thinking. Peaks and valleys. Aching legs when the fever spikes. Ultra sensitivity to light, temperature, texture and stray glances.



We're making do. Hanging at home, watching a little PBS kids, playing games, reading stories, listening to music, dressing up, drawing, working on writing.

Play silks are great. Really, they are. I just never spent the money on any, nor were we ever gifted any. For the frugal and utilitarian minded mama?: scarves work wonderfully! They can be used for all sorts of costumes, flags, peace wands, blankets.... anything you like! (Thanks to dear family friend Jo Hunter for our hearty stash of scarves.) Some of my fondest early childhood memories include whole mornings and afternoons of my sister Dana and I playing "houseboat" on the pulled out trundle bed, dressed in "bikinis" of panties and our mother's gauzy scarves tied round our chests. My boy loves the scarves, too. He can be a pirate or a gaucho or a Roman soldier or Mowgli.

Beth Osnes, my sweet friend and former colleague at Mothers Acting Up, passed this great ensemble on when her youngest outgrew it. I hope she knows how very much it gets play here these days....

Ziggy drew his first person last week! Very exciting.

In the days following his first attempt, Zig's people now have bodies as well as legs, and eye brows and glasses when called for.

AND, he's learned to write his name with not just a parental hand guiding his, but all on his own. This iteration with a couple letters reversed....

As we make our drawings and notes to accompany the Father's Day cards we chose oh so carefully weeks ago, we thank the Daddy of OUR home for making *my* primary job possible. (Juliet has some good points on this one; see number 9 in her list of 10 Things SAHMs Should Stop Doing Right Now.) And we thank my child's two grandfathers, Papa & Grandpa, for their active involvement in our lives, even though they live elsewhere. We are fortunate to see my father (Papa) most every month or more, and to see my Mister's father (Grandpa) three or four times a year for a few days at a time.