Blue horse, red heart, green flower
Okay. Well. Our last four days included a vicious bout of possible food poisoning (me), a tummy bug (one of the kids), and an ER visit (another one of the kids). Cut to the good part: everyone seems to be back to good health now. I’ll just add those experiences to the seemingly never-ending list of chapters in That Book I Really Should Write One of These Days about My Family’s Medical Dramas.
Today, I think I’ll just focus on today. Because today was home, and home is good. Home is especially nice when you’ve spent a couple of days away from home at, say, a hospital or two.
Today was our morning walk, and morning smoothie (Scott’s been adding strawberry kefir to mine which makes it sooo yummy), and piano lessons, and reading The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse to Rilla and then spending the longest time talking about Eric Carle’s art—the textures he squiggles into the paint, the shapes that make his collages, the way the horse looks blue at first and then you look closer and see theΒ purple and green and turquoise and navy. After that book, Rilla needed to paint; it was primal, cellular. I don’t remember why we leapt suddenly to sponge-prints, but I realized she’d never tried them before, and I rummaged under the sink hoping to find a new sponge. Such luck: three of them. Never mind they were the really good kind with a scrubby side. If I don’t jump on a project immediately it probably won’t get done. I cut one of the sponges into a heart and she spent a happy hour making Valentines.
A very good morning.
In the afternoon there was a very earnest little boy digging through every pocket for a “green flower” he’d picked for me—a bit of clover. And a bee in the living room, the shooing-out of which somehow led, mouse-cookie fashion, to my washing the windows and scrubbing the sills while Rose told me stories and helped with the screens.
Jane is catching up on Downton Abbey so she can finish out the season with us.
The most taxing thing I’ve had to do all day is think about what book to read next.
A very good afternoon.
Ellie says:
OH!! I really really hope and pray that you will all be **well** now, without any more illness and emergencies!
The sponge painting sounds like such fun. I think we need a day like that …
xoxoxo
On February 1, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Meredith says:
So glad to hear you’re all feeling better π We LOVE kefir here, so yummy!
On February 1, 2012 at 8:03 pm
sarah says:
I’m glad you’re all better now. I hope you stay that way! π That book sounds wonderful.
On February 1, 2012 at 8:46 pm
tanita says:
Sooo, window-washing in your world = not taxing? Please, please come and live in MY world! It’s too cold to wash anything, though, it’s noon and just now has gotten to 25Β° – brr. I think of bees in the living room with longing.
I understand that primal need to paint. I think it was Karen who pointed out a homeschool art project with Kandinsky’s color circles – and I needed to make some of those, immediately!!
Glad you’re all feeling better, and I have a sudden urge for kefir! Yum.
On February 2, 2012 at 3:16 am
Penny says:
Glad you’re all well – hope you all stay that way!
Home days are the best. After all, my favorite people are there π
On February 2, 2012 at 3:38 am
mamacrow says:
oh gosh, glad you’re all feeling better O.o
I love Eric Carl’s art pationately. It reminds me very much of the guache & tissue paper collages Matisse made near the end of his career (which I also love)
On February 2, 2012 at 1:29 pm
Jeanne says:
My favorite days…home days.
On February 3, 2012 at 9:37 am
Renelle says:
Hi Melissa,
I’m so happy to have fond you out there in the blogging world. I was absolutely drawn to your explanation of Tidal Homeschooling. We are a family that uses some CM ideas/ways in an unschooling delivery! and I’ve never been able to explain what that is like but you have helped me understand us so much better thank you. I think my little girl would enjoy this book and looking at Eric Carle’s art followed buy some art of her own. Thank you for the inspiration. Can’t wait to explore your blog. Wishing you the best, Blessings, Renelle
On February 4, 2012 at 2:22 am
Kimberlee says:
Goodness, glad you’re feeling better!
I got Eric Carle’s Artist to Artist for my kids for Christmas – wonderful to read about so many illustrators and their work, and to see some of their beginnings.
And I love hearing you say Rilla ‘needed’ to paint. Years ago you mentioned that one of your older girls said she needed to paint every day or she didn’t ‘feel right’ (can’t remember who it was), and I’ve always remembered that line. I think of it often as I have daughters who truly ‘need’ to make art daily, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
On February 4, 2012 at 9:34 pm