Juni has been home from school all week for winter break and we've been enjoying the warm, sunny, most-definitely-not-winter weather - that is, when we weren't recovering from yet another round of stomach bug/norovirus. The past few months have been packed full of colds and sniffles and fevers and stomach discomforts and various other viral-mediated miseries (such as hand-foot-and-mouth disease, GAH! the aftermath of which I am still, STILL, experiencing a solid month later; yes, adults can get it and, believe me, it is not pretty). Right now the wind is blowing and the sun is shining and buds are popping up everywhere and I am so, so relieved to say goodbye to this crazy winter we've had, with its confusingly mild temperatures and its incessant kid-borne illnesses.
Juni only goes to preschool for three days a week, four hours each day. One week off didn't seem like too much of a disruption to me. Yet my usually adaptable little girl seems quite out of sorts with this break in her weekly rhythm. We've experienced unprecedented levels of stubborn defiance this week - throwing things and talking back and a general unchanneled restlessness that leaves chaos wherever we go.
At least we've been able to play outside most days. We've watched little finches build their nest in our birdhouse. We've chased the squirrel away from our birdfeeder (again and again). We've counted mole holes (there are many). We've run around the back yard yelling, "Deer! Deer! Deer! DEER!!!" (okay, that was just Owen).
On a particularly bright and windy day, we dyed silk scarves with Kool-Aid and hung them up outside to dry. This was an easy, fun project and the kids have been playing with the silks every day (with much excitement and high-pitched squealing). I suppose this was our way of welcoming spring - bright and airy and soft and, I hope, I hope, free from germs.
I bought the 35" square silk scarves from Dharma Trading. For dyeing, we used this tutorial and this Kool-Aid color chart.
*post titled with apologies to Mary Oliver and her poem "Starlings in Winter"
