Arrow of Light

This week has been SO busy!  I kept meaning to write, but then not being able to.  Tuesday was Mirin's Arrow of Light ceremony with cub scouts, and I had offered to bake a cake for it.  And then last Friday Clothilde jumped down from the monkey bars at a park - not even a very far drop, and onto soft mulch, but she landed funny and sprained her ankle.  She is still not able to walk, but is getting around surprisingly well by crawling and climbing.  And she can still ride her tricycle very fast.  Somehow it doesn't hurt her ankle.

So I've been carrying her around all week, and she has been extremely bored and needing to be entertained.  I have to carry her to go pee every time.  I have been realizing just how tiny of a bladder she has!  It's like having a small baby again, except she is very, very bored and unhappy about not being able to move, and is about twice as heavy.

Monday was devoted to yet another incredibly stressful shopping trip with all three children.  I bribed them for good behavior with coconut water and dates.  The store had made several big changes, which made me realize how long it's been since I've been out shopping.  Clothilde was actually the worst, because she was mad at being stuck in the cart this time, when usually she can clamber out and run away so easily.  She kept hitting and kicking people if they brushed by, and squealing and shouting obnoxiously.  I couldn't get her to stop, and I still had to get the shopping done.  She accidentally hurt her arm when she tried to hit Rose and  missed, which seemed to amuse other shoppers.  I always get laughed at when I'm at the store with all my kids.  I wonder if that happens to other people?  Clothilde is really a sweet, adorable child if she's not in a store.  Stores are bad for her, hence the incredibly long time between shopping trips.

Tuesday we baked the cake.  I used blueberries to color the frosting blue, but it turned out a very bright and pretty purple.  I was worried it wouldn't be masculine enough for the boy scouts, but Mirin was delighted with how it turned out.  He even showed it off to the neighbors, and I was so glad he liked it so much.  I was very worried about baking a "healthy" cake for everyone and embarrassing him (it was a grain-free coconut flour cake.  It tastes even better than regular cake, I think).

The ceremony was very nice, although I missed a lot having to take Clothilde to pee again.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the cake, and some kids came back for seconds.  It was a little bittersweet for Mirin, because the boys in his group (is it den, pack or what?) are being split up between different boy scout troops.  One of the kids said their favorite thing about cub scouts was visiting Mirin's pit at the farm.

On Thursday Ethan went down to St. Pete to see his grandmother, who was in the hospital.  She's 97 years old, and recently fell and broke some bones.  However, she is already on the mend and seems to be doing well.  I knew it was going to be a LONG day with handicapped Clothilde and the big kids.  We went to a friend's house with three homeschooled children, and ended up staying for five hours.  I couldn't get my kids home.  They were playing so hard and having so much fun running around, they couldn't even hear me.

Now it's already Friday.  Clothilde was up early already, talking a mile a minute about Wiley and the Hairyman (a story we read recently).  She went over to my mom's house on her tricycle, so I have a few minutes to write.  We are getting ready to go slaughter a cow, so I can't write much more.  It's going to be a big day today.  Hopefully you'll hear from me again on Monday, with some oxtail soup!  Have a great weekend!