December 10th, 2024

After dropping off Yali and Patience at Yellow Bird, stop by Schnucks for raspberry truffles, Townhouse crackers, and a Pepsi… bad Collette, bad…

Morning hours quickly used up with phone calls about sponsor children, appointment bookings, ordering a book on advanced math for my brother-in-law’s Christmas gift, listening to a podcast on foster children sent by E while washing the dishes, and a video call appointment after lunch

Meanwhile Puck tests the limits of the 3D printed hand-ground propeller in the yard, naming it an “excellent use of kinetic energy” before leaving for another four hours in Produce

Yali and Patience are gathered from tearing up the outdoors all day with friends – and hand-painted birdhouses – before stopping by Schnucks again to hunt out Tic Tacs… a request Yali has made for several days… Puck discovers an overlooked box on the shelf and the kids each pick a pack before we check out… when we get back I announce that I require a Tic Tac from each of them before they spend some time on their tablets… “Okay, okay,” Yali agrees. “Don’t spoil your dinner, Mom!”

After homemade cheeseburgers, Puck back from work, pauses from discussing parenting and discipline strategies with me to fix the dryer door with heavy magnets… we no longer have to keep the door shut with a snow shovel propped against it… he’s a problem-solver

Read from Esther to Yali and Patience in their bunks while Oxbear runs out for milk, bread, and a pack of work gloves for Puck before an online parents planning meeting with the Cub Scouts