08 DEC 25

Kids are deep in the books... sort of...

Yali's making Spiderman minifigs backflip across his notebook with squishy spiderweb sound effects...

...as Puck emerges for a morning work-out to supervise Patience's online multiplication flashcards... bellowing motivational phrases at her following incorrect answers... “NO!... WRONG!... NO!”... then adjusts the parameters on the math program...

“WHAT? I can't do one hundred problems in two minutes! You messed me up BUSTER!”...

Meanwhile Yali is moaning about a stomachache as he reaches for another chocolate chip cookie...

...while Puck switches conversation to facts about Jupiter before finally remembering he's supposed to be working out... retreats with a very “my work here is done” smile on his face...

It's early afternoon and Mama takes ten minutes to herself with a plate of fresh mozzarella and dill pickle slices in her room... a notification email pops up on my phone... stick my head out the door... “Okay... who ordered a slinky on my Amazon account while I was back here?”...

Yali shrugs and gestures towards Puck's bedroom...

Evening is upon us...

...hot pizza casserole in the oven...

...Patience crunching through another twenty minutes of “Gavotte” on the violin...

...Yali gathers fencing gear for class...

...and Puck finally emerges from his room to loosen all the pegs on his sister's violin because he can't stand the squeaky-squawk any longer...

It's after eight o'clock... kids up too late... Yali thundering about his bedclothes... “PATIENCE SPILLED NAIL POLISH REMOVER ON MY BLANKET AND TRIED TO COVER THE SMELL UP WITH CHEESECAKE SPRAY... or... something... and it smells like some toxic cheesecake spray and... and... more like cheesecake toxic BUTT!”...