Here, Sort This While I’m Busy

Those are the words I said in my head on Sunday morning.   I had just finished a run with my best friend and we weren’t quite done with a story she was telling.   We had to get back so my husband could go work with a client.  As we came in the house, our idyllic running quiet time was shattered as little children ran all around us.

What could I do to occupy them for a while?   I looked over at the Halloween candy my son and I had bought the day before and the two large candy bowls we’d brought down from the attic and I had an Idea:  I’d have them “organize” the candy.

I put the bags and the bowls in front of my daughter and Madison, who had come over from next door and asked if they wanted to organize our candy.   They couldn’t eat it, but they could help and I really needed some help with our candy.

They were excited and started dumping out candy.   A few minutes later my son and Whitaker, Madison’s brother, came into the dining room and wanted to get involved.   My son went upstairs and came back with something I didn’t see at the time, because I was deep in conversation with my friend.

These four children worked together, not arguing—and not eating the candy—for about ten minutes.    It was just enough time for us to finish our conversation because at that point they told us they wanted us to come see what they’d done.

My son told us he’d gone upstairs to get a third candy bowl because they needed it.    Here’s what they'd done:

They told us they put all the circles in one bowl, all the rectangles in the second and all the squares in the third bowl.    And so they had.   

The Big Boy Update:  We were in the car coming home from dinner with Nana and Papa tonight and my children asked to play The Continents song.   Typically after that song plays, The States song plays next.   It’s a cute, child-based song where the states are sung in alphabetical order.   When they got to Georgia my son suddenly exclaimed, “Georgia?  That’s my favorite place!  Dad, can we go to Georgia some day?”   (My son has never been to Georgia.)

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter was up in the middle of the night last night itching.   Her skin has been dry and we’ve been putting lotion and medicine on her but it sometimes wakes her up.   Last night she was complaining about it being too bright.   The room was almost completely dark.   Honestly, I worried about retinal tears because they have sharp stabs of bright light.   She has no indication that she’d have this additional complication, but it didn’t stop me from worrying.    She said the brightness was only when her eyes were open, so I think we’re okay.   I hope we’re okay.   Today she was fine.