Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Domestic Pleasures

I know I owe you faithful readers a completion of my last post before moving onto another one, but I wanted to quickly record a few thoughts before this moment passes.

Another snow day has been called and, luckily, this one falls on a day off for me. So, no pressure to arrange alternative child care or to go any place: just Kid 1 and Kid 2 and I home alone under lowering skies, the day before Valentine's Day.

I was up too early (4:30 AM!) and started thinking about maybe taking the kids to NYC over the upcoming February break. I happily surfed for hotel deals for a long time before kids emerged from bed - they slept in, but my daughter woke up when I took off my headphones. (I am half deaf and she could hear the tinny music from her room upstairs). Now, well, until two minutes ago when the 6-year-old's attention span was depleted, they were working on their Valentine's day cards for their classmates, still in their pajamas while I cleared up a little of the perpetual clutter that dominates the Last House. Today's clutter includes a recent Ebay purchase of a collection of (tacky) Royal Memoribilia that arrived in a big box yesterday: little plates from the 1950s to the 1970s with pictures of ER and (one plate with a royal family portrait, circa 1965); tea cups, silver jubilee goblets. I have the taste of a 75 year old colonial sometimes. Well, does life get better than this? Maybe, when we make sugar cookies later today. ER herself could not be more privileged.