27.07.10 - School holiday traditions

Pyjama day:

The boys appear as I am writing my last post, tousled and sleepy-eyed. You can hardly see them under their pillows and favourite blankies. Brief sleepy kisses and hugs are given to me then they tumble sloth like onto the settee. They watch a few morning cartoons from their 'nest' as they slurp tea noisily from their mugs. Pyjama day - their favourite favourite thing for the first day of the holidays - only getting dressed at the last possible moment. Eldest lounges across the settee, draped like a budding teenager (oh hang on , he is a budding teenager......ooh err...) whilst Youngest bumbles about busying himself collecting toys, making things, complaining about the amount of space his brother is taking up. 

'Breakfast?' I enquire, half expecting a languid hand waving a consent, not expecting the stampede upstairs to get dressed. They return looking quite respectable expressing their hunger in loud tummy groaning fashion. How is it my men (of all sizes and ages) seem to appear half starved at the merest hint of food? 

Copious amounts of breakfast and more tea is consumed and then Youngest says.. 'Caterpillar calender!'

Which leads us onto another holiday tradition.

When I was little, my Mom would make a caterpillar calender - a long paper caterpillar with each segment representing a different day. We would fill in any proposed events, special days or birthdays as it led up to the big summer holiday. And as each day would come we would cut the segment off.

When my boys were small - I would make the caterpillar calender and they would scribble their token decorations on but now they are older they take over and make the entire calender themselves. And - boys being boys - their caterpillar calender is HUGE and gets bigger each holiday. 

Youngest uses the top of my fave crochet tin to make the head - 'it's going to be a green caterpillar' he cheerfully informs me.

Eldest starts on the marathon task of making each segment - a different colour per day. There is much counting and confirming numbers of days before returning to school. A serious debate starts as to which actual day the school opens and we have to resort to checking the school's details to prevent  the debate from becoming verbal fisticuffs.

Eldest - grumpy on discovering he has one less day than Youngest - returns to his circle-making then starts painting flowers and spirals around the caterpillar. Youngest slaps on bright green paint cheerfully. Sketches of caravans and land-rovers appear. Paintings of ice-cream cones laden with such generous scoops of multicoloured ice-creams are added.

While they are engrossed I sit near, crocheting - I love being just outside of their activities. Close enough to join in if invited - far enough away not to impose. They chatter away, part conversation, part ongoing game. I watch as a paintbrush becomes a jet and soars over the page and I smile as Youngest holds a conversation with a plastic dinosaur called Bessie and a yellow chicken known as 'woondachook'. 

But, now, it is time to put the paintbrushes and games aside, they are off to spend the afternoon with Granny and Bumpa whilst I go to work..........I'd much rather spend the afternoon with my boys than go to work - harrumff  :(

More holiday traditions to follow x