Freedom. Play Doh.

There are bright orange, gigantic flowers popping up in the backyard. There are also two crepe myrtle trees that I hadn't realized were there until they bloomed magenta and lavender. I love this place. I love how every time I step out the back door, no matter the season, there's another surprise. This yard of ours took years and years of work to create. I hope we don't mess it up too badly.



You might remember that I got new drapes in the dining room, and I made a matching valence in the kitchen. Nothing frilly. Frilly valences give me hives. But I like the continuity. I also like doing dishes with the window open, candles lit, and patio lights on. Seriously. Household chores should not be so meditative.



I framed some new artwork in the dining room, and I'm slowly rearranging things. Decorating takes forever around here.



Jane got promoted into a new daycare class. It has been somewhat of a disaster. She doesn't like the change. She wants her old teachers. She wants her old class mates (they mix them up every year). So in order to cope (and bear in mind I'm guessing since it's been a while since I was two) she's developed a fairly sizable fixation on Play Doh. It's like her version of medication.



The second she gets home, weepy and tired, she asks, "Do Play Doh?"



The second she wakes up she says, "No school. Do Play Doh?"



I completely understand this. I fixate on things to alleviate my stress (although generally it's ice cream, or Harry Potter, or Pinterest). I know this will shake out after a while, but it hurts to watch her be stressed. So, when my parents and sister came into town and offered to take her back to their house for two fun filled days of complete attention and Play Doh focusing, I couldn't say no.



She's having a fabulous time, her own little toddler vacation. I, however, am a little lost. I passed by her empty bedroom last night and let out an audible sob. It's almost as if someone cut off my leg, put it in a car, and took it two hours away. It's not right. The world isn't spinning correctly.



But, she needed this. It's been a long summer, a hard week, and the kid just needed a change in routine and a little less stress, if only for a few days. I get it. I do. Sometimes you just really need some freedom from the grind. Sometimes you just need to spend time with your Play Doh.