Work Hard, Play Hard

But work lazily and reluctantly, and playing will seem all the more tempting.

What I'm trying to say that running about a field really made my day, and I can honestly say it was amazing. We met a classmate of Ralph's, and she added a nice touch to an otherwise quite rough game.
The day ended on a fun note, too. We finished reading "Tom Sawyer". Walter feels too old to be read to (he's eight), so he hasn't heard the rest of the book and joined in just for the last chapter, but Ralph (he's ten) wants to carry on with "Huckleberry Finn". To be honest, I'm surprised, my kids are not usually too fond of classics, but this must be a real "boy book". Well - smoking, stealing, looking for treasure, hanging around boats and cemeteries - what's not to love?

In the last chapter of "Tom Sawyer" Huck complains about being all civilized and oppressed by manners and so on, and so we had a chance to discuss the pleasures of being homeless, jobless and without a care in this world. The boys found it all too tempting, when suddenly Walter grimaced and smelled his palm. He began rubbing it vigorously and smelling it again and again.
- Ralph, rub and smell your palm, it smells like something burnt, - he said, but Ralph did not respond. I did, however, and the very next moment I had my palm smashed into my face by Walter. It did not hurt, but I felt like such a fool, having fallen for this ancient trick, and I sent them to bed giggling.

I absolutely MUST get more work done tomorrow.

Exciting: 3, Boring: 2.

Friday, May 2

You know it's going to be an amazing day when you see a woodpecker eating macaroni and cheese just outside your window (hence the dreadful quality of the picture).

My brother came to us unexpectedly and took me and the kids to Uldevena medieval castle in Lielvārde. And then he made me climb upstairs to the fortress wall. It's not climbing up that I fear, it's coming down. (I had to jump, I could not muster up the courage to get down the feeble-looking wooden ladder. My fearfulness frightens and amazes me. I am amazing that way.)

And then we went for a walk, saw a weird looking ship/barge/boat.

We bought a ball and went home to play some totally unfair version of football where there is only one goal-line and goalies have no possible chance of winning. But what do I care, the career of a goalkeeper has never really appealed to me, and I'm not interested on being on the losing side anyway.

So all in all, yes, an amazing day. Excitement 1: Boredom 0.
(Did I get any work done? No!)