It is the last day of summer school, and I am writing, thinking, cleaning and untangling the kids from under and over and around me (constantly).
Yesterday I created a new writing shrine, sure that it would compel me to sit, stay, pray, edit. ( So far, not much, at least not what I'm supposed to write.)
At 11am after dealing with emails and exams and voicemails and waffles and frog-admiring, I take the kids to Target.
Figuring summer camp would be $300 a week that I'm not spending because I'm at home with the kids, I don't feel bad indulging them in little shopping sprees like this.
Zack gets a Pixos maker.
I get a ShakeWeight and a candle that smells like bleach.
Zoe takes herself happily to lunch at Subway.
Once the kids are happily detained and I've moved around enough words to call it "writing" I start my afternoon exercise routine of putting on high heels and picking up of toy cars and flip flops and books and socks, intermittently twirling around to a song on Pandora.
Under the couch I find a bat, flip flops and batteries.
From the coffee table I harvest a coffeemug and carry it to the kitchen.
I pick up the four yellow clay Minions that Zack left for me on the kitchen counter, move them to the windowsill, then do dishes, load the dishwasher and answer three more "panicked last day of Summer School" emails.
After that I tackle the pile of art supplies and books that have accumulated since breakfast on the kitchen table. The crayons go in the trashcan, the paper goes back into the stack, and the library books go that bag in my car.
On my way to deliver Zoe's library book to it's rightful place, Cosmo Girl! Make it Yourself! (Hearst Communications, 2007) grabs my attention. I stop in the middle of the living room (still blissfully ignored by the campers at Camp Mommy) and indulge myself in a silent guilty flip through the projects we haven't done during this summer where we have overslept and undercrafted.
Bright pictures of Cosmo Girls making Cosmo Crafts pull me into the small book, and I read through instructions to make polka-dot makeup bag, decorated ballet flats, leave-in conditioner (1/2 cup liquid fabric softener, 1 cup water, spray bottle), fizzy bath bombs, a ribbon front halter, and boys-of-the-week panties.
That's right, boys-of-the-week panties.
On page #18 there are instructions on how to rip up seven pairs of panties, sew them back together with satin ribbons and dangling charms, and decorate them as following:
"Pick seven guys' names. Chose an M name for Monday (Mike), a T name for Tuesday (Tom), etc. Write one name in silver fabric paint across the front center of each pair of panties. Let dry 2 hours."At that, I put the book away library books, and danced back into the living room, feeling like writing again.
