December 14, 2005

Winter sunlight

My Wonderful Smart Beautiful Daughter is home from college, but she still has a few projects to finish and send in electronically before the end of the week. I am in the same situation. My classes are done, but I've a stack of portfolios to grade and letters of recommendation to write before I can relax.

So this morning, we were both home working. Well, sort of working. We did stop to watch an episode of the Gilmore Girls on her laptop. I don't know where my daughter learned her procrastination skills, but they certainly rival mine.

Late morning, as we drove to the elementary school for With-a-Why's Christmas concert, we compared notes on how little we had gotten done and how much work we still had left to do before the end of the week. The work includes, incidentally, some cleaning, some grocery shopping, and cooking for about 80 people because we have a big party at our house on Saturday.

But when we walked into the little brick elementary school, we both relaxed. The elementary school, which is the same school I went to as a child, has not changed much in forty years. The green tiled walls still have crayon drawings taped to them, and boots are still lined up in the hall outside each classroom. We were early, and the children were still all in the classrooms, but we made our way to the gym, which was filled with big squares of winter sunlight.

As we sat down on the bleachers, my daughter nudged me. Across the gym, three girls sat on the floor in a patch of sun, cutting shapes out of construction paper, happily chatting with each other.

"Elementary school is so wonderful," Daughter said. "The kids don’t have to do any work."

She stared across the room enviously, "I mean, those girls are just sitting there cutting things out of construction paper."

We both sighed.

And that's my plan for next week. After we get done with college stuff and home holiday stuff and all that needs to be done, maybe we will sit on the floor in the sunlight somewhere and cut things out of brightly coloured paper.

17 comments:

lostinthemiddle said...

Ooooo . . . what sort of things?

That just sounds so lovely.

krisluvswool said...

What a great idea! Maybe I"ll make a green/red chain-link garland out of construction paper... how awesome would that be???? You've inspired me :)

Leslee said...

What? Sitting and relazing in a sunbeam? Wow, that sounds so heavenly!

J.K.F. said...

Ah, elementary school. Every now and again I start thinking I should just start over and be an elementary school teacher. Even though I vaguely recall from my days of teaching in a K-12 school that it is a bit more like Lord of the Flies than my happy visions would indicate.

Still. I could do with a nap and snack every day. And the part where you are allowed to get excited over things. And the crafts. hmmm.

Good luck with the final crunch, though I feel sure both you and your brilliant daughter will get everything done and done well.

Ianqui said...

I don't know where my daughter learned her procrastination skills, but they certainly rival mine.

Why, perhaps she learned them from you, dear jo(e).

Anonymous said...

I wonder where I could buy some construction paper...

Bad Alice said...

We're going to finally build the gingerbread house. Or maybe just eat it.

Phantom Scribbler said...

Thanks to a laptop and wireless, I can blog while sitting in a sunny patch on the floor. I recommend it.

Can I send my kids over for the cutting of the colored paper?

jo(e) said...

Sure, Phantom. Tell LG to bring the hole punch. We've got several pairs of scissors that make fancy edges too.

jackie said...

my girls and I spent a good chunk of time yesterday cutting pictures of babies and kids out of magazines and gluing them to brightly colored popsicle-type sticks. We also cut out pictures of food and candy, from a Marth Stewart Kids mag I bought expressly for this purpose. Now we have a shoebox full of rainbow-colored puppets, with lots of beaming little faces attached.

Sometimes, hanging out with two three-year-olds is just peachy!

Coffee-Drinking Woman said...

Ohh, cutting things out of contruction paper sounds lovely. I think I'll join you.

I'm off ot practice the fine art of procrastination now...

Piece of Work said...

It is enticing, isn't it? Have fun!

Girl said...

And THAT right there, is why I love scrapbooking and card making so much. When I say I do it for me...I really do.

Let me know if you need any stickers ;)

--girl

Liz Miller said...

Sounds delightful!

Anonymous said...

this sounds like so much fun..except for the part where I have to clean a space off to do it.

nancy said...

We love to cut up just about anything in this house from construction paper to magazines to straws...keeping them away from the hair though - phew!

Yankee, Transferred said...

Ah, this sounds like wonderful fun!