For Zaya and Mim, having most of your belongings packed (or sold in a very comprehensive garage sale) means learning to make your own fun with what you have. Today, it means using one of my kitchen towels to begin training for a three-legged race that may someday be in their future.Yesterday it meant seeing who could contort their body enough to fit entirely into a Rubbermaid storage tub and learning to make lunch with whatever they could find in the kitchen that would be considered edible in our culture. We had scrambled eggs, pan-fried turkey lunchmeat, Tostito chips and tuna. (This was so I could help Aaron with the tile.)
It is always important for a child to learn how to make his/her own fun, but it is especially so for these two since they (we!) will soon be in a very small space for extended periods of time. Life in an RV will be drastically different than life in a 2000+ sq. ft. home. For one thing, I'll be able to sit on my bed and hear every little giggle from the children that are supposed to be sleeping in their bunks, as opposed to our current situation where I only realize they aren't asleep if I happen to venture down their end of the hall.
I still can't quite believe that the change is going to happen, and very, very soon. The tile is almost finished in the basement, and then there are just a few little things left to fit into place (doors, thresholds, trim). In a couple of weeks, we will wave good-bye to Nevada, Missouri. I know this in my head, but I don't think my imagination has grasped hold of the fact yet.
There will be time enough to worry about that, though. For now, I'm trying to beat back the chaos upstairs, help Aaron downstairs, continue my two-steps-forward-one-step-back endeavor to educate the children, and enjoy every last long bath in the evenings. I'll also enjoy the moments where my kids get along, use their imaginations, and prove that they can thrive (eventually) in any situation.
