][ take the time to journey ][

    

Having 4 kids under 7 makes it difficult to spend one on one time with each of the them. Even when Mr TBT is home I feel as though the first thing we do is catch up on washing, housework and shopping. By the time you add in Little Athletics, ballet or whatever it happens to be, decide to tackle a major project at home (landscaping, renovating, whatever) and blink it is time for him to leave again. 

In the mornings, after the school drop off I rush home to put Rupert into bed and try to get washing on and hung out. That is one thing that really bugs me about a front loader - the long wash cycle. Honestly, how the hell am I going to get clothes for a family of 6 dry in the dead of winter when there may be 2 hours of sunshine (if I'm lucky) and the washing machine takes 3 hours? 

Anyway, rush rush rush. Poor Arthur, this morning time is the only time he gets me to himself. And I'm playing washer woman. 

So today I decided the washing could sit in the basket for another day and joined Arthur in the sandpit. I'm ashamed to say I can't remember the last time I sat in the sandpit with the kids. We had a great time building (and destroying) sandcastles, playing farms and eating sand (not me so much). And as they say time flies when you're having fun.

We have been so worried about Arthur's language development, but as I sat there playing I realised he has more words than I thought. Here are some of Arthur's first words. 

Chicken (his very first word)

Horse

Bay

There

Over there

Truck

Car

Outside

More

Thank you

George

Ingrid

Freya

Laurence

Drink

Hello

Baby

Shhhh

Toooot

It really is a beautiful age of discovery and I need to take more time to journey with him. I'm not going to get this time back.