My weekday routine with Pea has changed a lot since we’ve moved and settled in. Perhaps I should say: we don’t have much of a routine yet.

One regular thing is watching the birds at the feeders in the mornings: Oregon juncos, goldfinch, house and purple finches, and one scrub jay so far. Also, there are a trio of squirrels Pea named Jumpy, Chirpy, and Crooked Tail. I bring my laptop downstairs and work near one of the windows while Pea watches from a chair in the living room.

Now that most of the house is in order (ahem, except M’s areas, ahem), during the days we read books, go for walks and to parks, and do art. (The flashcard thing is dodgy, as I mentioned.) Her easel is in my office, and yesterday afternoon while I wrote (for the first time in a couple of weeks, hooray), she colored pictures of Buffleheads, Mergansers, and Canada Geese. She made a Valentine for M. I let her cut paper into shreds (a favorite activity).

I’m trying to take advantage of the freakishly pleasant weather we’re having, so we’ve been going to more parks than we’d ordinarily get to. It’s great; she’s a kid with boundless energy and an inability to sit still, so she needs every opportunity she can get to burn it off.

Finding time to write is a little trickier. I’m trying to wake up earlier to have the mornings to myself (since she is sleeping later), and in the afternoon, I let her have TV time, so I can write then. But I’ve been physically exhausted by moving, carrying, unpacking, and putting things in order, so the evenings are almost useless right now. Hopefully that’ll turn around in the next week or two.