The walk home

The school pick up could take me about 25 minutes total, but often it takes closer to an hour and 25 minutes.

Here are some examples of why from one day this week….

1. A little person asking to ride her ‘motorbike’ to the school (slowest motorbike ever!)

2. “Mum we should hold hands while I ride my motorbike” (makes it even slower)

3. Collecting Ava. Often followed by discussion about which way we will walk home.

4.Very occasionally there is an after school treat chosen from the corner store. Yesterday they chose musk sticks… or as Anouk says, “yay! chop sticks”

5.They take a break to feed Suki the teddy, who was in Ava’s bag from the teddy bears picnic that day. It was discovered that Suki is a big fan of musk sticks and Ava isn’t. So Ava fed all of hers to Suki via Anouks mouth.

6. The motorcycle gang. It may look like this would make getting home faster, but not when Anouk decides she wants her wheels back & it turns into ten minutes of negotiations over whose turn it is.

7. Anouk decides “it’s time for another break” (an extensive one). She just wanted to focus on her musk sticks with out the confusion and chaos of having to walk at the same time.

8. The fascinating discovery of a squashed snail

9. The curious investigations of a dead butterfly

10.The need to run hands along everything

11. Then “Quick mum you had better get on this side! I am pretty sure this crack is the start of an earthquake” (followed by long discussion about how I can be so sure it is not an earthquake, when it looks EXACTLY like one).

12. A quick roadside concert… a very passionate one might I add

13. Stopping to try & start a fire with two sticks….. at this point I start giving up on thinking we will ever make it home.

This wasn’t just a 2 minute thing, she really wanted to start a fire.

14.  Ava found a stick in the shape of the letter ‘Y’. Not to be out done by her sister, Anouk found a stick that she declared looked “just like the number one”.
I am equally proud.

It was only the miracle of some light rain that made them finally decide to cross the road & turn the corner to home. Afternoon tea & homework time. I gave Anouk some paper and pencils so she could feel included in the homework thing. I came back to check a few minutes later  and my girl who almost always draws scribbles & calls them “storms” or “fireworks”.. or circles and calls them “potatoes”,  had drawn her first “it’s you mummy” picture. 

These are happy days.