We have a picnic in the park that went with Josephine's estate at least once a week. It's a huge park with lots of space for running. We usually eat by this statue and then follow Tristram around while he goes exploring.
We also found a new park this weekend: the Parc de l'Amitie. It looks tiny when you walk past on the street, but it goes on for a long, long way, and it has lots of areas: the entry lawn & beds you see from the street; a scent garden; an Asian garden full of rhododenrons with bridge, pond (with small koi and more tadpoles than I've seen in the rest of my life put together), and shinto shrines; a zen rock garden; a small foresty area; a renaissance-inspired garden with box hedges; an amphitheatre with a small iris garden; and a lot of roses. I have been given to understand the roses of Malmaison are something quite famous all the way to London--famous enough to be capitalized as often as not. We will have to get to the Chateau's garden again once they start popping, but we'll probably spend more time on the Amitie roses--they are closer and free-er, the park not charging any entry fee. And there are almost as many of them as at the Chateaus, though the bushes, I'm sure, are not as historic and venerable.
I have been having a hard time adjusting to Tristram's new paucity of naps. Poor Jonathan has been getting snapped at a lot: I spend so much of my day getting tugged at and whined at and generally having my attention demanded every time I turn around that when I finally sit down to read or sew and he asks me a question I get really ill-tempered about it. I am going to have to figure out how to reconcile myself to it, though, because it's not fair to him. Any suggestions from my faithful readers on how to train toddlers to play by themselves a little more of the time?
I do love that Tristram is so affectionate, and I can't really resent it when he decides a toy is fun and immediately brings it to share with me. Sharing is good, and liking mommy is good too. But one does occasionally wish for a break.
3 comments:
My dear McKenzie. YOU DO NEED AND DESERVE, A BREAK. When you get to the states, try to find a "Mommy's Day Out". Sorry for the archaic term - but that is what it WAS called when I was a stay-at-home mom. I know that you plan to return to the workforce and that you will probably need childcare for that time. However, one or two days a week (Mommy's Day Out) with childcare for two to four hours is a great rejuvenator! Also, perhaps you will be able to find a nanny service and get a babysitter for DATE NIGHT once or twice per month? You guys have been on childcare duty for a long time without much support. Meanwhile, keep reading and sewing when Tristram naps. Do take time for yourself. Acknowledging that you are terse goes a long way. You are doing a wonderful, thankless and all-consuming job.
Tristram will play and entertain himself more within the next four to six months. Also, one thing I did, once my children reached about age 18 months, was limit toys to their bedroom(s). The bedroom became the place to play with toys. The toys were put away (in the closet or on shelves) after playtime. Then, the bedroom became the nap or sleeping place, too. My children DID NOT have a lot of toys. So, this was manageable. It takes a little patience getting the point across. My kids brought books into the living room, or they played with playdough and clay, crayons, paper and pencils in the kitchen (tile on the floors). We also had small chalkboards that they used. I know that Tristram is a little young for these things (the mouth is not the place to put chalk and crayons). Also, we let our children play with pots, pans and cooking utensils while they "helped" us prepare mealsin the kitchen. We also sat them in high chairs, so they could watch us, while we were in the kitchen. They could HELP without getting burned. They had one low cabinet in our home that was full of plastic storage containers, pots/pans and utensils. The children were allowed to play with those things. I never did have latches (childproofing) on my cabinets. I also did not childproof anything else (like light sockets). We just had a small home and some rules for where we "herded" the children when we were trying to get things done.
You are doing an excellent job. You are a great mom! Here is a big hug and thank you from me!
I was recently looking through the Wayside Gardens catalog and noticed a rose named 'Souvenir de la Malmaison'. It seemed too much a coincidence, and sure enough the description tells of the rose being bred in 1843 for Josephine's garden at Malmaison. Even though I never went to the Chateau, I'm still getting the rose. I figure being in the town was close enough. Plus, it's pretty.
Think about how we can best provide respite for you while we are there. Of course we'll do the one evening of baby-sitting as planned, but we can do lots more, and we will welcome the opportunity to simultaneously offer you some relief and have time with Tristram.
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