Day 1

LK got off safely to Thunder Bay on his great big adventure with his grade eights. They were almost bursting with excitement as they waited in the hallway to load up their gear and get on their way this morning. I can only imagine how much fun they are going to have - and how little sleep they will get.

Meanwhile, down on the homestead the Sprouts and I are making our way without our dearest Papa. So far so good. Fi was safely dropped off from her field trip shortly after 5. We all got our gear home and I got dinner underway with no meltdowns at all. Woohoo!

While cooking I was puttering in the kitchen; washing up breakfast dishes, checking Facebook, etc. The kitchen windows are open so I can hear the Sprouts outside and I was listening for the key words that mean I need to spring into action; bear, Jo did---!!!, and BEAR. I heard none of them and was enjoying the warm sunshine, leaves dancing - the whole nine yards of a gorgeous spring (almost summer) early evening.

Then I called the Sprouts in for dinner and I heard Jo say, "I need to wipe my bum."

Pardon me, I thought. Surely I didn't hear that correctly.

"What do you mean; you need to wipe your bum?" I asked, quickly getting outside to see what he was up to now.

I am sure you know. He is three. He is a boy. He seems to be under the impression the the ditch is a great place to dump all sorts of things.

After a very clearly enunciated rebuke that we do not, under any circumstances, poop in the ditch when there is a perfectly good toilet right up the stairs, we went in for supper.

I guess his mistake is understandable as he has had to stop to take care of business in the bush on a hike. He didn't seem to see the difference between the bush, way out there, and the ditch right beside our house.

He understands the difference now. And just to be sure, we went over it again while I scrubbed him in the tub after supper.