beetle beetle

For the fifth time that day, I lean in and click the buckle of Butterfly’s car seat together. Repeat for Bubba Boy. Wearily, I pull back, softly push the door shut, and climb in my my seat, buckling my own seatbelt. “Big bridge big bridge big bridge” the chant emerges from the back seat, and we are off on the mad dash from preschool to school, with moments to spare. “I see the wady bettle, pwease, mummy,” he asks, but I shake my head, and soon we are reversing the process as I pull them from the car and race across the road to collect Little Bear. Everyone back in the car, seatbelt buckling number 6 completed, and we are homeward bound. “Mummy! WADY BETTLE PWWWEEEEAAAASSSSSEEEEE” Bubba Boy begs, and as Little Bear joins in, I take a right instead of a left, and the long way home. And then, they see the house. They start bouncing in their seats, and then we are passing by the lady-bettle mail boxes as two small boys yell “LADY BETTTTLLLEEE” and Butterfly squeals in delight, anxious not to be left out. Simple pleasures of a novelty mailbox.  Perfect to bring a smile to a tired mama’s face at the end of a long day.

The lady bettle mailbox is a favourite of our boys, and something I hold as a treasured memory. My fingers itched to paint, and I thought, what better starting point, than a lady bettle. Not a mailbox, just a little bug on a leaf. But enough that it shall always makes me smile thinking of their childish exuberance at a mailbox less ordinary.

Thursday has rolled around, with the promise of rain. Very inconsiderate considering the three loads of washing waiting to hang, and another two to wash. Little Bear has requested a quilt, with a big red aeroplane, for lego playing that will need designed. Bubba Boy has requested a dinosaur costume to make today. Some preschool “homework”. Tidying the disaster area AKA the toy room. A hot coffee with some fresh chocolate cake. I can feel a cubby house building session coming on. Studio tidying, bedroom tidying, general tidying. Moments and games and stories and cuddles. Hi Thursday, nearly rest time. Let’s do this!