Sanguine: The World Outside

Today is Self Portrait Day. The children each decorated a 4x6 wooden picture frame at a craft thing they did and so I have been wondering what to put in the frames. Yesterday I hit on it -- pictures of themselves! So we will each do a self portrait and write the child's name and age at the bottom and put it in the frame. I gave Leah some chalk today to practice hers at the easel (while Becca was in screaming agonies over an earache and Leah was hopping around saying, Mom can we do something fun together?). It was so funny to watch her. First thing she put in the grass. She spent a lot of time on the grass, the sky, the clouds. Her body she spent much less time on. Then she wanted to color in the entire background around her body so that the whole thing was covered in chalk. And she was singing happily, You never know when I'm going to look like this again. Blue and green face, etc. I thought it was so hilarious that she began with the background and then put herself in. I've never seen a child do that, usually my others do themselves then proceed to decorate the scene. But Leah is picture perfect skippy dippy happy happy happy in love with life sanguine and they are concerned with the "present outside themselves." So I guess the scenery is an important part of the picture to her. Melancholics are concerned with the past, Cholerics with the future (those instruments of change), and Phlegmatic with "present inside themselves" (the pleasure loving ones).

Today we voted, Leah and I. Becca was at preschool until the school called to say please come pick her up. All of my children are afflicted with something right now. I haven't left the house by myself in almost a week! Yesterday I roasted a turkey. All the laundry is done. All the dishes are done. Lots of housework is getting done, being at home all the time. In a way it is kindof nice, except for the fact that is my absolute favorite time of year and the leaves are peaking here in MD and I would love to take a hike!!!!

Leah's birthday is in 10 days. She will be 5. I don't know yet whether her father has her for her birthday weekend or whether I do (lawyers are so much fun) but regardless of whether she gets a big party we'll have some kind of family celebration so I need to get myself organized & plan that.