This Week's Wonder

Henry was convinced that the sky was falling. He kept saying, "Stay up, stay up!"

Personally, I have never seen such big snow flakes!!!

Free to be Kids

A fun video of our most beloved kidlets! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sx39wivVfw

A Musing on Exhaustion

So Cass and I exchanged some calls and emails recently about running, about exhaustion and the nexus of the two. She reminded me that her time is pretty open these days, which affords her a certain freedom and opportunity. This led me to consider how free and unencumbered my typical day is...alas, I am not so sure I like what I discovered...

My Daily Routine
Up at 5:00am by an little whisper in my ear, "Momma, can I cuddle?"
By 5:45am, another more eager voice (espeically eager if she has slept through the night), calls out for boob
By 6:30am, we'd all better be dressed and eating breakfast or it is proven we will be late for work
7:15am, out the door and off to daycare having fed the animals, walked the dog, picked up toys and shoveled snow (per the season)
7:45am, drop kids off at daycare and turn right around, retracing precious steps eastward toward CWC
8am: be at work-- these days some are doing seat checks
8am-5:15pm: working for da man
5:15pm drive back into town to get kids
By 6:15pm, we are home again...ready to play, make dinner, feed kids, clean up, take baths, read stories, do puzzles, play music, watch videos (on tougher nights)
By 8pm, both kids are down, a pause settles over the atmosphere, Shannon and I look at each other and don't quite know what to say..."An episode of Dexter?"
By 8:30pm, both of us have fallen asleep downstairs in our respective comfy spots
By 9pm, in bed, dreading the morning alarm once again...

It is almost crazy to articulate this so graphically. How do parents of more than 2 do it? Will it get easier as they get older or simply add more activities to the list?

Wow...no wonder we've been exhausted lately. And to say nothing of running...

Attitude Shifts

So this morning, Henry and I were having a good conversation as we drove into daycare. He was frustrated that he did not get to see the garbage truck this morning, as it comes on Friday and it was only Tuesday. I was explaining to him that rather than get frustrated, he could instead choose to change his attitude about the situation and see things from a more positive perspective; he could choose to be excited that Friday was yet to come and that we would be sure to see garbage trucks in only a few days...I said, "Henry, sometimes it causes us less emotional stress when we just change our way of thinking;" to which he replied, "Just like changing my diaper, Momma Diana?" Exactly...when our thinking is shitty, just change it.

Henry Takes to the Mountain!

The time has come when our young boy bravely takes on the mountain!!! He must have some Momma Shannon genes in him somewhere! Fearless, simply fearless.