beating the winter blahs

January and February are my least favorite time of year. It's cold, it's unexciting and uninspiring, all the fun and craziness of the holidays ground to a halt on January 2nd. I sort of count down to the end of February, feeling like March is the light at the end of a tunnel.

Now March is here. It's not really spring. I had myself fooled into believing that I just had to get through the first two months of this year, and now I've got to slog through March. I hope April will be all sunshine and rainbows.

It's not like I haven't had stuff to do this year. I still go to diaper gym three days a week. It starts at 9:30, I get there at 8:50. Luckily, Angela often gets there shortly after me, or I'd likely be alone for close to an hour before the slackers make an appearance at 9:45 or so. Those three mornings a week help to save my waning winter sanity.

Steven and I took the kids to the Manitoba Museum a couple of weeks ago. Surprisingly, they were pretty good! Sure we had to shout once or twice for them to stay within a mile and a half of us, but for the most part the kids were excited to be there, and we were more than happy to be out with them. They liked the planetarium, the Nonsuch (a big boat / small ship), and the dinosaur bones. Jordan liked the jingle dress used in certain PowWow dances. It was glitzy. The girl's all about the glitz.


Lyla asked us over last week one evening for dinner. Her sweet little boy (who suddenly grew hair!! - not that he needed it to be any cuter or anything, but it took me a while to figure out what was so different about him!) handled the onslaught of four added monkeys touching all his stuff with much grace. He's a doll. Lyla made individual pizzas for everyone using pita shells instead of crust. They turned out really well, and I'm definitely going to use that idea for a birthday party or just for lunch with the kids one day soon. The plus? They cook up in only 5 or 6 minutes. How perfect is that?

Jordan's been going to Awana at a local church. She loves it. She'll admit that she mostly loves the gym part, the sitting part is a little less exciting, but I think she enjoys that too. The best part? That she only mentioned it to me a few days ago that the other parts are a little less exciting. I've been trying to teach my kids to be polite about stuff - you know, not telling the kid at school that he's stinky, not spitting out food and making a big deal about how gross something is, etc. I love when the constant reminding pays off. She's such a good kid.

Tennyson? He seems to have snapped out of his crazy temper tantrum stage. Not that he still doesn't do normal defiant kid stuff, but the 45 minute raging freak-outs? Not for a while. Hallelujah. He's such a lovey, affectionate kid when he's not punching furniture. He's really liking nursery school and diaper gym, and aside from hoarding toys and getting in the occasional tussle he's been good!

Elliot bit me the other day. While nursing. With teeth. Imagine my joy.

Mitchell started to poop his pants again the week after the potty training weekend. The other day I got down to his level so he'd have no excuse for not knowing I was actually talking to him, and said "Mitchie, if you poop in your pants today I'm going to spank your bum." I know it sounds mean, but the first weekend he pooped in the potty without fail. The next couple of days he pooped in the potty. The next few days? Gitchie fudge. It's horrible. I hate potty training. I think that once the novelty wears off they get lazy. He hasn't pooped his pants since! Anytime he poops in the potty I jump around and dance and sing like a crazy person, inspiring gleeful shouts of "Again! Again!" from Mitchie. Yesterday Steven took him, and I could hear Mitchie say "You dance to me?" in the bathroom. Steven responded with "Huh?" and I yelled "Dance Steven! You have to Dance!" I think he did, but I don't think it was as over-the-top as Mommy's super special potty dance. Come on Steven, put your heart into it!

And no, there will never be any visual record of the super special potty dance, or the super special flare at the end.

My mom came over the other day to see me and the kids. The kids adore her. We were going to walk a million laps on the walking track at the PCU centre after the kids went to bed, but it turned out a bunch of yappy little dogs were playing hockey there so we hit the snowy icy trail outside. It was a good evening. Imagine the visiting one can get in when you're outside, away from computer, phone, TV and kids for a couple of hours!

Overall, I've been keeping busy in the year's downerest months. Still waiting for spring though!