Took a kick-butt yoga class this morning at Harbor Yoga in Dublin.  I have been looking for a good class since the one instructor that kicked my butt only teaches at lunchtime during the week (I would go back to work looking like a wet rat).  The instructor this morning kept the pace fast except she still did five breaths in between each vinyasa.  I jump up and back a few times to keep my heart rate going so it’s not a big deal but I have the whole class looking at me like I am a freak. 

When I returned home from that venture, the kids were on the Ipad and the phone playing games.  Jon had taken them through Wii and a Call of the Wildman show and they finally wore him down to get to the electronics.  Jon and I tag teamed it again today just like yesterday.  I keep the kids for a few hours and then he does the same.  It keeps us both sane and then when nighttime hits, we both feel like we have had our alone time and are able to concentrate fully on family time.  I rounded the kids up, tore them away from their electronics and bundled ’em up for a walk outside.  We went to the woods a few blocks behind our house.  I asked them to notice something that no one else notices.  Maria found a nest in the barren trees and a squirrel high up on a branch.  Mario found “turkey” tracks in the snow.  He thought they may be hiding in the woods.  The woods looked pristine.  No one had walked through them, and the snow laid perfectly on the broken branches laying throughout the trail.  We walked back to the railroad tracks and I had to tell Maria my story of Peepaw jumping the trains when he was young.  She loves that story and always begs for us to do it.  I tell her Peepaw will need to show us how to do it. 

After walking on the tracks, we headed home to do some grocery shopping.  Mario has been craving some watermelon and honeydew popsicles and I have been craving some Gatorade.  Of course, we go in with two items in mind and walk out with 10 bags of food.  We are going to cook at home all week – I swear!  After Kroger’s, we came home and made ourselves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on soft wheat bread, cheese its and grapes.  The kids sat in the oversized recliner and I asked them Brainquest questions.  It was quite enjoyable until Maria complained about her wheat bread “I hate Wheat, mom. I only want white bread!”  She sounds just like Jon.  She got over it – her stomach won out and took down the sandwich – and her and Mario enjoyed the thrill of answering Brainquest questions. 

After resting a bit, it was time to head outside again.  I wanted to shovel some of the sidewalk off.  Everyone grabbed a shovel, and we went to town.  Mario could do it all day – he is a madman.  Maria gets sidetracked easily, and within ten minutes came to me in the back of the house with a list of 10 other things we could do – bake cookies, have a party, dust furniture…. 

My sledding babes

Then, she came up with an awesome idea.  Sled riding on the front lawn!  Mario had been begging to sled ride all day yesterday but the hill near our house was void of snow.  But, as we stood in our front yard, I realized that our driveway had a bit of a down slope to it – enough to provide a bit of a thrill to the kids on their plastic slides.  We got them out of the car, and lined ’em up.  Maria went first on the blue circle slide.  WIth a big enough push, she went 20 feet down the drive and landed at the edge of the sidewalk and street.  Mario went next and pushing him is like pushing a balloon – he just flies away.  He went 20 feet down the drive and into the middle of the street (I did make sure no cars were coming).  They loved it.  Nothin’ like making do with what you got and creating joy from sliding down a driveway on a piece of plastic.  Especially when it produces such huge smiles on babes’ faces.