Surviving Winter

"Mom, I'm bored!" No, actually, this is just a picture of what our day has been like so far...

It's that time of year...smarter animals are hibernating until spring, but unfortunately the stay-at-home moms must carry on. We have kids to entertain and minds that need some amount of stimulation lest we turn into zombies from lack of sunlight or something. We have to get out!

Now I will admit that so far we've been blessed with a pretty mild winter here in Alabama. It's hard to complain when the weather seems to get above 60 degrees every other week. But, as soon as it's below 50, it seems like everyone in our house starts getting the sniffly nose (and I usually start shivering at that point - I am a warm weather girl!). For MCM the sniffly nose means sleepless nights. So, I'm trying hard to resist the urge to let her play outside in the lowering temperatures.

I don't know about the rest of you, but we're often stretching for creative activities at this point. Here are a few things we do, and let me say, some of them are slightly laughable.

1. My current favorite escape is The Kids Gym. (Well, actually it's MCM's favorite escape. There's not much in it for me besides watching her enjoyment and hoping that she's exhausting herself enough to take a major nap in the afternoon.) So, on Thursdays we take a little class there, but on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we'll sometimes go there just to play. It's essentially an indoor playground...why aren't there more of those anyway?

2. At least once a week, we go to Barnes and Noble or Books-A-Million to play with the "choo-choos." MCM is very into trains right now and recently mastered the word choo-choo when we were in Memphis. Now she always wants to see choo-choos and will generally chatter about them for no reason. So, I just take it as a sign that she'd like to go play with Thomas the Train at the bookstore, and off we go. Ideally, this buys me a few minutes of sitting quietly reading a book/magazine while she is happy with her choo-choos. Good times.

3. Going out to lunch. This is a staple year around but, it becomes even more essential when the weather is bad. With so many people sick or stuck at home with sick kids, I've taken to having girls lunches alone with MCM and have found that it is very enjoyable! She loves to eat out - so do I. She loves to people watch - so do I. We make a pretty good team actually. Considering we only have a few months left as a duo, it's definitely time worth cherishing. So, we might do this once a week as well - preferably at a place that doesn't come with a playground. She's not really big enough to play on them alone, which means that I, an expanding pregnant woman, must climb in them and slide down slides with her, and that is not a pretty sight.

4. Going to the grocery store. I know, not a very fun activity. There are probably a few of you who dread it, and I've been there too. At this age MCM is a big fan of riding in the cart, so the grocery is fun for her. I try to go every Monday. I make sure I am armed with snacks and a sippy cup and maybe a paci for emergencies. If I'm feeling the need to guarantee a smooth trip, we head immediately for the bakery (as we are told by so many not to do) and get a treat for MCM. Going by the baby section first and getting crackers or something seems to also do the trick. It's all about mixing the things that must be done with some fun things, like stopping to see the balloons in the floral section or making sure we spend a few minutes watching the lobsters swim in their tank. It's the simple things, people!

5. Inevitably there are days when we must stay home. The newest form of entertainment around the house is the shower. I don't know why I didn't think of it before. I guess it's because, MCM used to be mildly afraid of the shower. Then, last week, as she pressed her face against the shower door and fussed the whole time I was in the shower, it occurred to me that maybe she would like to get in. So, I put her in there, and she thought it was the most fun thing ever. She thinks she's playing in a sprinkler or something. Genius! For the past 2 weeks, at least once a day, I just put her in there and let her play. She would literally stay until she shriveled up like a prune.

6. Up until now I've resisted showing videos or too much television in general to MCM. We don't own any Baby Einstein videos, and we only have a few cartoons that she likes to watch in the morning. We usually even miss Sesame Street, because we're heading out of the house to go somewhere when it comes on. But, for Christmas MCM got quite a few Disney movies, and they're so dern cute and retro and remind me of my childhood so much, that we've started watching them...a lot. MCM will generally only pay attention here and there. But, this pregnant Mama is grateful for any amount of resting/couch time I get to have during the day, and if Disney lets me have it, then hooray!

Aaaaand, the rest of our days MCM and I are playing. She is such a social girl. She is rarely entertained by things. She's just a people person and needs a playmate. That is why I'm growing one in my belly right now! Too bad it will be over a year before they really have any fun playing together...I'm counting down the days!