Winter is Here

For the past few months, Neal ritualistically took the kids to the playground after he got home from work. Sometimes I would join them if my energy wasn’t completely depleted but usually I stayed home to exhaust myself further and clean the kitchen, pick up toys and vacuum “Deedee“ hair (our third toddler who whines the most and is much more furry than the other two). We usually took the kids to one of the nearby playgrounds and let them run wild. Brooke would run laps for about 10 minutes (and I am not kidding). She actually seems to find enjoyment from the process of running, which I truly admire. Even though I do enjoy group exercise classes, you will never (or rarely unless it’s absolutely necessary) find me running anywhere. But I certainly encourage her because she seems to have this boundless energy that needs to be released. Andrew, on the other hand, takes 10 minutes to walk to the actual slide. It’s very cute and he apparently likes to make sure the coast is clear before toddling onward.

But unfortunately, it is becoming very cold these days and dark much earlier so our ritual has come to an abrupt end. And I don’t know how the kids will burn off this excess energy before bedtime. Should I get one of those indoor small trampolines since they like to jump so much? I guess we could do a dance-a-thon and let them dance off the energy? Maybe just run laps in our house? I know it was just winter 6 months ago, so we must have managed to find some energy burning activities then? But I am desperately trying to come up with some new ideas. So if you have any suggestions I am all ears.