A Look Back Before We Spring Forward

I'm fairly caught up on all the "big" events in our lives right now. During the in-between times (when we aren't running to hockey or piano or gymnastics), we've been enjoying the sunshine and exercising our creativity. While reminding people that it is very unlikely that winter is over (there will be more snow. mark my words), I am in full agreement with the small Vs that we should get outside and enjoy "pre-spring" for as long as it wants to hang around.

A couple weeks ago, we fell victim to the most ingenious marketing scheme ever. One of the local pizza places brought plain pizza boxes to the kids' school. Every kid got to decorate a box. Then - for three days only, you could order a pizza from them. And get it in your kid's box. They did this right around conference time, so all parents were well-informed. Three pizzas later .. evil marketing genius, I both curse and admire you. Best of all, the school PTO got a cut from the sales and ended up making close to $1000.

Valentine's Day decor has been replaced by green clovers and the triumphant return of our leprechaun Darby. Because the children are excellent hosts, they spent the better part of Saturday converting Q's woodzeez's house into a leprechaun house. They were specific - it is not a trap. It is a house, filled with shiny mardi gras beads and gold toy coins, where a whole leprechaun family can come and go as they please.

Sometimes, when the sisters are at the table doing homework, the dude just wants to participate too. So the sticker by number activity book is just the thing to focus the energy and make a guy feel like one of the homework gang [real truth: Fiona would like to be banned from the homework gang.]

[Real truth #2: Quinn is taking a short break from gymnastics. One of the reasons she gave me is that she doesn't like doing her homework at the Y on Monday's and would rather do it at home. I pointed out that she gets homework on Monday - but it is not due until Friday. So she could do it at home any other day of the week. She found that fact irrelevant because she likes to get it done right away on Monday. As Type A people intended.]

We spent the whole weekend outside - even getting the bikes down, the scooters out, and initiating a neighborhood soccer game. Mike also built a bike jump for the kids. The neighbor moms and I will be stocking up on knee-sized bandages.

Fiona had her friend Makai over (her buddy from preschool days) on Saturday and when she came outside, her hair was fixed and she had put on a little make up. She looked so old. Makai didn't notice and was more interested in kicking the soccer ball. She didn't seem to mind and happily rode her bike around and through the soccer game.

On Sunday, Dec, Quinn and I went for a "walk" - which meant I walked and they rode bikes. I did not anticipate practically having to portage on the walking path and wished I had made better footwear choices. Poor footwear choices found me picking my way through a snow patch with some teenagers who were also out walking - and allowed me to watch them react to Declan singing (loudly) his own version of "Old Town Road" - replacing the word "horse" with "bike." It was pretty hilarious and one of the teenage boys looked at me and said, "I kinda want to be his friend."

We have all the hockey this week - but in the moments we don't, you'll probably find us outside. Or in the bathroom applying bandages.