The wonders of exercise......really!

Today started verrrrrrry slowly- of course Anya was up at 6, but she was content to watch tv in our bed for a bit, until she realized that Daddy was basking in the cool wonders of our hardwood floor and started divebombing him. So we picked up and moved to the family room where she continued to amuse herself and let mommy rest until 7, when Baz joined the fun. My lethargy from yesterday carried over to today, so I spent most that hour wondering how on earth I was going to corral both kids all day and make a dent in the chaos that was our house. Once George got up and ran interference for a little while, I managed to motivate enough to get started with coffee, etc and begin de-cluttering and de-dirting. One of my real pet peeves is walking around barefoot (hey, I'm not diabetic and I have $175,000 in student loans to prove that I can treat any problems that may arise!) and picking up dirt and debris, etc. This peeve has not passed on to Baz, who delights in sticking his bare little piggies in ANY pile of dirt he can find- ack! So I started sweeping and dustmopping like mad. This didn't last too long since daddy had to get ready for work, so I had to contain the kiddoes. Not a problem....I do like playing with them and once I have something productive done, I feel like I can take a playbreak. The sluglike feeling is still with me, though....burning eyes, tired muscles....sitting down is a baaaaad idea because I don't want to get up. Well, next comes naptime! As I plop my godsend of an easy sleeper in his crib (and he crawls over to OFFER me a kiss through the slats), I muster some mental energy to exercise. Anya agrees to let me exercise while she plays with her Barbies and off I go to work up a sweat. Hey- my resistance band workout is only 30 minutes long- bonus!!! I thought it was 50, so that was a nice surprise. As I plug along and feel my arms burning, happy that I'm losing that arm-waddle that swings when I wave, I realize that my energy is returning- hallelujah! I finish the workout and sit down to play with Anya and have a really nice time!

She picked out Hercules to watch (and really only paid half attention to it) and we started dressing up Barbie Cinderella and Batgirl. Baz slept for a good 2.5 hours, so we I did get some QT with Anya, which was nice. I also managed to declutter the kitchen and family room, as well as vacuuming and sweeping. It turns out that my mood is directly related to the degree of dirt and clutter in the house. Now that my environment is in a better state, as well as my body thanks to turbo jam, so is my mind! After nap and lunch, I venture outside with the kids. Anya has moved on to chasing and "collecting" butterflies and moths now. This venture is much less productive (she has yet to actually catch anything) but is great for tiring her out. I can't even tell how many laps she did around the backyard chasing some poor moth! Baz tried to join in the fun, but I don't think he really got what she was doing- he just loves running around and laughing. He also loves climbing.....he carried her little resin chair wherever we went in the yard, then plopped it down and climbed in. Throughout the day, he also climbed on his playschool garage, the toy bins, the stepstool, Anya's bed....the list goes on and on.... I really think we're going to have to increase the height of our childproofing in the kitchen. Anya barely tested the locks on the bottom cabinets- he's already making eyes at the drawers that he can reach with a chair!

I forgot to mention the caterpillar catastrophe on Wed....Anya found a caterpillar at the Emmons' the other day and brought him home in a makeshift home of a babyfood jar with airholes in the lid. This caterpillar actually survived for a day or two and was Anya's best friend. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for the pillar), he fell through the slats in our deck as Anya was parading around with him sticking to the front of her shirt. Oh, the sobbing that ensued..... she was truly devastated- tears and sobbing like never before! After a some consoling, Pap-Pap took her on an adventure to find a new caterpillar and she was back to her old self. She soon found a baby slug and mommy found a big slug in one of the skimmers and the caterpillar was a thing of the past....oh,the drama of a 3-year old's life!