I really enjoy my time at home with my girls, with no school, with my husband around more doing the holidays, and with the bustle of entraining family coming and going. But with all that Christmas cheer, since school let out on Friday we have stayed pretty hunkered down at home, enjoying new toys and unlimited time to play.
Thursday afternoon cabin fever hit. It was 35 degrees outside and damp, after a few days of windy, rainy weather. The girls were upstairs doing some kind of gymnastics routines and banging on the floor so loudly that I thought the plaster on our old walls was going to start cracking. I sent them to the basement where they now have mini trampolines, and they turned a cedar chest into a balance beam where they were doing summersaults off of it, on to the concrete floor.
“That’s it,” I said. “Bundle, up, and get outside.” They protested by whining how cold it was. But I thought about people who live in the mountains where the cold is no excuse. I thought about their school where everyday, unless it’s raining hard or something crazy cold like 20 degrees – they go outside.
“Put on your hats, your wool socks, your snow boots, your ski coats and get outside. You need some fresh air,” I declared. Then I made a plan to take the girls ice skating, outside, that evening.
My two youngest girls happily played on the seesaw, and entrained themselves in the sand box and with a soccer ball, for at least 30 minutes until it was time to head to the car for ice skating. The seesaw is a new Christmas gift by their grandparents. It’s one of their favorite gifts. I’m grateful for in-laws who give really, thoughtful, mom-approved gifts. (Look for my next post on our favorite Christmas gifts soon!)
My oldest came inside shortly after, saying it wasn’t that cold and she was not going to wear her ski pants ice skating.
I do confess, that I watched them out the window while blow drying my hair inside, with a very hot dryer. But then again, I want’s summersaulting off cedar chest either. 
But then without another word she went to put them on. Because yes, it was cold!
The plan was not to take our three-year-old ice skating. But she really, really wanted to go. So, she went. And by golly, the little munchkin really ice skated. She fell, she laughed, we helped her back up and she did it again, until I couldn’t bare to watch her tired little legs any longer. And she fell asleep on the way home. 
Sorry for the blurry phone photos – which is the result of me trying not to drop my iPhone on the ice skating rink, while helping my middle child stay standing on the ice and be there at a moments notice for the three-year-old on skates – all while trying not making a spectacle of myself. I didn’t (but maybe I did?). Besides, the smallest ice skater on the rink was stealing the show by far.
Ah yes, fresh air makes everything better.
