Winter woes

For some crazy reason I insist on taking the kids for a walk every afternoon, no matter how cold/windy/snowy it is. Actually that's a lie. 20 degrees below is my cut-off. If it's colder than that, we stay in. Otherwise we hit the streets, stop by the mailbox and sing songs while we go. While this seems like a great idea on the surface (who could argue the benefits of kids getting fresh air everyday?) the struggle to get everyone dressed and out the door for this afternoon ritual has me doubting my resolve on a daily basis.

Last year doing this was a cinch. I had an extremely compliant 2 year old who could almost completely dress herself for the outdoors on her own and an immobile baby who just had to be thrown into a one piece snowsuit and hat. Fast forward one year later and I now have a 3 year old who can't seem to talk and do anything else at the same time, which is a huge problem since she is ALWAYS talking! Add to that a toddler who sprints and hides under the kitchen table at the mere mention of putting on his jacket, and the preparation for our pleasant afternoon stroll has turned into war.

After many many many requests of "Nicki please stop talking and put on your hat. Nicki please stop talking and put on your boots. Nicki please stop talking and put on your jacket", each of which is met with very loud and exasperated sighs on her part, I somehow wrangle Gabe out from under the table (which of course makes him completely irate) and get him into his snow pants, boots and hat. His mittens and jacket pose a whole new problem because he of course has a toy in each hand which he will not let go of. The boy has a killer grip, let me tell you. No amount of "Please give Mommy the block/ball/book/doll" will convince him to give them up and since I am above bribery (most of the time), when I finally remove them from his hands I am rewarded with a large amount of writhing and screaming, neither of which is lessened when I try to cram his tiny hands into his mittens and actually get the thumbs in the thumb holes.

I have timed this entire ordeal at about 15 minutes. Of course when you are in the thick of it, it feels like an eternity. So with loud sighs and big tears we make our way out the door. The not so funny reality of course is that we are probably outside for all of 20 minutes before we (ok I) get too cold and come home. So is torturing 3 bodies into 6 boots, 2 pairs of snow pants, 3 jackets, 3 hats and 6 mittens worth being outdoors for for all of 20 minutes? Miraculously, the answer must be yes since I continue to do it...

When we finally get outside it's like all is forgotten. The fresh air fills our lungs and we are free. Free to talk or be silent, free to go quickly or take our time, free to watch the sun set, the moon rise and the snow fall. Free to be together. And free to do it all over again the next day.