Unplanned Days

Most days of the week, Luke and I have at least one thing going on. A playgroup, a shopping trip, meeting up with relatives. We go to parks (weather permitting), museums, libraries, and indoor play areas. Luke knows other kids and the lure of seeing Dylan or Isis or Nic can get him into his coat and in the car without a problem.

And then there are days like today. We actually had something planned - just storytime at the library - but Luke didn't want to go. I asked him if he wanted to play with his friends, and he said 'No'. I asked him if he wanted to go for a ride in the car, and he said 'No'. So I gave up, why force the kid to go somewhere we he clearly doesn't want to? Besides, this weekend is going to be extremely busy, and I'd rather he be bored heading into it.

But that left me with an entire morning to fill. From 6:30 AM to 1 PM, when he went down for a nap. Six and a half hours.

First, we had breakfast - eggs, his current obsession. Then he watched a little 'Choo Choo Street' (Sesame Street) while I showered. Then we watched a little 'Singing'. I felt guilty for the amount of TV time, so we moved onto reading some books. There was some fingerpainting with the sad fingerpaints I have for him. Then we colored and did puzzles while I tried to get laundry started and dishes cleaned and generally straighten the house a little. Here's a clue - the house is still a disaster.

Throw in a walk to the park - which takes a LONG TIME when you have a toddler getting in and out of the stroller - three pushes on the swing, four slides down the slide, and he was done. Home again home again for lunch and he heads down for a nap.