Vendredi V - Aaaaand GO!! Edition

Our munchkins, like most, tend to be less than loquacious when queried about their day.

"How was school/Kids Club/Sunday School/hanging out with the neighbours today?"

"Fine."

And that's it - fine. We try to press for details - well, what made it fine? - but they usually just go back to complaining about eating their supper.

Our solution has been that tried-and-true method of parenting: shock and awe. With kids, your best bet is to catch them unawares and scare the pants off'em so that before they realize which end is up, they're doing what you want.

So supper often goes something like this:

PM: Hey, The Boy...THREE BEST THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO YOU TODAY AAAAND GO!!

[He jumps out of his chair, swivels towards the interrogator with a panicked deer-caught-in-headlights look, and blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.]

The Boy: Uhhh, I played Apples to Apples?

PM: WOW, THAT'S ALWAYS A COOL GAME. ONE!! [I thunder]

TB: Ummm, I got to go outside three times?

PM: SUPER!! PLAYING OUTSIDE IS AWESOME FUN. TWO!!

TB: [desperate for a third item] Errr, ummm, oh! Ashley didn't hurt me today!

PM: EXCELLENT NEWS!! LIFE IS ALWAYS MORE FUN WHEN YOU'RE NOT GETTING HURT! THAT'S THREE!!

TB: [relaxing now that he's off the hot seat, little suspecting...]

PM: Okay, now THREE WORST THINGS THAT HAPPENED TODAY, AAAAAND GO!

And so on.

Might sound a bit mean to shout at your kids like that, but they actually quite like it. And it gives us twelve different things to talk about, so mission accomplished.

And so, given that I'm feeling less than loquacious myself today,

TOP 5 BEST THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO PM THIS WEEK AAAAND GO!!!

1. Riding my bike! I managed to drag my sorry butt out of bed twice this week and get on my bike despite the siren call of my warm, cozy covers. And I'm so glad I did - given the timing of my ride these days, I hit Lake Harriet just as the sun is rising. Riding in the crisp air, watching the sun rise over the rippling water...makes the fact that I'm on my bike instead of in my bed at 5:50 much less grim.

I CAN SEE WHERE THAT WOULD BE A LOVELY START TO A DAY! ONE!!!

2. Meeting my yoga instructor! I met my awesome instructor while on one of the aforementioned bike rides. She admired my arm warmers, and I got to pretend I was alll that and a pair of handlebars as we biked along together and chatted, she on her fancy-fast bike and me on my croooooser.

I'M SURE SHE TOTALLY SAW THROUGH YOU, BUT, HEY, AT LEAST YOU FELT COOL FOR 10 MINUTES. TWO!!!

3. Eating like a champion! It was Friday today - that means Chipotle for lunch! Plus, my coworker talked me into a Chipotle run yesterday, too, so that's double my pleasure, double my fun.

THE VEGETARIAN BOWL WITH A SIDE OF CHIPS - FAN-TAS-TIC! THREE!!

4. Going for a walk with a friend! I can't decide which was nicer yesterday - the walk around the lake or the friend with whom I enjoyed it. As a transplant, I must say that life sure is nicer when you've got someone to chat with who doesn't life seven hours away.

HUZZAH FOR LOCAL COMPANIONSHIP! FOUR!!

5. It's over. It's been a particularly long week with all sorts of "fun" (by which I mean super stressful) moments at work and lots to keep up with on the homefront. Now I can just breathe a sigh of relief, go pick up my kids, uncork a bottle of wine, and settle in for a nice evening of peace and quiet.

YOU DESERVE A BREAK TODAY, MS. KIT-KAT! ENJOY, BE CALM, AND RELAX. FIVE!!!

(Well, peace and quiet-ish.)