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Just One of Those Days

The perfect fall weather makes everything seem more enjoyable. Walking and cycling don't feel like torture through smoggy, brutally hot, humid air. Breathing doesn't feel like a challenge. Minor exertion doesn't lead to sweat dripping off me. I love it!

After a difficult week full of tantrums, yesterday was a wonderful autumn day. As per a usual Sunday, I went to the JCC to teach my weekly spinning class, Big A went to Hebrew School, and Adam and Little A went to the market in the morning.

Big A was well-behaved and Little A's 2 weeks of grumpiness seemed to be wearing off. She went down for her nap relatively easily and Big A, in a rare show of independence, PLAYED BY HERSELF IN HER ROOM FOR 2 HOURS!!!

True, there were a few imperfections in the day: Little A cried all the way to the park in the afternoon because we wouldn't carry her there and walking or sitting in the stroller apparently weren't reasonable options; Big A cried all the way back from the park because her friend who accompanied us there played with Little A on the slides instead of with her on the monkey bars.

But there were also some very funny moments. Adam, exhausted from being out late at a concert Saturday night fell asleep on our bed. Little A got a box of sparkly stickers and covered the bottoms of both his feet and one of his arms. Did I try and stop her? No, of course not, I just watched and laughed!

Because the weather was so perfect, we decided to take the girls to a local cafe for supper. After all, Big A was craving pizza and I was in the mood to enjoy the remainder of the day sipping wine on a patio. Just after we sat down, Little A noticed the bald man sitting behind me and said in a loud voice, "Mommy that man have no hair!" Ugh! Then she kept asking "Why mommy, why?" I explained that some people have hair and others do not and that's how it is.

Aside from that - and the fact that Little A made a bigger mess with her glass of milk than should be humanly possible - the meal went relatively smoothly. While enjoying my Merlot it struck me that this was possibly the first time we've taken the girls to a restaurant and I've felt truly relaxed.

In spite of Big A's raging tantrums last week and Little A's recent grumpiness, I'm trying hard not to pathologize things. Kids have phases and changing moods, just like we do. Maybe their behaviour is completely normal. What is normal anyways? Definitely not me or my family, but I like it that way.

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