Miscellaneous Madness: A Day in the Life (December 2013)

Mom totally forgot about this month's 12 in 12 and hadn't charged up the real camera, so we're back with iPhone pics for December. Our month has already been jampacked with holidayness and we've been swinging back and forth between anticipatory good behavior and almost constant picking at each other. It's driving everyone a bit mad. Cam's got her morning shoe tantrum in check -- by wearing one pair and bringing at least one (and sometimes two) options in her back pack to school, which she changes throughout the day. Her footwear antics are outdone only by her constant overall outfit changes throughout the day, including at least two costume changes and a few pajama ones as well. She continues to be chatty, including with her toys and food.

Kane loves school and he's been working hard at letters and numbers and tolerates working on both as long as he gets ample time listening to the big chapter books he favors (we are LONG overdue on our book reviews). Knights are still in top circulation, but he's been spending a lot of time reading science books and conducting experiments lately. And he's added architecture to his ever-growing list of interests. He also loves everything about the holidays -- especially getting to see so much of our family. And we are both are on a BIG daddy kick, which has been hard for everyone since he's been traveling a lot.

In any event, that's what we've been up to. We thought an update beyond the 12 in 12 pictures was in order, seeing as mom is still otherwise occupied. We sure she'll get it all together sometime. Until then, check out what we did on December 12 and then hop on over to No Monsters in My Bed and Where the Watermelons Grow to see what's been keeping our friends busy this month.

7.45 am -- Cam is going on minute 36 at the breakfast table and is talking to her strawberries, which she named "He-man and She-ra." She still spends most of her meal time chit chatting instead of eating and then inevitably asks for a snack about 18 minutes after a meal is done. Mom was trying to bribe her with chocolate cheerios -- she was not swayed.

8.30 am - on the way to school. Mom told us it was cold outside and to make sure and wear a hat. That's what Cam picked.

11.00 am -- it's the start of spring race training season, which means that mom has to add on a run to one of her trainer sessions. She's generally exhausted at the end of those, and already hates the treadmill, so she tries to get the run over as fast as she can. Today was so-so.

12.10 am -- Whole Foods run. Mom wants homemade pasta, but stays strong. The lovely sushi peeps make her some custom rice-free handrolls. It does the trick.

1.00 pm -- mom swings by the toy store to pick up stocking stuffers. she was psyched to find a sticker book that offered career options for women besides princesses, but that still includes that as one of them.

2.30 pm -- it's a cold day, but we needed a little outdoor time after school. the zoo is always good for that and we stop on the way home for a little run through the farm and then some indoor amazonia. Cam particularly loved seeing the salamander -- she has a little stuffed one that was mom's growing up and she sleeps with it every night.

5.45 pm -- mom makes one of our favorite dinners -- citrus chicken -- and she keeps the green stuff off ours, which is always a dealbreaker.

6.50 pm -- Kane calls mom in to show her something he drew for her on the shower door. who knew he could draw hearts? mom's melts.

7.00 pm -- Cam has discovered that her bathtub is actually a whirlpool and it's a full on spa in there every night.

8.15 pm -- Kane dug out this gem someone gave mom when she was pregnant with Kane and insists mom reads it for book time. a cryptic and all-too-long discussion about the meaning of "parody," "balance of powers," and the difference between a "declaration of war" and a "congressional authorization for the use of force" ensues.