February 1

I had a "World's Best Mom" moment this morning. 

All I wanted to do was lie on the couch, but Caleb desperately wanted to go outside in the bitter cold and play in the dusting of snow on our deck, leftover from yesterday's snow showers. I kept telling him it wasn't a good idea, but the kid kept pestering me. Finally, I sighed from the couch, "If you can get yourself outside, then you can play."

I thought it was foolproof; there was no way he'd be able to unlock any of the doors and let himself outside.

Then I heard the sound of a lock flipping, and the sliding door begin to whoosh open.

Quickly, I called out, "You also need to get your coat and boots on!"

I knew I had him with that one - his coat hangs in the closet, much too high for him to reach.

Wrong again. He managed to pull a zippered hoodie down, and pull on his rain boots.

The kid had bested me, so I grudgingly allowed him to go outside, all the while assuring him that I was NOT going out with him.

He was pretty happy out there!

Then, suddenly, Daisy came up to me, carrying her boots and a little sweater she had found on the floor of her closet. If Brother can do it, so can she!

*sigh*

But it was COLD out there!

Daisy got snow on her hands and kept coming back to me (crouched just inside the door with my camera) to wipe the cold off of her hands.

And then Caleb started crying because his hands were cold, and I worried that my laziness might actually cause my children to get hypothermia, so I got real coats and gloves for them. 

Thankfully, by that time the outdoor play had lost much of its appeal, and I was finally able to retire to the couch.