Little to no labor

After going on vacation and doing so much driving in late August, we decided to do a whole lot of nothing this weekend. With gas prices being as high as they are, staying close to home seemed like a good idea. I went to yoga twice and that was the extent of my physical exertion (although I gotta say I worked up a more-than-respectable sweat in this morning's class). By the way, the owner of the yoga studio installed a large mirror on one wall.  If you only knew how many times I've uttered the words, "Thank God there's no mirror in the yoga studio."  I feel like it shouldn't even be legal.

On Saturday afternoon, I took the kid to see a movie called "ParaNorman."  I had heard that it might be too scary for younger kids but I think my child is immune. She plays Lego Star Wars all the time with her dad and the two of them get pretty excited when they get to embody the character of Chewbacca and start "ripping arms off left and right!" (that is a direct quote) Anyway, it was a good movie - I liked it more than I expected to.  There was a little twist at the end that I've never seen before in an animated children's movie.

On Sunday, the three of us went biking. We loaded up our bikes in the van and drove to a bike trail on the other side of town. P and I followed behind while the kid led the way, singing and talking as she pedaled along. We usually ride about 3 1/2 miles and then stop at a park before turning around. P and I figured we'd sit on a bench by the river while our daughter played at a playground a few yards away. She hopped off her bike and ran towards the playground, yelling over her shoulder, "Now you two have plenty of time to kiss!"  What on earth does she think we do when she's not around?

On the ride back she required us to treat her to a root beer float at a custard shop located just off the trail. I have to say that as bad as my sweet tooth is, there are a handful of items that, thankfully, do not tempt me:
  • Root beer floats (my mother loves them, so I guess I just didn't get that gene or something)
  • Fruit pies. Well, any kind of pie, I guess. I like fruit and I liked baked goods. I don't see any reason to combine the two.
  • Cheesecake. Blech.
  • Strawberry ice cream. 
  • Anything with coconut in it. Almond Joy? Out of the question. 
I did enjoy a lime slushie while Short Stuff sucked on her root beer float. Then, as we were riding back to the trail, the kid fell off her bike and then complained the rest of the way to the car (2 1/2 miles worth of complaining, not that I was keeping track). 

P had to work Sunday night, so the kid and I tackled a project - figuring out which clothes still fit her for fall/winter.  Since she doesn't really bother to grow much, just about everything still fits. Saves us some money, I guess. She did grow out of her size 5 stuff, which should have made her happy but since this also meant parting with a couple of her favorite dresses, it did not. 

Today was another uneventful day. Since I had the day off, I tackled some of the stuff I never have time to do, such as washing dog beds. I guess I could've washed the actual dogs as well, but my motivation has its limits.

We have a park right in our neighborhood but the kid has been bugging me to take her to a bigger park a few miles away. So, I invited one of her friends to come along and drove the girls over there this afternoon. I hung out on a blanket reading and playing Words with Friends.

And that, mes amis, was our weekend. Tomorrow is the first day of school. A has her outfit all picked out and is ready to get the party started. I can't help but wonder how this year's teacher is going to handle Chatty McTalkington. Poor Mrs. S from last year moved A's desk to every possible location short of moving her into the girls' bathroom, but it did nothing to curb my daughter's social life. Mrs. S retired at the end of the school year. Coincidence? Methinks not.