Homemade Therapy Sessions

This is the time of year when cabin fever starts to set in for me. Yes, I live in California, but in the Northern part of it. It gets cold and wet here. I can spend days, weeks, even entire months nestled deep in my big green recliner next to the wood stove (our only source of heat), with a heating pad on my back, a blanket on my legs, and children piled on me as we read good books together. Which, in my opinion is one of the best parts of being a mother.

But occasionally, (like right at this moment, no kidding) the kids get kinda frisky. Jumping from couch to couch, screaming like banshees, and laughing hysterically because they put a purple wig on Augie the dog. Times like this are when I put on my boots and coat and try to sneak out of the house unnoticed. I rake up the compost pile, pull weeds, I sometimes even consider picking up dog poop (not that I actually do it, that's a kids job of course!). Anything so long as I'm out of the house for a while.

Inevitably the kids find me, because you know, someone needs to be tattled on every 5.7 minutes. Depending on the mood I'm in, I'll either send them back into the house so I can have a little more quiet time, or I'll give them plastic baggies and put them to work. And they're not allowed to give me any crap about it! (Yes that was intended.)

This actually works quite well for us. I'll come back in feeling much calmer, a little work and fresh air does a brain good. At this point I realize just how exercise depraved we are and I'll have the kids pick up all the garbage and shoes left out in the rain as well. When they're finished with the job they are always quite happy to settle down with me again in my big green recliner, warm chilly toes, and listen to a story.