With all this holiday let-down, the behavior has been the pits. Temper tantrums are the norm and we’re feeling a bit like the Gaza strip, although I’m not really sure who is Israel and who is Palestine.
Our tactic? Divide and conquer.
Tom kept the younger kids home for nap, and I sprung Neko out of quiet time to go ice skating. She took lessons last year, but wasn’t too keen on that whole being out there without a good friend or family member, so she declined when I asked her if she wanted to continue.
But I thought I’d give it a whirl again (the skating, not the lessons), and I’m amazed at what a difference a year makes. She loved it. She smiled and laughed and giggled and insisted we go as fast as possible. Although she wasn’t too keen about the idea of skating without holding my hand, she was almost doing it on her own. A few times she let go and did just fine, but quickly realized she would go faster holding on. We took a break for pretzels, but otherwise skated for the whole two hour session.
Next up? Skiing!