Slow goin'....

Let me tell you, you sure don't want to be in too much of hurry with a toddler in tow! Wow. This morning we took advantage of this nice weather (the rain is to hit this afternoon and last 4 miserable days) and went for a lovely walk down a tree-covered path.

Well, Wee Man is definitely at the age where he does not want to be tied into the stroller, and so, he "pushes" the stroller. Which mostly means pushing for one second...stopping...grabbing his sippy...putting his sippy down on the ground...pushing some more...stopping again...collecting tiny tree branches that have fallen...chasing birds...and generally going in the opposite direction we are headed. I couldn't help but think, 'man, if anyone is watching us, they must be having a good laugh'.

It was almost to the point of ridiculous how long it took to meander up the path and back. But then, we certainly didn't have any deadlines to meet and we weren't really going anywhere in particular. And really, that was the point of the walk in the first place - to enjoy the time together and learn and explore and laugh. So, all in all, mission accomplished! Forget that in the process I spilled over 1/2 of my Timmies tea all over the stroller, myself and the ground in an effort to rein in Wee Man, even just a little bit.

When Wee Man reached this stage of 'I wanna be free!' I thought, 'ok, when we are out walking or in a store, he must hold my hand or hang onto the stroller at all times! But now that just seems unfair and a wee bit excessive. And so, I am having trouble finding a happy balance where he doesn't get confused and will stay when I truly need him to. Any suggestions??

I am about to get my buns in gear painting today during today's well-adored nap time. I finished this custom painting yesterday for a lovely wee gal and have another 2 in the works for today for the rest of the same family. Yay for painting:D