winter days and ending january.

Today I looked at my calendar and gasped at the thought of January coming to an end. It can't be possible. It can't be true that the new year is well on it's way and moving into the second month of the year. But, it is true.

Sometimes, do you ever wonder what you do with your days? Do you crawl into bed at night and think "did I make the most of today, did I challenge and entertain my children in the best way that I could? Was I motivated and productive?" I ask myself these questions nightly.









On these brisk January days we've found plenty of activities to keep us busy and to take our minds off the winter winds. We've found ourselves enjoying a new coffee shop a little too often. Who doesn't like to share their time with other moms? And, to make this coffee shop even more appealing is the playroom where children can romp and roam all under the supervision of a sitter! Next time I think I'll bring my laptop, my favorite ink pen and a blank journal and write away my thoughts while sipping on lattes and nibbling on vegan gluten free pastries. Sounds pretty good to me!

This past weekend we finally embraced some time with friends and family. We were long overdue for a night with friends. A night to let the little ones run wild while the adults chattered away over good food and find spirits. It's not often we let the kids stay up a couple hours past their bedtime, but sometimes it's okay to break the rules. Especially if it means spending time with friends.

And we always have the weekly visits to the library, our local museums and various crafts and games to keep our minds occupied during these winter days. It's so easy to slip into the habit of turning on the television or allowing the kids to become lost in video games after school. Luckily, this is one area where I always put my foot down. Timers have always been set for "tv time" and, while my boys enjoy playing video games, they hardly complain when it's time to turn it off. They would just as happily pick up and play legos.

How about you? What do you do to fill these cold (or warm for some of you) days? Do you put limits on tv and video games? Do tell, I would love to hear. This is a subject that has always sparked an interest with me and I love hearing others outlook on the matter.

For those of you local folks, you can find me at Four Kids Coffee Shop almost weekly.

*These days I'm a bit behind. In laundry, life and responding to comments and emails. Hopefully, I'll be catching up this week. I love reading each and every comment, but sometimes it takes a while to reply. Thank you for understand ;)