Tyler & I have discovered that with the comfortable daily routine our 2 yr old relies on, comes a string of repeated activities that are running our life like a broken record. The difficulty lies in the fact that if we lift the skipping needle off the ol vinyl, we risk disrupting the level of balance and contentment we work so hard maintain every day. At least once every 24 hours we are blessed with the catchy lyrics and tunes brought to us by Laurie Berkner's "Under a Shady Tree." Catchy being the keyword, even one song played first thing in the morning results in the inevitable echo of words running through your head the rest of the day.
Another treat, story time. For some reason, E-man finds comfort in one of his parents reciting the same book daily. If he's lucky enough, he can get one parent to read it at nap time and the other to read it again at bed time, oh whatta day that is! We have had to go to such great lengths as to line the floor under each couch with certain titles we can no longer endure reading. These are stories that I have memorized word for word allowing me to break at times from actual reading and simply recite my lines while on the story book stage.
And last, as anyone with a slightly picky eater can relate to, comes the token answer to a question presented before each meal, "What would you like to eat?" The reply that I get, every time I ask, "Cream cheese and jelly." A sandwich combination we relied on when the lad was directed to avoid peanut butter. I know this eating machine is 1) not only capable of sitting down to eat a meal that would satisfy his father after a 25 mile mountain bike ride but 2) has a huge variety of food choices he would love to eat! This kid digs grilled salmon for pete's sake, but to my dismay, every time, "Cream cheese and jelly."
Oh how I long for the spice of life....variety.
