Our First Family Tradition

This week, I believe that we unintentionally created our first family tradition. We of course have all of our own family traditions that we brought into our little family, but yesterday we created one of our own. Len and I are exhausted from being ill (finally getting better, thank you) and so decided to have nachos for dinner. Easy, full of vegetables. Ok, yes, full of cheese and sour cream too, but meatless, so not so bad on the fats. We fed Adara her dinner before the nachos and then sat down to eat our nachos. Adara invited herself to sit on Len's lap and started pawing at the nachos. She loves them, can't get enough! She was making all of these "mmm, mmm" noises and wouldn't let Len eat any himself for feeding her.
So, it makes her happy and us too and isn't horrifically bad for us; therefore, once a month Friday night nachos for the Stannard-Frys! I'm very pleased with this as I think that it's very important to occasionally embrace not doing things "the proper way", ie making a real meal.
In other news, the girls that Len calls my "first babies" were in town. Laura and Lisa were my neighbours from the time that I was eight and they were born. I was a "mothers helper" for their mom until I was about 12 and then babysat them after school and every summer until I was sixteen or so. So, in many ways they were my test run. Laura works for research in motion and Lisa is just finishing acting school (hmm, is this my fault.... let's say no). Laura brought her boyfriend and we all met up after Len's show (Dirty Dancing) which they were seeing. It was lovely to see them and well worth hauling my lazy mom bones out of the house at 10pm. I'm stupid proud of them and it's very invigorating to hang out with people who aren't exhausted from their wee babies running them ragged. Although Mark was looking pretty done in from a nasty hang over!
Adara is a wonder and is advancing in leaps and bounds. She gains new words every day and is working hard on phrases. I swear that she's been drinking gallons of water just to hear me say and do the sign for water so that she can perfect it! This week she's working hard on the phrase "No more" in reference to when she's done eating. Right now it sounds like "na mo" but I get where she's going with this by the vigorous headshaking and throwing of her dishes over the side of the highchair.
I realized today how fundamentally (and oddly) I've changed in the past year. I was at Loblaws with Adara and she had had enough of the grocery store. She was pitching a huge fit so I just started singing the Grand Old Duke of York and bouncing her up and down on my hip. I was also getting out my wallet, entering my interac and packing groceries during this. Part way through it occurred to me that several people were either staring at or smiling at me. I honestly didn't know that I was singing , I was just doing what needed to be done to get us out of the grocery store in one piece. A year ago this would have been mortifying. Now, it barely registers.
In other news, I'm managing (along with Len, don't get me wrong, we're very equal partners) to keep us fed, the house reasonably clean and everyone at work and daycare on time. What I am not managing is to get any exercise. Any suggestions, moms? During the week I walk in the door at 5pm and Len leaves for work at 5:30pm. On the weekends he leaves at 11 am and is gone for the day and night. In the summer I used to run with Adara in the stroller. It's too cold and rainy (and dark) now for that. I'm trying to figure out what I can do with her or at home while she's asleep, as we can't afford a babysitter right now. And don't try to foist your unused (or never used) bikes and treadmills of on me! I have a Toronto house, there's nowhere to put those kinds of machines.
That's it from me, hope that everyone is well and recovered from their own plagues!