First things first: the shoes. I’ve taken them for two 2-mile walks so far. They are actually very comfortable. However, they are definitely made large. I bought a half-size smaller than normal and they still slip a little in the heel. I couldn’t them any smaller though, or they’d be too narrow. Probably will have to get some insert for the heel, as there’s an inconveniently-placed seam that has rubbed lovely blisters on my heels already.
Do they actually work out my legs? Yes, they actually seem to. First thing I noticed was that because I walk in a less slumped position, my lower ab muscles are being used more. My lower and upper back feel slightly sore after the walk, and my calves and backs of my thighs definitely feel it. It’s not so sore that I feel like “wow, I worked OUT”, it’s more like definitely the muscles are working a bit more than they do in regular shoes. So, we’ll see…in the meantime, I have the fun task of breaking them in. Hopefully it doesn’t take long for the leather to conform to my feet.
Today we took Kira to the local farm for their Spring Fling day. I wanted to buy some more lamb chops (they sell the BEST lamb!) and some gruyere cheese, and since they were having a petting area, we decided we’d see how Kira did with the animals. She wasn’t afraid of them, but she wasn’t all that interested in them either. There was just too much else going on that she didn’t seem to be able to focus on the animals. She had fun running around and checking things out though.
 Petting the baby sheep |
 Petting a goat |
 Yikes - the goat jumped |
 Whoa - this lamb is really close |
 I think I'll touch this chicken though |
 Always the best place to touch a strange dog |
 Found a piece of a sheep |
 Marching right through the sheep shearing, completely oblivious |
 On the tractor |
I was at a loss one day trying to figure out how to entertain Kira when she just couldn’t be satisfied with anything. I thought “Fingerpainting!”. Little kids love to smear and make messes. So we stripped her down, taped the paper to the table, and got her all set up. She gave the paint one big smear and then started to yell because her hand was messy. I tried desperately to make her enjoy this like a normal kid – I added sprinkles, cookie cutters, and even some flour-dough. She half-heartedly played with it for a while, pausing occasionally to hold out her hand and give a cranky yowl because it was messy. Sigh. Finally, after about 10 minutes of this fun, we cleaned her up and sent her on her way. She was probably very relieved, wondering what on earth just happened.
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And finally, this is what I have to deal with all day when I’m trying to work… 
 Please stop working and play with me, Mommy! |
