Inspired Lemon Ice

As the stay-at-home mother of a 3-year-old in an area where it gets ridiculously cold for half of the year, I find running errands to be a giant pain in the ass.  Every morning, I wake up and mentally run through what needs to be done, and if it involves more than a couple trips in and out of the car with the wee one, I just about cry.

See, it’s the car seat (which in itself is an errand deterrent even in the best weather conditions).  And, the clunky, slushy snow boots.  And, the big puffy coat that she can’t zip by herself.  And, the gloves (because she refuses to wear mittens) that I have to put each.and.every.little.finger.into.the.right.part.for.her. And, the fact that when she’s in this winter getup, her mobility is compromised, making her walk so slowly that she seems more like a movie special effect than my child.  And, it seems she’s all the time falling into a crap-colored puddle of something that started out as snow and when I pull her out of it, I get the yuck all over me.  And, each stop means hoisting her up into that car seat, dodging the wet filth on her boots, pulling the straps down over her puffy coat, finding the buckles underneath and between and around to make it all click, and then pulling and tightening and straightening it all up so that she’s safe and secure for our next venture down the road.

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