Alphabet Dance Like Nobody's Watching

Spring outdid itself this year in the Midwest, elevating the phrase "fashionably late" to a rarified -- and painfully uncomfortable -- art form. Rain, snow, and something in between that the boys dubbed "snain," pelted us for weeks beyond what our cold-weather-hardy family typically expects. Having three sons ages 9 and under trapped indoors for those extra weeks meant I had to step up the large motor movement both for our health and sanity.

One dreary day, the boys came up with a new twist on our cabin fever dance parties. I called the boys to the living room and queued up the MP3 player to Here Come the ABC's by They Might Be Giants. We bounced around like monkeys, with what I hoped was a slightly better sense of rhythm. I also hoped we'd finish before the mailman walked past our front picture window on his daily delivery route.

Aaron, my 3-year-old, jumped up and clapped his hands overhead, saying, "I'm making a lettuw A!" I remembered he was learning all sorts of creative ways to spell his name in preschool, so I decided to challenge the kids to spell out the alphabet using their bodies.

Eight-year-old Jackson bent one leg and rested his foot on his thigh, copying a yoga pose he'd learned called The Stork and said, "I'm a letter B!" I arched one arm behind me and curved my leg backwards, yelling, "I'm a C!" Five-year-old Nolan bent over and touched his toes, announcing that he was "D."

Each person scurried to bend arms and legs into the right shapes, as the rest of the group followed their lead. It was more challenging than it had seemed at first, and we were all breathless as we neared the end of the alphabet. My turn came up and I did a half jumping jack, legs apart and arms overhead, loudly proclaiming myself to be the letter "X" just as the mailman walked past our front picture window.

"We really need to move those stereo speakers to the basement," I said, laughing as we made our way toward "Z."