Addison went to his first birthday party. Parties at our house tend to gather around small dollops of ice cream and lopsided cakes. I’ve even been known to re-wrap birthday presents that I gave earlier in the day to the same child.The birthday girl the other night was turning two and there were probably 30 kids counting the brothers and sisters who tagged along, including mine. Overwhelming for a two year old? I’m leaning towards this conclusion but try to stay empathetic. I might have passed on the festivities, but since it was at a gym, I saw a chance to kill four birds with one gigantic Backyardagains pinata: 1. Addy exercise/gym time; Coco exercise/gym time; go for a run; get out of the house so the kids don’t drive me nutty. Since I bend towards an overachiever persuasion, I can artfully squeeze many objectives into a small window of time and make it look effortless.Why just walk up the stairs when I can carry the laundry, a cup of coffee, and toilet paper for the bathroom?Why just go to the grocery store when I can pay my bills at the drugstore,* pick up guinea pig food, and get the car washed while I wait?Why just go to the park and enjoy a sunny day when I can exercise, pick up school materials, grab lunch, hike up a mountain, and volunteer at the orphange on the way home?I can over do it too. We all have our way of overdoing it. I looked over at the gift table for this two year old and knew that if my kids opened up that many presents their heads with explode. When it was time to bust open the pinata, Addison took his place among the large circle of children. He held his bag, having no idea what it was for. He took a few swings at the candy-filled creature.When the candy dumped on the floor, the children - and adults - amassed on the floor like ants to dropped butter. Addison got his share and then dumped the bag back out again. The nanny screamed in terror as little children began to descend on Addison’s haul. We packed up with enough candy to securely rot our teeth and the neighbor’s, and the neighbor’s dog.When we got home, I realized we’d left Addison’s food bag at the gym, a place I rarely drive by. But, this afternoon I have to pick up from my daughter’s from a friends, so I can swing by and get the bag, stop and get groeries, and I’ll throw my tennis shoes in the trunk so I can squeeze in a run.