The kids are pretty good when there is just one parent at home. Even Leon and Michael seem to sense that one person can only do so much and they need to wait their turns. On Tuesday night Jeff coached a soccer game on the other side of town at 6:00 p.m. I came home from work early so he could go, then the kids and I had a good evening. Jeff's parents and aunt and uncle came to visit last weekend, and Tuesday was the first day without visitors. Usually, the kids are horrible when guests leave, but this time they were pretty happy.
Despite being happy, I could tell the kids were antsy when they saw me, so I changed clothes and we immediately headed out for a walk. I really should get Jeff to take a picture sometime, as I am sure we are quite a sight when I take the kids for a walk by myself. Ree rides in the back of the double stroller so she can kick the child in front of her, rather than get kicked. Leon rides in the front of the stroller and is the captain of our crazy ship. Michael goes in the carrier backpack on my back because it gives him mommy-time, and he doesn't kick me. (I think my kidneys are still bruised from the couple of times I let Leon ride in the backpack last summer.)
We didn't get too far on our walk before it started sprinkling. I had promised Ree a long walk, and she was disappointed when I turned around, but she didn't get too upset about it. It helps that we were playing her new favorite game. She invents verbal games all the time. In the current favorite game that she calls "Two Words," we each take turns describing a word that starts with a letter and the other person has to guess the word. We usually start with "A" and a favorite clue she likes to give is, "This thing is crunchy and can be red, or yellow, or green. It is delicious and you eat it for a snack." Then I dutifully guess that it is an apple. Then it's my turn to describe a word that starts with "A." After she has guessed my word, we move on to her "B" clue. She really, really likes this game, and at least it is a bit creative. More fun than playing "I Spy" for the gajillionth time.
As we got closer to home, it started pouring. Being in the back of the stroller, Ree had a canopy over her, but the boys got soaked. Amazingly, they didn't seem to mind. Michael even had his arm outstretched to feel the rain. Even with the canopy, Ree got fairly wet, but since her hair and face stayed dry, it didn't really bother her. (If there had even been a drop of water on her face or hair, she most likely would've had a massive meltdown. She really doesn't like them getting wet. Even in the tub or at the beach or in a pool. Unless it is her idea.) Thankfully, the temperature was in the upper 70s and we were already on our street when the crazy rain began, so we didn't have to go far in the downpour.
At dinner, the kids ate and ate and ate. Nothing unusual there. The boys then played while I cleaned up the kitchen. That was unusual. That never happens. Usually, if I get to clean up in the evening at all, it is around 9:00 and after the kids have gone to bed. That's usually when I discover their milk cups from dinner still sitting on the table. Whoopsie-doodle.
After I cleaned up, I gave the boys a bath. When I am the only parent at home, Ree likes to stop in and supervise. Thankfully, we made it through the bath without her having to correct my parenting too many times. Whew. I have discovered a trick to give myself a few minutes to read and zone out while the boys are in the tub. They think they have to get out as soon as I wash them, so as I rinse them, they desperately grab toys and start playing. It's like they're thinking, "If she sees I'm busy, maybe she'll pick the other one first!" So I've started washing them in the middle of their baths. Then I stand by the bathroom counter and read for a few minutes. It is a much needed mid-evening madness break.
After their baths, it was time for everyone to eat again. (It has been almost an hour since we finished dinner.) So it was time for more food madness. Again, they ate and ate and ate. With all the guests here over the weekend, they hadn't been able to eat their normal quantity of food.
If the guests read this, I know they are going to be disturbed. I'm pretty sure my mother-in-law felt like she did nothing but feed the boys and clean their high chairs between feedings over the weekend. Which is pretty true. But they still didn't eat their full quantity. And Ree isn't eating large quantities of food these days, but she eats s-l-o-w-l-y. It takes her 45 minutes to finish a plate of food. No partially chewed food there! Even when she went to a birthday party two weeks ago, she was happy to sit and eat and eat and eat while the other kids played at Chuck E. Cheese. Then, when she was done, she joined them. And with guests, and with eating out, Ree never got her full 45 minutes to savor each bite, so she never got to finish a meal over the weekend. She was way behind in her chewing for the week.
The kids finally finished eating their snacks, and we moved on to reading books. Stories at bedtime are always interesting. I read to the boys first. Sometimes they both plop down and want to hear stories. Sometimes they fight over who gets to sit in my lap. Sometimes Michael wants me to read one book aloud while he sits next to me and flips through a different book. And sometimes Leon just wants to run back and forth between me and the book basket bringing me books one at a time. I am fairly certain that Leon believes he will never, ever have to go to sleep as long as there is another book to read.
I have no idea how story time went on Tuesday. That was three days ago! But I do know that by the time Jeff got home, the kids were ready for bed. Of course the boys went nuts when they saw Jeff, and Leon was up for another hour, but Leon is ALWAYS looking for an excuse to stay up and party.
But that is life with one parent. This morning we had two parents. And the boys must've sensed it was the (kinda) beginning of the weekend. I usually work from home on Fridays, but this morning I had to come in to work. I am in the middle of a super gigantic insane audit (that would be the professional term), and I had to listen to a webinar, so I thought I would just do it all at once in my office. That didn't stop the boys from wanting the weekend fun to begin. They were ready for adventures with Mom! After having an amazing week in which they slept through the night, they both got up twice last night. Then they were up for the day at 5:55. And Michael cried/whined continuously from that point until I left for work.
When there are two parents at home, a lot of crying and whining occurs. The children and dogs all feel that with two adults, there should be someone to take care of them AT ALL TIMES. Anyone not receiving attention is often in the middle of the Worst Meltdown Ever. The dogs do eventually give up. The kids are a bit more persistent. This morning Leon was crying because someone dared wake him before 8:00 a.m. (if things don't change, he is going to be oh-so-much fun in high school!) Ree was doing okay, but was definitely annoyed that she was woken up at 6:30 by two crying brothers. I can't say I blame her for feeling that way.
No matter how understanding I may have been, by 7:15 I was done. I went into the bathroom to get ready for work. Usually, Michael quietly plays while I get ready. Leon is the one I have to watch because he loves to open drawers and look for treasures. He is an especially big fan of glass bottles of cologne and of razor blades. Thinking about Leon reminds me I need to color my hair again this weekend...anyway, Leon was still eating breakfast, so Michael decided to pick up the slack this morning. By 7:20, I had to kick him out of the bedroom. He was not happy.
I took my time getting ready, not that there was much to do. Friday is casual day at work, and I just threw on jeans and a short sleeve sweater with some platform sandals. My hair was a complete disaster, so I ended up pulling it up in a ponytail. I threw on a little makeup. What I realized, though, was that by the time I had done all those things, no one was crying. In fact, I think they had forgotten I was at home. They thought it was one-parent time again, and they were all happily playing in the living room. Since I don't really have a Friday work schedule, I decided to take advantage, and I sat down and read a totally worthless but hilarious book. (I'm currently working my way through the entire Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Working on a college campus and across the street from the renowned Create Writing department, it's probably not something I should openly admit, but I do enjoy the books.)
After about five minutes, I started feeling guilty. I hate guilt. So then I actually went to work. Which could be deemed more hiding.
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