This week was the polar opposite from last week. Last week found us struggling to get over the flu, and then coming down with croup. That meant no being with other people, no playdates, no reprieves, no long stretches of sleep...and really just no fun. I found myself thinking - wow, being an actual "stay-at-home" mom is really really hard. It is one thing to be a "full-time-with-your-kids-mom", but staying at home - Oh my. Not for me. I thrive on being with other moms, sharing in their journey, laughing at their kids, them laughing at mine. I get really down when I'm alone with just my kids, and their tempers.
Even in the midst of last week, there were a couple of high spots. Mackenna climbed a ladder thing at the park, all by herself. I can't believe the independence and crazy climbing abilities that she is finding recently. Both kids jumped like crazy, with such HUGE smiles on their faces, on the bridge thingy on the playground. We also cleaned up the backyard a bit, to make it more readily available for cookouts and playing. While we were having our first grill-out meal of the season, Mackenna casually walked by and pointed at the "t" on the little tikes basketball goal and said "t" - Curt and I looked at each other incredulously. Micah then walked up and pointed at the "e" and said "e". Not sure exactly what was going on there - but we laughed pretty hard about their abilities. Micah also had a big individual accomplishment that night - he ate his first big boy bite of real corn on the cob. Makes his Indiana mama very proud. (That, and his ability to differentiate between a tractor and a combine, will hopefully endear him to his papa this summer.)
I must say, that in a week as long and as daunting as last week, those high spots only somewhat brightened my mood!
This week started with a trip to Busch Gardens. In the five years we have lived here, we have never purchased Fun Cards (stripped down season passes which provide you unlimited access until Dec 31st, for basically the cost of a one-day admission). Sesame Street just came to Busch Gardens, so we decided it was a good time to join. We are going to try and take the kids at least once a month, and we plan on going a few times just the two of us. The kids were really good. The enjoyed giving high fives, kisses, and nose honks to Elmo. They bounced and climbed like crazy in the rope tree house. They enjoyed riding the train. They kind of enjoyed a few rides, and of course only wanted to really ride the ones that they are not yet tall enough for :) Here are a few pictures.
Curt stayed home with the sniffly kids on Tuesday, and I was able to go to work. I was then able to go out with some girlfriends on Tuesday evening for a wonderful night of sitting out in the gorgeous weather and eating some yummy dessert. Good for the soul. The last three days of the week were broken up by music class, playdates, and a wonderful lunch with a wonderful family, and enjoying my kids WHILE being with other people. In a week like that, there were so many more times that I found myself holding one of the kids and kissing their sweet heads, and almost being overwhelmed to the point of tears at my gratitude for getting to be their mama. There were still meltdowns, still many corrections, but having a family weekend and conversations with other adults gave me the fuel I needed to totally change my perspective.
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It's tough being stuck at home for weeks at a time. The winter before last it felt like the kids were sick constantly. I remember feeling desperate to just BE with people. (Did you see The Office where Jim didn't want to go out with everyone else to the bar after work, he just wanted to go home to be with Pam and the baby, but when he called Pam to ask her about it, she screamed and started talking his ear off about how much she needed to see people?)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you were able to get out last week! I'm kind of a recluse by nature...I can't imagine how much worse it must be for more social people.