Next week is school vacation week for Gus. It also happens to be school vacation week for my mother-in-law. She is a 3rd grade teacher in a small school about an hour and a half away. The woman is either a saint or a crazy person because she agreed to take both of my children for vacation week. I love my kids dearly, but I don’t think I can express to you how excited I am to have a week long break. Sure, I’ll still have to get up early and go to work, but I won’t have to make sandwiches and pack lunches and get small people dressed before I go. And, I’ll still get out of work at the same time, but it won’t take me an hour to make the 20 minute drive back home. And when I get home, I won’t have to lug backpacks and art projects and soggy mittens and boots into my house. And when I do get into my house, I can watch grown up television if I want to. Or, I could read a book. Or, I can cook a meal more complicated than macaroni & cheese from a box. The possibilities are endless! Heck, I could stop on the way home and get a drink with a friend if I wanted to. Whoa!!
When you’re pregnant, parents tell you how your life is going to completely change. You sort of nod politely and think in the back of your head that they’re wrong. Of course you’re adding a new human to your household, but you’ll still be the same person, still do the same things, like the same things. The transition is not instant. Small babies can be quite agreeable when it comes to letting you eat normal food and sometimes even cooperate by napping in a car seat (carefully placed in a high chair at your table of course) while you and your sweetheart enjoy a quiet meal out. Since babies aren’t supposed to watch tv, that leaves you free to watch what you want or even play a video game. The changes are subtle and then one day you wake up and realize that the only television you’ve seen all week has small people who go on crazy boring adventures and yell into the camera. The only food you’ve eaten is macaroni & cheese from a box, grapes and hotdogs and 95% of the time you’re awake you’re catering to a small crazy person who alternately yells, cries or laughs hysterically. At that point, you will be giddy at the thought of a week minus those small crazy people. I am very much looking forward to a week of grown up food, television and no toddler drama.
mommyvsmountain 