And now I can relax…

August 24, 2007 Savvy Spoonie 2 Comments

Lee and I are at the point in our marriage where we have little to say to each other on the phone, but we miss each other terribly when we are apart.
This makes travel very hard. We like have the other person on the end of line, but can’t think of much to say after we have shared our day’s activities and expressed our love. It makes the distance seem so much more profound than it would if we had a lot of gossip to share. We don’t though. We know all of each other’s stories of our pre-together times, or at least most of the stories, and the stories that have occurred since we got together feature both of us, so we certainly don’t have to talk about them.
Add to this mess the fact that both of us hate the phone, and you have a couple who spend a lot of time listening to each other breathe, simply to have the connection.

Happily, I no longer have to listen to him breathe on the phone to feel closer to him, as he is here!! Yup, I picked him up at DIA last night. The minute I set eyes on him I felt much of my travel stress fade away. I guess I am so used to having him around that I get antsy when we are apart.

We are here for another five days, and then it is back to the home in Jersey, and our regularly scheduled lives. I have been enjoying the visit home, but he and I agree we should avoid having weeks apart as much as possible. It is too hard.

Monkey

Thoughtfulness lasts forever…

August 22, 2007 Savvy Spoonie 2 Comments

When my daughter turned four, my friend Tessa purchased and decorated an old trunk, then went around to all the area thrift stores and purchased small dresses and skirts, hats and shoes, and other dress up items. The result? A beautiful and well stocked dress up trunk that has served us well for the past two years.
Her thoughtfulness has lasted, not only because the items in the trunk have given us hours upon hours of fun and entertainment, but also because she taught us a precious lesson.
Do not spend twenty dollars on a Disney approved mock up dress for your child, spend twenty dollars on five size two prom dresses, and stick them in a decorative hat box or trunk.
I was reminded of this lesson today when my father ran me by the Salvation Army to look at book shelves. All of their clothes were on sale for .99 cents, and before I could blink, I found myself perusing the dress area for small gowns for Monkey to parade around in.
Soon, she will have a small, yet fun dress up trunk here at Nama’s, to play in with friends and cousins whenever we come to town. We will no longer face the travel boredom that comes with leaving all our toys behind. Instead, she will be excited to come and play in the trunk she can’t play in when she is home, as will her friends.
Thank you Tessa, for giving us a gift that has truly kept on giving.

Do not taunt happy fun ball, frustration, home, parenting

Vacation…?

August 19, 2007 Savvy Spoonie 4 Comments

Right. So going somewhere to hang out for a few weeks used to be the way to refresh and relax. Used to be, as in, before I had two young people to care for during the weeks of “vacation”.

The time change coupled with the break in routine completely borks my children’s circadian rhythms, they don’t ever want to go to sleep, are so tired they fight sleep like crazy, and are generally sleep deprived. (This of course leads to a generally insane behavior, at least on the part of my 6 year old, though the baby can be nuts too.)
So instead of relaxing and lazing the day away, I am eternally engaged in the struggle for master of fate with my daughter, while trying to calm a really cranky boy. The struggle with my daughter looks a lot like boundary pushing, arguing, rule flouting, whining, and losing the ability to say please and thank you. For the baby, it just means being unwilling to sleep during the day, ever, and therefore being too tired to be happy with anything, resulting in lots of crying fits.

Ack!! Headache central here I come!

I love seeing everyone, and have been pretty good at limiting the social events to a minimum, but I still have the desire to lock myself in a room and be alone for a few hours. I spend a lot of time alone at home, so it is strange to be surrounded by so many people now. Wonderful, as I get to fill my days talking to people I rarely get to see, but strange.

I think I am going to have to hide in a closet for a few days when I get back to Jersey!