weekend from....

Mike was gone this weekend on a teacher workshop, where he got to camping on a mountain lake and study eco-systems. And honestly, I was really happy for him. He loves this kind of stuff, and to get to incorporate it into his teaching, I know that just really does it for him. That said, I pray to all the Holy powers that be, that I never have to find out what it means to be a real single parent. I did three days, and I'm about dead.

Day one: Not so bad. 6yr old to school all day, had the three youngest at home since 5yrold (official as of Tuesday!) had a day off from preschool. Pretty routine stuff. Grocery shopping, laundry, put a dent in the dishes. Took the garbage out. There was a mommy-dinner group get-together out in Naches that I didn't think I'd be able to make, cause, hello! I have my own dinner to make at home and a hubby I was planning on seeing, but since he ditched in favor of the mountain air, I felt pretty good about joining in. Kids in tow, I spent an evening making omelets alongside other mommies with their kids in tow. Note: I NEED an omelet maker. Seriously, most awesome invention ever! And, if we ever need to move again, I'm looking into Naches, preferably with a view of the golf course. Yum!

Kids get to bed a little late, but not too bad! I'm asleep by 1130, and only get woken up once at 0100 by 3yrold who's had an accident. Another note: don't let 3yrold wear zipper sleepers to bed anymore.

Day two: All the boys are home. 10am consignment sale at the mall, which I was made aware of last night at the omelet feed. Load boys into van, drop off at hardware store for a thing of soil and a pot. Off to mall sale. Wait for 10min outside locked doors. Try to browse casually like I haven't been waiting said 10min outside locked doors. Fail miserably as I trip over my boys in an effort to get in first. Spend the next half hour picking over picked-over sale items, vowing to get there on day one next year, but still come away with $30 worth of clothes, Christmas gifts and a very cool laundry hamper. Seriously, it's aesthetic.

Back home. Lunch, quiet times. And.... change shifts with the babysitters as I take off for my 8hr/wk job.

In the middle of my last med pass and with 2 hours left on my shift, a distraught 6yrold freaks out a co-worker by calling the nurse's station asking 'where's my mommy?!?' Spend 5 minutes talking said 6yrold down off his ledge of panic. Less than 24 hours til hubby comes back.

4 phone calls from home and a belated end-of-shift page to the on-call doctor, I'm home only 15 minutes late. 6yrold watching Looney Toons on the couch, 18mnth old contently sucking his pacifier, cradled in babysitter's lap.

Pay babysitters. Spend the next hour getting 18mnth old back to bed. Fall asleep around 2.

Day three: Woken by 3yrold at 6. AM. Past the use of full sentences. Calico cat staring at me from the window. Crawl back in bed feeling superstitious.

Back awake a little after 7. By some unearthly miracle, to church by 9. Remember to take the boys. And fruit snacks.

Home for lunch. Make birthday signs for dad (yes, he's missing his birthday!) and cake. Which we will wait to eat until Dad gets home.

Dad gets home at quarter to eight. 3/4 asleep; number 4 lectures dad about getting home on time next time. So we can have cake.

Sigh. Tomorrow, love.