The kids’ last day of preschool was Tuesday. (Summer camp – preschool but campier – starts tomorrow.) That left several wide-open and very unstructured days for me and the boys to fill with activities, meals and, God willing, a few naps. What on earth would we do and how would I get through it without locking them (or myself) in a closet?
Here are the highlights:
Wednesday. We started the day at the pediatrician’s office. The stuff running out of Dylan’s nose was an electric shade of green. Our waiting room wait was only about 15 minutes. Our exam room wait time, however, was dismal. Forty-five minutes in a 6X9 feet windowless room with Dylan, Riley, six toy cars and my sanity. I did wonder a few times if any of us would make it out alive, but we spelled a lot of words, practiced the ABC song and had a lot of “ready set go” races across the tiny room. Fun doesn’t accurately describe the experience, but it was solid quality time. By the time we got home from the pharmacy, it was lunchtime and we spent the rest of the day happily playing at home…in a large room with a lot of windows.
Thursday. We met a friend at the Miami Metro Zoo. There were two Mamas and four kids, and no one got lost or hurt and no one cried, including the Mamas. We played in a splash park, fed giraffes and ate popcorn for lunch. It was a great day. Dylan and Riley slept the whole car ride home and spent the rest of the evening playing “zoo.” For dinner, I hid butternut squash in the macaroni and cheese and forced grapes down the boys’ throats to make up for the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving lunch.
Friday. The forecast wasn’t great so I nixed the beach idea I had floating around in my head. I was also so tired that I couldn’t imagine packing a bag for such an ambitious activity. We were headed to camp orientation at 2pm (activity!), so I kept the morning simple. We went to Target. Exciting? No. But we had fun, except for when Dylan called me fat. “Mommy, why is your belly so full,” he asked. “What do you mean,” I asked. “You’re belly looks full,” he repeated. “Are you calling me fat?” I asked him laughing. I took the opportunity to give him a very important life lesson. I told him to never ever tell a woman she looked fat, to which he replied, “but if a woman has a big belly I will tell her she is fat.” Lovely.
Saturday. Saturday was a lot like Friday, expect Mike was around and no one called me fat.
Sunday. Errands day! We’ll hit Target, Costco and Whole Foods before the sun goes down.
I complain a lot about feeling stuck with my kids, but I loved every minute of this week, including when we were held hostage at the pediatrician’s office and even when Dylan called me fat. Starting tomorrow, the boys will be gone from 9am until 2:30pm every day. They’re going to have an amazing summer, but we all cherished these last few lazy, unstructured days at home, especially me. I’m on the cusp of a new phase of motherhood where my babies boys will leave the nest for longer stretches of time. I’m excited about the new schedule and the time I’ll have for myself, but I’m also holding my boys tight today…around my full belly.
The Runaway Mama by Jen Gregory 