Pushing the Limits of Family Time

Lolo is potty learning, hence the trainer, no pants.

We really pushed the limits of cozy family time over this long weekend. It started NYE when B came down with his 40th bout of an upper respiratory infection since the Fall and we knew at least some of us would be skipping the New Years Party we'd planned on attending. However bummed I was that we wouldn't be leaving the house to ring in the new year for like the fifth year in a row, I was kind of ready for some solid family time.

I went to the grocery, got makings for peanut butter cookies, soup for New Year's Day and some other fun treats, like canned biscuits and orange juice, which are not on our normal grocery list. And for much of Thursday, Friday and Saturday we gorged ourselves on snuggle time, movies, board games and delicious food. It was glorious!

Until it wasn't. Sunday morning sounded something like:

Beck - She pulled my hair!
Lolo - He won't watch Daniel Tiger!
Hill - Can you two just be quiet for five minutes?
Me - Breakfast? I've been cooking for you kids all weekend. Cereal is in the cabinet.

It wasn't pretty. Then I stepped on a flashlight someone left in the middle of the kitchen floor and I momentarily left my body, and my father (who presumably also left his, I should ask him) inhabited my body and screamed: "The next toy I find lying on the ground is going in the garbage!"

Both kids stopped, stared at me and then fell to the floor in fits of hysterical laughter. I yell to that degree almost never so I'm glad I didn't make them cry...I think.

Today is now Monday and a collective sigh is heard around the country as most of the school age children in North America return to their regularly scheduled education. That includes my kindergartener, Beck. And while I reveled in the good parts, boy am I ready to be out of that house!

I know my husband will hate this post, because he's a screen writer and stay-at-home dad, so he doesn't get to remove himself, as it were. But having Beck back in school and getting Lolo back into her routine will certainly change the energy around here for the better. We had a nice bedtime tonight where I explained my outburst and the feelings around it and we all agreed we're ready to get back to normal life. Except Lolo, who is only okay with the normal routine if her and I are physically touching at all times.

And at work I'll tell everyone what a relaxing and rejuvenating start to the new year we had. That my two-year-old is the snuggliest of cuddlers and I don't care if she never grows out of this phase and about all the puzzles and games my five-year-old and I played together. I'll probably leave out the part about threatening to throw out all their toys though.