2.04.2009

Day 3

It was Day 3 of no Captain America. We were all doing surprisingly well until about 5:30 today. They're starting to miss Daddy, so I'm losing them. They're done listening and are rather cranky. I have lost my steam. Thank you Jesus, he comes home tomorrow. I don't think the cabin fever of more below freezing and below zero temps have helped either.

I am not a rough houser. I am the paranoid mom of girls. I see every near injury. So I generally don't even watch the rough housing. Needless to say, the girls are missing it.

Today the girls told me their favorite thing about Daddy is when he plays Tickle Monster. Their favorite thing about me is a hug (I was so relieved. I had braced myself for something much less lovey. Like "I love when you let me do what I want" or something).

I made a funfetti cake today. Because nothing announces "Daddy's gone but we're still having fun dagnabbit" like funfetti. After one piece Natalie announced she wanted another one. I said no. "Then I'm not giving you any monkey hugs." Nice. Moment one for today of my children trying to lord something over me.

Then they had baths, but each cried because they had to miss part of Mary Poppins (it's working -- an obsession to replace Annie!!). Generally speaking, baths are my least favorite parenting task. There's not much I mind doing with my kids, but I don't enjoy bathtime. They fight over who goes first. I have to argue through hair washing. "Tilt your head back, lean back, farther, tilt it more, just tip it back, tip, Tip, TIP..." Then they refuse to get out. "But I haven't gotten to play yet." And then, I have to drain the tub and start all over. We cry through hair combing. We want to hang out in robes all night and never get dressed. But tonight, in an effort to miss as little Mary Poppins as possible, we whipped right through it.

Then for fun, they got mad at me about something else and Ella said, "Well I don't want bunk beds anymore. I want my room back," because she is only 5 but still has an idea of how to be manipulative. They always go right back to wanting to share a room, because I think they feel more safe having each other in there. But I'm getting tired of the argument. While I love having an office, and moreso love having my kitchen/dining area back, they don't ever really let me be alone in here anyway. Either they're in here all the time, or they're running & yelling past the door. So I'm torn.

Captain America, come home. I'm not even coherent without you here anymore.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

DH was gone for 5 days last week and I almost lost my mind. I was starting to not even recognize my children, they were behaving so poorly. Then Dad came home, and voila, our children are back. Irritating. And BTW, I don't enjoy bathtime either and am grateful that generally, DH takes that duty for me.

Kate said...

I hope he's home now--life is just so exhausting when Daddy isn't around. And as for musical movies, Besides Mary Poppins(which we watched daily, sometimes twice, for about 6 months in a row last year) I recommend The Muppet Movies, or dvds of the original tv show. Unless the Muppets freak the girls out, cuz that would be bad. But sidenote, do NOT get them the care bears movie if they haven't seen it yet. It is weird and scary and bound to cause many nightmares, esp. for your 3 yr old.