Bad Week

It has been a bit stressful with work and everything lately to say the least - and I have been missing my boys/completely stressed around them.  Here are the low lights of a week at home while Joel Husband was in Canada - a week with two work events, lots of managed day care and lots of stress.

- Me yelling at James to stop sucking his fingers, when in actuality the sound I was hearing was him blowing me a kiss.

- Me freaking out that I missed the opportunity to have my boys watch Don't Eat the Pictures with me.  My favorite movie when I was younger, and we totally missed it.  I asked libraries if they have it, I thought about doing Amazon, but who wants to pay that much… and it is only in VHS.  We just totally missed the Sesame Street phase altogether.  This is probably good for a post all its own, but I'm not ready to go there yet.  I have decided this summer - when we get to the lake where I know there is a copy of Don't Eat the Pictures, we will all watch it and I will post then.

- Me picking up my kids from their various daycares and after school cares (jump rope club for Joel now) and spending an hour with them in which I mainly was upset about having to go to work, and then having a Babysitter feed them dinner and put them to bed while I went to work.  And then paying said babysitter more than I realistically will make that night.

There were also some good moments:

- Me teaching Joel and his friend from school how to play checkers.  Though, this turned into a bad moment of Joelly being unsportsmanlike and complaining that I taught him wrong and that is why he lost.  Then it turned funny again when I said "I have been playing checkers for 30 years, I taught you just fine."  He is still bitter.  And is convinced that our board game for checkers is not as good as the library one, so he will not be playing again anytime soon.  I bet you we can get him to play this weekend.

- Getting to wake my boys up two out of the three mornings this week.  With tons of kisses and hugs and loves.

- JOEL READING 1/2 of GREEN EGGS AND HAM.  I have been good and the two nights I have had with them we have read two books.  Tonight's book selection from Joel was Green Eggs and Ham.  AND HE READ IT HIMSELF!  It wasn't a "memorized" read it either, I could tell by the way he paused in between words.  He got to page 32!  And, then he was tired.  But still, it was awesome. James and I listened the whole time and congratulated him big time when he was done.

- Me playing Home Simpson Operation under Joel and James rules, and then allowing them, happily, to "operate" on me every so often - by using kids toy tweezers to take out my imaginary splinters all week.

- Watching the two of them play outside, without fighting, together, nicely, for over an hour tonight.

I did have a good week, the good outweighed the bad.  I know I need to spend less time concentrating and worrying about the time I am spending away and enjoying more the time I have, but nonetheless I am still sad.  This will be the toughest summer with my boys to date, and that includes by far the time I worked full time.  We will just need to manage one day at a time.  Another late work night tomorrow!  And next weekend, the first weekend of many Friday night and Saturday work days!