T minus Two

I'm so terribly tired. So tired that the lines on this here excel spreadsheet I'm working on are blurring together. I blame the Sudafed. I blame the Sudafed mixed with DayQuil, and I blame Sean. No, just kidding. Granted, he is in San Antonio for work this week. He's managed to work out, watch the series each night and have quiet evenings in his hotel room. But he also misses us, is sick too and evidently the conference he's at is serving the worst food known to man.

It's his longest trip since having two kids, and quite frankly the hardest trip yet. It's weeks like this that give me such a complete admiration for single mom's & dad's. It's weeks like this that make me appreciate my husband and how involved with our kids he is. Although the weekend was nonstop and I didn't have but a few minutes to myself, today I started the logistical nightmare of getting everyone up and out, to school, to work and tonight I'll run the dinner, bath, bed, prepare for the next day marathon alone. In hopes, that some quality time with each child will present itself. It's always being late and behind and it's squeezing all the things I can't do at home while here at work into 1 1/2 hours. It is a price I pay in working 4 tens. I'm out early, I'm home late but that Monday home with the kids has so far seemed worth these horrendous days. God BLESS my dear mom who also works these long hours so she can help me and my sister by taking the three kids on Fridays. God freaking bless her.

We've had some great times over the past few days. Friday we had my nephew over for a slumber party. Saturday morning, Ian blessed me with one of his 'I'm going to get up at 5am days', and this is sorta where my sleep ceased for the weekend. Saturday was beautiful. The kids and I spent much of the day outside raking up 7 giant bags of leaves. I did my best not to get frustrated as they jumped in my pile, picked up giant handfulls and ran around the yard re-distributing my hard work. I had to convince Alex that it was not appropriate to break out the swim pool at the end of October even though she insisted it was obviously summertime and she knew exactly where her swim suit was.

Saturday night, my sis returned the babysitting favor and I ventured out for a friends Birthday Bunco Bash. I had far too much fun, got home far too late and 10 minutes after falling asleep I had a visitor.

"Mommy?"

"Yes."

"Where's Daddy?"

"He's at work."

"Why is he at work in the night?"

"Well, he had to get on an airplane and fly far away. He's not really working right now, he's sleeping in his hotel. Now come on, go back to bed. Mommy's tired."

"Can, I sleep with you?"

Afraid she'd wet my bed, forever ruining my beloved 'novaform mattress topper' I said "No, go back to your bed."

I rolled over to urge her back and found her in my bed, laying on her back. Asleep and SNORING. How about an award for the worlds fastest 'fall sleep' ever. After an hour I carried her back to her bed. To avoid knocking her head on the doorjam I hit the door with her feet, slamming the door into the wall and therefore waking Ian. After settling him back down I stumbled back to my room for a whopping 3 hours of sleep when my trusty alarm clock (Ian) woke me up.

Ian and I woke up with our 3rd round of cold symptoms this cold/flu season. woot woot! We spent the majority of sunday cleaning house, doing laundry, running errands and overall whining at each other. That night I quite possibly had the worst hour in my parenting life, and I was alone. It was the bedtime hour which can be hectic enough but this time I had a 'napless, not feeling good' Ian and a 'jealous of all the attention he got all day, tantrum throwing" 3 year old.
Monday I was sure we all just had a case of cabin fever and we met a friend for a play date. We hit up the park for a few hours and later DQ. It was a good day.

Today, not so much. Within a 10 minute period of time this morning Ian submerged both his bedtime pull toy lion in a pee filled toilet, and my Blackberry in a soap & water filled kitchen sink. He pooped on the way to daycare, and I forgot to leave Alex's carseat so she could go to gymnastics today. I wonder sometimes what my friends and family think of this high strung, forgetfull, space cadet I have become. As a self proclaimed control freak, one would assume I have but an ounce of control over anything. I miss order, cleanliness, stuffed toys not soaked in urine and today I miss my cell phone, my kids and my husband. I must admit, I've felt somewhat sorry for myself a few times the last couple days. But each time, it doesn't last long. I know there are men and women out there who do this everday. Who juggle life, kids, and jobs and who don't know what it is to have someone step in and say, "let me get this, you go take 5".

Some quotes of the weekend:

Caden: "Aunt Carrrrriiiieeeee, I swallowed my gum! Now it's in my neck."

Alex: "Mom, what is this?"
Me: "It's Edamame."
Alex: "Well this one is small, is it's name Edababy?"

Alex: "Ian Patrick Kolburn, get down from there!"

Me: "Alex, what is your birthdate?"
Alex: "May and a half"

What I've learned this week:

1.Taking the garbage out sucks. I realized with Sean gone, this task was falling into my hands. What? I literally didn't know how to do it and after Sean didn't pick up the phone, had to call my dad for 'recycling etiquette' assistance of which I found all too time consuming and dumped it all together, ignoring all rules of separation.

2. 3 & 4 year olds can not, and should not be expected to fall asleep in the same room. Ever.

3. Toilet seats should come complete with automatic closure and lockdown, only to be opened with a 5 digit pin.