And only 8 more to go.
I really can’t complain because the kids have been uncommonly good. So to all of you who are praying and thinking good thoughts for me…big kisses and hugs and thank yous because it’s making a difference and I truly truly truly appreciate it.
The hard part, besides balancing everything on my own, is stuff like the bills (which are locked in Justin’s secret Quicken files on his big scary Mac), trying to communicate with aforementioned Gatekeeper of the Quicken so they don’t re-po my internet service (no cell service in the Alaskan wilderness…and only a tiny bit of dodgey DSL available on alternate hours on alternate days), and trying to get in bed before 1am (hasn’t happened since last Thursday).
You’d think if I’m staying up till 1am I would actually be getting some stuff done, like talk to my husband who is hunkered down in minus 35 degree cold, four time zones behind me. Or that I might be cleaning my house from under the storm of paperwork as I try to figure out which bills are due when, old school style, yo. Or thinking of better ways of distracting the children from missing their father. Or mopping my floor that has started to pull our socks off. Or mopping my basement floor in preparation of long-term storage of our friend’s dismantled pool table. Or at least picking the toys up off the floor so I quit falling on them after tripping from the floor grabbing my socks.
Nope. Instead I am working working working. Friday night was work. Saturday night was waiting up to hear from Justin that he made it from San Francisco to Kotzebue, Alaska safely, only to give-up and go to bed, finding out in the morning there was no cell service in Kotzebue. Sunday was getting caught-up on laundry because I realized it was Sunday and the kids had no clean clothes. Yesterday was work. Tonight will be work. Tomorrow night will be work. And Friday night will be work.
But my friends have been awesome and wonderful and taken pity on me. Friday night (before I had to work), Dave and Kari invited me and the boys over for pizza and a movie. Quick note on that? The Tinker Bell movie is actually kinda funny! They also invited us over for dinner on Saturday night. And on Sunday night Eric and Andrea made chili for football dinner, and all I had to bring was cookies and my kids. Then…THEN!…Kari gave us a Mac-N-Cheese lasagna for us to eat sometime this week (we ate it last night, Kari…it was yummy!).
So besides work taking things out on me for having three weeks of general quiet, I have had some fun incidents with the kids. Like Cooper falling off the steps and landing flat on his back. On our wood floor. Thank goodness he had his huge stay-puff marshmallow style winter coat on–he wasn’t hurt, just scared. And now? It’s kind of funny now because all you heard was a dull *poooof* then him winding up to holler. I also found out where to look for Gavin’s secret stash of magazines or drugs once he’s a teen because when I was changing his sheets on his bed Saturday, I found three..THREE…wet Pull-Ups* stuffed deep between his mattress and headboard. I have no clue how long they were there, but that explains the strange pee smell that prompted me to change his sheets in the first place. I nearly killed him…but instead I growled “get in time-out”, where he stayed while I disinfected his bed, until about 20 minutes later when I heard him plea-bargaining “I wanna do what works!”**

don't worry, it's not loaded
I also captured this. Cooper has generally ignored the cats up until recently. This had actually been going on for a good two or three minutes before I finally found my camera to record it.
Cooper and Oscar from Colleen Rummel on Vimeo
*Gavin sleeps like the dead. No joke. The picture was actually taken with his bright bedroom light on and using the flash, while Gavin was sleeping. He never even flinched. Which means he doesn’t flinch or wake-up should he need to empty his bladder.
**Daycare philosophy is that there’s no bad kids, just behaviors that “don’t work”.
5 Comments
I love how you took your boys to see Tinkerbell. π Also, that kitty video is so sweet! I love the little sounds he is making. I wish I had recorded more of my daughter at that age. I think I was too busy freaking out… π Only eight days to go!
I’m awed that you’re still so positive after so many days of Justin being gone- you’re amazing. JP was out of town last night and I was feeling rather sorry for myself! Glad the kids are behaving (pull-ups aside) and loved the video of Cooper and the cat π
Cooper is a little doll, so sweet, and VERY good with the cat! Oscar has the patience of a saint, especially for a cat!
Oh, and your floor looks shiny and clean! I LOVE that about wood and laminate floors!
Was that Oscar purring? And three wet Pull Ups! No way!!! Sounds like something my boys would have done.
Cooper is so darling.
Actually, that was one of my dogs snorting in the background. I’m not being mean when I call them piggies. π