The second week of December

POST FROM before my vacation started. Found it in my drafts

Friday

I return from my out of town trip.

R is always cool and distant when I return  for he is a child of much self respect.

We drive to the cabin

After much groveling and wheedling on my part,  he is mollified

I have a surprise for him 

The Mozart Brahms  CD  which was our bedtime music  has become completely scratched owing to R's penchant for carrying it around .

The old CD now skips and drags and causes R to weep piteously

But unbeknownst to him I have ordered a new one ( for the princely sum of 2.95 from the ubiquitous Amazon )

And he is delighted when the dulcet sounds of Mozart fill the room with no interruptions

Saturday and Sunday

Apart from taking a walk I accomplish nothing too - its just sooo relaxing

We loll in front of the fireplace - R plays with his numbers .

 He is learning to say them in Spanish though I know no Spanish  - Nada

 R holds up numbers like "101"- he scans my face eagerly for me to say the numbers in Spanish but  I am nonplussed

"Cero" he hints

I am useless  and he looks away in disgust

We go to Wal-mart

R surprises us with his great eagerness  to go - but we realize that its because he is on a mission to collect the candles in the shape of numbers

In front of the candle display he is transfixed however and cannot make up his mind

We tell him he needs to pick up only one

But he cannot choose and starts to wail -

As our policy is to not tolerate bad manners - we cannot give in and we tell him no candles and leave the store  -

R dances like an angry dervish and everyone stares at us ( no doubt thinking "useless parents") but somehow we really dont care

Boundary setting is soooo important 

On my trip I had a Salad from the California Pizza Kitchen that had Jicama in it and I am mad for this new ingredient and we hunt for it in two stores and I make a salad full of ingredients that contradict but somehow is delicious

Sunday and Monday

Are days of stress, evenings of ceaseless toil and nights of insomania

Tuesday

LOOOOOOONG day at work

I am very worried about what we will feed R in the cruise as he eats 4 things and I know that without these he will starve !!!

But otherwise I am looking forward to not coming to work with an eagerness that is painful

Not only is the office horribly busy for me  - home is terribly busy  as we  have to get Christmas cards send out, gift cards done.

Luckily DH takes on the large part of this and I simply make lists and hand them over to him. Really I dont know how couples where both work outside the home - get it all done

I rush home in the afternoon as DH and I are playing tag team with me handing things off and him picking things off.

Plus all must be timed perfectly as R is home from school ( snow day ).  This means I must go home when he and DH are out.
 ( Otherwise there will be MAJOR drama - like you would not beleive- when I have to leave for office. He can easily behave like a 2 year old with separation anxiety. Not too surprising really . DH and I speculate that 2 is really his emotional age  )

When I go home - our cleaning lady is there and I dawdle gossiping with her. She describes her current conundrum. One of the people she cleans house for has asked her out to dinner. We discuss the pros and cons and consequences  ( pros= nice,clean, makes jokes;  cons- no spark)
Its very nice to gossip and I waste a lot of time ( which I dont have ) and then its back to hurry and worry
Finally the long day is over.

 As I leave the office and say a triumphant goodbye to my friends says grimly

" I heard all the flights are delayed out of the airport"

Another friend adds

"Its the worst time of the year to go to Disney.. the crowds will be insane"

I reply  gleefully

" But it will be sunny  everyday and I wont be working"

And I cannot think of a bettter exit line