Loooonnnngg Days

 Good Morning!

The days are sooooo long when David travels.  Weekdays aren't quite as bad as Madeline and I are used to not having David home during the day anyway.  Also, weekdays include activities such as school, ice skating, swim, library story time, playgroups, etc.  By the time evening comes around I am ready to veg on the couch.  However, THE WORST are the weekends that David is gone.  We normally fill our weekends with family time which is a nice switch for Madeline since come Friday night, Madeline is fairly bored with me and she is usually enjoying the idea of extra Papa time.  Although David is not usually away over the course of a weekend, his travel itinerary worked out in such a way that he is not returning home until Sunday night.  And so, weekends when David is away is spent trying to fill the minutes (and keep everything & everyone in one piece) until David gets home.

Satisfied "Customer"

Friday night was a great start to this long weekend.  It was our monthly MOMS not out for the MOMS Club that I belong too.  On tap for this month was a game night at another MOMS' house.  Under normal circumstances, these "MOMS nights out" (MNO) are off limits.  The husbands know that that they have kid duty so that we women can enjoy an activity that we plan for that particular month.  Without David or a sitter, I was going to have to decline game night.  Yet, Mary (the hostess) offered to have Madeline play with her daughter (who happens to be in Madeline's Pre-K class) while her husband kept an eye on the kids.  I was thrilled to get that night out with the girls and Madeline was thrilled to play with Michellyn.  Although, Madeline was technically part of the MNO, the playroom was in a separate part of Mary's house that it was easy to forget that kids were even around......so much so that I completely lost track of time.  I thought I was doing good by leaving early to get Madeline to bed but I was amazed that it was 10pm when I was getting into the car to go home.  What a refreshing evening!  In addition to the game night, Mary also gave me TWO tubs of maternity clothing.  Her son, was born last August.  I am soooo looking forward to sorting through all of this and trying everything on.  Thanks Mary!

Do you think Madeline is counting the days 'til she is 16?

Saturday morning, I asked Madeline what she wanted for breakfast.  She told me "happy face eggs".  I must've had my short-order cook hat on because I obliged.  As I cooked, Madeline drew pictures of how the eggs should look.  She requested everything from a dog's face to a kitty's face, and even a pony's face.  I was happy when she mentioned Rapunzel because adding some shredded cheese for "hair" on the eggs satisfied Madeline's craving.....WAIT!!! I thought *I* was supposed to be the one with cravings!

Later in the afternoon, Madeline and I did a girls' lunch a Wendy's.  What the heck, I had some coupons for free fries and free Jr. Frostys so....okay, twist my arm.  After a mother-daughter lunch, Madeline and I headed over to the local mall to spend some time in the play area.  Madeline enjoyed running around like a little monkey and Mama-Dirtyfoot enjoyed sitting.  Afterward, Madeline of course had to partake in the obligatory merry-go-round ride.  MILESTONE ALERT....this was the first time I didn't have to help her onto the ride.  She did it all by herself.  :-(  She is growing so quickly!!  At least she still waved to her Mama when she  would spin past me.  It was so hard trying to capture her picture with the merry-go-round spinning so quickly.

No help from Mama :-(  Off she goes....

Another "issue" when David is gone is dinnertime.  I typically love cooking but I don't have much desire to cook when David is gone.  Hoping Madeline would come up with some brainstorm idea, I asked her what she wanted for dinner and she requested that we make pizza.  Okay....three not exactly low-fat meals in one day but, what the heck.  I figured I could ease my guilty conscience by piling extra veggie toppings on my individual pizzas.  We headed to the grocery store for a quick toppings stop and home we went.

Pic taken Dyngus Day '10 but fitting for this blog post.

On the way home, we girls were getting silly again.  In a stern voice I would called , "Madeline Olga...." and when Madeline would respond, I would softly tell her that I love her.  After a while, I would do this again and Madeline would sternly reply, "Mama Olga....".  Cute, but the only problem is that my middle name is not Olga.  I decided to take this opportunity to teach Madeline to respond "Matka Moja" (Polish - my mother).  The exchange between us continued: (sternly) "Madeline Olga..."  Madeline would laugh and I would tell her to say "Matka moja".  Madeline would laugh more and respond in a stern voice, "Matka Poopie".  So much for a Polish lesson, I thought.  However, when we arrived home and I unloaded the car, Madeline was dilly dallying around coming into the house.  Finally I warned Madeline, "I am going inside now" as I headed into the house.  Madeline quickly ran, following me up the driveway yelling at the top of her lungs, "Matka moja! Matka moja!"  Ahhhh...my parents would be so proud.

Whewww!! I made it!  Now, what to do tomorrow???