National Conference Widow

This week, over the past 8 or so years, has become a tradition of sorts for me and the kids. Jason is away at his National Conference, which this year is located in Nashville. While he is away from last Sunday to this Friday night, the kids and I are on our own. So far, we are managing things OK.  

The toughest part of the deal is the morning routine. Jason usually drops Josh and Lauren off at school before he leaves for the office. Mara and I are up and dressed, but aren't always ready for public consumption (aka face not done yet or still working on chores around the house before I leave). But this week, it has pushed the schedule into the "uncomfortable" level.  A reasonable person would forego a morning workout so as not to have to get up with the roosters. But I am just stubborn enough...and just close enough to a major weight loss milestone...that I am not about to let a 4:00 am wakeup call stand between me and a goal. So I have been on the treadmill around 4:15 each morning so far and have gotten my 50 minutes and 6500 steps and my plank time in before 5:30 am. That sounds like utter insanity as I type it. If it makes it any less insane, I should note that I have been sleeping in my workout gear to eliminate that hurdle at such an hour where even the smallest excuse to get up and get moving can turn into a good reason to just take a day off. 

The only time the wheels fall off of the Dugan family train is around 5:30 pm when I walk in from the office to a chorus of "Mommy can you...?" and "Mommy, I need..." and "What's for supper?" followed by "What's for supper?".  I then question my own sanity because, didn't I just answer that question?  But low blood sugar for the kids evidently affects their  hearing and also their ability to wait 5 cotton-picking seconds while I get to the business of making their supper. At least one more time I am interrogated about what we are having for supper. Usually by the same person who has already asked twice no more than three minutes earlier. 

This (sideways...seriously, Blogger) picture is about the extent of communication with Jason for the entire week. I give him credit because he always manages to find time to Face Time with the kids for a few minutes.  I say hello but it isn't the same as a real conversation. And we have already covered how the children don't exactly fill that gap.  I actually keep a list of things to tell Jason about when he returns.  Right now it includes things like weekend plans that I have finalized for a few weeks from now, the fact that I was #89 to vote in Turbotville this afternoon (I'm usually in the single digits...although by the looks of the news reports tonight it appears that my efforts made no difference whatsoever) and the fact that Mara can now read the names of all of her classmates in the hallway at school by sight.  Fascinating list, huh?  The fact that my list only has those three things on it doesn't say much about the conversational skills shared between me and my husband.

The kids and I try to do things that are fun while Daddy is away-- things that don't really require too much extra effort because...well, go back and revisit that part about 4:15 am and the roosters if you need a memory jogger.  We played outside literally all afternoon on Sunday even though I had 8 million things that needed my attention inside the house.  The kids seemed to enjoy that, and frankly, so did I.  We also took an opportunity to go out to eat at Ciro's.  The big deal there was that we stayed there to eat in the restaurant.  Normally, we grab takeout and bring it home where behavior can be addressed without making a scene.  But they did wonderfully, and we actually had the entire restaurant to ourselves.  Monday night we had a very fancy dinner, at the kids' request, of pancakes and bacon.  They all gobbled it up, which made for a happy Mommy and happy kids.  And let's face it-- that is the name of the game during weeks like this.  I expended some extra effort tonight and made us some meatloaf and macaroni & cheese (which I did not partake of because did you know there are 10 Weight Watcher points in one serving of low fat Velveeta Shells & Cheese...good grief).  But I've already resigned myself to the fact that tomorrow will be a Subway night so that we can make it to ballet on time without a huge kitchen mess to deal with when we get home. 

I am always hopeful that weeks like this are useful and productive for Jason, and help to fill his tanks with ideas and connections to move the business forward here at home.  In any event, we are almost to the half way point until Daddy's return on Friday night.  The house is locked down like Alcatraz (don't think I'm kidding) and this tired Mama is headed to bed.  4:15 will be here before we know it.

Things I've been loving lately...

I think it is only appropriate to begin this post with a little cheer for the fact that I have now posted something three days in a row.  And in case the six people who normally read this little blog haven't completely given up hope on me, I'm hoping you've all enjoyed some new material.  I am still in the "random iPhone photo" post mode at the moment, which means that nothing of real consequence has taken place over the past few days, but there are still some good things here.

So I thought I'd list a few things I've been having fun with lately, and that have brought some pleasure and happiness to our family over the last couple of weeks.



PIE FACE!

I'm pretty sure that, like the Fit Bit and skinny jeans and everything else that is cool, we are late to the party on this one.  But Jason came home a hero last Friday by buying this silly, silly game for us to play over the weekend.  We had such fun.  And the giggles were too numerous to count.  Essentially the point of the game is to earn points by NOT getting pied in the face with whipped cream.  But I think we all had more fun watching everyone get hit in the face with the mess than we cared about who was winning.  This will be a super fun game for a long time.  Grandma even got in on the action with us one night that she was there for supper.

COOKING THINGS THAT I WOULD NORMALLY CLASSIFY AS "TOO HARD FOR ME"

There has been a long running joke between my Mom and me that every time she makes pot pie for dinner, she doesn't tell me because she knows I would show up and plop myself right down to enjoy the one meal that makes me feel like my Grandma Mary is at the table with us.  There were a lot of special meals and memories of special meals that I cherish, but there was nothing that said love like her homemade pot pie.  So, on Jason and my anniversary, when we weren't able to find a babysitter so that we could go out to dinner together, I decided that I was going to make Gram's pot pie.  Which included the use of a rolling pin, which I have always said is against my religion.  (Until I started working on sugar cookies, which has made me rethink my opinion of the rolling pin.)  Anyway, I got to work on this little project in the morning and really had fun with it.  By supper time we had some delicious pot pie on the table and everyone gobbled it up.  I know Gram would have been pleased.  I'm not sure it was as good as hers always was, or Mom's is now, but it was a start.  And I will definitely try again.

THIS GIRL

I've been in utter amazement at the way Lauren has been growing and changing lately.  Physically she has grown inches.  In responsibility and independence, she has grown leaps and bounds.  I'm just so proud of her that I almost don't even know what to do.  Well, this past week she took another step into the land of being a big girl when she lost her very first tooth.  I had to laugh at the contrast between her and her older brother.  When Josh lost his first tooth, you'd have thought he was going to die--- from the screaming and the terror and the utter earth-ending way that he acted about it.  He was petrified of losing the tooth.  Lauren, on the other hand, was determined.  She wiggled and wiggled until she fell asleep one night.  And when she woke up the next morning and the tooth was still wiggly, she gave it a few more twists and soon was holding it in her hand.  She was so proud of herself and not one tear was shed.  

PAINTING

Jason's office hosted a client event at the Barn Owl studio last week (the same place we had Lauren's birthday party a few years ago) and I was lucky enough to get to attend-- it was a Ladies Night Out with wine and a catered supper from a local food truck caterer.  What a treat to get to go and do something like this while he had charge of the kids for the night.  We were working on a slate painting project and were told to pick anything we wanted to paint.  So I went to Pinterest and looked at all of the things I had pinned and ultimately picked this to paint.  It certainly isn't perfect, but I was awfully proud of how it had turned out (after I had a glass of wine even).  

CAMPING COUNTDOWN

We are all looking forward to the first camping trip of the season which will be here before we know it.  We have had such a great time camping, and are looking forward to about 5 trips this summer that will be great chances for us to get away and spend time together without the responsibilities that go along with being home.  I find that when I'm home, I have a really hard time disconnecting from the things that need to be done there-- the cleaning, the laundry, the projects that I never seem to get around to or have enough time for.  But when we're camping, we're just away together, with nothing to do except maybe a little bit of straightening or prep work for whatever we're having for dinner.  The work leading up to and following our trips is staggering, but I'm trying not to focus on that, and instead to be grateful for the time we'll get to have doing things together as a family. 

So...those are a few of the goodies I found on my phone to share today.  Lots of baking coming up in the next few days to get ready for some birthday treats Josh has next week, Teacher Appreciation Day luncheon that I'm helping to chair at the school that is going to require a whole lot of carrot cake cupcakes, and another birthday party where Josh will need some cupcakes to bring along.  How I'll manage to stay on track with my diet is going to be tricky, but I'll do my best.  Or just walk on the treadmill more.  I'd put my bets on the latter.

Proud Aunt Meg

Last weekend, the kids and I had an opportunity to make a flying trip to Lewistown to watch this sweet girl play in her very first piano recital.  We left church in a hurry, grabbed some Subway to gobble up in the car on the way, and even managed to squeeze in a little play time at Aunt Libby and Uncle Zig's house before it was time to head off to the church for the recital.  The kids all enjoyed the time with their cousins.

Brooke did a fabulous job with her song.  She has just started taking lessons not more than a few months ago, and marched up to the front and played her song like she was fearless.  I was so proud of her and I know her Mommy and Daddy, and Nana and Pap and Freda were as well.

I have to say that I felt like I was a little overwhelmed while sitting in the church as I was quite literally surrounded by all of these people who I knew from high school.  As I thought about it, I thought it only makes sense given the fact that we're all about the same age, which means our kids are all roughly around the same age, and doing all of these things together.  For anyone who has always lived in their own hometowns, I guess this sounds silly.  But I was literally excited/confused/flabbergasted to have a friend from high school sitting directly behind us, one sitting directly in front of us, the parents of another beside us and the shoe store clerk that I recognized as having fit me for one or thirty pairs of Stride Rites, Keds and all the way up to my beloved K-Swiss at Tom Johnson's Shoe Store with the little animal shaped seats that I used to love.  (I have a lot of memories of TJ's apparently-- we must have bought a lot of shoes.)  There were others that I knew I recognized but couldn't for the life of me put a name to their faces.  So I smiled and tried not to stare as I tried to figure out how to approach a conversation if one happened to come up.  You know the kind-- where you talk about general things enough to get through and just hope like heck you get a clue and can finally put all the pieces together.  Libby was kind enough to help me connect the dots after the recital.  There were a lot of "OH YEAH!" and "NOW I remembers" in that conversation.  And then I told her that living in Lewistown and running into all of those people all the time would take some getting used to.  I guess I'm used to some level on anonymity where we live-- where people may know me from what I do professionally, but who don't know anything about the kind of nerd I was in high school (who am I kidding-- I'm still one) or have any connection to those years of my life that I'd probably not be inclined to want to go back and do again. 

We ended our day with a little Gus's Pizza party at the Wray's house...always a treat to be able to enjoy that when we're home.  (It goes on the list with Southside Hoagies, OIP Taco Salads, Angelo's Salads and Bel-Vue Fish and Chips.)  Before we knew it, we were packing up and pointing the Suburban in the direction of home.  These days always seem like such a whirlwind, but I wouldn't miss it.   I want Brooke and Hayden to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I'll always be there for them, no matter what.  Super proud Aunt Meg day, for sure!



Spring!

This weekend was the kind of weekend we have been looking forward to-- beautiful weather and nothing critical that we needed to do. It was perfect!  We spent most of our time outside, went to two playgrounds and got Toby out for a nice walk twice. Tired kids and a tired pup equals a lot less struggles in the evenings!

We got to go to a birthday party for a while on Saturday afternoon, and the kids were thrilled to find a bounce house there for what little energy was left over after the playground and a walk and the first part of the afternoon having been spent outside. We got into the hot tub in the evening-- that's always a treat for them because we allow it so rarely. 

After church on Sunday after a harrowing experience in Wee Worship (with 17 2-5 year olds) in which I vowed to drink wine to drown my sorrows, we opted for a nice long walk to the kids' beloved "orange playground" (so named because the equipment there is...you guessed it...orange).  Then we cooked some yummy steaks and potatoes and also a concoction that my waistline never knew existed-- the glory that is called a chocolate chip pie. I was nervous up until the moment I cut into it that this was going to go on my board of Pinterest fails...but seriously, this was to die for. Which is precisely what I will need to do on the treadmill to burn that little sliver of pie off before Friday's weigh in.