It's a rough life, he says, sipping on Mommy's Coke as we wait to pick up little brothers from preschool.
Today was the little guys last school day of the week (teacher work days the rest of the week, including our home visit with Xander's teacher on Friday afternoon). And that means today was the last day of the week that Connor and I could do something fun together.
We opted for our once-a-week lunch out, and with all the rain decided on Chick-fil-a. I'll give you one guess as to why. It involves large plastic cars and slides which are not outside in the rain. Daddy even met us there today, and that was a special treat for everyone! He left to go back to work, and we stayed for the afternoon (until it was time to pick up brothers). I read a magazine at a table just outside the play area while Connor played with the other kids coming and going during the busy lunch hour. Who knew you could spend hours of fun at a fast-food restaurant, all while being offered free refills and not being rushed out the door!
With three boys in three classrooms at two different schools, we're slowly working out a schedule. On the days everyone is in school, I usually run short errands (an hour or less, which is all I have with their staggered pick-up and drop-off times) or try to do things around that house that aren't feasible with three little boys running around (like washing all the laminate wood floors or taking the puppy on a much needed walk).
At least one day, Connor and I do a grocery run to whichever store has the best deals of the week. He prefers Kroger (for their car carts, of course) and Meijer (where if you pay a dollar, you can watch Thomas the Tank television while Mommy shops). We, of course, must look at toys if the store has them. But we only look, and he knows that's the case. Mostly we pick up the essentials for the week.
The other two days are up for grabs, assuming that the little guys cooperate and actually go to school all week. We try to do fun things, like visits to the children's museum or the park. As summer comes along, we'll probably even make a visit or two to the pool. We also like the library, where we get new books to read every few weeks. Connor's favorites are Curious George and Thomas the Tank. He also likes just about anything with trucks. Mommy likes Dr. Suess. We're also working on a "50 List" of books to read before kindergarten, and we're about half-way there.
These are our "Mommy & Me" days. I'm trying to make the most of this time at home with the kids. One of these days I will probably need to go back to work, especially in this economy. So we try to balance what needs to be done with a few fun and relatively inexpensive things, too. I only wish the little guys could have the same kinds of one-on-one experiences, too. But with school and work schedules, that opportunity just isn't there. That's why I also do crazy things like take all three of them to the park, by myself!
Of course, summer's coming. Connor's last day of school is next week, and the little guys will finish their school in early June. And our schedule will change yet again. So it goes . . .