My husband went to Kansas City for the day. Left at 430 this morning which means I've been up since 3AM.
I never sleep through the night and when I have somewhere to go the next day, I wake up even more frequently. I realize I wasn't the one doing the going this morning but I was still waking every 30 minutes in anticipation of his alarm going off and him getting up.
so yes, 3AM.
Then he left. I was so tired but kept hearing noises.
I know. I'm 41. You would think I wouldn't be afraid to be by myself in a dark house.
But I am.
So I would close my eyes and open them. And then I would close them..notice the pattern?
So where am I going with this?
I just assumed my day would end up they way it began..crappy.
Au contraire!
I woke up the boys who were perfectly happy to have Mommy wake them up for a change. (Are you all in shock that I never wake up my children? That's what happens when you have a husband who doesn't care to sleep in. Or one who is just a great guy. You pick which one you want to go with...)
So I wake up two happy children who get themselves dressed, eat breakfast (okay, Youngest eats breakfast), go off to school and leave me until 1:30 because today is Monday.
Monday = Lunch Bunch Day.
Lunch Bunch Day= 2 extra hours of ME time while my youngest son gets to enjoy lunch and socialization time with 7 other preschoolers.
The other Mom's and I are rallying to make Lunch Bunch an every day occurrence but so far we only got it to be 2 days/wk starting in January. No complaints here. Two, after all, is better then one.
Okay, so I have 2 extra hours (which were spent bringing my Dad to a cardiology apt but that's okay. It's still 2 hours of quiet time)
And then something shocking happens...my day remains nice. Nice and actually..pleasant.
My children got along. They listened. They played nicely together. There was no whining (okay, very little whining) and before I knew it, bedtime was upon us and I got through a day which I thought would be crappy.
I then think to myself.
Self? Why was today so great? I didn't do anything different (other than wake up my kids. I was really hoping that wasn't the reason for their good behavior because frankly, I like my husband waking them up)
Then of course. It hit me.
It's Hanukkah (A holiday which has something like 8 different spellings)
A holiday which my children are now at the age to understand.
They dont understand the reason behind the eight nights.
They dont understand why we light candles or why we sing "the song" while we do this.
They DO, however, understand presents.
Yes, the reason to why my children behaved so beautifully today. They knew the end of the day was bringing them presents.
I finally caught on half way through the afternoon when oldest child asks me "Is tonight a share night?" (A share night means they share a toy. Some nights they get their own gift. Others they share) Tonight was a mix. They got to open Mickey Mouse underwear and socks (I know this doesn't sound thrilling to us but honestly, they LOVED it) and then a SHARE toy of a Velcro tag game (which could be interpreted almost as a child's version of paint ball)
So I have 4 more days to enjoy the behavior of my children until the holiday season ends.
And then I will begin to think to myself..
Every day should be Hanukkah.
I never sleep through the night and when I have somewhere to go the next day, I wake up even more frequently. I realize I wasn't the one doing the going this morning but I was still waking every 30 minutes in anticipation of his alarm going off and him getting up.
so yes, 3AM.
Then he left. I was so tired but kept hearing noises.
I know. I'm 41. You would think I wouldn't be afraid to be by myself in a dark house.
But I am.
So I would close my eyes and open them. And then I would close them..notice the pattern?
So where am I going with this?
I just assumed my day would end up they way it began..crappy.
Au contraire!
I woke up the boys who were perfectly happy to have Mommy wake them up for a change. (Are you all in shock that I never wake up my children? That's what happens when you have a husband who doesn't care to sleep in. Or one who is just a great guy. You pick which one you want to go with...)
So I wake up two happy children who get themselves dressed, eat breakfast (okay, Youngest eats breakfast), go off to school and leave me until 1:30 because today is Monday.
Monday = Lunch Bunch Day.
Lunch Bunch Day= 2 extra hours of ME time while my youngest son gets to enjoy lunch and socialization time with 7 other preschoolers.
The other Mom's and I are rallying to make Lunch Bunch an every day occurrence but so far we only got it to be 2 days/wk starting in January. No complaints here. Two, after all, is better then one.
Okay, so I have 2 extra hours (which were spent bringing my Dad to a cardiology apt but that's okay. It's still 2 hours of quiet time)
And then something shocking happens...my day remains nice. Nice and actually..pleasant.
My children got along. They listened. They played nicely together. There was no whining (okay, very little whining) and before I knew it, bedtime was upon us and I got through a day which I thought would be crappy.
I then think to myself.
Self? Why was today so great? I didn't do anything different (other than wake up my kids. I was really hoping that wasn't the reason for their good behavior because frankly, I like my husband waking them up)
Then of course. It hit me.
It's Hanukkah (A holiday which has something like 8 different spellings)
A holiday which my children are now at the age to understand.
They dont understand the reason behind the eight nights.
They dont understand why we light candles or why we sing "the song" while we do this.
They DO, however, understand presents.
Yes, the reason to why my children behaved so beautifully today. They knew the end of the day was bringing them presents.
I finally caught on half way through the afternoon when oldest child asks me "Is tonight a share night?" (A share night means they share a toy. Some nights they get their own gift. Others they share) Tonight was a mix. They got to open Mickey Mouse underwear and socks (I know this doesn't sound thrilling to us but honestly, they LOVED it) and then a SHARE toy of a Velcro tag game (which could be interpreted almost as a child's version of paint ball)
So I have 4 more days to enjoy the behavior of my children until the holiday season ends.
And then I will begin to think to myself..
Every day should be Hanukkah.
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