Routine round-up

For only the second time ever, my wife and I are going away over night without our children. It's not as exciting as it sounds, although it is for a cool reason. My wife has been invited to be one of the featured speakers for a Women in Business seminar at a nearby University. Since the University is a couple of hours away, we thought it would be easier to go the night before. Of course, we found out last Friday that O has his science fair Wednesday and we're going to miss it. Nothing like a little guilt to serve you while you're gone. I think he'll live though, and it will give him something to tell his therapist later in life.

My mother will take care of our boys, staying over night at our house and taking them to school and activities the next day. We'll only be gone a little over 24 hours, but it's still a little hard and stressful to leave them. I was going to say I'm worried about them and their routine, but maybe I'm worried about me missing out on their routine. I know my mom will do a good job, and I know my boys will be good for her. At least they better be. I'll just miss them. It's actually comical the routine that I go through daily with the boys, especially when you have to sit down to explain it to someone. And it's just for one day. First O will have to make sure and get his homework done, this usually involves more time prodding and asking for it to be done than time spent doing it. Then the dinner where the prodding continues to eat their dinner good, unless of course it's pizza. The bed time is truly ritual. It starts with O going to the bathroom to do his daily duty. He will spend a good 15-20 minutes in there reading, until you finally tell him that is enough. You then have to continue to check if he is getting his pajamas on, because often times he'll just be in his room reading again, naked on his bed. Q is easy, help him get his pajamas, he'll put them on, and brush his teeth. Before you head in to bed all stuffed animals and blankets must be collected to sleep with. Then there is the "pee party", everyone has to go in and pee before bed to prevent accidents. First Q gets in bed, we sing him his song (both boys have their own specific made-up song to be sung before bed), give him a kiss and say goodnight. Then we go into O, he sings his song, then he gets his hug and kiss. Both boys have to have some water by their bed and Q has to have a red and blue binky. Then there is the morning ritual, O wakes up and reads in his room. Q wakes up and comes into me in bed, usually he'll climb in and snuggle for a second (one of my favorite things), then go find O. I'll come out and make O his frozen waffle with peanut butter and syrup, a glass of milk, and his medicine. Q will normally choose cereal, and usually it's special k with strawberries, but he will mix it up and have eggs sometimes. The problem is Q has to be goaded back to the table continually to eat, and then sometimes hand fed to make sure. Then the fun starts, trying to get O to get his uniform on for school. Q I just tell to go get dressed, but the 6 year old requires me to dress him or I go crazy trying to get him to do it fast enough. He never fails to complain about the uniform either, you'd think he would be used to it by now. Then the prodding to get on shoes and a jacket, a few times. Finally, do you have everything you want to bring? Of course not, go get it now, we are leaving. O gets dropped at school first, then Q and I park across the street (and we have to park in a specific spot) until it is time for him to go. If we ever have anywhere to go after school I have to bring a change of clothes and snacks, otherwise O will melt down. Forbid we should ever have to go anywhere in his uniform.

I think I've decided it's ok I miss the routine for one day now. My mom can read this for a refresher if she needs anything. It may not be too romantic, but it is a getaway.