Oh The places you will go

Where have I been? I have been right here all along. However two things have been preventing me from blogging. First was Eric’s trip to Italy and France during Spring break. This kept me from blogging because my single parent coping methods are poor from non use and so are my methods for getting through a night when missing my spouse. Thus my life was Other and that Other did not include sitting at a computer and posting. But it did include lots of thoughts about posting.
The second item was that when Eric arrived home and I tried to upload his pics to our computer using Picasa, I discovered the program no longer worked. Of course we have several other programs (we have Photoshop for crying out loud) for uploading photos and editing them but the Picasa thing just bugged me so I had to fix it. Then in trying to fix that, I discovered that for some reason I could not use Internet Explorer from Eric’s account on our computer. Well that just wouldn’t do and so I set about correcting both these problems. Of course my knowledge of the computer is limited so fixing these problems involved some research and some hit and miss fixes. So whenever I sat down at the computer and thought about posting, I would first do a little “quick” research and then I would try a “quick” fix and soon my family would be melting from lack of attention and so I would have to pull myself away from the computer.
The good news is that I have now fixed both problems. (a google toolbar and iTunes with QuickTime were the culprits ) An added bonus is that our computer now opens programs much more quickly and runs more then one program at a time much more smoothly. And of course another bonus is that I can post again.
However, as it always is when I have not posted forever, I will need to do a blog blitz to purge my brain of the glut of posts I have in there but really do have the time or patience to post individually about. So you get highlights – or lowlights – only.
I fear this is rather long and most will not read it and that is fine. It is just something I must get out of the way.
So here it is –

Olivia cried the whole ride home (it is about a 20 minute ride) after we said goodbye to Eric at the airport. Occasionally she would forget she was sad and point something out like – Hey Mom there is the Target we used to go to - but then she would quickly remember her sadness and the anguish it was causing her and would succumb to loud sobbing. Jack was mad the whole way and would mutter – my airplane, My Airplane, MY AIRPLANE! – under his breath with varying intensity. And to think, Eric almost balked when the kids started carrying on at the Airport, hmmm I wonder if that had happened if I could have gotten on the plane instead??

Paper dolls. Whatever possessed me? Actually – Olivia making a paper shirt and skirt – both actually fit her – that prompted me to make paper dolls. The mistake was not just making a string of dolls that we just colored. Instead I made stand alone dolls for which we made various, somewhat interchangeable outfits. The following Saturday I succumbed and bought a book of paper dolls in order to extract myself from the paper clothes making business.

Every Morning while Eric was gone – 6:45 AM Jack shuffles into my room and climbs into bed. He checks to see if I am awake – Momma? Yes Jack? And then he would spend the next 30-45 minutes entertaining me. Talking, singing, playing and reading books. A delightful way to wake up!


Whenever we showed up at a different place while Eric was gone – church, school, restaurant, work, Target – Jack would scan the room and then turn and ask me – Where’s Daddy? As if he was just hiding from us and might pop up at any moment.
Meanwhile, Olivia made sure everyone we met, knew that Eric was gone – Daddy is in Rome. Daddy is in Paris. Daddy is in a plane on his way home.

Right after Eric left, the days were not good. Our regular rhythm was gone and I could not get a new one started. But by the end of the week, we had a new rhythm. And it was such a strong rhythm, that I actually had the strength and energy to take both my kids to Chilis for dinner.

P words that sum up our Spring Break –
Planes, parks, playgrounds, pals, paper dolls, programs, playing, pancakes, Paris and lots and lots of Prayer. (and just a wee bit of poopy pants)

And finally Things that make me ask – why did I ever think I could parent?

My almost 6 year refuses to learn to tie her shoes. I will learn when I am older she tells me.
Both of my children take way too much enjoyment out of perusing store ads.
Jack continually has a stuffy nose, or a runny nose, or a cough.
Olivia is on medication once again for a UTI
Olivia has started to sarcastically spell the word no instead of just saying it
Jack has learned how to maneuver his way around a room using only window ledges.
Our play room could outfit a small country with toys for all its children
Jack gets a daily note home telling us what he ate, if he used the bathroom and how he behaved – last Friday the teacher stated – Jack is telling the teacher – NO! - Welcome to my world
Whenever Olivia is punished she feels she needs to take the time to explain to me that I have hurt her feelings… isn’t that the point of punishment?? Am I allowed to say – that is the Holy Spirit convicting you?
Jack has decided that he doesn’t need to eat anymore or worse that he can just get his own food whenever he feels the urge to eat.
None of my children partake in organized extra activities – no sports, no dance, no musical instruction, no arts and crafts, no nothing
Whenever Jack enters a room where Olivia is already, she immediately runs from the room screaming – JACK IS TRYING TO GET ME!! To which Jack reacts by chasing Olivia and trying to “get” her.
Each day on the way home from school, Olivia will reach over and try and “hug” Jack to which he reacts by struggling to get out of the car seat and yelling – Livia Try and Get ME!!!! Which results in Livia trying even harder to hug him and me saying – Ok, NO HUGGING.
Yesterday I was trying to clean the deck – another futile task – and Olivia asked if she could help. I told her yes but she would have to wait just a minute until I could get away from whatever I was doing at the moment. Later Jack was standing and watching Olivia and she told him – Jack, you can’t help me know but in a minute you can help once I have finished what I am doing. OH MY WORD, did she not get the memo to be BETTER than me and not the same as me??


That’s it. Hopefully I can now get back to regular posting.