My dear hubby left town this morning for a brief business trip. While I'm generally a fairly frugal person, when left on my own, I'm really not to be trusted.
No sooner had I dropped Jason off at his rental car than the kids conned me into frozen yogurt at Menchies. What can I say? I have a weakness for popping boba. We spent a delightful hour and a half coloring and enjoying our sweets before tumbling into the car to head home.
Or, almost home. First we had to swing by a Redbox to pick up Journey 2: A Mysterious Island--the girls' strange new favorite. I probably drove an extra two miles out of the way to find an outside rental box, rather than dragging the troops all the way into the grocery store that was right on the way home. What can I say? When the weather soars above 100, anything goes.
Back in private quarters, I turned the lunch making over to the girls so that I could have more time to indulge in my novel, a historical fiction book Moloka'i. Normally no one is allowed to eat downstairs, but given the special circumstances I let them dine by the Blu-Ray so I could have more peace. I did make sure they each had an apple to munch, so I can't be that bad of a mother, right?
Even though my novel wasn't finished, I did rouse myself from the sofa when I heard the DVD playing for the second time around. (At least I think it was the second time... It surely couldn't have been a third... could it?) Once again, I was easily suckered, this time into going to Learning Express, our favorite toystore, for playtime.
Who was I kidding? Even though we talked in the car ahead of time about how we weren't going to buy anything, I walked out with three full bags. (Actually, I only carried one bag. While the kids may not love to help with everything, when it comes to toting toys, they willingly oblige.) Truth to be told, the munchkins were very well-behaved. They hardly asked for a thing. But as for myself, I shouldn't be left unattended. With Melissa and Doug puzzles priced to go at Buy One Get One, I just couldn't resist. After all, there are birthdays and Christmas and friend's birthdays and next Christmas... I checked out once, but while I was waiting for the free gift-wrapping, I discovered another entire aisle of BOGO. And all of a sudden, oh, we just HAD to have some more goodies to entertain us on our upcoming drive to New York. Before I knew it, I was standing at the cash register once more. See? I'm really not to be trusted.
Hungry from having blown the day's budget, I initiated the next move. Dinner out in exchange for kidcare at the rec center, both tonight and tomorrow morning. We had a deal. (While the kids usually enjoy the Rec Center childcare, they still fuss if I try to drag them there too often.) As I waddled onto the treadmill after, I wondered whose brilliant idea it was to eat at Taco Bell before attempting strenuous exercise...
Fortunately I survived, and so did the children. We finished off the evening with skee-ball and air-hockey before returning home to act out a few Bible stories. Eli latched onto a battle scene reenactment, and gleefully swung his imaginary sword for the next thirty minutes before finally drifting off to sleep. (Okay, the sword only became imaginary after he poked Talia with the sharpened pencil he'd commandeered.)
And now, I really ought to go fold some laundry or scrub some toilets or mop the floor. (Fortunately there aren't too many dishes, gracias a Taco Bell.) But I won't. Because my book isn't finished, and left alone, I'm really not to be trusted.
***
Come home soon and safely, PB. We need you in more ways than you know... :)
4 comments:
Hahaha - so fun to turn your hubby's business trip into your vacation time. It's a mother's secret weapon against insanity, I truly believe. Sounds like a very interesting novel. I must check into it.
Mr. M is leaving town for 2 weeks soon, and I will also be on my own with the kids.
Sometimes when I'm sucked into a book and I also want to have a clean house, I let myself read a chapter, then I set the timer for 15 minutes to clean. I usually continue alternating until I finish the book. It's a slower cleaning process, but it's fairly enjoyable:)
Here at this all-inclusive moon palace resort in Cancun I honestly have not had much trouble finding food, recreation options, or even someone to clean up my messes. Right now I am pool side reading your pathetic blog entry. The temperature right now is in the low 80s, and the sea breeze is very pleasant.
Somehow your indulgences seem tame compared to mine. Oh wait, here comes an attendant with my lemonade. I was beginning to worry that I would have to get wet again and use the swim up bar. One of my biggest challenges is deciding which of my many Kindle books to read! I can be trusted, however the views around this pool are rather distracting! Only three more days of this torture before I have to return home and go back to work. At least I'm not going to waste my time watching Journey 2 again!! So, go easy on yourself, you are still a good and trustworthy mom and wife. When you finish reading your novel you might try reading the Book of Mormon. Although it may be set in the Yucatán peninsula, I do not see much evidence here at the resort. However, I do see a great and spacious building. Now if I can just find a way to bend this iron rod so that it passes through the lobby. ... Hmmm
Ha! I know exactly where you're coming from. In day-to-day living, I rarely attribute my actions to Bobby's influence, but when he's gone, IT SHOWS! It's more of a vacation when he's gone than when we're all on vacation. Haven't quite figured out why yet.
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