SOMETHING I DIDN'T EXPECT

The past 8 days, Andrew and our 3 older kids have been on a mission trip through our church.  

For many reasons, our 2 little boys and I couldn't go on the trip, the biggest reason being the little boys: haha.  Actually, I'm not kidding- the sightseeing portion of the trip was a visit to the Grand Canyon.  I'm pretty sure that taking our boys to the edge of the Grand Canyon, especially our impulsive, fear-of-nothing little guy, would be the worst idea in the world!

This meant for the past 8 days, I have been solo parenting our two goofballs.  

I was very nervous about this week.  Watching our boys means being on constant alert because the boys do not have very good safety awareness.  Whatever their hearts desire is what they do without giving much thought to the consequences.  I was worried that me being on 24/7 alert without any help or backup would be awfully overwhelming.  What if one of them got hurt or sick on my watch? I also worried that if I would get sick or hurt (I am a bit clumsy), I wouldn't have any backup to fill in for me.  

So as much as I was thrilled that Andrew and the kids were able to go on this mission trip, I was very anxious about being alone with the boys.  I spent a lot of time praying for wisdom, protection, and patience this past week.  

And wouldn't you know?  God came through in an amazing way!  He surprised me!  Here are somethings I didn't expect to feel from my week alone with our dynamic duo:

1. Our boys are a lot of fun! I mean I knew they were fun, but I didn't expect to have so much fun with them in what I thought would be a stressful week of being all alone with them. But I really enjoyed hanging out with them.  Of course, they are exasperating at times, but aren't we all?  For the most part, Ben and Jonah are just cute and funny little boys who love to have play and have fun!  I think because I had less people to focus on in the house, I was able to really appreciate the boys and their cuteness.  

2. Our boys have a nice daily schedule which makes caring for them pretty easy.  

In the morning, Jonah attends our church's daycare to help keep the school experience fresh in his mind.  Jonah also loves to play with other kids so this is a nice time for him.  Since Ben has a little harder time socializing, I keep him home with me in the mornings.  This allows me to get some work done since one boy is easier to watch than 2 while trying to do chores.  It also let's me have some one-on-one school time with Ben.  This is nice because Ben is a bit further along than Jonah in math and reading so I can work on things that may not work with Jonah yet.  And having just Ben is good bonding time for him and I and our ever-evolving relationship.

In the afternoon, we had great swimming weather this week so we spent usually 1 hour in the pool.  The boys love swimming and playing in the water.  They have so much fun!  I don't mind hanging out in the pool with them because there are actually periods of time I can just float and relax because they are busy entertaining themselves in the pool.  

After pool time, we either had an activity to head to like horse riding or speech therapy.  Or I would give the boys some room time which is a nice time for all of us to regroup.  The boys each have their own room so this is nice play or rest time for them.  It's a time for me to get more chores done or, I confess, sit and read my book for a bit.

I would try to get some school time with both boys in the afternoon.  We are working through a 5K math workbook (number recognition, counting, adding and subracting) and a reading/phonics program.

Then we would play outside (bubbles, chalk, swing set, sandbox, etc), or I would read books to them.  The boys love having books read to them which I love to do so it's a win-win for all of us.

Then supper time.  

By 7:00, the boys are ready for bed because they are usually very tired after their busy active day. Our bedtime routine is to get PJs on and brush teeth and then cuddle and watch an episode of "The Middle".  They boys love this show!  I love this show also so it's another win-win for all of us.

Now here is a confession, I use TV during the day.  The TV, even if the boys aren't paying 100% attention to it, at least keeps the boys in the living room so I know where they are while I am getting ready, preparing meals, or doing other chores.  There might be some who would criticize me for allowing my boys to watch more than 1 hour of TV a day, but my theory is it's some TV time or my sanity...

So this schedule was very doable for me being all alone this week.

3.  And here is the most unexpected thing I learned from this past week:  I think the 2 boys are easier to care for sometimes than my teenage and young adult kids.  Probably because I can control the little boys better, they are cuddlier, and they like me better!  No seriously, I think what I realized is that I was less distracted/overwhelmed because I only had little kid issues to deal with this past week instead of big kid and little kid issues.  

So here this whole time, I was thinking it was our little boys who were making my life so hectic and crazy, and I think I discovered it's my older kids.

No seriously, I love my older kids with all my heart, and I love having them home.  But the next time I hear one of them complain that our house is crazy because of Ben and Jonah, I am going to smile to myself because I know the real source of crazy for our family...

Here's some additional proof of my "who makes our house crazy" theory: