Travel

Mike had to travel last week for work. First time ever. In fact its the first time he has been away really in Israel's and Nairi's life ever. Last time Keira was away from her daddy was when she was 6 months old and her and I flew to IA to visit some friends and escape from the kitchen remodel that was going on in our old house. So its safe to say that my kids are NOT used to daddy being away and to be honest I am not used to playing the single parent game- and I really have no interest in learning it. After taking care of the kids from 730 am to 530 pm I am ready for some assistance from 530 pm-730 am. Bedtime help, nighttime assistance with the sleep walking child, the child that likes to come in our bed, and the baby that thinks she is an infant and still needs to snack from the milk bar every few hours at night- I like the whole shared parenting thing. So when Mike told me he was heading to MN for 3 nights and 4 days I had some internal panic. Our 3 kids are on the younger side ( which translates to needy) for those of you unfamiliar with young kids.

I am happy to say that we survived just fine! Thanks to some tips from friends who are used to traveling husbands, my younger brother who slept here at night to prevent me from hearing noises all night long, and Mike's parents for coming to the beach with us, and watching the kids while I picked up Keira from school- we made it!

The uncharacteristic 85 degree weather helped too as it kept the kids busy doing things they haven't done all winter like playing with the hose and running around barefoot. While I am not ready for Mike to travel any time soon the whole thing went much better than I thought. I am very very grateful that he is home as much as he is and as helpful with the kids as he is.