28 Days

No, I am not in rehab...

...my husband is! Just kidding. He's in his Fancy Pants Plane training class (yes, that's the official title!), no seriously, he is training to fly a new aircraft for his job. So, that means, I am on full-time double duty! Which, all in all, even though just an hour ago I was yelling at the top of my lungs to be heard over my children's whining and screaming when Finding Nemo ended and no one wanted to calm down for dinner, hasn't been too bad. I know as crazy as that sounds, let me explain. I knew it was coming and knowing is half the battle. It's the lengthy trips that get extended without any notice that really cause me to go berserk. This was planned and I know he will be coming back and if I can get through these crazy training times, I can get through his regular job which is easy enough when he's gone for a few days back for a day or two, then out again. Those become a picnic in a flower filled meadow! This is Day 12 and there is still a busy week of school ahead and pre-school outings planned and then another week and things will start to settle into more of his in and out routine when training is over.

One thing I have gotten really used to is the reading time. We all know I love to read, but Official Nighttime Reading Time only became official by default. It became my only option (but we all know that I am beyond fine with that). How did it become my only nighttime option? Simple enough: The children either have bionic hearing (which I doubt because of aforementioned Mommy yelling over screaming and whining) or they have rigged up some device of which I am not aware that alerts them when Mommy sits down to watch a movie, show, or simply turns it on. I am led to believe it's only a movie or show that I've been planning on seeing because it's only when I would LOVE to be interrupted from some mind-numbing inane programming that I cannot even believe I am watching, yet inexplicably am unable to turn off that I am NOT interrupted, so they MUST know when I am wanting to enjoy a specific show or movie. How? I haven't figured out yet. I came to the deciding point when an hour and a half girly movie ended up taking over three hours to get through a mere hour and five minutes because my daughter kept coming into my room asking what I was watching, that she heard a noise from the movie and wanted to know what it was, or to come and say she loved me...again, all while staring intently at the paused screen trying to figure out what Mommy could possibly watch at night without her that is so interesting. So, after all that, I figured, if I just read quietly, 1) I can just re-read the portion during which I may have been interrupted which is easier to do with a book then having to queue up a movie and 2) it's quiet and if I turn a page, I don't think either will run in and want to know what that noise was in the book that I am reading. Now, I know I have other options such as folding laundry, dishes, organizing, writing thank you notes, grocery and meal lists, and so on, but let's face it, that's not what I want to spend my ONLY ALONE TIME doing... so I don't. I try to get those done during the day and get the kids involved the best that I can, so I can enjoy what is now the official nighttime activity.

Needless to say, one can get through some fairly decent sized books in 12 long and quiet evenings when not much interrupted or when sleep doesn't come so quickly because of those lovely bladder kicks and somersault rolls from our little expected Pollywog. So, for the remainder of my nights, I am attempting to see just how far into The Lord of the Rings that I can get... which is the subject for an entirely separate blog.

Here's to reading and letting my blog's randomness rule... and to Middle Earth.