Updates from a Temporarily SIngle Dad, Day 7

One week without April.  Not bad.  It's odd, .  A few days in, my ears started perking up when I would hear what I thought was the sound of a garage or screen door opening, expecting April to come walking in.  That's how a day with just me and the kids usually ends- mom comes home and gives me a break.  But not this time- not this week.

Thursday was class day for Cosi AND Trey, so I got them both all fed and dressed and in the car, took them to school and dropped them off.  And for th first time all school year, Trey freaked out.  He did NOT want to leave that car.  He's usually so excited to go to class, but not today.  He wanted Daddy, and nothing could distract him.  So Daddy carried him into school and trusted that he would be OK in a minute or two after I left (he was).

Then I went home and got myself ready for the day.  Thursday was a good chance to run errands- pick up dry cleaning, buy a $5 book for Cosi's gift exchange at school, check tire tread (bummer, we need new tires), go to the bank, grade some more Greek exams, etc.  Then pick the kids up.  They're both supposed to have lunch at school on Thursday, but that doesn't mean they actually eat.  So when we get hom, I make sure they've eaten.

Then it's back outside to enjoy the sunshine!  Seriously, what would I be doing with these kids if it wasn't sunny and warm?  Anyway, they go play in the back yard and I bring Greek exams onto the patio, in hopes of grading them in between bouts of arbitration between kids.

Play moves inside, kids getting restless.  Time for a secret weapon:
Every now and then, I pack up a box of their toys and put them in my office closet.  I have several such boxes.  In a pinch, I can pull out a box and the kids go wild.  Instant entertainment.  Well, instead of pulling out a box, I pulled out a tent they had gotten a year ago.  It was popular, but getting beat up, so I gave it a break- for a whole year.  I set up the tent, including one of those 6-foot long crawling tunnels, and it was a hit.  They LOVED pretending to hide from me.  They grabbed all the toys and clothes they could find and put them into the tent, sort of an end-times bunker game, maybe.

Around this time, some friends texted to ask if we wanted them to drop off dinner.  Dinner?  Oh yeah, we need to eat, don't we?  YES WE WOULD LIKE DINNER.  THANK YOU!!!  And then April's aunt stopped by for a visit and brought a homemade Christmas wreath for our door (Awwwwww...).  She let me know that "Santa" would be visiting Home Depot, where her boyfriend worked, that night from 6-8.  So after dinner (thank you Meyers!) we headed out to see Santa.  Up and down the aisles of Home Depot.  No Santa.  No sign of Santa.  We played the "Maybe Santa's hiding, be really quiet and try to spot him" game.  Finally some workers told us where to go, but when we got there, Santa had just left.

It was a nice set-up- crafts, snacks, picture area.  Crafts: build and paint a napkin holder.  Give my kids a hammer and screwdriver and paint.  Frank (the boyfriend) helped Cosi build hers while I helped Trey build his.  We all just stepped back during the painting.  And it was a nice distraction from the plate of cupcakes, which Trey was sure was all for him.  And just as they finished their craft, Santa re-appeared!  And both my kids refused to go near him.  Again.  This is their Christmas tradition- talk about Santa, then avoid him.

Well, that was a full evening, and Trey fell asleep on the way home, still asking for more cupcakes (he had only gotten 2 or 3 bites earlier).  Cosi was in her PJs and asleep in minutes.  I managed to change Trey out of his paint clothes and into PJs without waking him until the very end, at which point he mumbled "Daddy, I want my cupcakes."  Indeed...