The kids and I spent two weeks in Illinois in June. In theory, it was a vacation. In actuality, it was an exhausting time of travel that I would do again in a heartbeat. Tony was unable to take much time off so he drove us to Illinois on a Friday, and then flew to Atlanta on Sunday. Then two weeks later, he flew to IL, and I picked him up at the airport.(and he got the easy end of the travelling madness)
The kids, my parents, my brother, his wife and I went to western Illinois, for a day. (This is Milla and Chloe at Culver's during a pit stop.) Then the kids and I went to central Illinois for the weekend. Then we came back home (my parents' home) for a week.
I must say that it is odd going home. Anyone else feel this way? I suppose it is like going off to college, and then coming home, but since I did not do that I cannot say. First off, I still call my parents' house home. I've been told by super holy people that I shouldn't say that. That home refers to where my husband and children live. My first thought- spare me. That is home, too. After we left home in Illinois, we drove to home in Georgia. They are both home. Has nothing to do with leaving and cleaving. Again- spare me!
It is odd though. What is even stranger is going back to the town you recently moved from. We went there for a few days. Wow- it was almost painful because it too, looks like home, but it no longer feels like home. The kids also seemed unnerved by this place that was home, but is now just a big city that has a Target and some (formerly?) dear friends we don't see very much anymore.
Equally strange is spending time with your in-laws without your husband. My in-laws are fine people, but in my brain they are ultimately my husband's parents. To my kids, however, they are Grandpa and Grandma, and they need to be visited when we are in town. So much so that Chloe had a running tally of the amount of time that we had spent with each set of grandparents. She later sat me down to explain that it really isn't right that we spent so much more time with Grandpa Bob and Grandma. She is going to be a great daughter-in-law some day. I tried explaining that those are Daddy's parents, and if she wants to spend more time with them, she should convince Daddy to take more time off. She looked at me like I needed to grow up and understand that Daddy cannot take time off whenever he feels like it. She is going to be a great wife someday. She is such a traitor.
The kids are also old enough that they want to be with cousins. This is a tough one for me to wrap my brain around. I'm not a play-date kind of mom. Well, I am not the call-the-friends'-parents-and-arrange-a-play-date kind of mom. I am certainly the sure-my-kids-can-come-over-and-you-bring-them-home-when-you-are-ready kind of mom. I found myself calling the sister-in-law and setting up time for the kids to get together. This led to cries of please can we spend the night. That is foreign ground to me.
In my brain, 5 and 4 is too little for a sleepover. And most of the kids' friends' parents agree with this. (I think that secretly none of us want to spend that much time with each other's kids, but it may just be me.) However, this is Aunt Tricia's house. That is a whole 'nother situation.
I still don't want them spending the night at people's houses. It is more work for people and I fear that the kids might not behave. I don't want them grouchy the next day. And then there is the Nervous Momma's Mantra- predators, burglars, and fires, oh my! So, I decided that, no, they could not spend the night. That really didn't go over to well. Not only were my kids crying like I had run over their puppy, the cousins weren't very happy, and I think Aunt Tricia took it personally. If nothing else, I confirmed my role as Uncool Aunt and Mom and Sister-in-law.
Finally, Tony returned to set the world back on its axis. Uh- not exactly. Camilla, my one true, faithfully clingy child, turned her cute little back on me. She refused to let me hold her. We went to the pool, and all she wanted was Daddy to hold her. I felt like Hell must have frozen over. This child, who clings to me to hold her closer, even at the grocery store, wanted, of all people, Daddy? No. No! This isn't' right. She is supposed to want Mommy. So I sat her down and explained to her that Mommy had spent all this time with her, being there for her, nursing her for almost 13 months of her 22 months of life. She looked at me like I needed to grow up. Daughters these days! (wonder if my mother is secretly laughing at me, believing that I got what I deserved for all those years of devoted service as Daddy's Girl.) I have to admit that it was kind of sweet watching her love on Daddy. I can say that now because she has come back to me!
So after two weeks of negotiating friends, family, and rain (did I mention all the storms we drove through- yikes!), we made it back home. - well Home in Georgia.
