Another fulfilling weekend with my little ones

With Dan working so much lately, I can occasionally get a glimpse of what life is like for single parents. I admire single parents so much more than I ever have. It takes a ton of patience, energy and organization to care for two little people alone.



Summers are a bit tough on us as a family (especially this summer, with all of our huge changes). Dan is a skydiving instructor during the summer months, so he is at the dropzone from early in the morning until sunset as long as the weather is cooperative. Our situation is something we have all come to accept, even though it would be so much nicer if he were around more. I hate to wish summer away (because it seems so short here in Minnesota), but I am looking forward to the skydiving season winding down. We miss Daddy!



I have to say that there is something strangely satisfying about "doing it all" alone the majority of the time. And I love the close bonds I have formed/continue to form with my boys because of all of our together-time. At the end of the day I am very tired, but I somehow love that weary feeling because it means I had a productive day of being the best mama I could be.

As each weekend passes that I am a mother of two, I become more comfortable. This weekend I braved the grocery store, the pharmacy, the movie store and Target with my boys! And it all went great. I am learning some good time-saving and tear-reducing tricks that help out tremendously, like: leaving my car unlocked when I go into a store so I don't have to fumble with keys on my way out, and only leaving the house when Sam is well-rested and has a full belly, and having a rattle in my purse for the check-out line when Sam tends to cry, and having a chat with Elijah beforehand about being a good boy, and always parking directly next to cart stalls if they are available, and having everything super duper organized in my head before I go into a store so there is no lost time, and keeping my car keys in my pocket so I don't have to dig through my purse in the parking lot.

All of the thinking and organizing and planning can be tiring, but it is also rewarding and satisfying. We miss Dan a lot, but we get by just fine and I am learning some valuable lessons as I learn how to be the best mama that I can be!