So sorry, y'all, but life is SOOO busy these days! I spent the first week reunited with Huz and the girls on cloud 9; we enjoyed a night away together our first weekend; then the second week was spent as if we were all on a family vacation since it was the last week together before I went back to work full-time after a 2 year hiatus. We are currently at the end of my first week back as a working mama and are all getting used to the change. The girls seem fine (though Charlotte wanted her Daddy to put her to bed tonight which honestly broke my heart - it only took 4 days for her to not be in love with me and need me to do everything for her - *sniff*) albeit it a bit emotional this week with the abrupt change from me being with them all day, every day to Huz being with them all day, every day.
We'll adjust.
But, for now, I'm tired and can't post much - especially since my new job is highly regulated/restrictive when it comes to internet.
I hope you all are well!
Love,
V.W.
6.13.2013
5.28.2013
A Family Reunited
5.19.2013
Colorado Fun
As utterly exhausting as the last 21 days (but who's counting!?) have been, the girls and I have had a lot of fun that I thought I should share with you. We just got back from visiting Tiny Town, a complete "tiny" little town full of houses, shops, churches, jails, etc. all on a, you guessed it, tiny scale. We rode a mini steam engine railroad around the place and then had ice cream with grandpa (my dad, who is over the moon that we live here right now). I took a ton of pictures, but all with his camera, so I'll share those later.
The first weekend we arrived, we celebrated Charlotte's 2nd birthday, with family, which is as it should be! My mom made some yummy rootbeer-flavored cupcakes and my sister (a professional clown - for real) threw a fabulous safari-themed party.
The next weekend, my sister (the same one) threw a garden-themed party which was AWESOME. We painted flower pots, the girls planted flowers in the garden and got to take some home, there was lunch, a bubble machine...all in a very festively decorated backyard. She's a GREAT party planner.
21 days without Huz down, only 8 more to go! Yippee!
The first weekend we arrived, we celebrated Charlotte's 2nd birthday, with family, which is as it should be! My mom made some yummy rootbeer-flavored cupcakes and my sister (a professional clown - for real) threw a fabulous safari-themed party.
The next weekend, my sister (the same one) threw a garden-themed party which was AWESOME. We painted flower pots, the girls planted flowers in the garden and got to take some home, there was lunch, a bubble machine...all in a very festively decorated backyard. She's a GREAT party planner.
21 days without Huz down, only 8 more to go! Yippee!
5.15.2013
17 Days
My experience with long-term single parenting is now 17 days in the making. Yes, I'm living with family, but my duties as MOM never stop: I'm still waking up with them at their first squawking demands at 6:30a.m., feeding, bathing, entertaining, disciplining, feeding, entertaining, disciplining, feeding, and putting them to bed every single day. It's exhausting work and I cannot wait to get Huz back to help (and because I miss him and his companionship, obviously)!
I'm trying to come up with some routines since the sudden absence of all things familiar (home, city, state, preschool for Claire, friends) is a bit hard on the kids, particularly Claire who has always needed routine (all kids do, but she in particular does well with it). So, our days mainly look like this:
*Wake up at 6:30a.m. on the dot (freaking little roosters!)
*Breakfast
*Morning run every other day with both kids in jogging stroller (pushing 28 lbs of Charlotte + 45 lbs of Claire + however many lbs the stroller might be AT ALTITUDE is kicking my ass, but I guess that's the point of working out)
*What I've dubbed "Showertime Showtime" when I plug them into PBS while I grab a shower
*Run errands/Entertain - we've gone grocery shopping, to the library for children's books and movies, to the mall to meet grandpa for lunch and the indoor play center, to the rec center for an awesome indoor pool (though when I asked the lifeguard yesterday if adults COULD go down the water slide with their much-too-young 2-year-old, I should have asked SHOULD adults go down it because I banged my right elbow on the way out and it's been hurting ever since), etc.
*Lunch/Nap for Charlotte/Quiet time for Claire which if I'm super lucky turns into a nap, but is super rare
*Hang out/walk the dog/get dinner ready and plug kids in again or let them fight (I mean "play")
*Dinner
*Bedtime - change into pjs, brush teeth, read stories, sing, and go the FRAK to sleep kid!
*Bedtime - repeat for Claire about 30-40 minutes later.
*Fall over and die
I miss my husband. In our 18 years of marriage we've only been apart a little shy of 2 weeks and that was 10 years ago. This month without business is for the freaking BIRDS!
17 down, 12 to go.
I'm trying to come up with some routines since the sudden absence of all things familiar (home, city, state, preschool for Claire, friends) is a bit hard on the kids, particularly Claire who has always needed routine (all kids do, but she in particular does well with it). So, our days mainly look like this:
*Wake up at 6:30a.m. on the dot (freaking little roosters!)
*Breakfast
*Morning run every other day with both kids in jogging stroller (pushing 28 lbs of Charlotte + 45 lbs of Claire + however many lbs the stroller might be AT ALTITUDE is kicking my ass, but I guess that's the point of working out)
*What I've dubbed "Showertime Showtime" when I plug them into PBS while I grab a shower
*Run errands/Entertain - we've gone grocery shopping, to the library for children's books and movies, to the mall to meet grandpa for lunch and the indoor play center, to the rec center for an awesome indoor pool (though when I asked the lifeguard yesterday if adults COULD go down the water slide with their much-too-young 2-year-old, I should have asked SHOULD adults go down it because I banged my right elbow on the way out and it's been hurting ever since), etc.
*Lunch/Nap for Charlotte/Quiet time for Claire which if I'm super lucky turns into a nap, but is super rare
*Hang out/walk the dog/get dinner ready and plug kids in again or let them fight (I mean "play")
*Dinner
*Bedtime - change into pjs, brush teeth, read stories, sing, and go the FRAK to sleep kid!
*Bedtime - repeat for Claire about 30-40 minutes later.
*Fall over and die
I miss my husband. In our 18 years of marriage we've only been apart a little shy of 2 weeks and that was 10 years ago. This month without business is for the freaking BIRDS!
17 down, 12 to go.
5.10.2013
STL Shit
Huz and I both feel wrung-out, tired, and hurt because St. Louis basically shat on us.
Not only did he not get to keep his job, but, for the first time as renters, we had a horrible departure from our former landlords. They refused to give us back our security deposit (a whopping $1,300) because they decided to blame us for all kinds of untrue crap. They decided that the (pre-existing) crappy, worn out finish on the wood floors of the dining room was somehow our fault (I never even mopped the wood floors, so no water or chemicals touched it in the 2 years we lived there) - they claim there is a well-worn path around the kitchen cart we had (um, okaaay - I guess the next lease they write should say, "no furniture allowed unless you fly around it instead of walk around it"); they claimed that Cambridge peed on the floors because they could smell where we kept her cat box downstairs on a tile floor (which is complete BS - we wouldn't keep a cat who peed outside of a cat box and we are NOT white trash); they claimed that the bathtub finish needed to be redone because of us (um, I bathed my kids in there - that's all! We also took down some old, nasty glass doors from the bath tub WITH PERMISSION); they claimed that we had over 100 nail holes throughout the 4 bedroom house (so what!? I have a lot of art and I HAD PERMISSION to hang them, plus Huz patched up AND painted it all when we left which is much more than we've ever done with a rental before); they cited us for a small hole in the siding of the house (which I alerted them to as soon as it was discovered - they claimed we had to be more careful and search for rocks in the grass before mowing - which I am positive is from their crumbling to pieces sidewalk leading to the house which was a freaking tripping hazard to anyone coming and going to the house, but of course it's MY fault); and they claimed we killed the grass (which, again, is BS since the city ripped it up last summer to do sewer work and, despite our watering it a lot, remained yellow - like many other houses on the street).
OMG.
We wrote back a very professional response to each accusation and they responded in 18 minutes with, basically, an F-U note threatening lawyers. I'm appalled that this couple (he's a rich neurosurgeon and she's a stuck-up SAHM who currently live in a $400,000 home and have clearly forgotten what the house they used to live in years ago when he was only a lowly resident was truly like) treated us like this. It's just quite literally the last nail in the coffin from STL.
It hurts because we both has such high hopes for our new adventure there. Huz truly loved his job, colleagues and students. I was hopeful to reinvent myself by going back to grad school for an entirely different career path.
But.
It just didn't work out that way for us.
I'm not sad about leaving St. Louis. If I'm honest, I never REALLY loved the place (with the exception of my favorite bar), and frankly felt out of place with the other SAHMs who were wealthy and very self-centered. It's nice to be back in Colorado. After going on a run and then taking the girls to a playground this morning, I realized that I am home (for however long we will be here). People aren't pretentious here; they don't focus on appearances here; it doesn't matter what brand my jeans are here....I thought about this while looking at the glorious blue sky filled with huge, white clouds coming off the amazing Rocky Mountains and thought, STL, shit all you want cuz I'm in a MUCH better place now.
12 days without Huz down, 18 to go.... :(
p.s. In one weeks' time, I had TWO competing job offers and will be gainfully employed next month at University of Colorado Hospital. See? Colorado likes me! It took me three whole months just to get an interview last year in STL. WTH!? I'm the same person with the same resume, only a year older. I'm just not meant to live there - that's clear to me now.
Not only did he not get to keep his job, but, for the first time as renters, we had a horrible departure from our former landlords. They refused to give us back our security deposit (a whopping $1,300) because they decided to blame us for all kinds of untrue crap. They decided that the (pre-existing) crappy, worn out finish on the wood floors of the dining room was somehow our fault (I never even mopped the wood floors, so no water or chemicals touched it in the 2 years we lived there) - they claim there is a well-worn path around the kitchen cart we had (um, okaaay - I guess the next lease they write should say, "no furniture allowed unless you fly around it instead of walk around it"); they claimed that Cambridge peed on the floors because they could smell where we kept her cat box downstairs on a tile floor (which is complete BS - we wouldn't keep a cat who peed outside of a cat box and we are NOT white trash); they claimed that the bathtub finish needed to be redone because of us (um, I bathed my kids in there - that's all! We also took down some old, nasty glass doors from the bath tub WITH PERMISSION); they claimed that we had over 100 nail holes throughout the 4 bedroom house (so what!? I have a lot of art and I HAD PERMISSION to hang them, plus Huz patched up AND painted it all when we left which is much more than we've ever done with a rental before); they cited us for a small hole in the siding of the house (which I alerted them to as soon as it was discovered - they claimed we had to be more careful and search for rocks in the grass before mowing - which I am positive is from their crumbling to pieces sidewalk leading to the house which was a freaking tripping hazard to anyone coming and going to the house, but of course it's MY fault); and they claimed we killed the grass (which, again, is BS since the city ripped it up last summer to do sewer work and, despite our watering it a lot, remained yellow - like many other houses on the street).
OMG.
We wrote back a very professional response to each accusation and they responded in 18 minutes with, basically, an F-U note threatening lawyers. I'm appalled that this couple (he's a rich neurosurgeon and she's a stuck-up SAHM who currently live in a $400,000 home and have clearly forgotten what the house they used to live in years ago when he was only a lowly resident was truly like) treated us like this. It's just quite literally the last nail in the coffin from STL.
It hurts because we both has such high hopes for our new adventure there. Huz truly loved his job, colleagues and students. I was hopeful to reinvent myself by going back to grad school for an entirely different career path.
But.
It just didn't work out that way for us.
I'm not sad about leaving St. Louis. If I'm honest, I never REALLY loved the place (with the exception of my favorite bar), and frankly felt out of place with the other SAHMs who were wealthy and very self-centered. It's nice to be back in Colorado. After going on a run and then taking the girls to a playground this morning, I realized that I am home (for however long we will be here). People aren't pretentious here; they don't focus on appearances here; it doesn't matter what brand my jeans are here....I thought about this while looking at the glorious blue sky filled with huge, white clouds coming off the amazing Rocky Mountains and thought, STL, shit all you want cuz I'm in a MUCH better place now.
12 days without Huz down, 18 to go.... :(
p.s. In one weeks' time, I had TWO competing job offers and will be gainfully employed next month at University of Colorado Hospital. See? Colorado likes me! It took me three whole months just to get an interview last year in STL. WTH!? I'm the same person with the same resume, only a year older. I'm just not meant to live there - that's clear to me now.
4.30.2013
I'm Glad I Don't Live in Kansas
Hello friends,
Just a quick note to update you on The Unexpected Move of 2013. We left STL as soon as the movers closed up the truck and pulled out of the neighborhood on Thursday afternoon. We drove with 2 kids, 1 cat, 1 fish, and 1 rental car packed to the gills for 5 hours to Topeka, KS where we crashed for the night. The next day we drove 8.5 hours all the way through Kansas and Eastern Colorado (Kansas is soooo boring! Flat farms, a few cows, and a few windmills - that's seriously it!) until we finally got to my mom's house in Denver. The girls were really good (as was the cat and the fish - hee, hee) with one hour of screaming from an over-tired Charlotte as an exception. I'm surprised I didn't throw my back out with all the twisting around to the back seat to give her yet another activity every 2 minutes. Her attention span is typical of a young 2-year-old, which is to say minuscule at best.
Huz took Saturday to relax and then left for STL Sunday morning. We said goodbye for an entire month (our longest time apart in 18 years of marriage!) so that he can finish out his semester of classes and get paid through June - an important thing! To say I miss him is an understatement.
Our moving truck arrived yesterday in Denver and I managed them for 4 hours while my baby sister watched my girls (thank GOD for her because I couldn't have done it without her!). Now my mom and step-dad's garage is completely full of our stuff and their basement has been transformed into a miniature version of our home. I'm grateful for the space and hospitality they are offering us for the summer!
That's all I have time for now. I'm putting together a piece of furniture for the tiny bathroom that the 4 of us will be sharing (go me! Usually Huz does assembly of all things furniture!).
Until next time,
V.W.
Just a quick note to update you on The Unexpected Move of 2013. We left STL as soon as the movers closed up the truck and pulled out of the neighborhood on Thursday afternoon. We drove with 2 kids, 1 cat, 1 fish, and 1 rental car packed to the gills for 5 hours to Topeka, KS where we crashed for the night. The next day we drove 8.5 hours all the way through Kansas and Eastern Colorado (Kansas is soooo boring! Flat farms, a few cows, and a few windmills - that's seriously it!) until we finally got to my mom's house in Denver. The girls were really good (as was the cat and the fish - hee, hee) with one hour of screaming from an over-tired Charlotte as an exception. I'm surprised I didn't throw my back out with all the twisting around to the back seat to give her yet another activity every 2 minutes. Her attention span is typical of a young 2-year-old, which is to say minuscule at best.
Huz took Saturday to relax and then left for STL Sunday morning. We said goodbye for an entire month (our longest time apart in 18 years of marriage!) so that he can finish out his semester of classes and get paid through June - an important thing! To say I miss him is an understatement.
Our moving truck arrived yesterday in Denver and I managed them for 4 hours while my baby sister watched my girls (thank GOD for her because I couldn't have done it without her!). Now my mom and step-dad's garage is completely full of our stuff and their basement has been transformed into a miniature version of our home. I'm grateful for the space and hospitality they are offering us for the summer!
That's all I have time for now. I'm putting together a piece of furniture for the tiny bathroom that the 4 of us will be sharing (go me! Usually Huz does assembly of all things furniture!).
Until next time,
V.W.
4.18.2013
Charlotte Turns 2!
A big thank you to the self-described long-time lurker, Anne, for the kind comment today. It's knowing that there really are kind, loving people out there that makes going on from something like this easier. And it was a good reminder to post something too!
And what better day than today to post? Today is my darling Charlotte's 2nd birthday! I am shocked that she's not a baby anymore, but also really glad because she's our hilarious little clown just bursting with personality. My Dad told me on the phone today that with her beautiful blue eyes she could be a model, and I agreed, if it just weren't for all of her bruises and cuts! She's a daredevil child who goes for what she wants no matter what obstacles or dangers lie before her. And even though I'm constantly saving her life, I can't help but smile and be proud of this little tornado called my second daughter.
We are living among piles and piles of boxes, packing tape and bubble wrap as we prepare for our trek west in one week's time, but we found time to celebrate Charlotte this morning with some pancakes and whipping cream.
I'm sure there will be more updates once I'm in Colorado, so until then my dear readers, here's some pictures from this morning. Thank you for reading and for caring about me and my family, even if I don't know you personally.
And what better day than today to post? Today is my darling Charlotte's 2nd birthday! I am shocked that she's not a baby anymore, but also really glad because she's our hilarious little clown just bursting with personality. My Dad told me on the phone today that with her beautiful blue eyes she could be a model, and I agreed, if it just weren't for all of her bruises and cuts! She's a daredevil child who goes for what she wants no matter what obstacles or dangers lie before her. And even though I'm constantly saving her life, I can't help but smile and be proud of this little tornado called my second daughter.
We are living among piles and piles of boxes, packing tape and bubble wrap as we prepare for our trek west in one week's time, but we found time to celebrate Charlotte this morning with some pancakes and whipping cream.
I'm sure there will be more updates once I'm in Colorado, so until then my dear readers, here's some pictures from this morning. Thank you for reading and for caring about me and my family, even if I don't know you personally.
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