Today Marty went snowmobiling with a friend of ours in the ward. Marty doesn't "play" very often, pretty much because he's always working. I have realized that when it comes to family time with Marty, it's hard for me to shut off "scarcity mentality" mode during the winter when he is home a little more. Even in the winter, he still works a lot of hours, but we see him considerably more than we do the rest of the year.
Just this week he stayed home and watched the kiddos while I went to a dentist appointment, and he took most of the day off on Tuesday so that we could take Peter in and be available for anything else that might need to happen that day. He's been available much more than during the busy season, but I'm learning that it's hard for me to turn off the feeling that we're desperate for more Dad time.
When he told me that he was invited to snowmobile, I wanted him to go because he's certainly earned the time for some fun. We also made a deal that he would set aside time and watch both of the kids so that I can go and do something fun and child-free soon. Even though my brain was fine with him going, I knew it would be hard for me not to grumble while I was in the middle of another day managing the kids solo while he was out playing. I'm so fickle sometimes!
By the time both kids had woken up from their shorter-and-more-staggered-than-usual naps today, I could tell that we weren't going to be able to just sit around the house for the rest of the day and wait for Marty to come home.
When it comes to rides in the car, Peter is usually unhappy and impatient and it has made taking long drives alone with the kids quite miserable, so when we leave the house, it's typically constrained to a 10-15 minute radius (also known as the grocery store and a couple of friends' houses).
BUT
In prep for a play date 30 minutes away last week, I remembered that our humble 'ol minivan actually has a built in DVD player. Putting a movie on has been a newer concept around here, as Peter is just getting to be old enough to enjoy it. I tried popping in a movie for the drive to that play date and it was HEAVENLY. Peter was blissfully quiet and Carolyn slept like a baby (get it? baby? ha ha ha).
I feel like my chains have been loosed! I can go anywhere!
Ahem, anyway.
Coming back to our day today, we called Grandma and Grandpa Cluff to see if they wanted visitors today and they were excited to have us come see them. I've always been reluctant to go by myself because the 45 minute drive was so rough, but today, I popped in a movie and the drive up was easy-peasy.
It was such a fun visit. Peter and Carolyn are grandchildren numbers 26 and 29 on the Cluff side, so Grandma and Grandpa Cluff really have this grandparent thing down. The kids LOVE them.
That visit saved me from a pity party today. Yay for movies and built in dvd players and grandparents' houses.
We came home and Marty was home and Peter was so happy about it that he was dancing in his high chair: