The Bitch Is Back-Redux

This time I mean Me! Hahaha! Sorry I didn't post anything of consequence yesterday, I just didn't feel like it, I'll make it up to you. Or I'll try too, I know it was a MAJOR let down. You look forward to reading my blog all day after all. You curled up in your favorite overstuffed chintz armchair, one of the ones with those wings on the sides, in front of the fireplace with a chenille blanket (or maybe even a hott leopard print Snuggie!) and cocktail and were all ready to read the best thing you have ever, and probably will ever read, and... Nothing. What? I know! How dare I? The nerve!

Let's not dwell on the past shall we? I mean, really, get OVER yourself. Moving right along, I'll get on with the story. Gather 'round. Lean in. Closer. Closer. Okay not too close, you're gonna wreck your eyesight if you get that close to the screen, and feeling your breath is creeping me out. Okay, right there is a good distance. "Spaghetti Arms, this is my dancing space." Anyway, yesterday.

Up until this point, Danielle and I have just been sort of playing it by ear and doing whatever, but its time to get down to business. We need to start actually preparing the kids, (and ourselves), for Danielle being at work. I had ridden along to drop the kids at school, but when I am not driving, (and sometimes even if I am, just kidding, kind of) I am not necessarily aware of where we are going. I mean I know where we are en route to, I just don't always pay attention to the route. So yesterday I drove to the school, Danielle came along to make sure I knew where I was going, but not giving directions. Just if I missed a turn or something she was supposed to tell me, haha. I knew the way without help, and we got there. She waited in the car while I took Olivia and Jacob inside. Before they left, she told them that I would be picking them up, and she wouldn't be along. She had a lunch date with a girlfriend, but soon she'll be at work, donchaknow, so we were practicing. I dropped the kids at there classrooms with no trouble. On the way home, we went to McDonalds so I could get an iced coffee (light ice, vanilla syrup). This really has nothing to do with the story, just go with it. We returned home and Danielle went back to bed. I didn't do anything interesting, I don't remember specifically what i even did, probably just vegetated on Facebook. Danielle got ready for lunch, and I got ready to get the kids.

I went to pick up Olivia first. She held my hand walking down the hall to get Jacob, and she inevitably asked where Mommy was. And so it begins... I told her she went to lunch with her friend and that when Olivia woke up from her nap she'd be home. She accepted this for the time being. We picked up Jacob, and the next thing I know Olivia started crying. She let me pick her up, so I carried her out while Jacob held my hand. Outside, Jacob wanted to be picked up too. I said no, that I was holding Olivia right now. He started pouting and his whiny fake crying, and I didn't want to deal with it even tho I knew it was a show. I thought it would look odd trying to leave the school with two kids crying and screaming for mommy. So I squatted down and told him he had to sit on my knee cause I couldn't pick him up off the ground with one arm. Somehow I managed to situate both of them and stand up, now I had to find the car. I parked a lot farther away than I thought, and carrying both of them didn't help. Its hard enough to maneuver in these heels without juggling these two!

Olivia was having a fit. I called Danielle cause I asked if talking to Mommy on the phone would help. She only got in like, "Hi Olivia, don't cr-" before the battery died. So Olivia screamed and cried almost the whole way home, "Where's Mommy? I can't find my mommy yet! Mommy can't find me!" When she said that, I would try to tell her that Mommy knew where she was, but she wasn't listening. Eventually I stopped trying to say anything at all. Three quarters or so of the way home, Olivia was yelling the same things, then she was like, "I need Mommy! I need to stop crying!" and there was silence. I almost started laughing, but I didn't. She started up again twice more but they didnt last very long. Then we arrived, and I plugged my phone in and called Danielle back. She instructed me to break out the books! She had gotten Thomas books for the kids to use as bribes to get Olivia to like me, haha, but I forgot. I gave Olivia a book, and Jacob one too, to be fair, and she calmed down a bit. I made plates of lunch meat and cheese for lunch, they wouldn't eat the bread if I made sandwiches anyway, while they watched an episode of Spongebob. I put their plates at the table, and Olivia sat down and ate, but Jacob was giving me a hard time. They can see the TV from the table, but he wouldn't go sit down. I said I'd turn it off, or that he could just have his nap right now without lunch, so he went and ate. Danielle got home then, and Ms. Marilyn came in to meet me and see the house. Danielle put them in there rooms for nap time, but I had let the nap window, the time they will actually lay down and sleep, close, so they kept popping out. Eventually Olivia who was the main one who wouldn't give up, fell asleep, and we had peace for a little while. When they woke up, I read Jacob one of the Thomas stories while Danielle helped Olivia right letter C's for her homework. It wasn't going well.

We went to Barnes and Noble, to play with the train sets, and get Olivia some writing practice books. I found this really good book, in the kids section, that I read while they were playing with the trains and Danielle found writing books. It was called The Scarecrow's Dance by Jane Yolen, art by Bagram Ibatoulline. I suggest it! I planned to get it until I flipped it over and looked at the price, it was 18 bucks! I told Danielle that that was like $1 a page! Probably more haha. So I texted my mom and asked her to find it for me online for my birthday haha. Don't forget Fans! Its October 14th! I also almost bought The Meaning of Matthew, Matthew Shepard's mother's book. I took it up to the line, but then I put it back. I just bought a book the other day, so I will finish that one first, and then buy this one. I have this thing where I hemorrhage money, so I was proud of myself for not spending anything. Though like I said, I am definitely going back for it... This has been yet another tangent that really has nothing to do with the topic at hand. I'm good at those, tho Alisa is better. Or worse, depending on how you want to look at it.

Danielle made tortellini soup for dinner which was delicious. Then she and Olivia sat down and practiced with the new writing books. I tried to keep Jacob entertained, but he kept bugging them because he wanted his turn with the new fun game. Then the kids had their bath and went to bed. Danielle and I watched The Nanny and retired to our rooms for the night. As I told you in my brief before bed post last night, I was once again joined by Asche. This time at least, she was at the head of the bed, rather than the foot, so she posed less of a threat. I wasn't worried about kicking her in my sleep and provoking her wrath, great and terrible retribution I suspect would end in my untimely demise.

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This morning I took Olivia to school on my own. Well Jacob was along for the ride, he didn't have school today, but he has to get used to tagging along with me, not hanging out at home with Momma, cause she won't be hanging around in a couple weeks. We left with no fanfare or tears. At least not from the kids. No, not me, either...Danielle! Just kidding.

Today I took Olivia through the carpool lane instead of taking her inside. This went off with out a hitch. Well almost. When I said goodbye to Olivia and told her to have a good day, and was ceremoniously ignored, the teacher helping her out of the car told her to tell Daddy goodbye. I was too caught off guard to correct her. Jacob and I came home and picked up Danielle to run errands. When ever Danielle says errands Jacob thinks she's saying Aaron and he asks if we can go see him. She says no, not today, he lives too far away. We went to the post office, and to Brigette's, where we got the fabric panel for the front of Danielle's bag monogrammed. From there we went to Wal*Mart and picked up some stuff.

We dropped Danielle at home and went to pick up Olivia at school. We were equipped with Olivia's bunny, her train Rosie, and her light up thing I gave her. This time: No Crying!!!!! Hooray! Jacob was yelling at me not to sing on our way there, I was dueting with P!nk which he didn't appreciate, but that was it. Olivia was a happy camper! Whoot!

We had lunch, sandwiches and macaroni & cheese, and the kids had their naps. Now Danielle and Olivia went to Office Max and Jacob is hanging out here with me. We are gonna go make a super cool train track now. See ya!

xoxo, Travvy