Life sure is busy these days! There's seldom a chance on a normal weekday for me to do anything other than feed the kids, play with them, change diapers, make food, clean up, do housework, etc. Evenings are busy with suppers (we find it easier at this stage to feed our boys and eat our supper afterward), walks, baths and amusing the boys until bedtime, when another routine begins (bum changes/bottles/snuggles/bed). Most nights, the boys get to bed right around 9:00 pm and hubby and I don't have a lot of energy for anything other than sitting on the couch in front of the TV. Hubby works a busy day job and is exhausted in the evenings and I consider myself pretty lucky if he is awake for an hour after the boys go to bed. We both look forward to the weekend, but not because we actually get a break - the weekends are just as busy as any other days of the week - but life is a bit more relaxed because both parents are at home and we can all enjoy each other's company.
Although life is this busy, it could be so much worse - I am very lucky that I have a partner who is such a wonderful father and is so involved in the boys' lives. He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty changing diapers, feeding babies, playing with them, giving baths, etc. and it lightens up my load so much. It's easy to see that the boys appreciate it too - they light up every time he walks into the room. If it wasn't for hubby, I don't know how I'd keep up with all that comes with having two babies. I'd better stop singing his praises now in case he reads this, he'll think I'm sucking up ;)
Earlier this week, the boys spent their first couple hours with the babysitter. For the last couple weeks, the boys have been whiny if I even leave the room, so I was a bit apprehensive about leaving them with someone other than their Daddy, as I figured they'd freak. Luckily, that was not the case! The sitter said that they each whined for a minute, but they were easily distracted and they were happy for the whole two hours I was away (grocery shopping). She texted me pictures of the happy boys playing while I was out, which was a great reassurance for Mama! We are going to make visits with the sitter a weekly thing to get the boys used to the sitter and her adorable little boy (who is a month older than our boys). It also allows me a couple hours to myself, whether it's to get groceries, do some housecleaning or perhaps get a pedicure or even have a nap!
When I picked the boys up from the sitter, they were exhausted. They were in the van for not even two minutes before they fell asleep, so I thought I'd go for a bit of a drive so they could have a decent nap. The drive was actually an opportunity for some down-time for me as well. I ended up driving along the windy road to Chester. It was a beautiful day that showcased the beauty in all of the little seaside communities along the way with the ocean sparkling in the background. It made me homesick for Larry's River. It made me miss the "community" feeling of living in a small village where everyone knows each other (yes, everyone knows each other's business as well, but that never really bothered me). Life just has a slower, more relaxed pace in a small community; somehow, nothing seems as urgent. Living here in the Halifax Suburbs is better than living in the heart of the city, but still doesn't have the small town feeling that I grew up with and love. If I'm in the middle of cooking and run out of an ingredient, I can't run to the neighbour's house to borrow it. I can't pop next door for a visit and a coffee. I can't ask my neighbour to keep an eye on our house when we go away for the weekend. Our kids won't be able to play in the yard by themselves, they won't get to experience many of the things we did growing up in the country. We don't walk outside our front door and know everyone we see on our walk to check the mail. We don't know the mail lady - in fact, I don't even know if we have a "mail lady" or a "mail man." However, hubby and I both have jobs here, which likely wouldn't be the case at "home" (Larry's River). Unfortunately, this is the case in most rural Nova Scotia communities; hence, we find ourselves here in the Halifax Suburbs....I guess one can always dream of having the option of moving back someday!
Now, back to reality...It's Thursday, the boys will soon be awake from their nap and I need to get their lunch ready and if I'm lucky, mine. Then it's playtime, then bottles....and so it goes!
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