Day One of our Working Vacation

     This morning was fairly normal for us; when I got up and came downstairs, following the beckoning scent of coffee and buttered toast, I was greeted by Dryden wearing his pyjama top (why don't my kids ever have pants on?), Nick's Jack Daniel's hat on backwards, his black leather dress shoes on the wrong feet and a tambourine glued to his left hand. Like I said, fairly normal. We played and packed, snacked, and tickled; the morning went by in waves of giggles and temper tantrums. Eventually we packed them up and shipped them off to my in-laws to enjoy a gourmet lunch and a much needed nap. Undoubtedly, we chose a sneaky exit strategy- we left while they were sleeping, snoring softly in borrowed beds. I only briefly thought about the next eight days that Nick's parents would have to face maneuvering around our kids, navigating them through their daily routines. I'm sure they'll be fine...or fineish anyways. Saku was left to entertain himself until Auntie Marie showed up later that night to hang out with him for the week. We eagerly hit the road in our behemoth Dodge Ram laden with 1000 pounds of tile, cement and a new washer and dryer. The music was blaring, the windows were down and the ice kissed wind was making my hair dance wildly around my face. I felt light, and free, and able to inhale deeply for the first time in weeks. I refuse to feel guilty or inadequate as a parent for needing some time away from my kids and for relishing Nick's company in an adults-only zone (I'd like to see if we can talk about non-children related topics this week. We should get zapped if one of us laments about the kids....) I miss doing home improvements and renos like we used to also so I'm kinda excited about that too; hours invested with the DIY network has ingrained countless pearls of wisdom into my frontal lobe which I will selflessly share with Nick - I can already visualize the death stares I will receive after telling Nick he's laying the tiles wrong. It's going to be a fun week...