Saturday, September 26, 2009

The CSN...(child schedule negotiations!)

In our household we don't have just two other parent's to work schedules around but three (don't ask, it's whole other post!). So we have two other mothers and one other father that we have to try and work with to plan our lives around.

As most can relate vacations are the toughest...there are 3 children with 4 sets of parents who all want a week vacation with their kid at some point in time. Not to mention navigating around the various activities that three boys participate in - hockey, baseball (2 different teams), music lessons (2 different instruments).

Negotiations for next year have begun already - who'll get the kids on what school vacation week, which week of the summer does everyone want, when is the winter hockey trip, grandparents want to take one child to Florida for a week...it's madness

I do have one weekend each year where I try to take my son on a weekend trip just the two of us. It gives us some nice one on one time and allows my husband some time with his boys. That is something that I always fit in!

With some major planning and an Outlook calendar loaded with events it amazingly gets managed with only a few arguements/deals with the Others.

Friday, September 11, 2009

The SEX talk....

So we have two boys, one 11 and one 12 and it's time for the talk. Or least to start answering the questions and comments they come home with!

The 11 year old tends to be more open on the subject of girls and such and likes to tell me the new words he's learned this week - titties, whore, boner etc. He asks for clarification of what these words mean.

This I think is good, that he is comfortable enough to come home and ask me these things and I can give the appropriate definitions - titties are not balls. It seems like the girls have more information than the boys - they have older sisters that love to share...

Our 12 year old needs to be drawn into conversations about girls and such, but he's the one in 7th grade now, going to school that goes up to 12th. All the girls have breasts etc.

We had the conversation tonight about that at dinner, my husband trying to tell the boys to compliment on the girls on their 'funbags'. He was joking of course, but I have horrible visions of a call from the principle on Monday, because my son told a girl she has great 'funbags'.....

Ah, the joys of the pre-teen years!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Kid Free Weekends

Is it bad to say that I enjoy the fact that every other weekend is kid free? I love my son and stepsons, but I really look forward to going out with my husband and having either a date or getting together with our single friends.

It's like being a young, newlywed couple every other weekend! It's a break from the stress of parenting - helping with homework, refereeing fights, cooking dinner!

My husband and I have been on the same kid schedule since we met, which is truly amazing. We didn't have to re-arrange our kid visits at all; it was meant to be.

This weekend was a perfect kid free weekend! No kids from Friday night until Monday night because of the long weekend.

We took a trip up to Maine, hung out at the bars, danced, had a fantastic dinner and just re-connected.

I guess it's both things I look forward to - a break from the kids and some good alone time with my hubby. This is one of the perks of being divorced/remarried.....